I have a booting error similiar to one found in a different thread.

[Citsme]

Hello everyone - looking forward to being part of your forum!

 

The computer is a Dell Dimension E310 running Windows XP SP3 Media Edition. I had gone through a fairly long assisted process to get rid of infections and was ready to use the 1 Terabyte External HD I had purchased and connected and partitioned. Sometimes the drives showed under My Computer - 3 partitions; sometimes they did not but I chose not to use them until the virus removal was done. The virus removal was complete and the computer was working well and I wanted to move some things off of the C: drive as it was very overcrowded. The new drive didn't show up under My Computer. Finally, after trying a few different things, I changed the drive letters - not the C: drive or the CD rom drive; I just moved the 5 camera - phone card drives (sorry don't know technical names!) further down so that the hard drives - 2 internal and 2 external could be listed closer together.

I went to boot the computer that had been working and it will not boot. I got the error below which I also found in the thread I have listed underneath:

 

Part of it was cut off as it was very far left on the screen (I guessed at some of it!):

DVO51 Series

OS Version A03

Alert! Previous attempts have

failed booting this system at checkpoint

[1thr] Contact Dell Support.

 

Now the thread I am referring to is titled,"Booting Error" and was posted by mtwarren 3 on 09-06-2008 at 10:41am. I read all three pages but I am not sure - due to something I've done - if this applies.

 

My difference is the change to the drive letters prior to not being able to boot; I tried to boot with and without the external drive connected - when connected I received the error above. None of the F keys are working either.

 

Everything I own is on this computer; the laptop is relatively new. What do you suggest I do next? Not pulling out my hair please, I'm doing that on my own!

 

Thank you for your time and assistance.

 

Cherie

[Plastic Nev]

Hi and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help Cherie.

I am tempted to think you may have inadvertently messed up the boot sequence by changing drive letters, however if "C" drive is definitely the one with the OS on it, restart and start tapping on the F12 key, or whichever will get you to the BIOS page.

 

Make sure the drive that "C" is on, is the first boot device, (up and down keys to select, enter key to confirm it) try that first for a start till someone with a better idea comes along.

 

Nev.

[Jelly Bean]

Hello and welcome.....

 

I am looking into this for you...

 

So far I found 5 reasons of what MAYBE the issue:

 

1: the bios can be malfunctioning (a bios reset or flash can give a solution)

2: the cpu can be malfunctioning (this requires a new cpu)

3: the cpu socket can be failing (this requires a new mb)

4: the problem can be with bad usb sockets

5: even a bad uplink to a usb hub can cause this error to appear.

 

Unplug ALL external hardware not required to boot the computer...

 

Such items as external hard drive,printers,scanners,router,hub,etc.

 

Now if your using a wireless keyboard n mouse swop to a PS/2 wired keyboard and mouse....

 

DO NOT use a USB keyboard and mouse...

 

Unplug the computer from power outlet.

Open up the computer and and touch the power supply for a few seconds to eliminate static,then carefully clean internals with a soft natural bristle brush,NOT manmade fibers..

Or use a can of compressed air that is bought especialy for computers,make sure all fans are clean.

 

Check all wires,cables are correctly and fully connected.

 

Now turn the computer back on with side panel still off,are all fans spinning?

 

Is the computer now booting correctly?

 

Using a wired keyboard and mouse are you able to enter BIOS and turn off Boot to USB devices?

 

Save and exit now can you logon to windows?

 

Are you sure the boot order in BIOS is set correctly?

 

Set to HDD as first,CD/DVD rom then all other drives thereafter.

 

If you are using a USB uplink with your monitor unplug it and use a diffrent USB port or if you have front panel USB plug into one of them....

 

This is what I have come up with so far.....But it appears your USB maybe the issue,I am unsure of this yet....

[Citsme]

Hi Nev - thanks for your input! I know that the boot order is the CD ROM and then the C Drive both of which I purposely left untouched. I can't get past the error page to even look at the boot sequence or anything else . . . I am stuck there. I am sure that the boot order is CD and then C drive.

Cherie

[Plastic Nev]

Hi, just realised this is a laptop, am I correct?

Have you tried, disconnecting all power and removing the battery, a total power out can sometimes reset things.

If that doesn't work, please go as far as you can with Jelly Beans advice, bearing in mind being a laptop, ignore instructions for looking inside, they only apply to desktop machines, laptops are too fidly unless mechanically inclined.

Let us know if you can still get no further than the error screen as I feel JB is right there is some BIOS fault.

 

Nev.

[KenB]

According to Dell F12 should get you to a diagnostics option.

See here:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim3100/en/sm/adtshoot.htm#wp1124478

 

Try the Express Test first. (should take about 10 mins)

 

This may be useful:

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kcs/document?&docid=DSN_300428&isLegacy=true

[Citsme]

Hi Nev!

I have both; a laptop with Windows 7 and a Desktop with XP SP 3 which is the one that needs assistance. In the area where the forum asks what type of machine you have I entered both and apparently there was only room for one and the laptop won!

I will start on your instructions today; looking forward to it!!! Many thanks.

Cherie

[Citsme]

To Ken:

 

Hello Ken,

 

 

According to Dell F12 should get you to a diagnostics option.

See here:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim3100/en/sm/adtshoot.htm#wp1124478

 

Thank you for helping out. I would be thrilled to try F12 but I can not get even that far in the boot process . . . YET!!! :)

 

I will look into your other link; the more information the better!

 

Cherie

Edited October 31, 2011 by Citsme

[KenB]

Hi,

I can not get even that far in the boot process

What type of keyboard are you using?

 

I assume that the keyboard is inactive as you cannot access the BIOS or the Diagnostic Options ( F12 ).

You have tried to access the BIOS ?

 

If this is a wireless keyboard try connecting a USB one.

 

Also.....

Locate the CMOS Battery on the motherboard and take it out.

Leave it for 30 seconds to 1 minute then replace.

( Note the + is on top ).

This will reset the BIOS to default settings.

 

Are you getting any POST beeps when you switch on ?

 

Was the date and time correct when you could boot up?

[Citsme]

Hello everyone. I've been unable to deal with this problem as much as I need my computer but I am back at it again.

My keyboard is USB. The boot process would begin but only go so far and prior to that stopping point, I would press (F12) numerous times and nothing would happen; the process would stop in the same place - at the error mentioned in the original post. I don't recall any beeps when I turn it on but I will pay special attention today. The date and time were fine the last time the computer booted correctly. I think it has something to do with me changing drive letters (not the C: drive or the CD rom drive) as it happened immediately after unless by coincidence something else failed at the same time.

I plan on re-reading the posts in order and I believe (without reading them again yet) that I will begin with Jelly Bean's directions and report back as to what happens.

Thank you to everyone who has an idea, suggestion or comment; I really appreciate it. This computer has never, ever been down this long and I blame it on an illness and the fact that I got this laptop LOL (not really laughing though!)

cs.

[KenB]

Get back to us after trying a few things that have been suggested.

Please give a detailed account. "That didn't work" ( posted often by others ) doesn't tell us much :)

[Citsme]

Hello again. I am usually a very patient person; I take on some of my friend's computers to do basic trouble shooting or to add memory or a hard drive. That being said, I am totally frustrated with this problem; my level of understanding is no where in this ballpark so all I can do is report what I've tried - in detail - as I do not know which detail

 

OK, NOW THAT I CAN BREATHE AGAIN . . . everthing I tried - failed. Imagine my surprise when as I am sitting here getting ready to detail all of the steps I have taken that have not worked and next to me on the other desk - THE COMPUTER BEGINS TO BOOT FROM A BLACK SCREEN.

 

Now this goes back to something I believe I have mentioned somewhere along the way in this thread.

The computer we are working on is a Dell Dimension E310 running Windows Media Edition XP SP 3 with two internal hard drives and one external hard drive. The C: drive became so overcrowded and I wanted to organize music and photos better and have room for additional backup so I added another external hard drive. At first there was no problem adding the external drive - pretty much you just plug it in. I went in and partitioned it into 3 equal partitions and letters were automatically assigned. Now the real problem begins. The Dell has some type of virus, worm etc. and someone helped me work through it. As we were working through it, the 2nd hard drive would disappear and return in My Computer. The last thing I did before I started to report back just now was to unplug the 2nd hard drive which most likely caused the computer to boot fully after 5 minutes or so.

 

I'm a bit concerned about the status of this hard drive and I do not know more than the check disk command to check it; I'd rather not plug it into my laptop; I need one thing in my life that works!

 

I also need to understand why this happened as best as it can be determined and what steps should I take to verify the integrity of the XP Media Edition SP 3. I tried to do a repair a couple of times on the system but I always got the message that the information on my computer was newer than the information (files) on the disk. I've done this with someone else's XP Professional too many times to say (it's old and he hates computers) and never had a problem. The "Media" part of the OS is only causing me problems. BTW, yes, I did have anti-virus protection running automatically and a group of other programs that I ran on a consistant basis to keep the Dell clean. I did not own the laptop at the time and I could never be without a computer so I take the very best care of my equipment that I can.

 

What can I do, check, test, etc. to make sure to the best of our knowledge that this won't happen again and what do I do with my external hard drive to check it? It was brand new when this nightmare started.

 

The last thing you might be wondering is why I changed the drive letters. First of all, I have done that before and had no problem. I have a 4 slot media card reader and a single slot (which is not showing up now) on my printer. All of these drives appeared right in the middle of the rest of the more used hard drives and I was just trying to put things in better order. I know not to touch the C: drive or E: or F: which are DVD-RW and DVD-RAM drives respectively and I believe the E: drive is the first item in the boot sequence.

 

Thank you all for everything; you can't imagine what this means to me. My life is on this computer and although I could have taken the hard drives out, I am not in the position to purchase another computer now or in the near future.

 

Looking for all of your suggestions . . .

 

Cherie

[KenB]

Hi Cherie

 

Imagine my surprise .......... - THE COMPUTER BEGINS TO BOOT FROM A BLACK SCREEN.

 

Is the machine connected to a network?

I am thinking Wake on LAN may be enabled in the BIOS - is this a possibility ?

 

I don't recall any beeps

If you are not getting any POST beeps ( assuming there is an internal speaker connected ) it is not going to boot up.

If you get one POST beep this is normal - stop here and post back.

Switch off at the wall socket.

 

If this machine is still not booting and no POST beeps try the following:

 

Take all external hardware off ( monitor / printer / external drive )

Take the power and data cables off the Primary and secondary hard drives.

Take all cards ( Video / Sound / RAM etc off the motherboard )

 

Leave only the 20(4) way cable from the PSU connected.

 

Switch on.

You should get POST beeps. ( assuming a speaker is present ).

POST beeps at this stage - no matter how many - are good.

Fans should spin.

 

If all seems normal leave it switched on to see if it is stable.

 

If it remains stable then switch off.

Add the keyboard.

switch on again.

It should POST - fans run - keyboard LEDs flash and the power one stays on.

Test again to see if it is stable.

 

Switch off.

Add the Video Card ( if you have one )

Run through the process again.

You should get POST beeps at each stage - the sequence may change - but as long as we are getting beeps.

 

Keep adding one card then one connection at a time - testing for stability after each one.

 

If the system is fine then hangs after adding a card or connection you have identified the cause of your problem.

 

This has to be done logically.

[Citsme]

Hello Ken. That was on my list of things to report when the computer actually booted and threw me off. The computer beeped one time only the first time I turned it on. When I shut it down by using the off button and turned it back on the same way, there were no more beeps.

[KenB]

Hi Cherie,

 

Now we know the system should beep .............no POST beeps is not good.

 

Strip the motherboard down ( see my last post ) leaving only the PSU 20(4) way power connection.

Basically this is the "bare bones" of the system.

It should beep ( more than once ). If it doesn't then you have a problem with either the Power Supply Unit or the Motherboard.

 

Let me know how you get on.

 

=============

When I shut it down by using the off button

Is this how you normally shut the machine down? If it is this is asking for trouble.

[Jelly Bean]

I agree with you on the shutting off via the on/off button,a computer should be shut down by click start on the taskbar and click on shutdown...

 

Shutting the computer down by the actual on off button causes hardware issues and BIOS issues....

[Citsme]

Still working on this; please hang in there for me!

 

Hello everyone! I am still working on this problem and have a friend here to lend a hand.

Is this how you normally shut the machine down? If it is this is asking for trouble.

 

No, as rarely as possible. I was getting stuck repeatedly at a black screen that was blank; was there something else I should have done to shut it down?

 

Thank you; hopefully back to you soon!

 

cs.

[KenB]

Get back to us after you have stripped the motherboard of hardware and connections.

 

We are hoping for POST beeps.

[Citsme]

Hello all,

 

I appreciate each and everyone of you; you'll never realize how much! I had a friend that was going to help but he cut out just in time and today has been so busy. I have to put this laptop in the network so I can print. I know there are people who are hoping for a paperless world but I am not ready for it!

I am having difficulty with one of the directions I know should be simple and I apologize:

 

Strip the motherboard down ( see my last post ) leaving only the PSU 20(4) way power connection.

 

I will certainly Google for a picture of that (ha, ha - I feel foolish) but I am not aware of a power supply on the motherboard. I've done my least work with the motherboard. Can't wait!

 

Looking forward to hearing from you as always!

[KenB]

I have to put this laptop in the network so I can print.

I assume we ARE having problems with a desktop and not a laptop ??

 

=================

I am having difficulty with one of the directions

I was referring to what I had written in post 13. ( copied in blue below )

 

If you are not getting any POST beeps ( assuming there is an internal speaker connected ) it is not going to boot up.

If you get one POST beep this is normal - stop here and post back.

 

==============

If you get NO POST beeps continue from here:

Switch off at the wall socket.

 

If this machine is still not booting and no POST beeps try the following:

 

Take all external hardware off ( monitor / printer / external drive )

Take the power and data cables off the Primary and secondary hard drives.

Take all cards ( Video / Sound / RAM etc off the motherboard )

 

Leave only the 20(4) way cable from the PSU connected.

 

Switch on.

You should get POST beeps. ( assuming a speaker is present ).

POST beeps at this stage - no matter how many - are good.

Fans should spin.

 

If all seems normal leave it switched on to see if it is stable.

 

If it remains stable then switch off.

Add the keyboard.

switch on again.

It should POST - fans run - keyboard LEDs flash and the power one stays on.

Test again to see if it is stable.

 

Switch off.

Add the Video Card ( if you have one )

Run through the process again.

You should get POST beeps at each stage - the sequence may change - but as long as we are getting beeps.

 

Keep adding one card then one connection at a time - testing for stability after each one.

 

If the system is fine then hangs after adding a card or connection you have identified the cause of your problem.

 

This has to be done logically.

 

Once you have the motherboard with all of the removable cards etc taken off - when you switch on you should get POST beeps.

This is what we are hoping for :)

[Citsme]

The computer you are working on is a DESKTOP.

 

You have the patience of a saint! First let me clear up what type of computer it is; I did before but these threads do get long and confusing and the confusion comes from me! The computer you are all so kindly helping me with is a DESKTOP - a Dell Dimension E 310 Windows XP Media SP 3. I am using a laptop computer which needs to be connected to a printer to print out your suggestions and cross them off as I try them. (Wish I knew how auto save worked with this email program; lost the entire email from the beginning.)

I did get one post beep so I stopped as advised and was in the middle of reporting back on the laptop when the desktop started booting - it had been a good five minutes since I touched it.

The desktop had had multiple infections and we believed that it was clean. I learned last night from the Belarc Advisor that the free version of AVG we were desperately trying to get rid of is still there as is the current and correct paid version of Avast.

The new external hard drive was connected to the desktop when it was infected and I specifically ran every kind of check on it I could including a disk check and it came up clean. I partitioned it into three equal partitions; I thought I was done with that. During the clean up of the trojans, etc. the new external would appear under My Computer and then disappear. When we felt we were done though, it was there. The letters assigned were not convenient as my seldom used media reader was in the middle and because I'd done it before successfully, I changed the letters associated with the media card drives and moved up (in the alphabet) the letters associated with the external drives (3 partitions) so all the drives would be together. I would NEVER TOUCH THE C: DRIVE OR THE E: or F: drives; the last two are part of the boot order; one of the two possibly first.

I restarted the computer and this whole situation began. What I believe caused it to boot, but I am not confident in this, is that the last thing I did to the desktop before I started my report to you was to completely unplug the new external drive.

Questions, if you will:

Is that a likely scenerio? If so, why would that have happened?

What do you think the status of the new (a couple months old now) external drive is? Is there anything I can do to verify its stability before I try to use it? It is 1TB and I need it on the desktop but I don't want to bring that down; it has been running since it came back up. I know I have to turn it off and then back on to see if it can do that without problems.

 

Most importantly: What do you suggest I do now? I know you are much too kind to suggest I go back to pen and paper! :)

 

Thank you to all who have taken their valuable time to help out with this situation; it is much appreciated.

 

cs.

[Citsme]

I just wanted to remind you of this part of the thread; due to my illness the thread has stretched out over time and I apologize.

I also need to understand why this happened as best as it can be determined and what steps should I take to verify the integrity of the XP Media Edition SP 3. I tried to do a repair a couple of times on the system but I always got the message that the information on my computer was newer than the information (files) on the disk. I've done this with someone else's XP Professional too many times to say (it's old and he hates computers) and never had a problem. The "Media" part of the OS is only causing me problems. BTW, yes, I did have anti-virus protection running automatically and a group of other programs that I ran on a consistant basis to keep the Dell clean. I did not own the laptop at the time and I could never be without a computer so I take the very best care of my equipment that I can.

Edited November 16, 2011 by Citsme

[KenB]

Hi,

 

due to my illness the thread has stretched out over time and I apologize.

No need to apologise :)

 

I did get one post beep

This is normal - and as far as we are concerned it is good as it suggests that the motherboard hardware ( Video card, RAM etc) checks out ok.

The one beep is the Power On Self Test procedure confirming that all is OK.

 

You say that you have AVG and Avast on the system.

We need to get rid of AVG.

2 AVs will conflict and cause problems.

 

The version of AVG - is this AVG Antivirus 2011

Take a look here:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-avg-antivirus-2011

Or - do you have the legitimate version ?

 

Does AVG show up in Add / Remove?

If it does - remove it from there.

There is an AVG removal tool here:

http://www.avg.com/us-en/utilities

Give this a try.

 

What do you think the status of the new (a couple months old now) external drive is?

If this was connected to your system and the main drive was infected - there is a possibility that the external drive could be infected too.

Do not connect this drive to any system until we get your primary drive sorted.

 

....had multiple infections and we believed that it was clean.

How did you rid the system of the infections?

 

=============

Bring me up to date .....

When you switch on - can you actually boot up now?

If not....

Can you get to the Advanced Startup Options by tapping F8 about once per second after switching on?

If you can get this far - Can you boot up in Safe Mode?

 

Sorry for all the questions - but it saves asking one at a time :)

[Citsme]

Many thanks and I'm on it tomorrow!