is this WEIRD boot up message a Vista 64bit problem?

[Skypix7]

I don't know if this is a motherboard or Vista problem, so I'm posting it in both places, hope nobody minds.

Can sure use some help with this strange boot message: Is it saying I have a bad partition on both C: and D: drives?

Here it is, painstakingly copied by hand, it showed after board post, on a black screen. Windows never loaded. eventually I got a C: prompt:

--------------
Free DOS Kernel Version 1.1.35W (build 2035W-UNSTABLE, Nov 30 2005)
Kernel compatibility 7.10-WATCOM C-FAT32 Support

C:HD1, PRI[1], CHS=0-1-1, START=0MB, SIZE-31MB

WARNING: Partition PRI:1 FS 0B has CHS-14592-254-63, NOT 1023-254-63
WARNING: Partition PRI:1 FS 0B is not LBA

Please run FDISK to correct this - using LBA to access partition.

Start 0-1-1, end 14592-254-63

D:HD3, PRI[1], CHS=0-1-1, START=0MB, SIZE 114470MB

Bad or missing command interpreter
Enter the full shell command line:
command.com /Y /P /E:256

-----------------

When I unplugged the D: drive (USB external 120GB drive), the error msg only had the C: error message.

I was able to get back into Windows with "last known good config", in fact it works every time, but it won't load on its own. I checked the two drives, they both show all the data and everything looks fine, no data corruption etc.

I'm running a clean install of Vista 64bit on an ASUS P5W DH Deluxe, 8GB DDR2 667 (2GB x 4), various updates

recommended on this site, including a hotfix patch from Microsoft, SPAE and Data Exec prevention from Microsoft

tech, and memswap enabled in Bios, to get all 8GB RAM to show.

It's been running like a champ for two days, now this out of nowhere. Last shutdown was clean and fast, about 30 seconds.

I tried flashing bios using ASUS updater in windows, but it couldn't connect to a site, so I don't think that caused anything, but it was the last thing I did before the problem.

My bios is 1901, not the latest for the board.

I could also use a recommendation on how to flash the bios for this board,
as I'm not sure doing it through Windows is such a good idea.

Halp! This stuff is way over my head!

 

[bsobel]

Take the floppy disk out of the machine...

 

[Skypix7]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I haven't installed one yet!

 

[bsobel]

Ok then the cd out of the drive 😉 It really sounds like your trying to boot from a dos boot sector on some other device. Usb key maybe?

 

[Skypix7]

Well...um...uhhh...my face is as red as your avatar.

That was it...I'd left the ASUS disk in the DVD drive.

God, what a noob I am!

But couldn't it have just said "You're trying to boot from a non bootable disk, you idiot!"?

That would have saved me the last 1.5 hours! Aaarrrgh!!!

(Thanks alot for the help, man. I guess I would have figured it out next time I popped a disk out.) Problem solved, it booted right up like a champ.

In bios, I do have hard drive first in the boot order, but guess that doesn't matter. I don't understand it though, in my Win2K system, I left disks in the drive all the time, it never tried to boot from it.

Oh well. This modern age.

I'm going to dig out my old Kaypro 4, that was a lot simpler and everything was DOS. ;-)

thanks again

 

[bsobel]

In bios, I do have hard drive first in the boot order, but guess that doesn't matter. I don't understand it though, in my Win2K system, I left disks in the drive all the time, it never tried to boot from it.

That's weird, the hd boot loader must be checking for the cd? That certainly doesnt sound right. Do you perhaps have an add-on HD controller so your bios wouldnt consider it the 'on board' one? Either way, glad your going 😉

 

[Nothinman]

But couldn't it have just said "You're trying to boot from a non bootable disk, you idiot!"?

But it is a bootable disc, I really doubt your BIOS has a copy of FreeDOS in it.

 

[Skypix7]

Hmmm...well, face red, chapter 2: I rechecked bios after my last post. Somehow the DVD had moved back to the top...I must have failed to save my last change or something.

The disk that was in it was the ASUS motherboard disk that came with the system. So you must be right, it must be bootable...I didn't install it, I bought it barebones and am finding out how much I don't know, how much I've forgotten over the last 3 years since my last build, how much has changed, how much you have to read to catch up, and how easy it still is to get tripped up on simple things!

Life in Byteville. What a concept.

Thanks again for the help, this thread is done as far as I'm concerned.

😱