(not) Your usual Win 98se based restart issue

**Smokin Joe** · May 24th, 2005, 12:54 AM

I have a computer that I thought I would use as a server on my intranet. It is a Intel P133 with award bios. I have a Promise ultra 133 tx2 ide controller card and lots of various size harddrives in it and it runs on win98se. It will do all I ask of it and I can install anything I want for peripherals. It will exchange files on my intranet.
BUT!
I can install/uninstall any software as long as I don't have it automatically restart. I must shut it down with the start/shutdown option on the software. It will not warm boot. I have to ask it to shutdown not restart.
I know what you are thinking win98se shutdown supplement at microsoft.
No help!
I have troubleshooted that the warm restart problem occurs after the ESCD update.
No harddrive installed boot disk only.
I don't believe the operating system is at fault because it hasn't loaded the boot disc yet and it will start acting up. I believe it is motherboard bios/cmos based problem but I am no expert.
Ctrl/alt/del will restart the computer properly before ESCD update but not after ESCD update........it will go into hibernation (coma) and will have to be cold booted.
Left alone it will boot normally to boot disk but cannot be restarted with Ctrl/alt/del
Left alone it will boot normally to operating system on harddrive and will run normally with no errors but will go to hibernation (coma) if asked to restart.
A pesky problem, small really in the big scheme of things, but I would like to rectify it prior to putting it into service as my backup server for all my other computers.
Diamond Stealth 3d video card....
Award Modular v4.51pg 08/12/06-i430vx,umc8669-2A59GL1cc-00
Award Plug and Play Bios extension v1.0A
32000k Dimm Memory
512k cache memory
Promise ultra 133 tx2 ide controller
Isa legasy Awe32 Sound blaster
Dlink 530tx ethernet 10/100
Look forward to any and all help
Thank you

**confus-ed** · May 24th, 2005, 04:03 AM

Originally Posted by Smokin Joe

..I have troubleshooted that the warm restart problem occurs after the ESCD update... I don't believe the operating system is at fault because it hasn't loaded the boot disc yet and it will start acting up. I believe it is motherboard bios/cmos based problem but I am no expert.

Welcome to WD forums Joe

.

If you've deduced that then you are ! (expert that is) - lack of 'warm boot' is indeed symptomatic of low level resource conflict & it depends how you look at it, as to whether its bioses fault or windoze's , because of a thing called the m$ specification table, which is part of boot(that's to when your system finnishes loading windoze) for 98 but not a part of post (when it might go beep) which would indeed blame matters squarely on bios.

So the most likely causes/cures in your setup are :-

1. lack of 'reservation' for your legacy awe card, you need to open bios & find the irq reservations & make it reserve (most likely) irq5 for use by the isa bus.

2. You need to play 'slot shuffle' - one of your devices is trying to use either the same irq or memory range as another device & bios can't 'solve' this {things can share, but only with other cards that can let that happen, not all will} - each pci slot can share different discreete IRQ combinations so moving items about gives you a chance of finding a more 'shareable' situation {or perhaps unique, but no matter}

3. enabling /disabling the settings 'acpi' on/off & 'plug & play' in various combinations may help. This affects how things can share (the arbiration rules applied when things can't share) & what they can & can't interact with - including that pesky m$ table

4. Get the latest bios for your motherboard to improve the chances of 'all this deciding about sharing IRQs' being right.

Hope that helps you

.

**Smokin Joe** · May 24th, 2005, 12:01 PM

Thank You.
Pleased to be here.

Dear confus-ed
I believe the awe settings on the card and in the bios are aligned. (I will check them in the slot shuffle) As to the acpi I am not sure where these would be accessed. If you could expand on the context of "acpi" as to where I would best control their settings I could get a better handle on it. (I am probably going to feel like an ....when you tell me what and where it is. The o-right factor!)
You mentioned the m$ table. Do you know of a location or source that is /not boring/ not dry/ not overwhelming/ more dummies based (for want of a better word) that I might acquire the knowledge as to the course of events that interconnect in the booting up of a computer and involve the arrangement of this table. I have found that boy girl boy girl doesn't always work but it is a start!
Also what utilities that would better address these low level problems and better help identify them. Norton Utilities couldn't find the problem and I have always used them to fix most issues. Good products. It is possible I wasn't using the proper options but I doubt it.
You mentioned the latest bios. Where would be the best source for the flash writer utility and latest bios for this board. It is a Lucky Star mb and we have all heard of them. Right up there with the Desoto, Edsel and Epic!
I tried to use aflash and pflash and I was going to look for ezflash to record the bios current file and got an error message couldn't find bios' hook
And after a yahoo search I discovered WD.
So... Thank you for your time

**Smokin Joe** · May 24th, 2005, 12:42 PM

Update
I just noticed that the reset configuration data in CMOS will NOT stay enabled.
It can be changed in cmos but will not stay enabled. It WILL NOT SAVE.

**Smokin Joe** · May 24th, 2005, 12:55 PM

It will not take setup defaults either.

**Smokin Joe** · May 24th, 2005, 02:00 PM

Recap
So to clear things up slightly
Still looking for utilities and information that would allow me to get a better understanding of the basic operations of bios and cmos.
Flash writer and bios update in particular.
This particular computer finally took the defaults in cmos and would allow for adjustments that could be saved. I was hesitant to erase cmos (and did not) for fear I wouldn't be able to get the setup defaults back

It will now warmboot from bootdisk.
BUT the RESET CONFIGURATION DATA cannot be enabled in cmos if you try to enable and save it will go to a coma from cmos and must be cold booted (should you be able to without the pnp os installed and saying yes in cmos)
Thank You for your help I am currently doing the pci/isa shuffle as mentioned by confus-ed.

**Smokin Joe** · May 24th, 2005, 07:44 PM

Well it appears the old girl has passed away. After many years as our gateway router it has fought valiantly as our front line of defense.

Ironic that within weeks of being replaced it was unable to adapt to a new position as our backup server.
Thank you confus_ed for your attention in its last hours but alais it was in vane.
The wake starts now!
Cheers!

**Ruslan** · May 24th, 2005, 10:10 PM

I would say CMOS battery is probably dying... Try to replace...
From BIOS string you gave - you have MB made by Lucky Star (model could be 5VX-1B or 5VX-2B - look for exact model number printed on the MB).
BIOS date is too old (year 1996, if I'm not wrong), may be it could be good idea to update the BIOS as it can solve some hardware issues... It is still possible to find BIOS for that board (AFAIK, latest one was dated by year 1998 or even 1999) - manufactuter is now out of business...

**Smokin Joe** · May 25th, 2005, 02:23 AM

Thanks for the interest Ruslan
Battery was 3.22volts actual power (labelled 3 volts). From the way it was acting I dare say she deeaad.

I do not have the expertise to raise the dead so...cheers.

As I said in the last one it ran faithfully as the ICS gateway for 4+ years

and my office computer for 3-4 years before that.

She won't post, no beeps, lights the cd rom light, but doesn't light the floppy. She won't display anything thru the video card. Maybe after the wake I will try a different video card but I think she is gone.
RIP

**confus-ed** · May 25th, 2005, 02:41 AM

Originally Posted by Smokin Joe

.. I do not have the expertise to raise the dead so...cheers.

..

Oh you do

(Ruslan sounds spot on with his failing cmos battery diagnosis, its exactly what I'd have said anyway

) ... but swapping a cmos battery is generally very easy, no worse than swapping a watch battery, which they very much generally resemble

(if it doesn't resemble a watch battery-there are ones soldered on, but your average tv repair shop will do that in 2 minutes for about £5 including the battery if you ask nicely) .. I think you might find a bios for that board here - if you get 'brave'

**Smokin Joe** · May 25th, 2005, 12:55 PM

Well this kind of reminds me of the Monty Python skit where the shop keeper keeps telling John Cleese that his Norwegian Blue has Beautiful PluuumaAAAge.

Believe me if I thought a new battery would make either one of the two video cards show something/ANYTHING on the Mitsuibishi Diamond Scan 15XV (That I bought new still in the box for $40 bux from my supplier a couple of years ago. Actually now he is my exsupplier as they recently went out of business. But that's another story!

I think it was one of those deals where I saw this box for weeks at a time and I couldn't help asking. Next thing you know I am carting this thing out to my truck. My New Dodge Diesel 1 ton non dually with electrically heated seats and leather interior which my nephew sold me at cost + $500. But that's another story! So anyway this Monitor is perfect nothing wrong except the new electronic smell it had for a couple of days. $40 bux can you believe it!) :butt:
Now where was I? OYEAH! IT DIED! It's in the after life! Unless you have a way of force feeding the new bios into it with battery cables and KY jelly. Cause I'm all ears.

The only thing that lights up is the cdrom drive (for a sec). I have removed every internal device. Unplugged all the hard drives (even the floppy on one test).

Hey wait maybe its the power supply!

NOT! Been there done that!
As I said I am no expert

but it really appears it is beyond hope. Please send donations to your favorite charity, She would have liked that.
Thank you

**confus-ed** · May 25th, 2005, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by Smokin Joe

Update
I just noticed that the reset configuration data in CMOS will NOT stay enabled.
It can be changed in cmos but will not stay enabled. It WILL NOT SAVE.

Ahh, monty python sketch or not

if this is your symptom, & most especially if any input values won't 'stick' then changing the cmos battery is a 'very probable' answer, its got to read those values to boot - here's how anyway, as you seem to think your motherboard is dead, though I'm sure it was working when we started

(with as humours a view on the subject as I could manage

) -
I Licked it and my Tongue Didn't Sting (cmos battery replacement).