i was messing with the DRAM in BIOS on my system and setting it up to high/ultra and now my computer would not bootup. I cant get the computer to bootup again so i can get into bios to reset it. Is my computer a goner????????????? xp1800+ iwill xp333 mb xp pro
Hmm. I thought those chips used flash memory and didn't need a battery. Can you escape into BIOS setup during the start of the boot phase so you can reset your memory settings back? (I suppose that was the first thing you tried.)
The BIOS does its own "boot" prior to any OS, so you can access the setup screen. On most, you hit the "del" key prior to the OS booting to access the setup screen. If you messed up the memory somehow, then you may have a problem.
From Tom's Hardware website- http://www.tomshardware.com/motherboard/19970101/index.html " Some BIOSes hardly leave it up to you to tune up your system, others give you almost too many settings to choose from and some BIOSes adjust the memory timing very well after you only had to choose the DRAM speed. In general you can say that for optimal performance you should keep most of the values as low as possible. Should you choose them too low however you will either occur system crashes/hangs or your system wont boot at all. Even if this should happen there's nothing you'll have to fear though. Just load setup defaults after entering setup again and you can be sure your system will work just fine - just not too fast however. Also there's no long term damage to fear - readjust your settings and everything will be as it was before. " "I will not discuss the basics about the BIOS, because there already exists an excellent and extremely comprehensive summary, the BIOS Survival Guide, latest edition 5.1, which is a must read for everybody who isn't already quite experienced with the BIOS setup. If you want to, you can download the whole Guide as a Word document and read it relaxed offline. All the topics discussed in this Guide I wont even touch!." BIOS Survival guide- http://burks.bton.ac.uk/burks/pcinfo/hardware/bios_sg/bios_sg.htm
If someone hear on Elite can't get you up and running, you might try this site. They fix me up when I screw everything up.
I guess you won't see any of these hepful tips until you get your PC fix but I think hit F8 during the bootup will let you go to set up screen.
I have tried delete, f1, f2, f3......all the buttons on the keyboard but to no avail. I can tell my harddrive is not running. I went out and got a new drive, but still nothing is happening. oh btw, heres an interesting site for those who lost their product key: http://blog.kevindonahue.com/archives/000671.php
heres something interesting from: http://burks.bton.ac.uk/burks/pcinfo/hardware/bios_sg/bios_sg.htm "How do I clear the BIOS memory? Three alternatives are available depending of your type of motherboard: Enter BIOS Setup and change to settings to Power-On Defaults. Disconnect the battery. Insert appropriate jumper an wait until the BIOS memory is cleared (see mainboard documentation, the jumper is often located near the battery). Sometimes this is possible with DIP switches on the motherboard. Sometimes (if not), you will have to remove the battery. And sometimes (if no DIP's and no removable battery, and not willing to desolder the battery), you can short the battery with a resistor to lower the current available for the CMOS. This is only recommendable as a very last option. The NiCad cells often employed have a very low internal resistance, so the resistor will have to be of a very low value for the voltage to drop significantly. The corresponding current would be quite high, which is not very good for battery life. A better option would be to use a resistor to discharge the battery. Obviously, this only makes sense when you have a NiCad cell (which will be recharged every time you turn the computer on) as opposed to a lithium cell (which cannot be recharged). In the former case, a resistor of 39 Ohm will discharge the battery in under half an hour relatively safely. Another good way to discharge the NiCad is to put a 6 volt lantern lamp across it, and let it discharge completely. Not only does it provide an effective load, it also gives a visual indication of the charge state. It's a good way to prevent "ghost memory" that's so common to NiCads. Metal Nickel Hydride batteries are now being seen in some systems. They don't have this problem and they are more $$. "
Hi, The following web page is about "How do I access my computer's setup (BIOS) ?". http://www.iomega.com/support/documents/2157.html Hope it helps.