Computer Help Needed DESPARATELY!!

[Mark Hulette]

With all the storms lately in this area (Central KY) I've had a problem develop with my PC at home. I don't think it got hit by lightning because it will still power up and the monitor is OK. It just won't reboot. I get a screen giving the specs of the computer and that the mouse and keyboard are detected. When I hit <delete> to enter setup, nothing happens.

It almost seems that the operating system (Win 98 SE)isn't initiating. I've got all the program CDs- I just can't get it to load.

Any and all help will be so appreciated. I know a lot of computer gurus hang out here so this is the first place I've gone.

THANKS!

[Tony Falotico]

I know a lot of computer gurus hang out here.

Let me qualify this by saying I am by no means a computer guru. Have you tried booting up in SAFE MODE? Turn the system off, depress and hold the ctrl key, then turn the system on. SAFE MODE loads only the absolutely essential 'stuff' to run the system with none of the frills.

Do you get any response (noise) from your hard disk? Perhaps it is fried. When you originally loaded Win 98 it should have given the option to create an 'emergency start disk' (I forget what they called it), if you have one try that.

I gave all my win 98 stuff away with my previous 'puter, so I'm quoting from my feeble memory. I'm sure some real gurus will chime in shortly.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

I have a question. Did you protect your computer with a "Surge Protector?" If not, you may have indeed "Fried" your hard drive.

BTW - just a little comment. A $25.00 Surge Surpressor is cheap insurance for your computer and more important - all the information that you have not backed up!

[Rich Konopka]

With all the storms lately in this area (Central KY) I've had a problem develop with my PC at home. I don't think it got hit by lightning because it will still power up and the monitor is OK. It just won't reboot. I get a screen giving the specs of the computer and that the mouse and keyboard are detected. When I hit <DELETE>to enter setup, nothing happens.

It almost seems that the operating system (Win 98 SE)isn't initiating. I've got all the program CDs- I just can't get it to load.

Any and all help will be so appreciated. I know a lot of computer gurus hang out here so this is the first place I've gone.

THANKS!

Mark:

You were not exactly clear on whether you said you tried booting off of the Win 98 CD or floppy. If you haven't try it and see if it boots into the install program. It may detect that the OS is damaged and give you the option to repair.

Good Luck

[John Miliunas]

Mark, a lightning hit will not necessarily take out the whole computer, per se. It can easily take out certain components, while the rest of the machine still powers up. First thing to do is to unplug the machine and take out one of the peripheral cards. In this case, let's take out the modem. Plug it back in and try to boot. No good? OK, unplug power, take out the next card, say the sound card. Plug in, repeat. Continue to do this, one card at a time. If it still doesn't go, unplug the flat ribbon cable and power to your CD drive. Repeat. Finally, make your way to the hard drive. The machine should still be able to get to the BIOS screen, even without *any* drives hooked up to the machine. (Typically, you need to hit stuff like "delete" or "f2" or some combination of "ctrl/something" to get into the BIOS and you need to do that just as the machine is powered up.) This whole process is just a means to try and determine which component(s) may be toast.

Mind you, there are numerous caveats with this whole thing. For one, it's entirely possible that more than one component may have been hit. It's also possible for the motherboard (main logic board) to have been damaged BUT, still appear to operate. We had a shop machine, which worked just fine 95% of the time, but would occasionally "blue screen". For no apparent reason. All the components checked out fine on other test boxes. Closer examination revealed TWO capacitors had puked up! The machine still ran great, "most" of the time! Another, possibly even more important thing to keep in mind is, that if this machine did indeed take a hit and you can determine for sure a definite problem part, your woes may not be over. (Sorry to be the bearer of bad news....) When a box takes a hit and one or more components get toasted, the definite possibility still exists that other parts, even though still functioning, may have been weakened and their life shortened. Just something to keep in mind.... Good luck with the troubleshooting and keep us posted...

[Lee Schierer]

From what it sounds like you are seeing the Bios setup screen. Here's a thought, Your mother board battery could be dead and it forgot the settings for your hard drive when the power went out. Have you tried going through set up and specifying the parameters for the disk drives and such??

[Mark Hulette]

Guys,

Thanks for your input. I tried all the suggestions and had a much more computer knowledgeable friend take the CPU to his house and try out various components mentioned (all possible- except the motherboard). It was a p3 that was nearly 5 yrs old so it was a good excuse to go ahead and order a new one from Dell.

Salvaged everything except the CPU so the surge protectors did work - we figured it was lightning through the cable modem as the USB port won't work on the modem but the ethernet will.

Any way to protect against that from happening again? Haven't heard of a surge protector for one of those.

Anyhoo, I'm back and I've missed keeping up with the goings on at the Creek. Thanks again for everyone's help.

[John Miliunas]

Hey Mark, bummer about the old unit, but glad to see you back up and runnin'! Aw heck...You wanted a new machine, anyway!

As for surge protection, if you have cable coming in, there are protectors for that. I don't know of anything for USB, per se', because typically, the PC is what is providing power TO the device. In the case of an external modem communicating to the PC via USB, I'd just make sure my cable has protection, as well as the power supply on the modem. Also, be sure your cable run into the house is well grounded. In the meantime, enjoy your new setup and nice to see back in the fold!

[David Klink]

Too bad about the old PC Mark, but with as inexpensive as they are these days, it's a good opportunity to pick up a new one.

As far as surge protection goes, they do make them with everything but the kitchen sink any more. Here's one at Buy.com:



http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...1&loc=111&sp=1

I don't know that I've ever heard of a surge protector with USB protection. USB is different from other types of communication lines such as coaxial, ethernet, phone, or even parallel and serial lines in that it also can provide power besides just data transmission. That may be why it went through the USB port rather than the ethernet. That's just speculation on my part, though.

[Mark Hulette]

David~
Thanks for the heads up! Man, that surge protector looks like it could do just about anything including fixing breakfast!

That's exactly what I'm looking for... guess I'll have to swing by BB soon! Thanks again!

[Kevin Arceneaux]

Mark, spend a few dollars and get a good one. And if your system takes a surge, replace it. Most say it can go through a lot of surges, but my experiance has been they do not. The little power strips are definately a one shot deal. Register it, most will give you $x of protection it it fails. Look for one that can:

1. handle all the power cords, computer, monitor, etc. Get one with a couple of extra ones if you can.
2. That has a line for your cable/DSL
3. That has a line for the phone line, might as well add that, most already have them.
4. The USB should not be affected, that is run off of the internal power of the computer, unless you have a hub, which will have a 110V plug

Best Buy has the one shown above for 30 bucks, excellent deal. I run about the same one from Cyberpower - the model 880.

BTW, I just built a new computer last weekend. I finally got tired of the Gateway (the only store bought one I ever had, all the rest were home brews)

[Dan Mages]

I have mentioned this in previous posts, so I am sorry to repeat myself. I reccomend you hire an electrician to install a panel based surge protector. I have one by Intermatic that is rated for 25,000 jules of surge protection for the whole house. It cost me $100 with install. I also reccomend getting a dedicated coax surge protector. You should be able to find one at dedicated electrical supply shops.

Dan