Need advice system hangs on mobo screen?

**flightsimmer747** · 10-16-2006, 10:59 PM

Hi withing the last few days I haven't been able to get past the mobo screen on my PC. The system will just hang at the ASUS logo screen. I'm not sure what the culprit is, I got in finally, but I'm afraid to shut down as it may happen again. I let the system rest for about 10 minutes before starting it again and this time it worked. However it doesn't make sense to me, by first impression of what may be happening is heat issue?

But I need some more advice in case I can't get in again.

Thanks!

**rsnow** · 10-17-2006, 12:24 AM

>Hi withing the last few days I haven't been able to get past
>the mobo screen on my PC. The system will just hang at the
>ASUS logo screen. I'm not sure what the culprit is, I got in
>finally, but I'm afraid to shut down as it may happen again. I
>let the system rest for about 10 minutes before starting it
>again and this time it worked. However it doesn't make sense
>to me, by first impression of what may be happening is heat
>issue?
>
>But I need some more advice in case I can't get in again.
>
>Thanks!

Maybe your BIOS revision is not up-to-date. If you can open the case and check to see the BIOS chip revision version, if not updated, flash it so you have a current BIOS. Some ASUS boards can remember which ones shipped with a early version of BIOS and would not boot on some machines, new BIOS chips had to be sent to the owners with an updated BIOS. Just a thought.

**angels355** · 10-17-2006, 01:50 AM

Hello,

That might be a bios issue, but then again it could be something else. Sometimes it's hard to tell unless you know if there were any changes made to the computer, or unless you're right there pecking at the keyboard in person. The other night I hooked up one of my motherboards that I hope to build a computer around, it's nice for what it is. I wanted to check to see if it operated well, so took all the parts needed for a computer, spread them out on a desk on top of an inert surface, hooked everything up, turned it on and it hung on the bios window just like what happened to you. I'm always very careful to read motherboard manuals. One clue was that on start up one of the lines said "Run bios setup" or something along those lines. I had to read the manual to see how to get into the bios as every board seems to be different, I followed directions and got in, made a few bios adjustments saved and exited. And the computer started up with blinding speed.

If you are not a computer expert, perhaps it might be a good idea to bring your computer to a repair shop and ask them about this problem if it happens again.

BIOS UPDATE: With regards to updating the bios, even experts can mess up! If a bios update is messed up, that could mean that your expensive motherboard could go dead as a direct result of your failed attempt to update the bios; perhaps the only way to revive a motherboard in that case is to send it back to the factory and ask them to reinstall the bios, hopefully with the updates. There is a special machine which is used by pro's to update the bios, with this machine if the bios update is screwed up, it's no problem to start over and try it again. However without that machine you only get one try, and if you mess up, then that motherboard is toast unless perhaps you send it back to the factory.

So I would be very careful about what you do. If you're not an expert, and don't know what's going on, then perhaps it might be better to take it to a repair shop the next time it happens.

**flightsimmer747** · 10-17-2006, 11:35 AM

Although everything you say makes sense, if i was building a new system but, this is my old system for about 3 years, I just recently reverted a fan to blow out instead of blow air in, so this is why I think its a heat issue.

It started up fine today.

So my fingers are crossed.

**angels355** · 10-17-2006, 02:49 PM

Maybe it's just a hiccup, hopefully.

This 486 I'm writing on, from the time I got it (used) it had a long long list of little problems and anomalies. At that time I didn't know anything about hardware. A year later it had a major crash, and I blamed it on Win ME (how it came) at that time. I had acquired enough knowledge of hardware to repair it to 75% within that week for daily use. However it still had a long list of little problem, plus 2 to 4 blue screens on every single startup. Now two years later, I've improved my knowledge of hardware to the extent, that just this past month, I was able to repair, every single, little problem this computer had. Now it is in flawless configuration, no blue screens, faster more capable, optical drive is no longer discombooberated.

This long list of problems the computer had were extremely subtle. Two years later, now that I have more hardware knowledge, and was able to poke through the case knowing a little better what I was doing, I was able to recognized numerous little problems, like IDE cables wired wrong, heatsink fan wired wrong, not enough memory, and either partially failing or insufficient processor. I fixed all these things, now it runs flawlessly. Now I even like Win ME!

So what I'm saying is that some problems can be extremely subtle, and could point to something wrong. Just keep an eye on it and I hope that your problem was just a hiccup, and that it's not any kind of real problem.

With regards to overheating, some people have a regular, or large, fan blowing air into the case and directly onto the processor/heatsink (in addition to the heatsink fan). Some mobos have heat sensors and you can tell how hot things are becoming. I have one computer that had some real overheating problems and it really could have used some more air blowing into it in addition to out of it, plus it needs a heatsink fan. But it only gave me real problems when running a heavy graphics application like Fly!2K (pentium II class computer) for 10 hours straight. For the time being I began just running FS98 on that computer, and the graphics load is so much lower that it stresses the computer much less and don't have those overheating problems. But on that computer, it definitely could have used more air blowing into it, plus out, and a heatsink fan.

Keep us posted, I hope I have been of some help, or at least encouragement. Gotta go, have two planes that need landing.

**angels355** · 10-17-2006, 06:34 PM

OK, landed two, took off in three, waiting for the fourth.

Just out of curiosity, you have two computer case fans? And you turned them so both of them are blowing air outwards? Are both of them located in the back or where are they, and which one did you turn outwards?

Remember these computers are highly sophisticated, and are very sensitive to static electricity. When you go into a computer case to make such a change, you must make sure that all wires and cables, like power cord, monitor cord, mouse and keyboard cords are all disconnected. Then to make sure that you do not accumulate a static charge buildup on yourself, either wear an antistatic wristband available from the computer stores, or periodically touch the bare metal of the computer case to discharge any static electricity you may have built up.

If you don't have a manual for your motherboard, or it's not thorough in the computer manual that the computer came with, then find the manual for your motherboard online and download it, make sure it is the right manual!! Then read that manual from start to finish. At some point in time that information will come in handy and you'll be glad you read it.

If you do not know how to enter the bios then read how to do that in the manual, and enter into your bios and just explore around without changing anything. There are passwords for the administrator and the user in there, if you absolutely require passwords then I won't stop you, but I don't like passwords for the bios. The other day I reset my cmos, and I found myself locked out of my computer by the bios passwords, I didn't even realize I had set any passwords or perhaps they were set inadvertantly. If you want to disable your passwords so that you don't get locked out in the future, go to passwords, press enter, then when it asks to enter the admin and user passwords then just press enter and that will disable the passwords. After that, save to the cmos and exit (on my computers it is F10, or you can just follow directions on how to save the changes to the bios.

Just for good measure, defrag your hard drives, then right click on your hard drives and select properties, then select tools, then select check disk for errors, and check automatically fix errors, and also look for and correct bad sectors. Do that for all of your hard drives. Just simple maintenance to make sure that your computer remains healthy. On my computers it says that it does not hare enough resources to run check disk in Windows, so asks if it's OK to run this check on the next startup. Select yes. Close the windows, and restart the computer, check disk will now run a check on your hard drive.

Keep us posted. My fourth plane is just abouit ready for takeoff.

**flightsimmer747** · 10-18-2006, 02:41 AM

Hi thanks for all your info, but no go its still not working, it hangs at asus screen and I can't get into the bios either.

**flightsimmer747** · 10-18-2006, 01:38 PM

A little more details on the prob, It hangs on "checking NVRAM" on bios screen, occasionally I will get through to my desktop and all is fine but it's been hanging fo a day with no success in. Everything was fine when I got in.

**angels355** · 10-18-2006, 01:55 PM

fs747,

BTW the 747 is my favorite aircraft, 75% of my fs time is w/ 747's, but haven't gotten the PMDG 747 yet.

Have you read your mobo manual? Different mobo's have different ways of getting into the bios. I have some boards where you can get in while the full intro screen is showing, however on this MSI board I have (it's nice for its' age), it requires that you get in very early, like right after the very first sign of life.

When you changed your fan around, did you disconnect the fan from the power wires? Yellow wires go w/ yellow etc. I had a passthru connector w/ my heatsink fan on my 486, the previous owner had made a mistake connecting one end correctly, but then looping the second end right back into another power connector from the power supply. Did you connect the fan back up again correctly? Also did you take precautions to avoid statit electricity discharge from you to the motherboard which could cause damage?

On the asus screen does it say anything like "run setup" or anything like that? That's what happened when my MSI board was stuck on a similar board screen.

Also, some boards have a diagnostic light configuration in the back, others have a beep code. Like for example I think my MSI board will beep like this 1, 2 if the monitor is not hooked up. I've heard that asus boards can get even more fancy.

Read the board's manual and as I was saying see exactly what the directions are for getting into the bios.

Switching the fan around was the only thing you did? The only thing I can think of is perhaps it was hooked back up to the wiring wrong? Or amybe there might have been static electricity? Or perhaps the board sensed something different it didn't like (maybe the way it was wired) and either refuses to operate that way or wants you to go through the bios.

Any way, if these suggestions don't make progress, and if the other readers here can't come up with something, then you might have to take it to the repair shop, a reputable one, and get a quote from them and others so you know ahead of time what it might cost, and also so you don't get gouged. For example I was told it would cost $200 to repair that 486 when it first went down 2 years ago. I repaired everything myself, and upgraded it also w/ better processor, more ram, $5 so far, new IDE cable 15 cents, USB pci card $15? It would not have come out as well if I had spent $200 at the repair shop, so shop carefully. And if they say that your bios got wiped out, and there's nothing they can do about it, don't freak out, there's a special machine to install bios used by super pros and the factory, which can save a board w/ wiped out bios. Hopefully that doesn't apply to you, just info for future reference.

But, this problem could point to a more serious problem, and if a clue is not found, you might have to take it to the shop. I have a second 486 board, that's more advanced for its' time, that I've been trying to get going, perhaps I don't have it wired correctly, but also, the thought occurred to me, I wonder if the revious owner erased the bios in a botched attempt to upgrade the bios? This board is cool for bios updates, because with only a bios update you can make it capable of running 366 mhz chips (550 mhz chips of the same family also?), so that is incredible for an old crusty board like that. So I wonder if the bios got botched on that board.

Read you board's manual, check for diagnostic lights and beeps, and read how it wants you to get into the bios.

**flightsimmer747** · 10-18-2006, 02:35 PM

Hi thanks for your tips,

I don't get any beeps or lights just hanging on asus screen when I do click quickly enough I get to a screem called american megatrends bios screen and I see "checking NVRAM" and it hangs forever. I've even waited 30 minutes. I now to my own knowledge will try removing the cmos battery and resetting the jumper and see what happens. Again for the past couple of days it occasionally would let me in therefore nothing wrong with hard drive it seems.

As for the fan I really just flipped it around I changed no wires whatsoever. I changed it to blow out and that was really simple. I've monitored mobo temperatures and I was still fine. I tried my ram sticks by loading with one in place \, but no go, I then switched my ram around and still nothing. THe only thing I didn't try is my ram in the dark slot instead of blue basically slot 2.
I didn't think I need too.

I'm extremly frustrated and fed up, I'm pulling my hair here. I hope its nothing bad.