Painfully long delay before POST screen


  1. latifabbasi
    Posts : 2
    win 7 64 bit
       New #1

    Painfully long delay before POST screen


    My system specs are:

    Processor: Core 2 Duo
    Motherboard: ASUS P5g41t-m LX
    GPU: Nvidia 9500 GT
    HDD1: WD 500 GB SATA
    HDD2: WD 500 GB SATA
    Optical drive: Samsung DVD RW
    Power Supply: Some unbranded one that claims on its label it's 700W which I seriously doubt.

    I have Windows 7 64 bit in HDD1 and OS X Lion in HDD 2 that I installed using Hackintosh distro. I press F8 key on POST screen which gives boot drive selection menu from where I select the HDD to boot from.

    The system was running flawless on both operating systems until recently. The problems are listed below:

    - Almost always it takes unusually long for POST screen to appear (around 60 to 90 seconds) whereas during good condition it used to appear within 5 to 10 seconds of power on
    - Sometimes the system doesn't receive display signal
    - If I take out power cables from all SATA drives but one, then the POST screen usually appears normally for sometime.
    - At one time I removed ALL SATA drives, i.e. both HDDs and DVD then turned on, it turned on promptly without delay. Then I connected Optical drive and turned on, it turned on properly. Then connected the HDDs one by one, and it still turned on without delay. But this lasted only for 2 days after which the same problem, i.e, either POST screen appears after painfully long time or doesn't appear at all


    Before this motherboard, I had Intel DG43NB and had both Os X and Win 7 and experienced exactly the same problem and my hardware guy told me that my motherboard had gone down so I replaced with this ASUS one. Again the same problem with this board



    My questions:

    - Where is the problem?
    - Could the problem possibly be in the motherboard? I think it's unlikely because once the system starts it works flawlessly, i.e. no errors, no crashes, nothing.
    - Could it be the power supply? Since it seems to work better with less load, i.e. some drives disconnected.
    - Could it be the GPU?
    - What's the best way to diagnose?
    - Does the problem have anything to do with my frequently switching boot drive from POST startup menu?

    Any help will be greatly appreciated since I am in the middle of an important project and I dread the day when I am not able to turn my machine on at all.

    LA
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  3. bigmck
    Posts : 4,751
    Windows 7 Home Premium 32-Bit - Build 7600 SP1
       New #2

    You have assessed the situation pretty good. It sounds to me as if the power supply is too small or failing. Power Supplies are not that expensive. If you were going to replace something, that is where I would start.
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  4. latifabbasi
    Posts : 2
    win 7 64 bit
    Thread Starter
       New #3

    SOLVED
    I took out everything, even SATA and power cables of all drives but the problem remained. So the last thing that was left was the display card. I removed it and connected my monitor to the onboard VGA and it worked. The problem was the display card. I cleaned the contacts and reinserted the card and the problem went away. It's been two days and not a single glitch.

    LA
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  6. beret21
    Posts : 211
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       New #4

    That was quick ! :)
    Thanks for posting back when problem was solved as in most of the cases people run away when their problem run away :P
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

 

  Related Discussions
Hello friends, I must edit my problem description, which might be ambiguous: Most of the replies concern delays after windows ist started. But in my case the delay between windows start and login screen is quite normal. The unusual delay comes after the login screen appears. Here my text...
Black screen after long post bootup
in Installation & Setup

I just bought a gtx 970 to replace the 9750. I did a new install on a new ssd. I installed all the appropriate mobo drivers and now it's time to install the geforce drivers. I shut off the computer, connected the 6pins to the video card, and made sure the video card is secure seated. Turned on the...
Built 2 computers before and havent had this headache. New ASUS P9X79 pro and a x79 platform processor. I have the recommended brand, type of RAM. Just completed everything (well much earlier today) . When I power on, it shots off very momentarily, turns back on, flashed a bunch of codes...
This is probably an Intel problem but since Intel no longer supports my MoBo, here goes. Intel 82801GH I/O Controller Hub (ICH7DH) SATA Controller in IDE mode. W7, SP1, Home Premium, 32 bit. Plextor DVDR PX-L890A ATA Device. HD and CD-ROM both connected to black connectors on Intel D975XBX2 MoBo....
I just installed a clean version of Win 7 Pro on my Thinkpad X200. Everything is great except for one small problem: there is a 25-30 second wait between the time i enter my logon pw and the time my desktop appears. This is highly unusual for several reasons. First, it doesn't "appear" as though...
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

 © Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 00:14.
Find Us