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Bad CMOS Battery --> Dell Optiplex System Crash?

E

EdwardATeller

Jan 1, 1970
0
I have an old Dell Optiplex GL-1 with XP Pro on it. In the middle of
doing something simple, I got an error notification that said something
like, Windows Hard Error. I clicked OK several times, and then it came
back, and I clicked it again several times. Then I got a longer error
message that said something like Windows cannot write to the resume
file. I powered the computer off, and then it wouldn't boot.

I tried booting from a Linux drive I had, and that worked fine, but the
internet wasn't working under Linux. This might not be related to the
current problem as I hadn't used Linux for a while. I tried resetting
the mobo BIOS by putting a jumper on the BIOS pins and then turning on
the computer. Not sure if this is the way to do it, but it's what I
did. The computer doesn't do anything like this, so I shut down, and
took the jumper off.

I pulled the CMOS battery, and it looks like it is dead. I'll
definitely replace it to see if that makes a difference, but since the
computer booted up into Linux, I have my doubts. And why would it
crash in the middle of a session?

The computer had been exhibiting the signs of a bad battery for a
while, forgetting the proper boot order being the main symptom. Didn't
know what that meant until now.

I'll post back to report the results when I install a fresh battery.
 
J

John Keiser

Jan 1, 1970
0
Try reseating the memory.
Odd as it sounds, my Compaq DeskPro recently hiccupped exactly like yours:
screen went black in the middle of the day for no apparent reason. Unable
to reboot. I used an eraser on the memory chips and all has been fine
since.
If that doesn't work, listen for the POST beeps or enable POST messages in
BIOS.
 
W

William R. Walsh

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi!
I have an old Dell Optiplex GL-1 with XP Pro on it. In the middle of
doing something simple, I got an error notification that said something
like, Windows Hard Error. I clicked OK several times, and then it came
back, and I clicked it again several times. Then I got a longer error
message that said something like Windows cannot write to the resume
file. I powered the computer off, and then it wouldn't boot.

I had something like this happen recently with a self-built box running
Windows 2000. In fact, the error message was exactly the same. The only
difference I noticed was that the motherboard would not see the hard disk
after rebooting. If I let the system unit sit, it would run again for a
while.

I put the hard disk (a Western Digital 80GB drive) into another system...and
found nothing wrong with it. I then tried the cable in the other system with
the offending hard disk. Still nothing. So I put the hard disk on the
secondary IDE channel in the first system (the one that broke) and it worked
like nothing was wrong. Then that too broke down with the same error from
windows/failure to detect the hard disk at startup.

I began to suspect the motherboard until I grabbed another hard drive. To
date, that hard disk and system have been working fine. I erased the
offending hard disk and put it in another system. It is still working fine
as well.

Moral of the story? Try the hard disk that won't start in another machine.
Check the cabling too. I still don't know why the drive is rejected by the
first computer...it works fine everywhere else I've tried it--in a Firewire
enclosure, another self-built computer and a Power Mac G4...

I don't know if you can blame the CMOS battery yet. If the system is keeping
good time, it may be OK. Proper and accurate timekeeping seems to be the
first thing you lose when the battery gets weak. I would definitely be
interested in hearing if a new battery fixes this problem.

William
 
E

EdwardATeller

Jan 1, 1970
0
William said:
Hi!


I had something like this happen recently with a self-built box running
Windows 2000. In fact, the error message was exactly the same. The only
difference I noticed was that the motherboard would not see the hard disk
after rebooting. If I let the system unit sit, it would run again for a
while.

I put the hard disk (a Western Digital 80GB drive) into another system...and
found nothing wrong with it. I then tried the cable in the other system with
the offending hard disk. Still nothing. So I put the hard disk on the
secondary IDE channel in the first system (the one that broke) and it worked
like nothing was wrong. Then that too broke down with the same error from
windows/failure to detect the hard disk at startup.

I began to suspect the motherboard until I grabbed another hard drive. To
date, that hard disk and system have been working fine. I erased the
offending hard disk and put it in another system. It is still working fine
as well.

Moral of the story? Try the hard disk that won't start in another machine.
Check the cabling too. I still don't know why the drive is rejected by the
first computer...it works fine everywhere else I've tried it--in a Firewire
enclosure, another self-built computer and a Power Mac G4...

I don't know if you can blame the CMOS battery yet. If the system is keeping
good time, it may be OK. Proper and accurate timekeeping seems to be the
first thing you lose when the battery gets weak. I would definitely be
interested in hearing if a new battery fixes this problem.

William

William,

Thanks for the good tip. I'll try the hard drive on the secondary IDE
controller and report back. I did put a new battery in, and now the
BIOS clock is running at warp speed, very fast. Still won't boot.
 
E

EdwardATeller

Jan 1, 1970
0
EdwardATeller said:
William,

Thanks for the good tip. I'll try the hard drive on the secondary IDE
controller and report back. I did put a new battery in, and now the
BIOS clock is running at warp speed, very fast. Still won't boot.

Took the battery out for a couple of hours, and then I booted up with
no battery. Things worked, but I had to set the time. Put the new
battery back in, and everything seems fine. Maybe the BIOS had been
corrupted, and it needed a couple hours of no battery to reset.
 
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