Help me identify the problem, please.

I have a computer that won't boot up and I'm not sure of the reason.
It was damaged in transit by a courier firm and I'm trying to find out which component is giving me trouble.

When I try and boot the machine, I get an error message saying that no primary IDE drive can be found. That's the hard drive, right?
When I go in the bios ,I see that the hard drive isn't found by the bios, so I think it might be the hard drive.

To test the hard drive ,I put it in another machine and the bios of the machine recognizes it and it boots up ok.
I also test the ram in this way too.

I don't think the video card is anything to do with the problem , or the cpu. So that just leaves the motherboard, right?

Do people here think a new motherboard would solve the problem?

cheers
ives

Try going into the BIOS and getting it to auto detect the Harddrive if this doesnt work then yeah i reckon it's the motherboard.

Some BIOS'es will detect a hard drive as soon as the PC is turned on, but your one might need you to get the BIOS to detect it.

Hi Ravens Nest.

I've already tried to get the bios to auto detect the HDD but it simply won't.
Do you still reckon it's the motherboard?

cheers
Ives

might be the Cable.....

check to see if the correctly coloured end is in the mobo....its blue on mine.

Then check the manual to see which plug is for the PRIMARY drive. Use that.

ALSO.......check the PINS in the cable......cos I bent one once, and spent 3 days in HELL until I saw it!!!

to see if the mobo is duff, try plugging the CD rom into the mobo cable...ok it wont BOOT but if it shows up in BIOS then the mobo is not likely the problem


BUT...check the cable FIRST...the pins.....and which plug oges in which end.

Luck matey

Hi,
I did try a new cable a few days ago and still no joy.
I know I've got the right socket for the PRIMARY drive(mine is also blue).I've even tried it in the secondary drive socket and still no luck.

Are you saying to attach the cd drive to the mobo and see if it recognizes it?


Cheers
ives

just a thought, (cos its worked for me previously when having drive woes) try using the "cable select" jumper option on the hard drive, see if this enables recognition by the BIOS

just tried cable select.
Still no joy,I'm afraid.

cheers
ives

did u try just testing it with a CDROM drive like was suggested above ? Stick a bootable cd in it. i.e. win xp etc.... and if it boots up then u have the weirdest prob ever ! since the hdd worked somewhere else. If the cdrom drive fails too...

Then it must be the mobo

edits
u have to tell the bios to boot from the cdrom drive.

Have you tired the IDE cable the other way round? becuae you may have PIN 40 (is it?) plugged into PIN 1 on either the motherboard or both.

Have you tried resetting the CMOS? there should be a jumper some where on the board, move this to the other two PINS to the ones it is on now.

Will

I think the IDE cable can only go one way round because
of the little ridge in the middle of the cable end.
Oh, and I have tried clearing the CMOS.Still no luck.

Do people think that the motherboard is damaged?

Quote:

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Originally posted by ives
Do people think that the motherboard is damaged?

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- hard drive works in another machine
- different ide cable makes no difference
- CMOS has been cleared (many times by the sound of it)
- have you tried a cd drive on the same ide connector?

if this don't work - then yes...it sounds like the motherboard

thanks petrefax.
I'm getting a new mobo on monday, sohopefully it will work then.

cheers
ives

good luck with the new one mate

just out of interest have you tried a different processor (how far on bootup do you get?), maybe that took a bang during transport? Have you tried a different hard drive on the same ide port with the same ide cable?
Good luck...........I hope you are getting compensation off the moval firm (remember to state the FULL price of the components damaged ;) ;) )