Very strange error: please help me pinpoint it

[TechnoPro]

A client inherited a Sony Vaio that's a few years old. Specs are P4 2.53 GHz / 1 GB RAM / 2 X 115 GB HDDs.

I prepped the PC (SP2, removed previous owners data, etc.) and is was running fine.

Soon after, I get a call that the PC is down. Windows wouldn't boot, but safemode would.

When I get onsite, I see that some of the characters in the boot menu are messed up. Like every letter "e" is repalced with a "`". My first thought is that Windows was hosed somehow. But here's the kicker. The weird characters also showed up in the BIOS setup.

Pulling the CMOS battery for a few minutes fixed everything. The battery is reading 3.2 volts, so I don't think it's failing.

A week later the same issue occured.

UPDATE - 06.28.2005

Pics of problem: 1 , 2.

I give up! The problem keeps coming back. Sony does not offer an updated BIOS to reflash. Sony wants either $314 or $699 for repairs which is highway robbery. Any advice? Know any good repair shops in the Boston area?

Any ideas?

 

[TechnoPro]

Anyone?

 

[theMan]

sounds like a corrupted bios. flash it.

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: theman
sounds like a corrupted bios. flash it.

Ran through my head too, but yet the issue is not persistent - it is fixed with removing the CMOS battery.

I replaced the CMOS battery and have been running F@H as a stress test with not even a blip.

Could dirty power be the culprit?

 

[EULA]

dirty power is so not sexy...

I have had some strange issues, including similar display issues at low voltages...

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: EULA
dirty power is so not sexy...

I have had some strange issues, including similar display issues at low voltages...

Did you solve the issue? I'm thinking a UPS might do the trick.

 

[Rike]

Could the memory that holds the BIOS go bad, leading to corruption over time? Just shoot'n in the dark . . .

 

[WebDude]

The weird characters also showed up in the BIOS setup.

This is somewhat intriguing. Sounds like the basic VGA font is getting corrupted. Here's the question: where is that font located? I think it's on the video card's ROM bios, but I'm guessing at this point. If it is, is this font getting copied to system memory and becoming corrupted there? I don't know enough about the internal steps of font handling at basic boot-up to say. Anyone else know?

 

[newParadigm]

Yes the VGA font is located in the Vid Cards BIOS. What video card does the comp have? If its nVidia, I should be able to get ya a BIOS image for the card, providing its not ancient (considering the rest of the system specs, it wouldn't seem so).

LMK,

~new

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: WebDude

The weird characters also showed up in the BIOS setup.

This is somewhat intriguing. Sounds like the basic VGA font is getting corrupted. Here's the question: where is that font located? I think it's on the video card's ROM bios, but I'm guessing at this point. If it is, is this font getting copied to system memory and becoming corrupted there? I don't know enough about the internal steps of font handling at basic boot-up to say. Anyone else know?

There's more to the story. I didn't quite know how to phrase the rest, so here it goes...

When the system was in this corrupted state, and I start repeatedly typing the letter "e", it would not consistently display the "`" symbol. I don't remember exactly what the pattern was, but basically the "e" and "`" would toggle on every press of the keyobard E.

`
e`
`e`
e`e`

Etc.

But there was also an erratic element to it as well. I wasn't inclined to sit and study it. Based on more reports from this client, the house they are in is having odd electrical issues. I'm hoping that's the root cause.

 

[WebDude]

Based on your last post, I would take a good look at the keyboard or keyboard connection to the PC. Corruption is usually very random in the characters it generates. When you get toggling like you describe it sounds a lot more like an internal keyboard problem. But still anything is possible.

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: WebDude
Based on your last post, I would take a good look at the keyboard or keyboard connection to the PC. Corruption is usually very random in the characters it generates. When you get toggling like you describe it sounds a lot more like an internal keyboard problem. But still anything is possible.

It's not the keyboard.

When the system would POST, the funny characters would be visible.

 

[rise]

i'd say psu. have you put a dmm to the rails and see what you have or triedswapping one in? i know how fun it is to get one to fit in the vaio's but just to test.

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: rise4310
i'd say psu. have you put a dmm to the rails and see what you have or triedswapping one in? i know how fun it is to get one to fit in the vaio's but just to test.

I didn't take any readings, no. Working inside that Vaio is torture.

My rule of thumb is usually to suspect the PSU when the PC is having erratic, seemingly random issues. This problem is consistent, symptom-wise. Maybe I should check into the voltages just be prudent.

What exactly do I probe?

 

[rise]

use the black into the black ground of a 4 pin molex and then probe the yellow 12v and then the 5v red to start. the 3.3 can be a pita if you don't have a sata connector.

psu can do some weird stuff. plus he was booting in safe before, no? now its almost a vid card corruption or something. i dunno, worth checking.

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: rise4310
use the black into the black ground of a 4 pin molex and then probe the yellow 12v and then the 5v red to start. the 3.3 can be a pita if you don't have a sata connector.

psu can do some weird stuff. plus he was booting in safe before, no? now its almost a vid card corruption or something. i dunno, worth checking.

Thanks for the refresher!

I never saw what the actual onset of the problem was. Was described to me as this: Pc froze. Client didn't know to press and hold power switch to shut down. So plug was pulled from back of PC. When plugged back in, boot menu came up. Client attempted to boot normally. A dark solid-color screen eventually appears and sits there indefinitely. PC boots fine into safe mode.

I was called onsite and all I could do then is pull the CMOS battery which made everything better.

A few days later, I get a call again. It froze and a different user again pulled the plug out. Same exact error. I've had it running here for a few days with no signs of problems, so that's why I am leaning towards bad power on their end...

Has me scratching my head.

 

[theMan]

umm, did you explain to them that pulling the power cord out of the computer while it is on is VERY BAD? that may have corrupted the bios.

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: theman
umm, did you explain to them that pulling the power cord out of the computer while it is on is VERY BAD? that may have corrupted the bios.

Yes, I was very vocal about never doing that again. If indeed the weirdness resulted from pulling the plug, I am still remiss on what the first cause was. The thing is rock solid when I'm testing it out. User error?

 

[TechnoPro]

I give up! The problem keeps coming back. Sony does not offer an updated BIOS to reflash. Sony wants either $314 or $699 for repairs which is highway robbery. Any advice? Know any good repair shops in the Boston area?

 

[TechnoPro]

Pics of problem: 1 , 2.

Again, pulling the CMOS fixes it, but the problem can come back at any time.

 

[twitchee2]

i have a sony with a p4 2.4 and it has somthing like a 150w PSU i dont know if that PSU can handle the 2 drives

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: twitchee2
i have a sony with a p4 2.4 and it has somthing like a 150w PSU i dont know if that PSU can handle the 2 drives

Fvck me, why didn't I think of that? I'll pull the second one tommrow and see what happens. The problem is that I am unable to reproduce this error. It simply happens... Good thinking.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Since removing the battery fixes the problem (at least temporarily), it may be power-related. So, yes, removing the second hdd might just do the trick.

Remember you can always get an ordinary motherboard as a replacement. FSB533 boards go for something like $30, nowadays.

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: hurtstotalktoyou
Since removing the battery fixes the problem (at least temporarily), it may be power-related. So, yes, removing the second hdd might just do the trick.

Remember you can always get an ordinary motherboard as a replacement. FSB533 boards go for something like $30, nowadays.

Sony can be a PITA when it comes to proprietary parts. That's my concern there. I wll definitely try removing one of the HDDs.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

You shouldn't need to worry about proprietary parts. The new motherboard will come with its own drivers.