Australian PC World - Surviving your crash test

Surviving your crash test

Tip
You take that first sip of coffee, turn your computer on, and?it freezes. Have you lost your hard disk, or is this just an easily remedied glitch? Here's what to do.
Don't panic. You may have lost your hard disk and everything on it, but you probably haven't. Western Digital claims that its current line of hard disks will run an average of 34 years. You can take that claim with a grain of salt, but take some reassurance from it, too, at least for now.
Turn your computer off. Wait 10 seconds, and then turn it back on. This gives the computer a chance to completely reset itself. If the problem recurs?
Check the obvious. Examine the cables, connectors, and power cords to make sure they're seated properly. Confirm that the monitor is on and that the contrast and brightness aren't turned down. Make sure your surge protector is on and hasn't blown a fuse. Loose connections inside the computer are another possible source of trouble, but before popping the cover?
Look for clues. As your computer starts up, it runs a Power-On Self Test (or POST) that checks many of its essential hardware elements to confirm their presence and functionality. The results are usually displayed on the monitor (if these move too quickly, press <Pause> to freeze the screen). A faulty memory chip, for example, generates a message like "201 Memory Error" and halts the start-up process.
Some BIOSes denote errors by a series of beeps; some give you a number. Ask your PC or BIOS vendor for an interpretation.
POST also confirms the presence of components like the hard disk, floppy drive, and CPU. If you get past POST without locking up, and you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, your hard disk is at least partially working. If the system freezes while executing config.sys or autoexec.bat, you may have a hardware configuration problem. Look for error messages by pressing <F8> after you see "Starting Windows 95", and then execute each command in these two files.
If instead of "Starting Windows 95" you get a "Boot disk failure" or
"Operating system not found" error, your PC can't load Win95 from the hard disk. This may indicate a seriously damaged drive.
Boot from a floppy. This bypasses the hard disk and confirms your computer's basic operation. First, pull out the Windows 95 Startup Disk you made when you installed Windows 95. Or find a working Win95 system, insert a blank floppy disk, click Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, click the Startup Disk tab, and click Create Disk to make a new one.
Insert the Startup Disk and restart your computer. If it successfully starts and displays an A:> prompt, your basic hardware is OK. Type C:, press <Enter>, and try to read the disk. If you get a C:> prompt, change directories and copy a file to the floppy. If you can, back up your files, then run a diagnostic program such as Norton Disk Doctor (part of Norton Utilities for Windows 95 from Symantec).
If, on the other hand, you get an error like "Drive C: not found", then?
Check your CMOS settings. Sometimes CMOS settings get lost (usually when the battery supporting CMOS memory fails), then the computer can't recognise the hard disk. To correct this, press <Delete> or <F1> while your PC is booting up to get into the CMOS setup program. If no disk is listed, that's your problem.
If you have a recent BIOS, it may offer a utility that detects and installs the proper settings for your hard disk. If not, you can enter them yourself, but it's tricky. Write down the correct settings; you may find some listed on a label on the hard disk. If the drive is larger than 528Mb, you'll have to alter the parameters. Call the drive maker's tech support line for help.
Save your corrections and exit the setup program. The system should reboot and recognise the hard drive.
If your CMOS battery is dead, you may be able to get a replacement from your motherboard or system vendor. The batteries are usually inexpensive.
- Kirk Steers

Category: Hardware
Issue: Jul 1997
Pages: 169