Laptop boot issue / Computer Science / Forums

Forums

4hv.org :: Forums :: Computer Science

« Previous topic | Next topic »

Laptop boot issue

Move Thread

LAN_403

Hon1nbo

Wed Mar 07 2012, 08:02PM

Registered Member #902 Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1040

Ok, so I have a cyber-defense competition coming up this weekend as well I need this to run Maya mobile over spring break for an assignment, and yesterday I powered up my laptop for the first time in a month (been using my tablet or a desktop, or my mobile server rack during that time).

So the laptop, a Dell Studio XPS 1645, will show the Dell Splash Screen then the standard BIOS cursor in the upper left corner shows up, then the computer resets (normally if it can't boot it would say something like "boot media not found, or drive not bootable, etc". I can access the BIOS controls just fine, and everything seems where I left them. I ran the diagnostics through the BIOS (performs CPU, Optical, HDD, graphics, and memory tests) and everything appeared to check out.

The computer has been setup as a Do-Deca-Boot system with Windows 7 HP, and eleven forms of Linux (all 64-bit except for a couple of them, which are not available on 64-bit). 8GB of RAM, BD-ROM ODD.

I will have my mobile server rack at the competition hotel (we're not allowed our own equipment while competing, but to try and figure things out at night if we have problems we need it).

Any suggestions or ideas?

-Jimmy

Conundrum

Wed Mar 07 2012, 08:49PM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4059

Stuck hard disk, possibly

Chip Fixes

Wed Mar 07 2012, 10:46PM

Registered Member #3781 Joined: Sat Mar 26 2011, 02:25AM
Location:
Posts: 701

Yeah, try taking the hard drive out and reinserting it. Make sure it has a good contact.

Hon1nbo

Wed Mar 07 2012, 10:51PM

Registered Member #902 Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1040

As I said, if it were a boot media failure my laptop would have told me that the device was not bootable, or that no device could be found. This is before it starts the boot sequence.
I even tried USB and live CDs to no avail

-Jimmy

Conundrum

Wed Mar 07 2012, 11:11PM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4059

Strange problem.
maybe the boot manager got messed up somehow?

-A

Carbon_Rod

Thu Mar 08 2012, 04:46AM

Registered Member #65 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 06:43AM
Location:
Posts: 1155

Looks like you need to look into Xen virtualization and OS disk images.

0. Check if the cooling fan operational, plugs are clean, and no weird smells like melted plastics or ruptured battery

1. Unplug the system, remove the battery, and clean the ram contacts

2. Reset the CMOS, disable hyper-threading, and turn off the AHCI mode and regress back to legacy emulated IDE mode if required

3. Remove hard drive and check if SMART status can be accessed over your USB adapter with a boot-able DVD. Do not do this on another laptop, but on an old phoenix bios PC without a hard-drive or GPU.

4. Remove wireless card, DVD drive, and USB cables

5. Disconnect LCD LVDS line and inverter plugs, clean the docking cable plugs, and switch to an external monitor to bypass a cooked GPU

6. Check if asset tag has been tripped... the motherboard and or drive could be tainted with something inappropriate to discuss on an open forum... Similarly, the Apple, Sony, HP, and Toshiba product owners already have this "unique" capability added at the factory.

I doubt you will need to go past 5 to solve the issue...

Best of luck,

Alex M

Thu Mar 08 2012, 05:15PM

Registered Member #3943 Joined: Sun Jun 12 2011, 05:24PM
Location: The Shire, UK
Posts: 552

You haven't pressed the DELL media direct button by mistake have you? I remember reading that if you have multiple OS's installed, trying to boot into the media-direct environment can lead to this problem.

Although it could be the hard drive, can you connect it to a desktop via sata cable and see if it recognises it?

Hon1nbo

Thu Mar 08 2012, 10:58PM

Registered Member #902 Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1040

I've managed to procure a temporary laptop, I will try the steps carbon rod listed when I get back from my trip

and I know it is not the hard drive. I have had failed drives before n this machine and was able to just use a live CD or USB, which here is not the case.

I wouldn't suspect component contacts as the laptop's diagnostics program was able to access all of the components and run its tests just fine, including the RAM tests.

Probably just need to reset the CMOS now that I think about it, will try that when I get back

-Jimmy

Moderator(s): Chris Russell, Noelle, Alex, Tesladownunder, Dave Marshall, Dave Billington, Bjørn, Steve Conner, Wolfram, Kizmo, Mads Barnkob