# Problems booting IBM NetVista all-in-one...



## nactownplaya (Feb 2, 2005)

Hi everyone,
I'm new to this forum. I came here to seek help about an IBM NetVista 6643-33u all-in-one pc running Windows ME. This is one of the computers that my father uses at his business, and he asked me to fix it (I'm usually pretty good at fixing comps, but not this one :sayno: ).

Here is my problem: When I start the computer, the IBM logo flashes on the screen and quickly goes away. I get two short beeps, a pause, and then one more short beep. A few seconds later, the IBM logo appears again and goes away as it did the first time. Next, the bootup information is displayed, only to disappear a fraction of a second later as the IBM logo did. Wait a few more seconds and the Windows ME logo bootscreen flashes and goes away (see the pattern here?). Then, what looks like a cursor pops up and disappears just like everything else.

I'm pretty sure that the computer boots up fine and goes to the desktop because I can use the keyboard to shutdown and restart from the Start menu ( [Windows button] -> [up] -> [enter] -> [enter] or [down] -> [enter] ). Hope that makes sense :tongue: .

I recorded the whole process and uploaded it to my website. Click here to watch the video (19.0 mB :wink: ).

For some reason, I had a strange suspicion that it was a RAM problem, but I replaced all RAM with extras I had lying around only to find it made no difference. Perhaps the problem is with the motherboard; I don't know. That's why I came here :sayyes: .

Thank you so much for all of your help!!! :wave: Have a nice day.

- Preston


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## nactownplaya (Feb 2, 2005)

*More information*

Here are a couple of pics I was able to snap while the PC was booting. These are the screens that pop up during the boot sequence in the video (link above). If you aren't sure of what the problem might be but have an idea or a suggestion to try, please post it! I need all the help I can get! Once again, thanks for any and all help.



















- Preston


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## nactownplaya (Feb 2, 2005)

Anyone???


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## eaglewerks (Feb 3, 2005)

*Try this*

first try this:

When COLD Booting, press the "F1" key and see if you can get the machine to boot into it's bios screen. You may have to press the key more than once, like once a second, until it gets to the proper time to see the key action.

If you get into the bios screen then you know that there is NOT a problem with a short in the hardware somewhere.

Second, you may have a short in the hardware, motherboard, power supply, etc. SOME of the nmotherboards have bad capacitors! IBM is aware of this and will replace the MB even if out of warranty if the MB is one that can be replaced because of this problem. NOT all techniocal support personnell are aware of this. An article on the problem casn be read here: http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=10115
Take notes or print out the article for reference when speaking to the IBM service technician!

Also please be aware that SOME Intel CPU's had a problem and though spoty, could cause the same problem you are describing. It was fixed with a BIOS up-grade. Search the IBM tech site for the proper bios up-date for your system, or contact IBM and ask how to do it to your system when it will not fully boot. Here is what IBM says about the problem:

"IBM has released BIOS flash image updates that contain an Intel errata patch for the microprocessor firmware. It addresses a potential issue which might cause a system to exhibit erratic behavior such as a system hang, reboot, blue screen, or Kernel Panic (Linux), and may also cause in-progress system operations (e.g., file, I/O) to fail. The possibility of this behavior is believed to be limited, but IBM strongly recommends that customers install this update as soon as possible to prevent the possibility of the issues listed. "

There are other possabilities, but start above.

Hope this helps.


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## eaglewerks (Feb 3, 2005)

Another possible cause could be a faulty inverter card/board. whjich the 15" tft uses. 

Check the IBM website to see if your unit still has any warranty from IBM. If it does, telephone thjeir customer support line!


eaglewerks


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## nactownplaya (Feb 2, 2005)

Thanks for the information. I tried tapping F1 while cold booting and the screen just stayed black. It didn't boot up to the OS so I know it was in the bios screen; it just wouldn't display it. I'm now thinking it may be a motherboard problem. Perhaps with the RAM chipset, processor catch, capacitor, etc. I will call IBM sometime the beginning of next week. The article you mentioned had some pretty interesting information to say the least and the symptoms are synonamous with those my IBM has. Again, thanks for the info! Does anyone else have any more suggestions as to what the problem may be or have any more information to add to eaglewerks's post? All suggestions are appreciated :winkgrin: .

- Preston


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