Not able to Boot-up
Hi Computer Gents:
An issue has developed while attempting to boot my Studio P-4 Machine to the XP Desk… At post-up time the computer “Hangs” while checking the ram… What might be the issue? It (the post-up) stops at “Checking NURAM” or is it “Checking NVRAM” as well… I am unable to open the BIOS…
This machine needs help, I think…
Bill…
I had a machine that would not boot because of the NVRAM
(non-volatile RAM)
Could be a low battery - the button cell
And as I recall there was a special boot sequence to
reset the NVRAM - like holding down cntl-shift-F1 while
you powered on the computer. You might have to do a search
for that sequence for your particular computer.
Hi sevenOfeleven:
Thanks for your reply… I’m in the studio very seldom, these days… I boot this machine just to keep it updated with Microsoft updates and virus definitions and whatever… It’s been doing this for on-and-off now for a month now… In this period of time I may have booted this machine up maybe, 3-4 times. I thought I may have a hardware issue or something. Like Ram… I was thinking if it was the Ram… I wouldn’t even know how to check it… anyway…
What’s the procedure to replace the Battery? Can you just just remove it while it’s powered down?
Bill…
Hey Bill -
Yes you can. However, you usually loose your CMOS settings.
It’s also possible that the NVRAM (which is different from
your memeory sticks) is failing. On the MotherBoard I had,
NVRAM is a component that looks like rectangular box, and
should be near the CMOS battery. It’s a permanent read only
memory and does not need the battery voltage to retain it’s
contents, but may (I think ) use the battery for operation.
Can’t be sure what’s up with your P4, - hope it’s not
too serious.
Back Again:
I got the Post-up to get past the Hang…
The Operating System continued to boot to the desk and the XP system appears to be O.K. at least for now…
I booted the machine from the '98SE Drive and it appears to be fine, as well…
I have no idea what may have been the issue…
I removed the Lithium Cell from it’s holder and checked it’s voltage…
My meter as good/accurate as it is says 2.94/95 volts…
I’ve measuered these cells before. I’ve seen them as high as 3.06 v or so…
This one is somewhat down…
I have another one that measuers
somewhat lower than to one that was in this Board…
so,
I replaced it and it booted so, who knows what may have been the issue 
?
Computer Gremlins ?
Maybe…
I’m gonna do a virus/malware/trojan scan of all the drives on this machine…
I don’t know what else I can do…
I basicly re-built the BIOS after the cell was replaced…
I have so much time invested working on the Builds of this machine…
It’s tough to have to re-install the Operating Systems of this machine…
Thanks for setting me straight on this cell removal…
Maybe, removing-and-replacing the cell was all this machine needed…
Bill…
We used to call those unexplained failure/self-recoveries
FM - F***ing Magic.
Glad all is well.
BTW if you happen to have FL Studio 8 - there is a virus
in the ‘Toxic BioHazard’ Plugin - which I had.
Back Again:
NO…
I don’t have FL Studio
However, I’d like to have an application that I could use and works on this setup…
I’ve tried different editors to create drum tracks…
They either caused massive resource usage… OR…
I didn’t know how to use them…
One is as bad as the other.
The one outstanding issue I have yet to resolve is a stable LAN setup…
When I originally set it up I had three machines communicating on the network…
I could toss huge files sizes Back-and-Forth between the machines…
It just worked…
However, an issue developed and now the LAN doesn’t work and it’s useless…
Pop-up screens say it is unable to create IP Addresses so the machines are unable to connect to the Hub-and-LAN.
Anyway, for now I am thankful that I don’t have to rebuild and re-install the Operating Systems on this P-4 machine…
Bill…
Bill,
I’d be glad to help you set up a stable LAN.
It’s pretty straight-forward if they are all MS
machines.
Basic outline -
Pick a workgroup name
assign a unique IP address (127.0.0.1, for machine A, 127.0.0.2 for B,
127.0.0.3 for C), subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.
All computers in the LAN share the same workgroup (case sesitivie)
There are a few other details. If you need some detailed help,
let me know.
I can put up some printscreens of what network parameters should
look like.
Hi sevenOfeleven:
I may take you up on the offer to get this LAN Up-and-running…
again…
It works so well when it worked way back when.
The machines all have identical Hardware…
It’s D-Link stuff…
DFE-538TX cards…
10/100
There’s nothing special about them…
I just bought into them
The nag screens say that I may not have authorization to to connect to the network on one machine,
(
THAT I SHOULD CONTACT THE ADMINISTRATOR TO FIX THE PROBLEM
) I Think The Administrator Got Something Wrong With His Head…
hehe.
while on another machine it might say it can’t find the IP Address…
and then the work group just doesn’t appear…
Then…
I am unable to delete the attempts at creating work groups that I tried that didn’t work…
I’m thinking about removing the cards…
un-installing the drivers ans all and starting all over again…
But…
when I tried that Windows appears to install the drivers and software that doesn’t work correctly.
It seems as thought I might have to get into the registry and do some registry cleaning to begin all over again…
These issues all began when I had a Main Board failure with the P-4 Dual boot machine…
I was forced to rebuild the two operating systems that worked perfectly up until then.
Somehow, I believe the LAN issue has something to do with the P-4 dual boot machine… I may not have adhered to some build procedure as that machine got loaded…
Who knows.
?
The P-4 just hasn’t worked right after the Motherboard failure…
I’d like to see if D-Link has a “Removal Tool” or something to do the task…
Yet-and-Again, I haven’t gone to their site to see if they have any suggestions regarding the issue I have…
I seem to be pretty good at sitt’in in the corner and complaining about what’s not working…
as opposed to doing something about it…
I just don’t want to screw something else up in the process of fixing what’s not working.
Bill…
Hey there your machines.
YOU ARE the administrator.
Listen, I’ll post a walk-thru to help
you get it going within a couple of days.
Meantime make sure you have the correct drivers
for your network cards, and that they show
up in ‘device manager’ without any red or yellow
flags.
When you do that - we’ll set an address.
And then use the ping.exe (it’s on all the windows machines)
You run ping in a DOS window,
TYPE 'ping localhost’
and you should see send and recieve bytes to let you
know that - that machine is set up OK
piece of cake
Hi sevenOfeleven:
It took me a while to return a reply to you. I’ve been working on this P-4 '98SE Boot Drive. I thought I was gonna be Smart and work on this "98SE Drive-and-operating System… However, it’s not to be. I wanted to build another '98SE drive for the P-4 machine. I ran into a snag… I am unable to format a FAT 32 drive. The drives I have are all NTFS Formatted… MS DOS tells me that it is unable to format the NTFS Drives I have… It has something to do with the drives being formatted with a third party Utility… AND… It would go a long way in “Cleaning Up” this P-4 Machine… if I could insert another '98SE operating system into this machine…
Is there a “Workaround for This”. ? Anything I tried so-far doesn’t work…
It’s a Western Digital Caviar 40 gig. drive that I want to use for the '98SE project… I’ve got a Maxtor 40 gig. drive… BUT… For this project I’d prefer the W/D Drive… for whatever reasons. AND… the W/d drive is newer-and-all… I haven’t browsed the W/D Pages for a utility that will format this drive… yet… Maybe, I should go there and have a peek…
Bill…
bill
download gdisk and manual by right clicking on links below
and 'save target as’
gdisk
gdisk manual
Put gdisk on a 98 startup disk.
Boot with startup disk and type the following at the
command prompt:
gdisk 1 /cre /pri /for /q
there is a space between each parameter
1 space /cre space …
This will format your whole disk Fat32.
Bill,
Do you want to go back to 98SE due to hardware device driver support or what? WinXP should run pretty doggone well on a P4 box. If I remember right though… you have some older Lexicon hardware with no XP drivers available… if so, that’s a real bummer. I don’t miss Win 98 at ALL.
D
I have a virgin copy of Win98 unwrapped if you need it. It’s in my software coffee can.
I’m curious as to why you have no high speed after all these years?
Did I miss the answer somewhere?
Hey PW, I’ve always told Bill that if I ever hit the jackpot, I’m going to buy him a high speed DSL or cable modem based ISP for the rest of his days. Unfortunately, he and I are both STILL WAITING… 
I remember dial-up… ugh.
D
Hi sevenOfeleven, Diogenes, and Poppa Willis:
I’m so Old School, it hurts.
I connect to the Internet through the Dalhousie University Math Department Server…
They have gone to a Hi-speed connection …
but…
they have never closed their original Internet connection…
Instead, they chose to allow the public to connect to it by paying a small yearly fee…
and that fee maintains the Server Room and and a couple of guys a yearly salary…
This has been going on sense 1994-or-so…
You have a copy of '98 as well…
I think I might have two…
at least…
When the Second Edition hit the market place I just updated the machine I had with '98SE…
I always thought that after tolerating a Modem-and-Dial up, that sooner-or-later I would have enough of it and move on…
However, I decided I didn’t want to give up my Mail Address
for something new…
Isn’t that a very weak reason…
My Address book is full of addresses from friends and all that seem to get a new server every other week-or-month…
I never know how to reach them anymore when I have to…
Sometimes they get a new server every time their mailbox fills up with mail…
or something…
There appears to be several Hi-Speed options for me…
There’s several huge cables out on the power pole…
and new ones (wires) going up on the poles every 2-3 months…
There appears to be lots of “Bottle-necks” with some of these providers…
Neighbours that I talk to regarding the provider they have tell me that they’d like to be back on a modem-and-dial up again…
The providers are scamming them Big Time…
so-they-say…
Now that’s not all of them…
AND, originally they promised Hi-Speed service that isn’t Hi-Speed at all…
Then there are some providers that have Internet connection as a throw-in… They really want to sell/rent you Digital Phone and Cable TV service…
with Internet thrown in…
It seems to work until everyone turns their TV on to watch the Hockey Game.
I guess I’m like the person that’s Hooked on buying cigarettes at $10.00+ a package…
I can’t give up my MODEM…
The providers around here don’t want you to rent Hi-Speed…
They want you into a package with your TV’s Phones
Cell Phones and Internet…
When you ask these people what they pay per month…
They say it so quickly you have to ask them again…
When you finally get the answer you hear them say…
something like 150-175.00 a month…
I guess I must be cheap…
I don’t pay that much for my dial-up in 12 months of Internet service.
Now…
On the other hand…
I don’t get the Call Centers calling in to ask me if I want to part of a survey-or-something…
OR…
ask me what kind of toilet paper I use…
My phone is always busy…
My friends wouldn’t
call me anymore…
They say my line is always busy…
Bill…
[EDIT]
The Lotto never gets this far East…
It seems to stop at the New Brunswick/Quebec Border…
The last 649 draw was some 30 million loonies… It was won by someone in Quebes.
I’d like to see someone here in the Maritimes win the draw just to say it got won out here…
I buy a ticket like everyone else…
I guess the people that plugs in the Draw Number don’t know that I have a ticket for my chance to win…
I gotta find out the phone number to call to tell them I got my ticket for the BIG LOONIES…
I only buy a ticket when it’s above 20 million…
anything lower than that isn’t worth it to buy the ticket.
The ticket costs 3.00…
That would buy 2 litres of fuel for the car…
Yea gotta keep your priorities straight…
I got so OT that I got OFF Topic…
I downloaded that utility-and-manual…
I’ll be looking at that later-on this evening…
I need '98SE because I bought into that Lexicon Core-32 audio Hardware just before Lexicon and Stienburg got into a snit over how-and-who should control Lexicon’s Audio Hardware…
Stienburg won the battle and Lexicon in New Bedford MA. laid off some 2,000 employees…
Anyway, the drivers were at best Third Rate…
Romance…
Remember the song…
Who Sang that song…
They are supposed to work on Windows 2000…
But there wouldn’t be anymore drivers coming from Lexicon…
If I could get them to work with XP, I’d be in my glory…
But however, that ain’t the case…
So, I’m stuck with '98SE as the operating system…
Don’t get me wrong…
It does work…
Back on topic… SEEEEE…
Bill…
Quote:
Third Rate.. Romance.. Remember the song..
Who Sang that song..
Amazing Rhythm Aces
Ii KkNnOoWw…
You Google’d it…
[EDIT] Songs like that aren’t done anymore…
The guy I work with is a Bar Room Drummer…
for as long as I’ve been a Bass Player.
I can’t ever remember playing on a stage with him… While his stage played one room the stage I worked on played another room…
I can’t ever remember hearing him play…
except on a recording…
I think we did a recording session together, once…
back in the '60’s…
Anyway, we test our memories by asking each other who did so-and-so song title?
He knows all the titles and who did them…
This guy is sharper than a tack…
Bill…