Member Avatar for Master_Vos

I'm currently trying to fix a Compaq Presario 5140EA (athlon 1.3 ghz) because the OS was being weird. So i formatted the HDD, installed XP, than it has to restart the computer ( you know the routine) but from that point it gave errors.

After a while i found out that Compaq used some kind of hidden partition where they keep part of their BIOS/ startup software...

Since i don't have any recovery CD's ( and can't find them) ; my final option was to flash the BIOS and than hope that the Compaq shit is gone :P

According to the Compaq site the motherboard is of the type "Uwave2".

Never heard of so i went on searching. According to some other sites i found the BIOS version should be :

However those manufacturers have a bios guardian, which i should disable before being able to flash the BIOS. But Compaq has a setup utility at the start up that bypasses the original bootscreen. Meaning i don't know any more options...

If anyone has remarks or things i can try out, i would be very grateful =)

Thanks in advance^^

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Dani AI

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Flashing the BIOS to remove an OEM recovery/boot overlay is usually the wrong tool for this job and carries a real risk of bricking the board. As pointed out, a clean retail Windows XP install that removes the OEM partition will typically eliminate the pre-boot problems without touching the BIOS. What tried — clearing CMOS and battery removal — is also a good, low-risk troubleshooting step when startup behavior looks corrupted.

Practical checklist to fix the install and boot cleanly:

  • Boot the retail XP installer, choose Drive options, delete all partitions (this removes any hidden recovery partition) and create a single primary NTFS partition, then format and continue the install.
  • If the installer fails at the restart or Windows won’t boot afterward, use the XP Recovery Console (press R during setup) and run fixmbr and fixboot to repair boot records.
  • If the installer does not see the drive, supply the storage drivers with F6 from a floppy or slipstream the drivers into the install CD before attempting setup.

When to consider a BIOS update (and how to be safe):

  • Only update BIOS for a documented BIOS-level bug or incompatibility, not just to get rid of OEM utilities. Use the exact vendor-supplied BIOS for the machine, follow their flash instructions, and ensure uninterrupted power (use a UPS or reliable PSU during the flash). If the board reports a flash-protect/guardian feature, follow OEM procedures or contact HP/Compaq support rather than using unofficial hacks.

After you have a stable system, create recovery media and a full image backup, and archive the current drivers. That saves a lot of time if the OEM partition is removed permanently.

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Member Avatar for fren

No need to use bios update. Use retail version of xp (non-sp slipstreamed cd).

Member Avatar for Master_Vos

I've tried that at least 10 times already. Now i've tried to take out the battery in my mobo a couple of times and also cleared the CMOS via the jumper settings.... Tried to install XP again, atm it's installing ( will take a while with this computer i guess). I'll let you guys know if i'm able to succesfully install XP + drivers :)

Member Avatar for Master_Vos

I'm sure that there's something wrong with the compaq bootfiles; but nevertheless i managed to run XP on the computer.
Now it's working pretty stable; although it sometimes give errors on startup...

Anyway, thanks for the help fren^^

Solved!

Member Avatar for fren

To manage your installation pretty sure, just delete the partition first during xp install. That's it.

Glad it worked. Thanks also for your reply, Master_Vos.

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