BIOS boot order problem

[Bozz]

I have somehow managed to loose my HDD in the Boot Device Priority section of the PhoenixBIOS while trying to change the boot priority to floppy. Restoring setup defaults doesn't help, they're still gone. I've disconnected to CMOS
battery and it's still missing. I now can't boot the PC. Ugh!! Help!!!

Ian Boys



Ian Boys
DTE Systems Ltd

 

[franklin97355]

Does the HD show up in the list of devices in BIOS? (the first screen where the IDE devices show)

 

[Bozz]

Yes, it's there. It's really a problem with the BIOS. The PhoenixBIOS is not as swish as the Award one and it has this section where you juggle the devices, and I have metaphorically dropped one (or two). It also has a hierarchical bit that won't expand now. Shift 1 disables a device, then they disappear and you – I – can’t find a way to get them back.

Ian Boys
DTE Systems Ltd

 

[Bozz]

It's actually a notbook. I have discommected the CMOS battery and it didn't help.

Ian Boys
DTE Systems Ltd

 

[Frank4d]

Is it a IDE or SATA drive? If it is IDE it should work as long as you selected it in the boot order.
If it is a SATA drive, most Award BIOS have a boot order setting (Floppy, HDD, CDROM)... and there is a second setting for HDD boot priority (IDE1, IDE2, SATA0), etc).

 

[Bozz]

That's the problem, there are no devices in the boot order selection bit, they have all gone. They are physically there, auto detected and happy OK, but they have been removed from the boot order list section of the BIOS. You wouldn't think that you could do it but I have obviously found a way!

Ian Boys
DTE Systems Ltd

 

[garebo]

You have to go back to your bios settings!!
You have to look, often on the right side of the screen or the bottom. Different bios have different ways to get around, - and + for some, up and down arrows for others, in combination with "enter" key. Sometimes you just press the "enter" key to get all your choices!
Just keep working at it and looking around. I will try and find a puter with phoenix on it to tell you for sure, but, honestly, keep working and you have to be able to find the correct way to get the settings you want. YOu want h drive 0, then cdrom, then floppy, or even just h drive 0 and no other, just h drive 0.


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[garebo]

Sorry, i see you were trying to set bios boot order to floppy, so set it to floppy and h drive 0 as second boot option.
The options are there, you just have to work at it to get them entered.


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[Bozz]

Belive me I've read the instructions. I've just disconnected the CMOS again and going into the Boot section there are:
+Removable Devices
+Hard Drives
CD-ROM Drive
The trouble is they do not open out to any devices by hitting Enter or Control-Enter. When I first started, they did.

Ian Boys
DTE Systems Ltd

 

[Bozz]

Garebo,
Floppy is totally absent from the list, which is what caused the problem in the first place.

Ian Boys
DTE Systems Ltd

 

[garebo]

Removable devices is your floppy.

Check your battery, its supposed to be at 1.5 volt and has to be pretty close to that to work right.


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[Bozz]

I think the problem is that the floppy and Zip are indeed rermovable devices, but they are not listed under the heading. The + is supposed to mean that the item can be expanded, bit it won't.

Ian Boys
DTE Systems Ltd

 

[Bozz]

The instructions say that Enter expands and collapses devices with a + or - next to them, but it doesn't.

Ian Boys
DTE Systems Ltd

 

[garebo]

did you check your battery?
Some bios have a "recovery" setting on them, i have a mobo with recovery. Check your manual and see if it does have recovery. Recovery is right with the 3 pins near the battery, same pins as the bios re-set, but it also says recovery. But i would check the manual.
Which mobo do you have?
I guess there is no use me going back to the pc that has the phoenix and giving you more precise info if you cant get the setting to "open" and give you choices thru the use of the "enter" key.


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[Bozz]

As I said, it's a notebook PC so there are no jumpers in sight. Pulling the battery of is about the best I can do without a total dismantle. I haven't checked the battery as it's covered in plastic and the connector is too small to get the multimeter on.

Ian Boys
DTE Systems Ltd

 

[garebo]

sorry, forgot its a notebook, of which i have no experience.

Sounds like the bios is corrupted if you cant get the correct keys to even work in the bios.

but you said you can pull the battery, so leave it out for an hour and then put it back in and try to get into bios and make changes you need.

but you said in your first post that it was working and then just stopped working? The bios, that is?


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[Bozz]

Pulling the battery for a couple of minutes does reset things. The 3 headings come back in the boot section bit don't expand to the devices. Do you think that leaving it off longer might make difference?

I started this with a fine and dandy PC but just wanted to make sure that the BIOS was up to date after sticking XP on it a couple of weeks ago.

Ian Boys
DTE Systems Ltd

 

[Bozz]

3.19v from the battery

Ian Boys
DTE Systems Ltd

 

[garebo]

do you know what the voltage is supposed to be?
Maybe its a 3.3 volt battery?
If so, that should be close enough for the bios to work, but im not entirely sure, just pretty sure.
I know that a standard pc takes a coin battery and they are 1.5 volts and if the voltage goes below about 1.1 then you can lose settings.
But i dont know about the 3.3. I figure if it was originally a 3.3 volt then 3.19 volts should be ok, pretty sure, but i dont know it its a 3.3 volt battery, only guessing on that. Can you read from the battery, see what the voltage is?


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[garebo]

What make and model is the notebook? And how old is it?
Do you have a manual for it?


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