[pwoj2]

Hi

Could anyone help with a problem developed recently on my computer.
It now takes about twenty attempts to start up. When it does eventually start it does so in a bios screen which says:

"During your last boot your system hung for improper cpu speed setting. Your system is now working in safe mode. To optimise the system make sure the cpu speed conforms to the specification of your cpu"

My cpu is set at 1800MHz in the bios screen displayed which coresponds to the cpu speed of the cpu as per the manufacture.

The system is about 3years old.

This now happens each time i shut down and then try to restart.

Please someone Help.

Thanks

pwoj2

[spot]

What CPU and motherboard do you have?

(If you don't know the motherboard, what make and model is the computer?)

[Dave Hybrid]

Possibly the CMOS/watch battery is flat thus the mobo is losing it's settings.

Also not all chips run at the speed stated on them, most much lower, especially old AMD's.

If you post the exact make and model of your chip I can tell you the proper BIOS settings for it.

[pwoj2]

Hi
I'm not very technical but can find some stuff on the computer with help. Is this any good or do you need other information. where is the CMOS/watch battery so that maybe i could change that to eliminate it. Up untill now i have had no problems of this sort in 3 or 4 years and i do not play about with settings or anything on the hardware side either.



OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name PAUL
System Manufacturer System Manufacturer
System Model System Name
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 8 Stepping 0 AuthenticAMD ~1802 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Award Software, Inc. ASUS A7V333 ACPI BIOS Revision 1015, 29/10/2002
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United Kingdom
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)"
User Name PAUL\woj
Time Zone GMT Daylight Time
Total Physical Memory 1,280.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 591.79 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 1.96 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys


Thanks

Pwoj2

[spot]

I note that the BIOS has the following options:

CPU Frequency Select : 100 ~ 227 at 1Mhz stepping
CPU Ratio Select : auto, 6x ~ 14x
CPU Voltage Auto, 1.75v ~ 1.850v at 0.025v intervals

Given the possibility that it's not optimally set, I suggest that you go into the BIOS and select Load Safe Defaults, and save. Then try rebooting a few times and see if it's changed things. If it has then we can tune it later but it's found the problem.

Try it, but Dave's quite likely right - changing the battery will cost £2 and a few minutes with the case open. The motherboard's over 5 years old, it's due for replacement.

[pwoj2]

Hi,
I have an AMD Athlon XP 2200+ and an ASUS A7V333 with an ATI AIW Radeon 9800 SE
I think i have these correct.

Thanks

Pwoj2

[pwoj2]

Hi

I've changed the CMOS battery and Done the F5 ,F10 routine but to no avail. It's taken 28 boots this time to get up and running. Any other sugestions to follow would be appreciated.

Thanks

Paul

[spot]

Take the IDE cables off the motherboard. Remove all the PCI cards except for the graphics. Take the power leads out of the hard drive and DVD. Try again, see if the reduced load on the power supply makes a difference.

[pwoj2]

If this works and it starts up what does that indicate and what should i then do

Pwoj2

[spot]

Put bits back one at a time and see if one's faulty because the machine's fine with all the rest except X (whatever it is) but X on its own brings the problem back. That means you've isolated it.

If there's no X but reducing the load works then you've isolated it to the power supply and you can get a £25 replacement.

If stripping it down doesn't clear the fault then I'd ask how enamoured or dependent you are on this piece of kit.