Posts by willcomp

For front audio -- did you reconnect front audio cable?

And you do need more than a 300 watt PSU. 12VDC output is inadequate for a Q6600.

The green LED on motherboard indicates that 5VDC standby power is applied - nothing more. It does not mean motherboard or power supply is operating properly.

Try another power supply as caperjack recommended. Also clear CMOS - should be a jumper on motherboard.

Motherboard is an Intel D865GVHZ OEM for Gateway.

Although Intel motherboards have not had as many capacitor issues as some others, they are not immune to capacitor failure. Inspect capacitors for signs of swelling or leakage. Tops should be flat.

Power LED is supposed to be Green.

VRM (voltage regulating module) on motherboard may have failed. Odds are that one or more power circuits on motherboard has a problem.

VRM is bank of larger capacitors near CPU socket. Any of them bulging or leaking?

Take SMART errors for what they are -- impending failure. Back up data and replace drive ASAP.

Any 2.5inch x 9.5mm IDE (PATA) notebook drive of 120GB or less will work. Over 120GB depends on chipset and BIOS but your notebook should support larger drives.

Take your pick:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010150380+1035907889&Configurator=&Subcategory=380&description=&Ntk=&srchInDesc=

lol ,i actually tried it unsuccessfully 2 or 3 times ,i guess the idea is if the drive isn't starting because its heating up then maybe cold it will ,never worked for me ,oh and they were just drives i was throwing away.

Don't laugh too hard -- it does work under the proper conditions. Most effective when a drive will start to read and then fail when it reaches operating temperature. You only buy more time to read drive and have to work quickly. I prefer refrigerating rather than freezing due to condensation problems. Cooling drive has no effect on failed circuit boards or head positioner (clunk of death).

In this case, I also recommend connecting drive to another PC. If drive is partially readable, data recovery software will help. GetDataBack is my preference. You can try before purchasing.
http://www.runtime.org/

Verify that drive is operable by booting from a CD.

Remove upper and lower filters.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060

It doesn't matter which speed for your CPU. Either DDR 333 (PC2700) or DDR 400 (PC3200) will work. The DDR 400 will run at DDR 333 speed. You can add a 512MB stick or go with greater memory.

Check CPU HSF. Could be an overheating problem.

To determine whether HDD actually has a problem, install it in another PC and see what happens. Usually when a drive causes failure to even POST, it's a short and does not come and go.

Start by replacing video card -- borrow one if you can. A failed or overheating video card will often result in a frozen display.

Have you tried a boot after leaving PC turned off for 10 minutes or more?

Also check for video card fan failure, CPU fan failure, dust accumulation, or anything else that might affect cooling.

See Page 4:
http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/d845hv/sb/cs-008818.htm

Problem is still most likely an ESCD enumeration problem. Sure thought the FDD would fix it. Any error messages at boot?

Probably either mobo or power supply. Do you have another power supply to test with?

It will fit in your case. Whether you can connect front panel connectors is another story. Wire length may be too short. I also think the Compaq connector is custom and you may not be able to remove pins. All you can do is try.

Front panel connectors are power switch, power LED, and HDD LED.

If you wish to use as many parts as possible and not have the "fun" of learning how to separate and reconfigure front panel connectors, stick with identical replacements.

The ECS mobo is an Intel P4 board -- you have an AMD Athlon XP CPU.

I've given you my best recommendations.

There were 2 motherboards used in that Compaq model. One was an MSI MS-6390 and the other a FIC AM37.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00006230&lc=en&cc=pe&dlc=es&product=321731&lang=es

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?product=296682&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=&docname=bph07941

Either one should be a direct or nearly so replacement. May or may not have any HP modifications.

Here are some possibilities:
http://cgi.ebay.com/MSI-MS-6390-AMD-ATHLON-SOCKET-A-462-MOTHERBOARD_W0QQitemZ330214553645QQihZ014QQcategoryZ42013QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/HP-COMPAQ-FIC-AM37-SALSA-AMD-SKT-A-462-MOTHERBOARD-NR_W0QQitemZ200164437270QQcategoryZ31496QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWINQ3aPOST0Q3aRECOQ3aBINQQcmdZViewItem

You could have used reset switch as well (if PC has one). All you did was essentially a rapid reboot before prior boot info was cleared and it bypassed error. You'll need someone with more BIOS interworkings expertise to explain the gory details.

It wasn't a "power issue" at all. It had to do with the boot process and the way installed devices are enumerated. BIOS and/or XP were trying to find a FDD that was not present.

The next time you get a boot error message, pay attention. This one would have been easy to resolve during build process.

I'm not a fan of modular cables anyway. They look nice, but don't provide as reliable connections.

On the first BIOS screen (Standard Features or similar) -- For Drive A Select None. That should fix the problem. Windows is trying to load a device that isn't present.

Invest in a can of compressed air and give the interior a good cleaning.

jbennet is likely correct about CPU cooler (HSF). Clean heat sink fins well. Remove HSF and clean if necessary.

You're welcome. Now call this one resolved and we'll move on.

Enter BIOS Setup. Look under PnP/PCI Configuration for Reset Configuration Data and enable it (it's a one time change to reset ESCD).
Also ensure thar Resource Control is set to Auto.

Unplug PC. Remove video card(s). Install original memory. Clear CMOS. Plug back in and try to boot. Describe what happens then.

Your motherboard is a Socket A uATX board. They are still available, but getting harder to find.

Best to just retire a PC that age and buy a new one unless you have a local service shop that can replace motherboard reasonably.

Did you check out the 2 I recommended? Both are undet $150.00 and have sufficient power for your system.

Specific recommendations:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151028

The one you have may be under warranty. Thermaltake PSUs are good buys -- decent quality at a reasonable price.

Don't cheap out on PSU. PC Power & cooling, Seasonic and Enermax are top line PSUs -- expensive, but worth it. Thermaltake, Coolermaster and Rosewill (better line) are good reasonably priced PSUs.

I removed both sticks of memory and the orange light isnt coming on now either if that makes any difference in a possible cause.

Try with one stick of RAM at a time.

I really doubt it's the memory. In most all cases, an amber light on front panel is due to either a failed PSU or motherboard.

you will need a new computer if its the motherboard, and it isnt under warranty, as the HP ones are custom

Not necessarily. Most of the newer HP and Compaq PCs use standard uATX motherboards. It's less painful for an end user to buy an exact replacement since they won't have to deal with front panel connectors and do a repair install of XP.

Having to unplug PSU indicates a weak capacitor in PSU. If it were a motherboard capacitor, turning off master switch on PSU should do the trick.

Unplugging allows a weak capacitor to fully discharge.

That's a good PSU, but even good ones fail.

6 or 8? Either way, you have higher density RAM than motherboard (memory controller) can address. That's why only half is available. 1GB DDR memory compatible with a KM266 chipset would have 16 chips (8 on each side).

Problem may be related to RAM chip density or number of ranks exceeding allowable value. I couldn't find any information on total number of ranks supported on Asrock site.

How many chips are on each module?

I believe CPUz is reporting SPD information (from modules themselves) rather than what is reported by BIOS.

DDR400 RAM should not be a problem with a KM266 chipset.

The power supply (PSU) is adequate if it is good quality. Do not buy a cheap PSU, a quality PSU is critical for stability.

The E6750 is the best buy in Core 2 Duo CPUs. From a speed standpoint, you would be better served with a less expensive motherboard and an E6750 CPU. The Asus non RAID P35 motherboard would make up the difference in CPU cost.

First impression is a failed motherboard or faulty power supply.

Disconnect/remove everything but motherboard, CPU, memory, power supply, monitor and keyboard. If it still won't boot replace any components you can starting with power supply.

Let us know if there are any beeps on boot and whether the PC turns on at all (e.g. fans run, lights flash).

The Gigabyte P35 mobo is a good one -- I've used several. It does not have a RAID controller though.

The E6750 is cheaper and higher performance. A much better buy. Selected mobo supports the E6750.

Now call this one resolved.

All SATA drives are master by default (only one drive per channel).

From your description, drive is recognized by BIOS and by XP CD.

Enter Recovery Console after booting from XP CD and try these commands:

fixmbr
fixboot

Instructions for Recovery Console:
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/wxprcons.html

All that LED on board means is that 5VDC standby power is present --> in other words, it does not signify that power circuits and/or PSU are good.

The LED is to warn you that standby power is present and to unplug before adding/removing memory or CPU.

If the spacebar doesn't work, clear CMOS.

That's the latest BIOS. As best I can tell, Series 900 Pentium D CPUs are the latest ones supported. Those are dual core P4s.

If you are confortable with working inside your PC, connect drive to one of the internal IDE or SATA connectors and see if it is properly recognized.

You can also try connecting to another PC and see it it operates properly.

Once again, do you have SP2 installed?

No, not if the BIOS doesn't support it.

One of the newer BIOS revisions may support the C2D CPUs but that would be a gamble unless you can find information from someone who has successfully installed a C2D in a Dell E510 or 5150 PC.

First order of business for a failure to boot is to strip down to bare essentials. That makes troubleshooting easier. Remove/disconnect everything but mobo, CPU, PSU, memory, video card and keyboard.

Remove and reseat memory. Then try to boot. If still no luck, try with one stick of memory at a time.

Check position of Clear CMOS jumper.

Verify that CPU and CPU HSF are seated properly.

Replace any components you can with spares or parts from another PC.

This is your motherboard -- a micro BTX (uBTX) form factor.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim5150/en/sm/techov1.htm#wp1058472

This is a uATX motherboard. Note differences in CPU mounting and that boards are reversed.
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2435

According to technical specifications for your Dell motherboard, it does not support Core 2 Duo CPUs although the Intel 945G chipset will support them. Chipset support is irrevalent if BIOS does not support the Core 2 Duo CPUs.

I suggest you get help from a technical savvy friend to familarize you with technical aspects of PCs when tackling upgrades.

Look in Disk Management and see what the properties are. Control Panel --> Administrative Tools --> Computer Management

Is SP2 installed? If not, install it with drive disconnected.

Have you tried removing and replugging USB connector?

If necessary, you can remove hard disk from enclosure and connect it internally bypassing USB connection.

What is the model # of your PC?

I believe that's a BTX form factor motherboard and BTX boards are no longer available from major parts suppliers like NewEgg, Directron, and mWave. An ATX motherboard will not fit your case.

See link for supported CPUs.
http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Support/CPU_Support_Model.aspx?detailid=678&MenuID=69&LanID=9

I'd like to know what the BSOD message is. If it is a corrupt registry hive other than the System hive , a repair install probably won't help.

Run System Restore and select a restore point prior to last running registry cleaner.

If XP SP2, press F8 for boot options and disable retart on error. Then report what the error message is.