Failure to boot...please help

[noahabel]

So for some inexplicable reason, my system is now refusing to boot. My rig (as described in my sig) will fire up, the diagnostic LEDs on the mobo show confirmed CPU, memory and VGA detection, but the boot process is stopping just after the screen lists the CPU type. And while a connected PS/2 keyboard flashes on boot and shows power, I cannot enter the BIOS or boot menu at all. It is simply frozen and stopped at that point.

So I've tried a "safe boot" jumper fix and then a CMOS clear jumper solution (which brought back the DFI Lanparty logo screen), to no avail. I've pulled each mem module and swapped them in all appropriate configurations and no fix. The system was working fine until I shut it down the night before save one issue: Windows reported some problem loading or shutting down this program - regsvr.exe. Now, I know that this could effect the OS boot, but I seem to be having some major hardware issues. I can't even get to my OS.

Thoughts and help are super, duper appreciated. Absolutely nothing physically happened to the rig between normal operation and this major FUBAR conundrum.

TIA.

 

[wanderer27]

Are you getting a Keyboard error?

I'd try turning off the System (the PSU button on back) and unplugging the Keyboard for a minute, then hook it back up and try again. It'd be better if you had another Keyboard to try, but it may just be a chip 'locked up' - I've had this happen on a Keyboard a couple of times before.

Another thing to try is to boot to the Windows Install CD. This may give some more information as to how far into your System you can really get.

Not being able to get into BIOS could indicate more serious problems though.

 

[noahabel]

Thanks for the reply. I've done every manner of unplugging and plugging. The boot process is not getting to the stage where I can actually use the keyboard. The keyboard lights flash on startup, I hear the BIOS beep then the whole thing stops with the CPU info line on screen (which I can't see anymore because the stupid logo screen is now there in its place).

I can't boot to CD yet, it's not getting that far.

From what I can tell, the BIOS is loading and then some kind of hardware issue is locking up the boot process. Since it's on the CPU step, my concern is that the processor is the problem. Thoughts?

 

[wanderer27]

If the BIOS isn't corrupted, it could be a bad PCI card locking the System.

You could try pulling your PCI cards out (not the Video of course) and see if that helps any. If this works, then you can selectively isolate which PCI card is causing problems.

 

[wjal]

If there is no beeping, the vid card memory and CPU are probably OK. The problem is most likely the mobo or PSU. Examine the board for swollen, domed or leaky capacitors.
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=195
http://home.earthlink.net/~doniteli/index27.htm
Do you have another PSU that you can swap in?

 

[WildHorse]

One experiment you might try is to repeat your cmos clear procedure, but this time let the jumper remain in its clear osition for a real long time, say maybe 8 hours (i.e.; overnight) while the button battery is popped out, and the power cable is physically unplugged from the back of the psu.

It's a bit counter-intuitive, because you'd think that once the charge is grounded after a moment, then it's all cleared. But I've experienced the phenomenon where a quick clear did not help, yet letting it sit in Clear position overnight did help after all, like a surprising panacea.

So if you're willing to experiment, just give it a try...jumper to Clear for 8 hrs with battery popped out, disconnect th power cord from the back of yur psu, and then also press computer's Start button a couple of times to help drain the caps.

Afterwards, replace all, boot into bios, set everything to default values, then boot into Windows.