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Need some PC help.

cc170cc170 Member Posts: 146


So, about 2 weeks ago my computer was starting to hang up and freeze. It would often give me a screen that read "Reboot and select proper boot device, or Insert boot media device." I suspected hard drive failure, so I went out and bought a new hard drive and installed it. The computuer some times reconizes the hard drive and sometimes doesn't. Once I started up I entered the BIOS, and 1st-6th drive said none beside of it. So, I rebooted, and it reconized my dvd and hard drive. I then exited the BIOS, and it went back to the delightful "Reboot and select proper boot device" screen. Here is where I need your help, I suspect it may be the SATA controller on the motherboard, but I would like to be sure.


Thank you, Codion

Playing:WoW, GA
Played:WoW,WAR,AoC,EQ,CoH,GW,EVE,Aion
Want to play:SW:TOR
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Comments

  • lugallugal Member UncommonPosts: 671


    Get a new mobo.

    Roses are red
    Violets are blue
    The reviewer has a mishapen head
    Which means his opinion is skewed
    ...Aldous.MF'n.Huxley

  • cl0vercl0ver Member Posts: 122


    Simple test for that would be to get a sata pci card and plug your dvd and hdd to that.  


    Ive seen it be a bad power supply as well.  If your dvd and hd power share the same feed.. i mean the same cable plugs into both....  its possible there is a short in that cable.  

  • drbaltazardrbaltazar Member UncommonPosts: 7,856


    ok you will have to activate acpi in your os before you activate it in your bios the thing is


    if you leave it in ide it works fine but not real speady check online acpi or such drive issue


    simple version is,its like you speaking english and your best buddy only speak chinese (grin)


    there are often lot of issue because of these make sure your os is tweaked the way your hard drive need to be for best speed then go in bios and set acpi or whatever new tool is working for that hard drive.


    (you might need a bios update)new system can be upgraded via usb key other you ll have to download on a diskette


    and use that hope you kept that hold 3.1 or watchemacallit because if not you wont be able to update your bios!(if usb key update isnt supported by your bios!)


    hope this help lot of info online about these issue


    just write drive model number the issue you got and google it!

  • AmazingAveryAmazingAvery Age of Conan AdvocateMember UncommonPosts: 7,188


    Flash the BIOS, what mobo do you have?


    Create a book disk with the latest BIOS on it and boot from that?



  • cc170cc170 Member Posts: 146

    I ended up ordering a SATA controller card from newegg. Hopefully this will fix the issue. Also, I am not sure what kind of motherboard I have.

    Playing:WoW, GA
    Played:WoW,WAR,AoC,EQ,CoH,GW,EVE,Aion
    Want to play:SW:TOR
    image

  • PhryPhry Member LegendaryPosts: 11,004

    probably a basic kind of thing, but have you checked the temperatures, make sure its not an overtemp issue.

  • noquarternoquarter Member Posts: 1,170

    Sometimes the heatsink on the Southbridge chip comes loose or the thermal paste becomes useless, might need to just pull that off, scrape off the gunk and redo it.

  • pythipythi Member UncommonPosts: 63

    If you have not already fixed the problem, I would reccomend swaping out SATA cables.

    The reason I say this is most time the connectors are lose and wiggle, if they are the ones with the metal retaining clips that is always a good thing, and is most likely not the problem.

    Important note: Do not flash your BIOS, 95% people who reccomend this have no clue as to what they are talking about. There is also a good chance if you have never flashed a BIOS it might fail, thus making the board fail to POST, then you have a $150 paper weight.

    Exocide

  • cc170cc170 Member Posts: 146

    This my sound kind of stupid, but what is flashing your bios? I thought about the sata cable too, but if it reconizes the DVD and HD drive, then doesn't reconize both of them the next start up, I guessed it would be the controller. A new cable is coming with the PCI card ordered which is good, because the clip (used to unlock the cable) broke off. I think I will not buy another HP. I will just build my own from here on.

    Playing:WoW, GA
    Played:WoW,WAR,AoC,EQ,CoH,GW,EVE,Aion
    Want to play:SW:TOR
    image

  • noquarternoquarter Member Posts: 1,170

    The BIOS on your motherboard has some firmware loaded on it that can be updated, the process is called flashing. It's rare for OEM PC's to have BIOS updates though because they design the firmware to work with exactly what they sell the PC with but you can always check HP's website for a BIOS update.


    Sometimes a BIOS update can fix instability problems with certain hardware, but there is a very small risk of the BIOS update getting interrupted during the flashing process and then having a bricked motherboard so it's not recommended to do it unless the release notes say it might address an issue you have, but I've never let it stop me from updating.

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