# Computer tries to boot up then doesn't...



## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

Hello all, last night I did a shut down and restart on my computer and instead of rebooting itself it shut off. I hit the power button and the system starts to boot (I hear the fans turn on) but after 2-3 seconds it shuts down again. It doesn't shut off, just seems to start the boot process again. The fans shut off for a second and then the whole process repeats itself. Nothing shows up on my screen and I never get to a point to try and start in safe mode.

I am running a Dell Emachine (which might be my first problem) which is only about a year old. I have Windows XP SP2, 2 gigs of Ram, and a Nvidia 256 graphics card. The computer has run fine up until last night. I did not install anything new and do not feel it is a virus issue.

From speaking with co-workers they think I should test the power supply? I did check cables to make sure everything is secure. Can anyone give me some ideas of where I should start diagnosing the problem? Thank you very much for your time and help!


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## Deleted090308 (Jan 25, 2007)

Hi, welcome to TSF. :wave:

Dell Emachine????
What model?
Have you installed a new video card?

Try clearing CMOS:
First ground yourself by touching a radiator or the computer case.
Then unplug the computer from the wall outlet and open the case.
Remove the little "coin-like" battery on the motherboard.
Move the "clear CMOS" jumper on the motherboard from pins 1&2 to pins 2&3.
Wait 30 minutes.
Replace the jumper to pins 1&2.
Put the battery back.
Close the case and start the computer.
Enter BIOS and choose "Load setup defaults" (or something similar) - save and exit BIOS.


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## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

Hmm, I have to apologize I do not know the model and I am at work right now. I bought it in August 06.

Thank you for the quick reply! I will try that out tonight and if it does not work then I will post some more details about the computer I am running. Thanks again.


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## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

Good morning, I reset my CMOS last night and when I booted the computer up it came to a screen with text on it. That's a start! :smile:

Here is the text:

Floppy diskette failure
Time of day not set - please run setup
Invalid configuration information - please run setup
Alert! Previous fan failure
Alert! System battery voltage is low
Strike F1 key to continue, F2 to run the setup utility

Is it safe to assume that my power supply is the culprit?


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## Deleted090308 (Jan 25, 2007)

Press F2 to run setup. Set the time and date - save - and exit BIOS.
Can you load Windows?

It sounds like a power supply problem.
What are the computer specifications?


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## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

I'll try runnning set up on it when I get home from work tonight. Thanks

The computer specs are:

Dell Dimension e5150 media center PC
Intel P4 3.4gig
2gig RAM
ATI 256mb video card


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## Deleted090308 (Jan 25, 2007)

Thanks. 
When you get home: check what model the ATI card is and how many watts from the power supply.


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## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

Ok, here is the latest. I started the computer last night and the Dell screen loads up the BIOS, then there are 2 quick beeps and I get this error screen:

Floppy diskette seek failure
F1 to continue F2 to run set-up

I hit F1 and Windows starts loading. My desktop comes up and all files appear to be in tact. I went into a few different folders and everything is pulling up fine. I can connect to the internet and I did some online gaming and did not encounter any problems.

When the desktop did come up Windows XP went through and loaded all of my peripherals again. The system clock/date was also set to 03/31/06.


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## geek73 (Mar 29, 2007)

ALl you have to do is set the clock back just do not hit "apply" when doing this just ok "OK"


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## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

I will do that. Thank you very much for all your help, I really appreciate it!


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## geek73 (Mar 29, 2007)

I did nothing lol it was all eneles good job eneles..


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## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

I did thank him in a PM also, but I'll make a public announcement as well. Thank you very much Eneles! :4-clap:


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## Deleted090308 (Jan 25, 2007)

Do you have a floppy drive?
If not - disable the floppy controller in BIOS setup.
If you have a (working) floppy drive - change the boot priority in BIOS, so that the CD drive is #1 and the hard drive #2.

Thanks guys, but all I did was telling you how to clear CMOS. :smile:


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## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

Hehe, that's more than I knew how to do to correct the problem!

I do have a 3.5 floppy drive and then also 2 DVD drives. I use the floppy drive to back up spreadsheets once in a while. I don't know why I still use it with flash cards around...


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## Deleted090308 (Jan 25, 2007)

If you want to get rid of the "Floppy diskette seek failure" message - move the floppy drive down the boot priority list (it's set to number 1 by default) so it comes after the hard drive.


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## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

And to do that I would just go into BIOS under set-up and go to floppy drive then change it to disable?


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## Deleted090308 (Jan 25, 2007)

I don't know your BIOS, but the boot priority is usually located under "Advanced settings", or something similar.
If you disable the floppy (controller) the drive won't work at all - you should only change the boot order.


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## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

Ok, I will try that tonight. Thank you again!


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## Deleted090308 (Jan 25, 2007)

Keep us updated. :smile:


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## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

Hi all, I am back after the weekend and have not experienced any issues with my PC since the one day where it wouldn't start. I still get the error on start up but now just click through it without thinking. 


I ran a diagnostic on it this weekend and it reported one error:

Error code 650F:136C
IDE device failed: blank or no media in optical drive


I've done some Google searching on the error code and I see a couple other people with the same PC have had the same issue but no resolutions in either of the posts. I might call Dell and see if they know what that error code is but I'm going to guess they will say :4-dontkno


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## Deleted090308 (Jan 25, 2007)

It means that your computer tried to boot from a CD, but couldn't find a disc. It's not an error.

There should be a way to disable that message, but I can't find it by searching the web.
To get rid of it: Set the hard drive to #1 in the boot sequence. By doing that you won't be able to boot from a CD, but you can always change it back.

Here's a guide for your computer: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim5150/en/sm/syssetup.htm#wp1100903


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## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

Thank you Eneles, I'll look that manual over. 

I went in and tried to change the boot sequence over the weekend but couldn't really figure out what to change. I didn't write down what the screen said but I will do so tonight. What will show up under my boot sequence list? Hard drive, both DVD drives, my 3.5 floppy drive, and anything else? I don't have a second hard drive and no external drives that are connected all the time.


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## Deleted090308 (Jan 25, 2007)

You should see your HDD, the DVD drives and the floppy drive. If you set BIOS to look for the hard drive first it will boot without any annoying messages.


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## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

I will try that, thanks again!


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## Treefist (Nov 14, 2007)

Ok, I am back after traveling for the Thanksgiving. Hope everyone had a great holiday. Unfortunately my computer did not fix itself while I was gone...

So I attempted to go in and change my boot sequence and here is what I see in set-up under the boot sequence heading:

1. Onboard SATA Hard Drive
Onboard or USB Floppy Drive (Not present)
2. Onboard IDE Hard Drive (Not present)
3. USB Device (Not present)
4. Onboard or USB CD-Rom Drive
5. Onboard Network Controller (Not present)

Do you think I need to move the floppy drive out of slot 1?


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