Strange problem: I think failed motherboard!

[DanGent]

Got a PC to look at that just wouldn't boot. Tried so much stuff but its behaivour is just WIERD!
I'm thinking the harddrive controller on the motherboard has broken in some way. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! This post is quite long so if you can't be bothered reading it just scroll to the end and tell me if the error messages indicate a failed harddisk controller. thanks!


The PC is from about 2005 I reckon if not a bit older. 2 HDDs on the primary IDE cable and 2 ODDs on the secondary. The PC one day just wouldn't boot. It gave an "unmountable boot" or something like that so was brought round my house. Didn't write the whole error down as I assumed it would be a simple problem! These error messages aren't 100% accurate as some of them I didn't fully write down and some of them flash up for so quick!
To note, an boot an error message: "primary IDE no conductor cable type 80 is installed" flashes up so quickly. might already have been there though. Tried my own IDE cable and still same error.

What i've done and found:
Can't boot from CD.
unplugged HDDs, and CDs seem to work fine (can boot ubuntu live CD).
Then when both HDDs are plugged in no CD can boot.
Linux seemed to load once with both HDDs in (though it took ages) and could see both HDDs.
booting off XP recovery CD doesn't happen when 1st HDD (master) connected. With 2nd (Slave) it boots but takes ages.

some combinations of the 2nd HDD allow the XP recovery CD to boot up (if on its own IDE cable) but not when it shares the IDE cable with the ODD. XP recovery never boots with the 1st HDD in.

So i took out the first HDD and connected it to my comp as the only HDD. Windows didn't boot and hit a BSOD (which probably is a little bit expected if switching windows to a different PC!). Ran chkdsk on this drive from XP recovery and it found errors for 1st 3 runs. Also ran maxtor seatools on it and reported no errors with the HDD.
put this HDD back in the broken comp and on booting gives a "hal.dll error". XP recovery now runs but gives an error message I've never seen before saying the CD has a file missing! (it doesn't)

So decided to try reinstalling windows. With the 1st HDD XP install wouldnt load. With the 2nd HDD XP install loads. I tried backing up 12 GB of data from this 2nd harddrive before deciding to go ahead with the installation but Ubuntu said 2 hours left so I put my own IDE HDD in instead to install windows onto that. When selecting the partition to delete and install windows on, the Windows setup gives an error message again i've I've never seen before.
"computers startup program cannot gain access...."

Maxtor diagnostic software can't see this MAxtor drive, as for HDD2 (a Hitachi). Hitachi Disk Fitness Test can see HDD2 but gives an error on trying to run.

Damaged motherboard I'm thinking? That was a long post!

Thanks,
Dan Gent

[vinnyT]

You may have already tried this, but try clearing the CMOS by taking the coin-like battery out of the mobo (for at least 30 minutes).

Don't really know if this will work, but it may and it won't damage anything, so it's worth a try.

[morfeus]

It seems likely that the HDD1 is faulty. Did you try the ODDs in both IDE channels? if they worked ok in either channel, then its likely that the mobo is ok (perhaps).

[DanGent]

vinnyT - clearing the CMOS was the only thing that got this PC working! I've half sorted the problem now. After clearing the CMOS and putting in a new CMOS battery, the PC would boot up with one drive in. I formatted HDD1 in my TestPC (after backing up the data) and then installed windows on it back in this BrokenPC. Since then it worked fine. Only thing is that if I connect HDD2 to brokenPC as well as HDD1 it doesn't boot up.

I'd had enough by this time and gave the PC back to the owner with just one HDD connected (its an old PC so he was only missing out on an extra 80GB). I tested the PSU using one of those PSU tester things
http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/prod...-DRPOWER&af=50
and it lit up all the lights. But now I'm thinking it might the PSU getting old and not giving out enough power

Thanks for the suggestions anyway guys,
Dan Gent

[vinnyT]

Those psu testers aren't much good really, the real, effective testers cost alot of money.

You are right in thinking it could be the psu, either it could be 'el cheapo' or just old and degraded.

Quite honestly, I don't know why I bother with computers

[DanGent]

know you mention it Vinny, that makes a lot of sense. I think the cheap PSU testers work well to tell you when a PSU is completely gone, but not when its playing up a bit.

I don't know why I bother with OLD computers!