Computers are an Integral Part of our life. They Do Need Proper
Maintainance. They Also Undergo Problems. To Troubleshoot Bios Problems,
Here Are some Tips Below:
BIOS (BASIC INPUT OUTPUT SYSTEM)
Award 2. American Mega trends (AMI) 3. Phoenix
TROUBLESHOOTING BIOS BEEP CODES – AMI BIOS
INDICATION: 1 BEEP – DRAM REFRESH FAILURE
The system is having a problem accessing the system memory to refresh it. Refreshing is done on all system memory to keep its contents active.
CAUSE: This code usually means a problem either with the system memory or with the motherboard it self.
REMEDY: 1. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
2. Treat as an apparent memory failure.
INDICATION: 2 BEEPS – PARITY CIRCUIT FAILURE
This parity circuit is responsible for generating and checking the parity bit on the system memory when parity checking is used. This circuitry is not working properly.
CAUSE: This code usually means a problem with either the system memory or motherboard.
REMEDY: 1. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
2. Treat as an apparent memory failure.
INDICATION: 3 BEEPS – BASE 64K RAM FAILURE
There is a failure of some sort within the first 64 KB of system memory.
CAUSE: The first bank of memory probably has a bad memory chip in it somewhere. It is possible that there is a failure related to the motherboard or a system device as well.
REMEDY: 1. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
2. Treat as an apparent memory failure.
INDICATION: 4 BEEPS – SYSTEM TIMER FAILURE
There is a problem with one or more of the timers used by the system to control functions on the motherboard.
CAUSE: This is usually a motherboard failure.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: 5 BEEPS – PROCESSOR FAILURE
System processor is generating an error condition indicating a problem with it.
CAUSE: There is a problem related to the processor or motherboard. Note that this doesn’t mean that the processor is necessarily dead; with a dead processor the system won’t boot at all [it runs the BIOS code that is used to start up the PC].
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the processor.
If the processor is not at fault, troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: 6 BEEPS – KEYBOARD CONTROLLER / GATE A20 FAILURE
The keyboard controller is a chip on the motherboard that communicates with your keyboard. It also controls the A20 gate that provides access to the high memory area [HMA]. This component is indicating a failure.
CAUSE: This is usually a problem with either the keyboard or the motherboard.
REMEDY: Troubleshooting the keyboard is relatively easy, try that first.
Troubleshoot the keyboard controller.
Troubleshoot as a motherboard failure.
INDICATION: 7 BEEPS - VIRTUAL MODE EXCEPTION ERROR
Virtual mode is of the different modes that the processor can run in. The System is reporting an error when testing this mode.
CAUSE: There is a problem related to the processor or motherboard.
Note: That this doesn’t mean that the processor is necessarily dead, since the system won’t boot at
all with a dead processor.
Remedy: Troubleshoot the processor.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: 8 BEEPS – DISPLAY MEMORY READ / WRITE FAILURE.
The BIOS is unable to write to the frame buffer memory on the video card.
CAUSE: There is a problem related to the processor or motherboard.
Note: Unlike the other AMI beep codes, this one is “non-fatal”. The system may continue to boot
despite this error.
Remedy: Troubleshoot the processor.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: 9 BEEPS – ROM BIOS CHECKSUM FAILURE.
The Read Only Memory (ROM) containing the BIOS program (which is what is running when you turn on the PC and what generates this error) uses a checksum value as a double-check that the ROM code is correct.
This checksum is compared against the values in the ROM each time that PC is booted and if there is a mismatch, this code is generated.
Note: This error is not the same as a CMOS Checksum Error, which refers to corrupted values of
the CMOS settings, the ones you set through the BIOS setup program.
This error means the contents of the BIOS code itself are damaged.
CAUSE: The BIOS ROM chip on the motherboard is probably faulty. It could also be another
component on the motherboard.
Remedy: Troubleshoot the motherboard.
It is possible to replace just the BIOS ROM chip but often replacing the motherboard will
make more sense for cost and simplicity reasons.
INDICATION: 10 BEEPS–CMOS SHUTDOWN REGISTER READ/WRITE ERROR.
A component of the motherboard is producing an error interacting with the CMOS that holds the BIOS settings.
CAUSE: There is likely a problem with the motherboard.
Remedy: Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: 11 BEEPS – CACHE MEMORY ERROR.
The system has attempted to verify the operation of the secondary (level 2) cache and has encountered an error.
CAUSE: This usually means a problem with the system cache.
It may also be a more general problem with the motherboard.
Remedy: Troubleshoot the secondary cache.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: CONTINUOS BEEPING – MEMORY OR VIDEO PROBLEM.
The system is producing constant beeping in no specific pattern, or a fast “ringing” sound.
CAUSE: This is usually caused by a problem with the system memory, or possibly the video card.
The memory is more likely, the system complaints long and loud if it can’t find any usable
memory, as there is no way to even start the boot process when this is the case.
The motherboard itself could also be the problem.
Remedy: Troubleshoot system memory. Troubleshoot Video Card.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
TROUBLESHOOTING BIOS BEEP CODES – AWARD BIOS
Award is the other major BIOS provider today, along with AMI. Award uses by far the fewest beep codes of any of the BIOS manufacturers.
INDICATION: 1 LONG BEEP –MEMORY PROBLEM
There is a failure of some sort related to the system memory.
CAUSE: 1. The first bank of memory probably has a failure of some sort, this is usually just a
physical problem such as an incorrectly inserted module, but may also mean a bad
memory chip in a module.
2. It is possible that there is a failure related to the motherboard or a system device as
well.
REMEDY: Treat as an apparent memory failure.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: 1 LONG, THEN 2 / 3 SHORT BEEPS – VIDEO ERROR
The BIOS is unable to access the video system in order to write any error messages to the screen.
CAUSE: This is usually caused by a problem with the video card, or the memory on the video card. It
can also be a motherboard issue.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the video card.
If the video card is not a fault, troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: CONTINUOUS BEEPING: MEMORY OR VIDEO PROBLEM
The system is producing constant beeping in no specific pattern, or a fast “Ringing,” sound.
CAUSE: 1. Problem with the system memory, or possibly the Video card.
2. Memory is more likely, the system complains long and loud if it can’t find any
usable memory, as there is no way to even start the boot process.
3. The motherboard itself could also be the problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the system memory.
Troubleshoot the video card.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
TROUBLESHOOTING BIOS BEEP CODES – PHOENIX BIOS
Phoenix uses by far the most complicated sets of beep codes. In fact, Phoenix uses so many codes that especially in their newer BIOSes, every BIOS Power–On-Self–Test [POST] function has a beep code associated with it.
This means that the Phoenix BIOS gives you the most details about where in the boot process the failure occurred, but it also makes figuring out the codes more complicated.
Some notes about the Phoenix BIOS and how they are implemented troubleshooting its beep codes:
There are two general families of Phoenix BIOSes. The newer family corresponds to version 4.x [any version number starting with “4”] and is generally found in systems made in 1994 and later. The older family corresponds to any version numbers before 4.x made before 1994.
The Phoenix BIOS uses groups of beeps; there may be 2 beeps, followed by 1 beeps, followed by 1 beep, and then 3 beeps; this is represented as 2-1-3. The older Phoenix BIOS uses three groups of beeps, while the newer one uses four [for example, 2-1-3-1]
The newer Phoenix BIOS has over 100 beep codes; the older one “only” about 40 or so.
Many of these correspond to internal test conditions with in the BIOS, which, if they fail, will cause a beep code to be generated at that position.
When the Phoenix BIOS fails with a fatal error, in addition to the beep code it may write a two – digit code to the screen.
TROUBLESHOOTING BOOT TIME ERROR MESSAGES
INDICATION: A20 LINE FAILURE
The system is detecting a failure trying to access the 21st address line, A20. This line is used to provide access to the high memory area, and is normally controlled through the keyboard controller.
CAUSE: This is usually a problem with either the keyboard or the keyboard controller on the
motherboard.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the keyboard controller. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: SHORT IN ADDRESS LINE
The system has detected a short – circuit in one or more of the lines of the address bus on the motherboard.
CAUSE: The is usually a motherboard failure or related problem.
REMEDY: Treat as a motherboard failure.
INDICATION: BIOS ROM CHECKSUM ERROR
The read only memory {ROM} containing the BIOS program is protected by a checksum value as a double – check that the ROM code is correct.
This checksum is compared against the values in the ROM each time the PC is booted and if there is a mismatch, this code is generated.
NOTE:
This error is not the same as a CMOS Checksum Error, which refers to corrupted values of the CMOS settings, the ones you set through the BIOS setup program. This error means the contents of the BIOS code itself are damaged.
CAUSE: The BIOS ROM chip on the motherboard is probably faulty. It could also be another
component on the motherboard.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: LEVEL 2 CACHE FAILURE
Some BIOS’s perform tests on the level 2 or secondary cache to ensure that it is functioning correctly The level 2 cache in the system is indicating a failure. Depending on the system, the boot may halt here or the system may automatically disable the cache and continue with the boot; the exact message you get should give you a hint about this.
CAUSE: There is either a problem with the secondary cache itself, or with the motherboard.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the secondary cache. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: TIMER ERRORS CH 1
There is an error being reported with one of the system timers on the motherboard.
CAUSE: This is usually a motherboard or system device problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: TIMER ERRORS CH 2
There is an error being reported with one of the system timers on the motherboard.
CAUSE: This is usually a motherboard or system device problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: CMOS BATTERY FAILURE
The CMOS memory holds the BIOS setting that you define in the BIOS setup program. This memory is powered by using a battery so that the setting are not lose when you turn off the power to the system.
Many motherboards do not test the status of this battery and will just indicate problems with the CMOS memory when the battery fails, but some motherboards can detect when the battery is no longer functioning.
CAUSE: The CMOS battery has probably failed, if the system was previously working; if it is a new
system, this could be a motherboard problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the battery.
INDICATION: CMOS BATTERY LOW
The CMOS memory holds the BIOS setting is powered using a battery so that the settings are not lost when the PC is turned off.
Some motherboard can detect when the battery is getting weak {though many do not}. The system is giving you a warning that the battery is getting low on power.
CAUSE: The battery is running low. It is unusual for this to be caused by anything else.
REMEDY: Follow these directions to deal with the failing battery.
You should still be able to use the system without any problems for a while.
INDICATION: CMOS CHECKSUM ERROR
1. Checksum is computed as an error – detecting code, to protect the BIOS setting stored in the
CMOS memory.
2. Each time the system is booted this number is recomputed and checked against the stored value.
3. If they do not match, an error message is generated to tell you that the CMOS.
4. Memory contents may have been corrupted and therefore some setting may be wrong.
5. BIOS’s react in different ways to encountering this sort of error.
Some will warn the user and then continue on with whatever settings were in the CMOS. Others will assume that the settings that were in the CMOS were corrupted and will load default values stored in the BIOS chip “for safety reasons”. The error message will indicate which your system is doing.
CAUSE: The most common cause of checksum errors in CMOS is a battery that is losing power.
Viruses can also affect CMOS settings, and motherboard problems can also affect the stored
values.
REMEDY: You should make sure that all of the BIOS setting in the system are correct, by rebooting
the system, going into BIOS setup and double –checking all the values {hopefully against a
recent BIOS settings backup.
INDICATION: CMOS DISPLAY TYPE MISMATCH
The system has detected that the type of video card you have in the PC is not the same as the one you told the system you had.
CAUSE: The BIOS setting that controls the display type for the PC is set incorrectly. Very rarely,
there could be some other bizarre explanation for this problem.
REMEDY: Double-check and correct the video display type BIOS settings. It should be set to “VGA”
or “VGA/EGA” for virtually all-newer PCs.
Troubleshoot the video card if the BIOS setting is correct and this problem persists.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: CMOS MEMORY SIZE MISMATCH
Some PCs store the total amount of memory as a BIOS setting and then compare the value against what they detect in hardware when the PC is booted. A message is produced when the system sees a different amount of memory than what it was expecting.
Most new PCs do not bother with this but just use what they detect when the machine is powered up.
CAUSE: Depending on the circumstances, this may not really be an error message at all. Many
systems will produce this message the first time that they are booted after a memory
addition or subtraction, and then the problem will go away thereafter. If this problem is
occurring repeatedly, or after no change in memory, then there may be a problem.
REMEDY: Enter the BIOS setup program and verify that it now shows the correct amount of memory.
If your BIOS require you to enter the memory total, make sure you specify the correct
amount of memory in the system. Then reboot the PC; the message should not return. If it
does, then you should treat this as a corrupted CMOS problem.
INDICATION: CMOS INFORMATION INVALID
The BIOS has detected that one or more of the setting parameters it has read from the CMOS memory are invalid.
CAUSE: If this occurs in an existing system, it generally means that the contents of the CMOS
memory have become corrupted. It is normal to get an error of this sort when you boot some
kinds of new motherboards for the first time, since they have never been set up before.
REMEDY: For a new system, enter BIOS setup and make sure to set and save parameters.
Then reboot, and the problem should go away. For an existing system, troubleshoot as
a corrupted CMOS problem.
INDICATION: INCORRECT CMOS DATE AND TIME
The system has detected that the date and time stored in the CMOS memory were never set up.
CAUSE: This is normal upon booting many types of new motherboard for the first time. If it
happens with an existing system it usually means that the CMOS memory has been
corrupted or cleared somehow.
REMEDY: For a new system, enter BIOS setup and make sure to set the date and time.
Double – check the other settings for accuracy, and save the settings and exit.
Then reboot, and the problem should go away, For an existing system, if this problem
persists, troubleshoot as a corrupted CMOS problem.
INDICATION: INCORRECT CPU SPEED
The system is reporting the speed of the processor.
CAUSE: The system is behaving normally, as long as it continues to boot and doesn’t halt when
this message is displayed.
REMEDY: No action is required; this is an informational message only.
If the speed of the processor being reported is incorrect based on what the speed is
supposed to be, see below:
INDICATION: BOOT TIME, SYSTEM IS REPORTING THE INCORRECT PROCESSOR SPEED
The system is reporting the processor speed, but it is incorrect.
CAUSE: The BIOS usually reports the current speed of the processor, but remember that this
speed is controlled by how the motherboard is set up. There is no way to “interrogate”
the processor and determinate its “correct” speed. Usually misreported speeds are due to BIOS problem of misconfigured processors.
REMEDY: First, if in considering the speed misreported, you are referring the LED speed
readout on the front panel, realize that this display does not have anything to do with
the processor at all.
If this is a just – purchased system, contact your system vendor immediately. It’s possible
that they mixed up your order and sent you the wrong processor by mistake.
Double – check that the processor is set up correctly; check the motherboard jumper
settings. If it is misconfigured then you may be running it not at the speed you are supposed
to be, and the BIOS may be correctly telling you that.
If the reported speed of the processor is off slightly, such as a Pentium 166 being reported at
167 for example, this is probably just a quake.
Your system BIOS may require an upgrade, especially if you are using a newer chip that may not have been on the market when your motherboard was designed.
INDICATION: NO BOOT DEVICE
The system has attempted to find a drive to boot the operating system, but has failed. The error message itself may not always be very clear that this is what has happened, especially the infamous “NO ROM BASIC – SYSTEM HALED”.
The system cannot start up because there is no operating system for it to load. The boot process will halt here. Some systems may give you the option to retry the boot or to enter set up at this point, as a convenience.
Otherwise, you must reboot the PC.
CAUSE: All of the bootable drives in the system are not functioning.
Normally this means that the floppy disk drive is either absent or not functioning, or has no
disk in it, and the hard disk is either not connected or has no bootable active partition on it.
REMEDY: If this is a new system with a hard disk that has never been formatted before, you need to
boot from a floppy first, and partition and format the hard disk. Try that.
If you were trying to boot from the floppy disk drive, troubleshoot the floppy drive.
If you were trying to boot from the hard drive, troubleshoot the hard drive.
INDICATION: FLOPPY DISK FAILURE
One or more of the floppy disk drives in the system has been reported as either failing or missing by the BIOS as the system is booted. The BIOS may identify the specific drive in some cases
CAUSE: This error message implies a device failure of the floppy disk drive or a related problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the floppy drive{s}.
INDICATION: INCORRECT FLOPPY DRIVE
The system has detected that the type of floppy disk drive it sees in the system does not match what you have defined in the BIOS setup program. In fact, many system will not report this but will just malfunction when the drive{s} are set up incorrectly.
CAUSE: This error message implies a device failure of the floppy disk drive or a related problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the floppy drive{s}.
INDICATION: INCORRECT FLOPPY DRIVE
The system has detected that the type of floppy disk drives it sees in the system does not match what you have defined in the BIOS setup program. In fact, much system will not report this but will just malfunction when the drive{s} are set up incorrectly.
CAUSE: The floppy disk settings in the BIOS setup are incorrect.
REMEDY: Enter the BIOS set up program and correct the floppy disk type setting.
Troubleshoot the floppy drive{s}.
In particular, ensure that the floppy disk drives are connected properly; they may be cabled backwards if you are using two drives.
INDICATION: DISPLAY ADAPTER FAILED, USING ALTERNATE
Some systems have the ability to support a primary and a secondary video display {the secondary typically being monochrome text}. The system has detected a failure in the primary display and therefore is using the secondary one.
CAUSE: The BIOS setting for display type may be set wrong, or there may be a failure of the VGA card.
REMEDY: Double – check the video display type BIOS setting.
Troubleshoot the video display card.
INDICATION: INCORRECT DISPLAY SWITCH SETTING
Some older PCs have a switch on the motherboard that can be toggled between “monochrome” and “color”, instead of having a BIOS setting to control the video display. The system has detected a mismatch between this setting and the video card it is seeing in the PC.
CAUSE: The display switch is set incorrectly, there is a video card problem, or there is a
Motherboard problem.
REMEDY: Check your system manual to find out if you have a display type switch, and if you do,
make sure it is set correctly.
Troubleshoot the video card. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: DISPLAY TYPE HAS CHANGED SINCE LAST BOOT
The system has detected that the display type has changed since the last time the PC was booted. There is a mismatch between what the video card is in the PC and what the setting for the video card is in the BIOS CMOS memory.
CAUSE: This is probably not really a problem condition, but a notification that the video card has
changed but the BIOS setting for it hasn’t been updated.
The BIOS setting should be changed to reflect the new display.
REMEDY: Enter the BIOS setup program and adjust the display type setting so it is correct.
If the display type is already set correctly, troubleshoot the video display card.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: DMA ERRORS
The system has detected an error associated with the Direct Memory Address {DMA} controller{s} on the system motherboard.
CAUSE: This is most likely a motherboard problem, but a bad expansion card might cause it as well.
If the DMA controller number is supplied as supplied as part of the error message that
might help narrow down the DMA channel where the problem was detected, if applicable.
DMA controller #1 handles DMA channels 0 to 3 and controller #2 handles channels 5 to
7{channel 4 is the cascade between the two controller}.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot as a generic expansion card issue.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: DMA BUS TIME- OUT
A device in the system has attempted to keep control of the DMA bus for an excessive period of time.
Some system will generate an error condition under these circumstances.
CAUSE: This is most likely a problem with an expansion device or with the motherboard it self.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot as a generic expansion card issue.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: MEMORY ACCESS FAILURE
A failure was detected within the system memory.
This usually means a failure of the simple memory tests performed at boot time, which generally consists of writing a pattern to memory and reading it back to ensure that it has not changed. Depending on the system, you may be told some specifies about what part of memory failed.
There are many possible root causes for this problem, usually associated with the system memory. There could be a motherboard problem as well.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the system memory. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: FLOPPY DISK CONTROLLER FAILURE
The system has detected a failure related to the floppy disk controller.
The controller is a separate I/O card that plugs into the motherboard on older systems. Newer PCs have the controller built into the motherboard.
CAUSE: This is usually a problem related to the floppy disk controller, but could also be the
Floppy disk{s} themselves. Telling the BIOS that there are floppy can cause it
Disk drives in the system when there are not.
REMEDY: Double Check the floppy Disk BIOS settings and ensure that they are correct.
Troubleshoot the Floppy Disk Controller.
Troubleshoot the FDD(s).
INDICATION: HARD DISK INITIALIZING PLEASE WAIT A MOMENT
In the early days of PCs, it took a long time to boot the system. PCs have become much faster and people have started to want their machines to boot in less time. As a result, some PCs now boot up so quickly that they try to auto detect the hard disks, or even boot the operating system from the hard disk, before the hard disk is ready to go. This can cause apparent failures with the hard disk if the situation is not detected. When this message appears, the system is being smart enough to detect this condition and wait for the hard disk to respond.
CAUSE: The system is behaving normally, as long as it continues to boot and doesn’t halt when this message is displayed.
REMEDY: No action is required if the boot proceeds normally.
If the system hangs after displaying this message, you should treat this as a hard disk problem.
INDICATION: ERROR WITH HARD DISK
The system has detected a failure with one or more of the IDE/ATA hard disk drives in the system.
The problem report may highlight a specific device {“drive 0” or “ primary master”} depending on the
BIOS type.
CAUSE: This is usually a problem related to the hard disk{s}. This may not mean that the hard disk is bad, but could mean incorrect cabling or another issue making it impossible to find the hard disk.
The controller or interface to the hard disk could also be at fault.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the hard disk drive. Troubleshoot the hard disk controller.
INDICATION: ERROR WITH HARD DISK CONTROLLER
The system has detected a failure related to the IDE hard disk controller.
The controller is a separate I/O card that plugs that into the motherboard on older systems. Newer PCs
have the controller built into the motherboard.
CAUSE: This is usually a problem related to the hard disk controller, of course, but it could also be the hard disk{s}
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the hard disk controller. Troubleshoot the hard disk drive
INDICATION: LEVEL 1 CACHE FAILURE
The BIOS has tested and determined that the processor’s internal cache is not functioning correctly, and
Has disabled it.
CAUSE: This is a very unusual situation, for the internal cache to be not functional while the rest of the processor is.
This is likely a processor or motherboard problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot as a generic expansion card issue. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: INTERRUPT CONTROLLER FAILURES
The system has detected an error associated with the interrupt controller{s} on the system motherboard.
CAUSE: This is most likely a motherboard problem, but it might be caused by a bad expansion card as well. If the interrupt controller number is supplied as part of the error message, that might help narrow down the interrupt request line where the problem was detected, if applicable, although IRQ controller #1 handles all of the IRQs, some directly and others indirectly via controller #2. IRQ controller #2handles IRQs 8 through 15.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot as a generic expansion card issue. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: INVALID MEDIA TYPE
The system tried to use a disk or other media that is of the incorrect type.
CAUSE: This is one of those poorly- phrased messages; what it almost always means is that you tried to use a hard disk volume after partitioning it but before formatting it. For example, if you are setting up a new system and you partition the hard disk, then boot from a floppy and type “DIR C:” you will usually get this message. The system looks for the media type descriptor on the hard disk and doesn’t find what it expects, and produces this message.
REMEDY: Assuming that this is a new hard disk you are setting up, just format the disk and you are all set.
If an existing disk produces this error, then it means that something has seriously corrupted the disk
INDICATION: THE HARD DISK’S FILE STRUCTURES HAVE BECOME CORRUPTED OR
THE DATA ON IT IS UNREADABLE {AN EXISTING DISK VOLUME IS
ACTING AS IF IT IS UNFORMATTED, OR THERE ARE VERY SERIOUS DISK ERRORS}
The hard disk is generating error message or is otherwise behaving as if it has become seriously corrupted.
An existing, working hard disk may be acting as if it had been wiped clean, or had been never formatted.
Strange error message or very larg3e quantities of may be acting as if it had been wiped clean, or had been never formatted.
(Bear in mind that if you don’t scan for file systems regularly, they can accumulate and make the situation look l lot more full than it really would be if the disk had been maintained properly).
CAUSE : There are a number of possible causes for a hard disk that it experiencing a large amount of
corruption, most of them are, unfortunately, pretty serious.
In many cases it is not the hard disk itself but rather an external factor that is causing the
problem.
REMEDY :
v Make sure your thoroughly scan the system for viruses using an up-to-date virus scanner. Many viruses take hard action against the file system. It is a relatively simple thing for virus to change the disk’s major structures so that it appears empty or invalid.
v Make sure that you are using the correct type of disk utilities. Using a disk utility not designed for Windows 95 on a Windows 95 system, or using one not aware of FAT32 on FAT32 volume, can cause large amounts of corruption on a disk that is otherwise functioning properly.
v If you have just moved a hard disk from an existing system where it used to work, the problem may be related to a change in how the BIOS references the disk.
v Check for resource conflicts. These can cause problems with hard disk.
v Check to make sure the hard disk has been set up correctly in the BIOS.
v Try disabling the enhanced performance settings in the system BIOS.
v Make sure that the IDE cable is not too long. Try swapping the cable or using a shorter one.
INDICATION : INVALID PARTITION TABLE
The system examined the master partition table to determine what volume to use to boot the operating system, and found invalid information within it.
CAUSE : You should never see this message under normal circumstance.
One way that this message can occur is if more than one partition is set ‘active’ or bootable;
only one is allowed at a time. It is possible that the master partition table has become
corrupted.
REMEDY :
v The standard DOS and windows disk utilities will not allow you to set more than one partition active.
v If you are using any non standard utilities to manipulate the partitions, for example in a multiple-operating-system environment, run the utility from floppy disk and make sure only more partition is set active.
v There is a chance that the disk has become corrupted somehow.
INDICATION : KEYBOARD CLOCK LINE FAILURE
The clock line of the control lines between the keyboard and the keyboard controller that interfaces the keyboard controller that interfaces the keyboard to the motherboard.
CAUSE : There is a problem either with the keyboard or with the keyboard or with keyboard
controller on the motherboard.
REMEDY : Troubleshoot the keyboard. Troubleshoot the keyboard controller.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
SYSTEM TECHNIQUE
INDICATION : KEYBOARD CONTROLLER FAILURE
The system has detected what appears to be failure with keyboard controller, which interfaces the keyboard to the motherboard.
CAUSE : There is a problem either with the keyboard or with keyboard controller on the
motherboard.
REMEDY : Troubleshoot the keyboard Troubleshoot the keyboard controller.
Troubleshoot as a motherboard failure.
INDICATION : KEYBOARD DATA LINE FAILURE
The data line is of the control lines between the keyboard and the keyboard controller that interfaces the keyboard the keyboard to the motherboard.
CAUSE : There is a problem either with the keyboard or with keyboard controller on the motherboard.
REMEDY : Troubleshoot the keyboard Troubleshoot the keyboard controller.
Troubleshoot as a motherboard failure.
Don’t type on the keyboard while the system is booting up.
INDICATION : OPERATING SYSTEM NOT FOUND ON BOOT DEVICE
The system found a boot device, either a Floppy Disk or a Hard Disk, and tried to boot it, but could not start the Operating System because the OS files are not on the booted volume.
CAUSE : The most common cause of this problem is trying to boot a non-bootable floppy or hard
disk, that is, a disk that has not been made bootable using the “FORMAT /S” or “SYS” commands. If this occurs on a disk that was already prepared to be bootable, it means that the OS startup files have become corrupted.
REMEDY : If trying to boot from a Floppy Disk, replace with a bootable disk and try booting again.
If trying to set up a new Hard Disk, first set up the Hard Disk so it is bootable. If this type of error is
encountered in an existing system, there is a good chance that the Disk has become corrupted somehow.
INDICATION : CAN’T FIND A BOOT SECTOR ON HARD DISK
The system found a Hard Disk to try to boot, but couldn’t load the OS from it because it could not find a boot sector on it.
CAUSE : The most common cause of this problem is trying to boot a new Hard Disk before
Partitioning and formatting it. Getting this message on an existing system means that there Is likely
corruption of some sort in the key disk structures.
REMEDY : Until the Hard Disk is set up, boot from a Floppy Disk instead of the Hard Disk to start the
System. For a new Hard Disk, remember to Partition and Format the Hard Disk. If this type of error is encountered in an existing system, there is a good chance that the disk has become corrupted somehow.
INDICATION: NO BOOT SECTOR ON FLOPPY DISK
The system found a floppy disk to try to boot, but couldn’t load the OS from it because it could not find a boot sector on it.
CAUSE: The most common cause of this problem is trying to boot a floppy disk before formatting it.
Note that this is not the same as booting a non-bootable floppy disk; any formatted disk has a boot sector, even one that is not bootable. The non-bootable one just doesn’t have the OS files on it.
REMEDY: Boot the system from a proper boot disk, or remove the floppy disk from the drive and boot
From the hard disk.
If the problem persists despite the fact that the boot disk is known to be working, treat as a
Floppy disk problem.
Trouble Shooting
Error message during Power on Self Test (POST)
During Power on Self Test (POST), BIOS will automatically detect the system devices. Below are the questions that users most often meet. The user may press “ESC” key to skip the full memory test.
BEEP SOUND
On Power on, the system make beep sound to offer different messages. If the system is configured correctly, it prompts a short beep to show device configuration is done correctly. When VGA card and DIMM modules are not plugged well, the system makes longer and constant beep sounds.
BIOS ROM checksum error
It indicates the checksum of the BIOS code is not right and system will always halt on power on screen. It is better to contact the dealer to exchange the BIOS.
CMOS battery fails
It indicates the CMOS battery does not work. It is better to contact the dealer to exchange a new CMOS battery.
CMOS checksum error
It indicates the CMOS checksum is incorrect. Load the default values in BIOS to solve this problem. This error may result from weak BIOS, so replace new BIOS if necessary.
Hard Disk initialize
Here please wait a moment…
Some hard drives require more time to initialize
Hard Disk install failure
The system cannot find or initialize the hard drive controller or the drive. Check if the controller is set correctly. If no hard disk is installed, “Hard drive selection” must be set to “none”.
Keyboard error or no keyboard present
This means the system cannot initialize the keyboard. Check if the keyboard is plugged well and be sure no keys are pressed during POST.
Keyboard is locked out – Unlock the key
When this message comes out, check if there is anything misplaced on the keyboard. Be sure nothing touches the keys.
Memory test fails
There will be more information to specify the type and location of the memory error.
Primary Master Hard disk fail
The BIOS find and error in the Primary master hard disk drive.
Primary Slave Hard disk fail
The BIOS find and error in the Primary slave hard disk drive.
Secondary Master Hard disk fail
The BIOS find and error in the Secondary slave master hard disk drive.
Secondary Slave Hard disk fail
The BIOS find and error in the Secondary slave IDE hard disk drive.
Award 2. American Mega trends (AMI) 3. Phoenix
TROUBLESHOOTING BIOS BEEP CODES – AMI BIOS
INDICATION: 1 BEEP – DRAM REFRESH FAILURE
The system is having a problem accessing the system memory to refresh it. Refreshing is done on all system memory to keep its contents active.
CAUSE: This code usually means a problem either with the system memory or with the motherboard it self.
REMEDY: 1. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
2. Treat as an apparent memory failure.
INDICATION: 2 BEEPS – PARITY CIRCUIT FAILURE
This parity circuit is responsible for generating and checking the parity bit on the system memory when parity checking is used. This circuitry is not working properly.
CAUSE: This code usually means a problem with either the system memory or motherboard.
REMEDY: 1. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
2. Treat as an apparent memory failure.
INDICATION: 3 BEEPS – BASE 64K RAM FAILURE
There is a failure of some sort within the first 64 KB of system memory.
CAUSE: The first bank of memory probably has a bad memory chip in it somewhere. It is possible that there is a failure related to the motherboard or a system device as well.
REMEDY: 1. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
2. Treat as an apparent memory failure.
INDICATION: 4 BEEPS – SYSTEM TIMER FAILURE
There is a problem with one or more of the timers used by the system to control functions on the motherboard.
CAUSE: This is usually a motherboard failure.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: 5 BEEPS – PROCESSOR FAILURE
System processor is generating an error condition indicating a problem with it.
CAUSE: There is a problem related to the processor or motherboard. Note that this doesn’t mean that the processor is necessarily dead; with a dead processor the system won’t boot at all [it runs the BIOS code that is used to start up the PC].
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the processor.
If the processor is not at fault, troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: 6 BEEPS – KEYBOARD CONTROLLER / GATE A20 FAILURE
The keyboard controller is a chip on the motherboard that communicates with your keyboard. It also controls the A20 gate that provides access to the high memory area [HMA]. This component is indicating a failure.
CAUSE: This is usually a problem with either the keyboard or the motherboard.
REMEDY: Troubleshooting the keyboard is relatively easy, try that first.
Troubleshoot the keyboard controller.
Troubleshoot as a motherboard failure.
INDICATION: 7 BEEPS - VIRTUAL MODE EXCEPTION ERROR
Virtual mode is of the different modes that the processor can run in. The System is reporting an error when testing this mode.
CAUSE: There is a problem related to the processor or motherboard.
Note: That this doesn’t mean that the processor is necessarily dead, since the system won’t boot at
all with a dead processor.
Remedy: Troubleshoot the processor.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: 8 BEEPS – DISPLAY MEMORY READ / WRITE FAILURE.
The BIOS is unable to write to the frame buffer memory on the video card.
CAUSE: There is a problem related to the processor or motherboard.
Note: Unlike the other AMI beep codes, this one is “non-fatal”. The system may continue to boot
despite this error.
Remedy: Troubleshoot the processor.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: 9 BEEPS – ROM BIOS CHECKSUM FAILURE.
The Read Only Memory (ROM) containing the BIOS program (which is what is running when you turn on the PC and what generates this error) uses a checksum value as a double-check that the ROM code is correct.
This checksum is compared against the values in the ROM each time that PC is booted and if there is a mismatch, this code is generated.
Note: This error is not the same as a CMOS Checksum Error, which refers to corrupted values of
the CMOS settings, the ones you set through the BIOS setup program.
This error means the contents of the BIOS code itself are damaged.
CAUSE: The BIOS ROM chip on the motherboard is probably faulty. It could also be another
component on the motherboard.
Remedy: Troubleshoot the motherboard.
It is possible to replace just the BIOS ROM chip but often replacing the motherboard will
make more sense for cost and simplicity reasons.
INDICATION: 10 BEEPS–CMOS SHUTDOWN REGISTER READ/WRITE ERROR.
A component of the motherboard is producing an error interacting with the CMOS that holds the BIOS settings.
CAUSE: There is likely a problem with the motherboard.
Remedy: Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: 11 BEEPS – CACHE MEMORY ERROR.
The system has attempted to verify the operation of the secondary (level 2) cache and has encountered an error.
CAUSE: This usually means a problem with the system cache.
It may also be a more general problem with the motherboard.
Remedy: Troubleshoot the secondary cache.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: CONTINUOS BEEPING – MEMORY OR VIDEO PROBLEM.
The system is producing constant beeping in no specific pattern, or a fast “ringing” sound.
CAUSE: This is usually caused by a problem with the system memory, or possibly the video card.
The memory is more likely, the system complaints long and loud if it can’t find any usable
memory, as there is no way to even start the boot process when this is the case.
The motherboard itself could also be the problem.
Remedy: Troubleshoot system memory. Troubleshoot Video Card.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
TROUBLESHOOTING BIOS BEEP CODES – AWARD BIOS
Award is the other major BIOS provider today, along with AMI. Award uses by far the fewest beep codes of any of the BIOS manufacturers.
INDICATION: 1 LONG BEEP –MEMORY PROBLEM
There is a failure of some sort related to the system memory.
CAUSE: 1. The first bank of memory probably has a failure of some sort, this is usually just a
physical problem such as an incorrectly inserted module, but may also mean a bad
memory chip in a module.
2. It is possible that there is a failure related to the motherboard or a system device as
well.
REMEDY: Treat as an apparent memory failure.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: 1 LONG, THEN 2 / 3 SHORT BEEPS – VIDEO ERROR
The BIOS is unable to access the video system in order to write any error messages to the screen.
CAUSE: This is usually caused by a problem with the video card, or the memory on the video card. It
can also be a motherboard issue.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the video card.
If the video card is not a fault, troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: CONTINUOUS BEEPING: MEMORY OR VIDEO PROBLEM
The system is producing constant beeping in no specific pattern, or a fast “Ringing,” sound.
CAUSE: 1. Problem with the system memory, or possibly the Video card.
2. Memory is more likely, the system complains long and loud if it can’t find any
usable memory, as there is no way to even start the boot process.
3. The motherboard itself could also be the problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the system memory.
Troubleshoot the video card.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
TROUBLESHOOTING BIOS BEEP CODES – PHOENIX BIOS
Phoenix uses by far the most complicated sets of beep codes. In fact, Phoenix uses so many codes that especially in their newer BIOSes, every BIOS Power–On-Self–Test [POST] function has a beep code associated with it.
This means that the Phoenix BIOS gives you the most details about where in the boot process the failure occurred, but it also makes figuring out the codes more complicated.
Some notes about the Phoenix BIOS and how they are implemented troubleshooting its beep codes:
There are two general families of Phoenix BIOSes. The newer family corresponds to version 4.x [any version number starting with “4”] and is generally found in systems made in 1994 and later. The older family corresponds to any version numbers before 4.x made before 1994.
The Phoenix BIOS uses groups of beeps; there may be 2 beeps, followed by 1 beeps, followed by 1 beep, and then 3 beeps; this is represented as 2-1-3. The older Phoenix BIOS uses three groups of beeps, while the newer one uses four [for example, 2-1-3-1]
The newer Phoenix BIOS has over 100 beep codes; the older one “only” about 40 or so.
Many of these correspond to internal test conditions with in the BIOS, which, if they fail, will cause a beep code to be generated at that position.
When the Phoenix BIOS fails with a fatal error, in addition to the beep code it may write a two – digit code to the screen.
TROUBLESHOOTING BOOT TIME ERROR MESSAGES
INDICATION: A20 LINE FAILURE
The system is detecting a failure trying to access the 21st address line, A20. This line is used to provide access to the high memory area, and is normally controlled through the keyboard controller.
CAUSE: This is usually a problem with either the keyboard or the keyboard controller on the
motherboard.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the keyboard controller. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: SHORT IN ADDRESS LINE
The system has detected a short – circuit in one or more of the lines of the address bus on the motherboard.
CAUSE: The is usually a motherboard failure or related problem.
REMEDY: Treat as a motherboard failure.
INDICATION: BIOS ROM CHECKSUM ERROR
The read only memory {ROM} containing the BIOS program is protected by a checksum value as a double – check that the ROM code is correct.
This checksum is compared against the values in the ROM each time the PC is booted and if there is a mismatch, this code is generated.
NOTE:
This error is not the same as a CMOS Checksum Error, which refers to corrupted values of the CMOS settings, the ones you set through the BIOS setup program. This error means the contents of the BIOS code itself are damaged.
CAUSE: The BIOS ROM chip on the motherboard is probably faulty. It could also be another
component on the motherboard.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: LEVEL 2 CACHE FAILURE
Some BIOS’s perform tests on the level 2 or secondary cache to ensure that it is functioning correctly The level 2 cache in the system is indicating a failure. Depending on the system, the boot may halt here or the system may automatically disable the cache and continue with the boot; the exact message you get should give you a hint about this.
CAUSE: There is either a problem with the secondary cache itself, or with the motherboard.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the secondary cache. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: TIMER ERRORS CH 1
There is an error being reported with one of the system timers on the motherboard.
CAUSE: This is usually a motherboard or system device problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: TIMER ERRORS CH 2
There is an error being reported with one of the system timers on the motherboard.
CAUSE: This is usually a motherboard or system device problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: CMOS BATTERY FAILURE
The CMOS memory holds the BIOS setting that you define in the BIOS setup program. This memory is powered by using a battery so that the setting are not lose when you turn off the power to the system.
Many motherboards do not test the status of this battery and will just indicate problems with the CMOS memory when the battery fails, but some motherboards can detect when the battery is no longer functioning.
CAUSE: The CMOS battery has probably failed, if the system was previously working; if it is a new
system, this could be a motherboard problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the battery.
INDICATION: CMOS BATTERY LOW
The CMOS memory holds the BIOS setting is powered using a battery so that the settings are not lost when the PC is turned off.
Some motherboard can detect when the battery is getting weak {though many do not}. The system is giving you a warning that the battery is getting low on power.
CAUSE: The battery is running low. It is unusual for this to be caused by anything else.
REMEDY: Follow these directions to deal with the failing battery.
You should still be able to use the system without any problems for a while.
INDICATION: CMOS CHECKSUM ERROR
1. Checksum is computed as an error – detecting code, to protect the BIOS setting stored in the
CMOS memory.
2. Each time the system is booted this number is recomputed and checked against the stored value.
3. If they do not match, an error message is generated to tell you that the CMOS.
4. Memory contents may have been corrupted and therefore some setting may be wrong.
5. BIOS’s react in different ways to encountering this sort of error.
Some will warn the user and then continue on with whatever settings were in the CMOS. Others will assume that the settings that were in the CMOS were corrupted and will load default values stored in the BIOS chip “for safety reasons”. The error message will indicate which your system is doing.
CAUSE: The most common cause of checksum errors in CMOS is a battery that is losing power.
Viruses can also affect CMOS settings, and motherboard problems can also affect the stored
values.
REMEDY: You should make sure that all of the BIOS setting in the system are correct, by rebooting
the system, going into BIOS setup and double –checking all the values {hopefully against a
recent BIOS settings backup.
INDICATION: CMOS DISPLAY TYPE MISMATCH
The system has detected that the type of video card you have in the PC is not the same as the one you told the system you had.
CAUSE: The BIOS setting that controls the display type for the PC is set incorrectly. Very rarely,
there could be some other bizarre explanation for this problem.
REMEDY: Double-check and correct the video display type BIOS settings. It should be set to “VGA”
or “VGA/EGA” for virtually all-newer PCs.
Troubleshoot the video card if the BIOS setting is correct and this problem persists.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: CMOS MEMORY SIZE MISMATCH
Some PCs store the total amount of memory as a BIOS setting and then compare the value against what they detect in hardware when the PC is booted. A message is produced when the system sees a different amount of memory than what it was expecting.
Most new PCs do not bother with this but just use what they detect when the machine is powered up.
CAUSE: Depending on the circumstances, this may not really be an error message at all. Many
systems will produce this message the first time that they are booted after a memory
addition or subtraction, and then the problem will go away thereafter. If this problem is
occurring repeatedly, or after no change in memory, then there may be a problem.
REMEDY: Enter the BIOS setup program and verify that it now shows the correct amount of memory.
If your BIOS require you to enter the memory total, make sure you specify the correct
amount of memory in the system. Then reboot the PC; the message should not return. If it
does, then you should treat this as a corrupted CMOS problem.
INDICATION: CMOS INFORMATION INVALID
The BIOS has detected that one or more of the setting parameters it has read from the CMOS memory are invalid.
CAUSE: If this occurs in an existing system, it generally means that the contents of the CMOS
memory have become corrupted. It is normal to get an error of this sort when you boot some
kinds of new motherboards for the first time, since they have never been set up before.
REMEDY: For a new system, enter BIOS setup and make sure to set and save parameters.
Then reboot, and the problem should go away. For an existing system, troubleshoot as
a corrupted CMOS problem.
INDICATION: INCORRECT CMOS DATE AND TIME
The system has detected that the date and time stored in the CMOS memory were never set up.
CAUSE: This is normal upon booting many types of new motherboard for the first time. If it
happens with an existing system it usually means that the CMOS memory has been
corrupted or cleared somehow.
REMEDY: For a new system, enter BIOS setup and make sure to set the date and time.
Double – check the other settings for accuracy, and save the settings and exit.
Then reboot, and the problem should go away, For an existing system, if this problem
persists, troubleshoot as a corrupted CMOS problem.
INDICATION: INCORRECT CPU SPEED
The system is reporting the speed of the processor.
CAUSE: The system is behaving normally, as long as it continues to boot and doesn’t halt when
this message is displayed.
REMEDY: No action is required; this is an informational message only.
If the speed of the processor being reported is incorrect based on what the speed is
supposed to be, see below:
INDICATION: BOOT TIME, SYSTEM IS REPORTING THE INCORRECT PROCESSOR SPEED
The system is reporting the processor speed, but it is incorrect.
CAUSE: The BIOS usually reports the current speed of the processor, but remember that this
speed is controlled by how the motherboard is set up. There is no way to “interrogate”
the processor and determinate its “correct” speed. Usually misreported speeds are due to BIOS problem of misconfigured processors.
REMEDY: First, if in considering the speed misreported, you are referring the LED speed
readout on the front panel, realize that this display does not have anything to do with
the processor at all.
If this is a just – purchased system, contact your system vendor immediately. It’s possible
that they mixed up your order and sent you the wrong processor by mistake.
Double – check that the processor is set up correctly; check the motherboard jumper
settings. If it is misconfigured then you may be running it not at the speed you are supposed
to be, and the BIOS may be correctly telling you that.
If the reported speed of the processor is off slightly, such as a Pentium 166 being reported at
167 for example, this is probably just a quake.
Your system BIOS may require an upgrade, especially if you are using a newer chip that may not have been on the market when your motherboard was designed.
INDICATION: NO BOOT DEVICE
The system has attempted to find a drive to boot the operating system, but has failed. The error message itself may not always be very clear that this is what has happened, especially the infamous “NO ROM BASIC – SYSTEM HALED”.
The system cannot start up because there is no operating system for it to load. The boot process will halt here. Some systems may give you the option to retry the boot or to enter set up at this point, as a convenience.
Otherwise, you must reboot the PC.
CAUSE: All of the bootable drives in the system are not functioning.
Normally this means that the floppy disk drive is either absent or not functioning, or has no
disk in it, and the hard disk is either not connected or has no bootable active partition on it.
REMEDY: If this is a new system with a hard disk that has never been formatted before, you need to
boot from a floppy first, and partition and format the hard disk. Try that.
If you were trying to boot from the floppy disk drive, troubleshoot the floppy drive.
If you were trying to boot from the hard drive, troubleshoot the hard drive.
INDICATION: FLOPPY DISK FAILURE
One or more of the floppy disk drives in the system has been reported as either failing or missing by the BIOS as the system is booted. The BIOS may identify the specific drive in some cases
CAUSE: This error message implies a device failure of the floppy disk drive or a related problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the floppy drive{s}.
INDICATION: INCORRECT FLOPPY DRIVE
The system has detected that the type of floppy disk drive it sees in the system does not match what you have defined in the BIOS setup program. In fact, many system will not report this but will just malfunction when the drive{s} are set up incorrectly.
CAUSE: This error message implies a device failure of the floppy disk drive or a related problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the floppy drive{s}.
INDICATION: INCORRECT FLOPPY DRIVE
The system has detected that the type of floppy disk drives it sees in the system does not match what you have defined in the BIOS setup program. In fact, much system will not report this but will just malfunction when the drive{s} are set up incorrectly.
CAUSE: The floppy disk settings in the BIOS setup are incorrect.
REMEDY: Enter the BIOS set up program and correct the floppy disk type setting.
Troubleshoot the floppy drive{s}.
In particular, ensure that the floppy disk drives are connected properly; they may be cabled backwards if you are using two drives.
INDICATION: DISPLAY ADAPTER FAILED, USING ALTERNATE
Some systems have the ability to support a primary and a secondary video display {the secondary typically being monochrome text}. The system has detected a failure in the primary display and therefore is using the secondary one.
CAUSE: The BIOS setting for display type may be set wrong, or there may be a failure of the VGA card.
REMEDY: Double – check the video display type BIOS setting.
Troubleshoot the video display card.
INDICATION: INCORRECT DISPLAY SWITCH SETTING
Some older PCs have a switch on the motherboard that can be toggled between “monochrome” and “color”, instead of having a BIOS setting to control the video display. The system has detected a mismatch between this setting and the video card it is seeing in the PC.
CAUSE: The display switch is set incorrectly, there is a video card problem, or there is a
Motherboard problem.
REMEDY: Check your system manual to find out if you have a display type switch, and if you do,
make sure it is set correctly.
Troubleshoot the video card. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: DISPLAY TYPE HAS CHANGED SINCE LAST BOOT
The system has detected that the display type has changed since the last time the PC was booted. There is a mismatch between what the video card is in the PC and what the setting for the video card is in the BIOS CMOS memory.
CAUSE: This is probably not really a problem condition, but a notification that the video card has
changed but the BIOS setting for it hasn’t been updated.
The BIOS setting should be changed to reflect the new display.
REMEDY: Enter the BIOS setup program and adjust the display type setting so it is correct.
If the display type is already set correctly, troubleshoot the video display card.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: DMA ERRORS
The system has detected an error associated with the Direct Memory Address {DMA} controller{s} on the system motherboard.
CAUSE: This is most likely a motherboard problem, but a bad expansion card might cause it as well.
If the DMA controller number is supplied as supplied as part of the error message that
might help narrow down the DMA channel where the problem was detected, if applicable.
DMA controller #1 handles DMA channels 0 to 3 and controller #2 handles channels 5 to
7{channel 4 is the cascade between the two controller}.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot as a generic expansion card issue.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: DMA BUS TIME- OUT
A device in the system has attempted to keep control of the DMA bus for an excessive period of time.
Some system will generate an error condition under these circumstances.
CAUSE: This is most likely a problem with an expansion device or with the motherboard it self.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot as a generic expansion card issue.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: MEMORY ACCESS FAILURE
A failure was detected within the system memory.
This usually means a failure of the simple memory tests performed at boot time, which generally consists of writing a pattern to memory and reading it back to ensure that it has not changed. Depending on the system, you may be told some specifies about what part of memory failed.
There are many possible root causes for this problem, usually associated with the system memory. There could be a motherboard problem as well.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the system memory. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: FLOPPY DISK CONTROLLER FAILURE
The system has detected a failure related to the floppy disk controller.
The controller is a separate I/O card that plugs into the motherboard on older systems. Newer PCs have the controller built into the motherboard.
CAUSE: This is usually a problem related to the floppy disk controller, but could also be the
Floppy disk{s} themselves. Telling the BIOS that there are floppy can cause it
Disk drives in the system when there are not.
REMEDY: Double Check the floppy Disk BIOS settings and ensure that they are correct.
Troubleshoot the Floppy Disk Controller.
Troubleshoot the FDD(s).
INDICATION: HARD DISK INITIALIZING PLEASE WAIT A MOMENT
In the early days of PCs, it took a long time to boot the system. PCs have become much faster and people have started to want their machines to boot in less time. As a result, some PCs now boot up so quickly that they try to auto detect the hard disks, or even boot the operating system from the hard disk, before the hard disk is ready to go. This can cause apparent failures with the hard disk if the situation is not detected. When this message appears, the system is being smart enough to detect this condition and wait for the hard disk to respond.
CAUSE: The system is behaving normally, as long as it continues to boot and doesn’t halt when this message is displayed.
REMEDY: No action is required if the boot proceeds normally.
If the system hangs after displaying this message, you should treat this as a hard disk problem.
INDICATION: ERROR WITH HARD DISK
The system has detected a failure with one or more of the IDE/ATA hard disk drives in the system.
The problem report may highlight a specific device {“drive 0” or “ primary master”} depending on the
BIOS type.
CAUSE: This is usually a problem related to the hard disk{s}. This may not mean that the hard disk is bad, but could mean incorrect cabling or another issue making it impossible to find the hard disk.
The controller or interface to the hard disk could also be at fault.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the hard disk drive. Troubleshoot the hard disk controller.
INDICATION: ERROR WITH HARD DISK CONTROLLER
The system has detected a failure related to the IDE hard disk controller.
The controller is a separate I/O card that plugs that into the motherboard on older systems. Newer PCs
have the controller built into the motherboard.
CAUSE: This is usually a problem related to the hard disk controller, of course, but it could also be the hard disk{s}
REMEDY: Troubleshoot the hard disk controller. Troubleshoot the hard disk drive
INDICATION: LEVEL 1 CACHE FAILURE
The BIOS has tested and determined that the processor’s internal cache is not functioning correctly, and
Has disabled it.
CAUSE: This is a very unusual situation, for the internal cache to be not functional while the rest of the processor is.
This is likely a processor or motherboard problem.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot as a generic expansion card issue. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: INTERRUPT CONTROLLER FAILURES
The system has detected an error associated with the interrupt controller{s} on the system motherboard.
CAUSE: This is most likely a motherboard problem, but it might be caused by a bad expansion card as well. If the interrupt controller number is supplied as part of the error message, that might help narrow down the interrupt request line where the problem was detected, if applicable, although IRQ controller #1 handles all of the IRQs, some directly and others indirectly via controller #2. IRQ controller #2handles IRQs 8 through 15.
REMEDY: Troubleshoot as a generic expansion card issue. Troubleshoot the motherboard.
INDICATION: INVALID MEDIA TYPE
The system tried to use a disk or other media that is of the incorrect type.
CAUSE: This is one of those poorly- phrased messages; what it almost always means is that you tried to use a hard disk volume after partitioning it but before formatting it. For example, if you are setting up a new system and you partition the hard disk, then boot from a floppy and type “DIR C:” you will usually get this message. The system looks for the media type descriptor on the hard disk and doesn’t find what it expects, and produces this message.
REMEDY: Assuming that this is a new hard disk you are setting up, just format the disk and you are all set.
If an existing disk produces this error, then it means that something has seriously corrupted the disk
INDICATION: THE HARD DISK’S FILE STRUCTURES HAVE BECOME CORRUPTED OR
THE DATA ON IT IS UNREADABLE {AN EXISTING DISK VOLUME IS
ACTING AS IF IT IS UNFORMATTED, OR THERE ARE VERY SERIOUS DISK ERRORS}
The hard disk is generating error message or is otherwise behaving as if it has become seriously corrupted.
An existing, working hard disk may be acting as if it had been wiped clean, or had been never formatted.
Strange error message or very larg3e quantities of may be acting as if it had been wiped clean, or had been never formatted.
(Bear in mind that if you don’t scan for file systems regularly, they can accumulate and make the situation look l lot more full than it really would be if the disk had been maintained properly).
CAUSE : There are a number of possible causes for a hard disk that it experiencing a large amount of
corruption, most of them are, unfortunately, pretty serious.
In many cases it is not the hard disk itself but rather an external factor that is causing the
problem.
REMEDY :
v Make sure your thoroughly scan the system for viruses using an up-to-date virus scanner. Many viruses take hard action against the file system. It is a relatively simple thing for virus to change the disk’s major structures so that it appears empty or invalid.
v Make sure that you are using the correct type of disk utilities. Using a disk utility not designed for Windows 95 on a Windows 95 system, or using one not aware of FAT32 on FAT32 volume, can cause large amounts of corruption on a disk that is otherwise functioning properly.
v If you have just moved a hard disk from an existing system where it used to work, the problem may be related to a change in how the BIOS references the disk.
v Check for resource conflicts. These can cause problems with hard disk.
v Check to make sure the hard disk has been set up correctly in the BIOS.
v Try disabling the enhanced performance settings in the system BIOS.
v Make sure that the IDE cable is not too long. Try swapping the cable or using a shorter one.
INDICATION : INVALID PARTITION TABLE
The system examined the master partition table to determine what volume to use to boot the operating system, and found invalid information within it.
CAUSE : You should never see this message under normal circumstance.
One way that this message can occur is if more than one partition is set ‘active’ or bootable;
only one is allowed at a time. It is possible that the master partition table has become
corrupted.
REMEDY :
v The standard DOS and windows disk utilities will not allow you to set more than one partition active.
v If you are using any non standard utilities to manipulate the partitions, for example in a multiple-operating-system environment, run the utility from floppy disk and make sure only more partition is set active.
v There is a chance that the disk has become corrupted somehow.
INDICATION : KEYBOARD CLOCK LINE FAILURE
The clock line of the control lines between the keyboard and the keyboard controller that interfaces the keyboard controller that interfaces the keyboard to the motherboard.
CAUSE : There is a problem either with the keyboard or with the keyboard or with keyboard
controller on the motherboard.
REMEDY : Troubleshoot the keyboard. Troubleshoot the keyboard controller.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.
SYSTEM TECHNIQUE
INDICATION : KEYBOARD CONTROLLER FAILURE
The system has detected what appears to be failure with keyboard controller, which interfaces the keyboard to the motherboard.
CAUSE : There is a problem either with the keyboard or with keyboard controller on the
motherboard.
REMEDY : Troubleshoot the keyboard Troubleshoot the keyboard controller.
Troubleshoot as a motherboard failure.
INDICATION : KEYBOARD DATA LINE FAILURE
The data line is of the control lines between the keyboard and the keyboard controller that interfaces the keyboard the keyboard to the motherboard.
CAUSE : There is a problem either with the keyboard or with keyboard controller on the motherboard.
REMEDY : Troubleshoot the keyboard Troubleshoot the keyboard controller.
Troubleshoot as a motherboard failure.
Don’t type on the keyboard while the system is booting up.
INDICATION : OPERATING SYSTEM NOT FOUND ON BOOT DEVICE
The system found a boot device, either a Floppy Disk or a Hard Disk, and tried to boot it, but could not start the Operating System because the OS files are not on the booted volume.
CAUSE : The most common cause of this problem is trying to boot a non-bootable floppy or hard
disk, that is, a disk that has not been made bootable using the “FORMAT /S” or “SYS” commands. If this occurs on a disk that was already prepared to be bootable, it means that the OS startup files have become corrupted.
REMEDY : If trying to boot from a Floppy Disk, replace with a bootable disk and try booting again.
If trying to set up a new Hard Disk, first set up the Hard Disk so it is bootable. If this type of error is
encountered in an existing system, there is a good chance that the Disk has become corrupted somehow.
INDICATION : CAN’T FIND A BOOT SECTOR ON HARD DISK
The system found a Hard Disk to try to boot, but couldn’t load the OS from it because it could not find a boot sector on it.
CAUSE : The most common cause of this problem is trying to boot a new Hard Disk before
Partitioning and formatting it. Getting this message on an existing system means that there Is likely
corruption of some sort in the key disk structures.
REMEDY : Until the Hard Disk is set up, boot from a Floppy Disk instead of the Hard Disk to start the
System. For a new Hard Disk, remember to Partition and Format the Hard Disk. If this type of error is encountered in an existing system, there is a good chance that the disk has become corrupted somehow.
INDICATION: NO BOOT SECTOR ON FLOPPY DISK
The system found a floppy disk to try to boot, but couldn’t load the OS from it because it could not find a boot sector on it.
CAUSE: The most common cause of this problem is trying to boot a floppy disk before formatting it.
Note that this is not the same as booting a non-bootable floppy disk; any formatted disk has a boot sector, even one that is not bootable. The non-bootable one just doesn’t have the OS files on it.
REMEDY: Boot the system from a proper boot disk, or remove the floppy disk from the drive and boot
From the hard disk.
If the problem persists despite the fact that the boot disk is known to be working, treat as a
Floppy disk problem.
Trouble Shooting
Error message during Power on Self Test (POST)
During Power on Self Test (POST), BIOS will automatically detect the system devices. Below are the questions that users most often meet. The user may press “ESC” key to skip the full memory test.
BEEP SOUND
On Power on, the system make beep sound to offer different messages. If the system is configured correctly, it prompts a short beep to show device configuration is done correctly. When VGA card and DIMM modules are not plugged well, the system makes longer and constant beep sounds.
BIOS ROM checksum error
It indicates the checksum of the BIOS code is not right and system will always halt on power on screen. It is better to contact the dealer to exchange the BIOS.
CMOS battery fails
It indicates the CMOS battery does not work. It is better to contact the dealer to exchange a new CMOS battery.
CMOS checksum error
It indicates the CMOS checksum is incorrect. Load the default values in BIOS to solve this problem. This error may result from weak BIOS, so replace new BIOS if necessary.
Hard Disk initialize
Here please wait a moment…
Some hard drives require more time to initialize
Hard Disk install failure
The system cannot find or initialize the hard drive controller or the drive. Check if the controller is set correctly. If no hard disk is installed, “Hard drive selection” must be set to “none”.
Keyboard error or no keyboard present
This means the system cannot initialize the keyboard. Check if the keyboard is plugged well and be sure no keys are pressed during POST.
Keyboard is locked out – Unlock the key
When this message comes out, check if there is anything misplaced on the keyboard. Be sure nothing touches the keys.
Memory test fails
There will be more information to specify the type and location of the memory error.
Primary Master Hard disk fail
The BIOS find and error in the Primary master hard disk drive.
Primary Slave Hard disk fail
The BIOS find and error in the Primary slave hard disk drive.
Secondary Master Hard disk fail
The BIOS find and error in the Secondary slave master hard disk drive.
Secondary Slave Hard disk fail
The BIOS find and error in the Secondary slave IDE hard disk drive.
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