need help with 'no boot' situation
 

hi y'all:
well, here goes...
i'll encapsulate the symptoms and what i did just prior to them.
first, i configured BIOS to do boots in a 'cdrom...'type sequence to get around all the setup crap;
i installed Redhat 8.0;
i unecessarily configured the monitor, but i don't think it mattered;
i started 'Internet Connection Wizard'.
then:
the monitor went into OFF mode;
the computer won't boot;
the CDROM LED flashes;
the floppy drive LED stays OFF;
and all the while the hard disk runs.
Well, its interesting to say the least.
I'd greatly appreciate any help.
I'm using my friend's laptop until I can get somewhere with the desktop.
thx'
-fsull

Make sure the monitor still works by connecting it to another machine. I'd be surprised if your configuration could have caused a hardware failure, but the XFree86 folks add the "may damage hardware" disclaimer in config files.

Ok, provided the monitor is working, how far do you get in the boot process? Does your machine actually get through POST?

If not, then I'd suggest looking at your motherboard manual. See if there's a way to reset your BIOS to factory defaults. Then try to work your way back to where you were.

I'd also suggest reinstalling Red Hat if/when you can get that far (in case it is a configuration issue with horiz./vert. rates).

I agree. I have a feeling it is your horizontal and vertical refresh rates that are out of synch. A reinstallation of RedHat won't hurt either. Before you configure your monitor after a reinstall, make sure you've got the right H and V refresh rates from your monitor user manual or off a search at www.google.com/linux .

actually, i don't believe that its even doing a POST.
the monitor is connected up to a friend's laptop and it works just fine;
i can't even get into BIOS; that is, i don't believe it is...
how can i tell with no monitor?
if i could see BIOS, then i could do a setup;
is there any way i can do a link with my friend's laptop?
if i could maybe change the boot sequence or something...
i might be able to get a boot off the A:>
i dunno
i'm definately reaching a dead end
thx anyway
-fsull

Well, look at your motherboard's manual. Some companies will give you the option of manually resetting the BIOS. For example, one of my boards uses a jumper. If those two pins are "closed" when the board powers up, it goes back to defaults. I don't know if all boards have this feature, but check, just in case...

reply to 'Dark Helmet"
 

how ya doin
well, i guess i'll just have to dig in
i can't see why though, cuz everyhting was runnin just fine
so it would seem that the jumpers were kool
they were already set ok when i did a windoze 98 install
with the primary master /slave settings and all...
anyway, it's getting darker all the time
(no pun intended)
once again , mucho thanks
please get back with any extreme thoughts
i think the box has to go to highert levels of 'fix'
thx Dark,
-fsull

One other thing: it's a shot in the dark, but try disconnecting your CD drive. It couldn't hurt, and if that's the problem, it would be real cheap to replace (relatively speaking).

You are more than welcome if anything I said was useful. Unfortunately, sometimes computers just kick the bucket. Just ask my brother, he was happy, playing StarCraft as usual and then BANG! His screen went blank (followed immediately by a "no signal" message). The power button wouldn't work... nothing. Turns out his power supply had a capacitor in it that just didn't feel life was worth living anymore. That thing shot off the circuit board (leaving some nice scoring) and left a good impression (quite literally) on the side of the power supply it hit after blast-off.

It may have just been time that something died in the machine. I wish you luck finding what it is, but be careful too. You said that your machine is getting power (the blinking lights on one of the CDROM). If there was a hardware failure, the longer you keep the machine on, you run the risk of the problem "infecting" other components. If, for instance, a voltage control died for your video card died, then you video card could become damaged because it's getting too much juice. Similarly, that damage could cause the voltage to pass to the motherboard, and on and on.

- The following is COMPLETE speculation; take with a grain of salt (or perhaps a truckload) -

Afer re-reading your original message one more time, I came up with some more potential information that fits the puzzle some. When you power on the machine, each device connected will go through a reset sequence (not necessarily what you see for POST). Part of that reset sequence for CD-ROM drives could include checking if a CD is present. I've noticed a lot of manufacturers will have drive activity LEDs blink when spinning up/detecting a new disc in the drive. It could be that your CD-ROM drive is not getting out of its reset state. Either it could be confused or incapable of leaving. Those kind of reset sequences are crucial, and could very easily hang the system. That's why I suggest disconnecting the drive.

Anyway, again, I hope you can find the problem; it's real depressing to look at a computer as a large, expensive paperweight.

yeah, it wants to boot off of linux, but it can't.
maybe BIOS isn't initializing the video.
I tried disconnecting the drives, but to no avail...
I will yank out the board and give a good looksie over.
If I can't see any probs, then I'll salvage out the cpu, simms, etc.
its an soyo sis 530, an 'out of circulation' deal.
I think it's only got a 95 MHz bus,
what the heck, I'll upgrade to one that's faster.
well, I'll get back after I get it up n' runnin'
till then, the laptop'll do.
thx
-fsull