Welcome guest. Before posting on our computer help forum, you must register. Click here it's easy and free.

Author Topic: Drives not being detected by BIOS  (Read 4694 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

SirCannonFodder

    Topic Starter


    Starter

    Drives not being detected by BIOS
    « on: December 24, 2007, 06:33:51 AM »
    Basically, none of the drives (HDD or CD) are being detected on a computer I'm working on. In the BIOS it just has "not detected" next to all the drives (ie, Primary IDE Master, Primary IDE Slave, etc), and all the settings for the drives are set to "auto". The only thing listed in the boot sequence is "1st Floppy Drive", although there's no floppy drive installed. I also sometimes get a "CMOS battery low. CMOS date and time not set. Press F1 to enter setup" message when the computer boots.

    I've tried resetting the BIOS (by both replacing the battery and with the jumper pins) using a different HDD, using different IDE cables, and using a different PSU, but none of it has worked.

    Here's the specs:

    Motherboard: ECS GS7610 Ultra (SIS 761GX+956L chipset)
    BIOS: AmiBIOS v02.59
    CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000
    Memory: 2x 512MB PC3200 DDR RAM (M2G9J16A-TT from TwinMOS)
    HDD: Maxtor 6L200P0
    PSU: COLORS-it EN60950


    Now, since I'm just the guy trying to fix it and not the owner, I don't know the full history of the machine, but this is what I do know:

    Machine gets brought in, rapidly switching on/off when you try to turn it on. One of my colleagues decides to try replacing the mobo and CPU. Problem persists, and I try putting in a new PSU. The problem clears up, but now we're left with the current issue.


    PS: The next time I have access to the machine after today is going to be on the 27th, so I won't be able reply on what help did/didn't work till then.

    patio

    • Moderator


    • Genius
    • Maud' Dib
    • Thanked: 1769
      • Yes
    • Experience: Beginner
    • OS: Windows 7
    Re: Drives not being detected by BIOS
    « Reply #1 on: December 24, 2007, 07:36:47 AM »
    Possibilities:

    MBoard short...check to see all standoffs are in position.
    Bad PSU ( even though you've already swapped it out )
    IDE channels blown...

    Make sure to test the Drives/cables in a known working machine.
    " Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist should have his head examined. "

    SirCannonFodder

      Topic Starter


      Starter

      Re: Drives not being detected by BIOS
      « Reply #2 on: December 28, 2007, 04:14:51 AM »
      All the standoffs are in position, and the PSU I'm using is the only one available that works (all the others are either the wrong form factor, or are currently in use). I tried the cables and the HDD on another PC, and although it was able to detect it, it came up with "A disk read error occurred. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart"


      EDIT: I tried *another* HDD in the faulty computer, and it was able to detect it fine. Looks like the drives were the issue. Thanks for your help.
      « Last Edit: December 28, 2007, 04:44:40 AM by SirCannonFodder »

      RX



        Rookie

        Re: Drives not being detected by BIOS
        « Reply #3 on: December 28, 2007, 11:48:24 AM »
        Try the Drive in another PC.

        patio

        • Moderator


        • Genius
        • Maud' Dib
        • Thanked: 1769
          • Yes
        • Experience: Beginner
        • OS: Windows 7
        Re: Drives not being detected by BIOS
        « Reply #4 on: December 28, 2007, 02:55:23 PM »
        Try the Drive in another PC.

        This was already suggested and by doing so he discovered the drives were at fault.
        " Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist should have his head examined. "