Solved Reboot stall

[bonkers72]

Just recently my system is acting up. When I do any sort of a reboot, for any reason it won't boot up. Black screen, and I can hear the HD cycling inside followed by a beep after 9 sec, and repeats and repeats and repeats. Seems to boot up on it's own after about 8 cycling repeats. Don't know how it will act on a regular start. Kinda nervous to shut it down. Only thing I can think of that has been changed on the system, is I downloaded Explorer 10 yesterday. That's it. System is about 8 yrs. old. Any tests I can run? System is virus free. Thanks for the help.

 

[Patrick4215]

My suggestion is to test your hardware first. So plz remove Memory cards, HDDs and video cards from your PC and any time you plug one in you should boot your pc to see if there is any difference.

 

[bonkers72]

Will try that tomorrow, thanks. Just verified too that it does it on normal start up. Not just reboot. I'm really nervous. All my stuff is backed up though.

 

[mohavepc]

You Said "I can hear the HD cycling inside followed by a beep after 9 sec " cycling as in it is looking for something? I would find a way to burn a hardware test disk and check the hard drive. It would be best to use the hard drive test from the maker of your hard drive. I would also put in the minimum amount of ram to see if it is a reading of data or a loading of data issue. and run Memtest www.[B]memtest[/B].org *(I suspect the SMART test might be revealing)*
You should be able to determine the manufacturer of your hard drive by right clicking on "computer" and choosing "manage" then do a search on the model and or service number of the hard drive found there. (or simply open up the machine and look at it) then Google it. Example: "Western Digital Test" Results in support.wdc.com/download where you can download their test tools.

 

[bonkers72]

Well this is the tool I will need to run for my HD. WD Support / Downloads / SATA & SAS / WD Black I take it I should run the "extended test"? Thanks.

 

[bonkers72]

Also FYI I booted up my pc today after last nights shut down with NO boot problems.

 

[carwiz]

Also FYI I booted up my pc today after last nights shut down with NO boot problems.

Sounds like an intermittent power problem. Either a loose cable at the drive or the power supply. Possibly even a failing PS or disk. The beeps are how the POST (Power On Self Test) indicates a problem with PC hardware when it's powered on. If it happens again, keep track of the number and pattern (short or long) of the beeps. These are codes for the problem area that the BIOS detects.

 

[mohavepc]

Also FYI I booted up my pc today after last nights shut down with NO boot problems.

Sounds like an intermittent power problem. Either a loose cable at the drive or the power supply. Possibly even a failing PS or disk. The beeps are how the POST (Power On Self Test) indicates a problem with PC hardware when it's powered on. If it happens again, keep track of the number and pattern (short or long) of the beeps. These are codes for the problem area that the BIOS detects.

I have to agree with carwiz on this.

I would run the self tests on the hard drive with the Western Dig tools but save the extended for a last resort. If there is a smart failure it will show with the short test. I would also either get another power supply or check the voltages with a multimeter on an available plug. They should be steady.

 

[bonkers72]

Also FYI I booted up my pc today after last nights shut down with NO boot problems.

"The beeps are how the POST (Power On Self Test) indicates a problem with PC hardware when it's powered on. If it happens again, keep track of the number and pattern (short or long) of the beeps. These are codes for the problem area that the BIOS detects".

Today it had trouble starting up. There was a short beep followed by a 9 sec pause, Then would repeat 2 more times.....then boot up. This is a familiar problem I've had before now that I think of it. Had to take it in and turned out to be a failing processor. Is there a way for ME to detect if it's a failing processor, rather than taking it in? I still want to check the power supply as I do have a tester for that. Will tackle that as well as other tests (HD, memory) this weekend. Thanks for all the help, B-72

 

[carwiz]

I'd like to help but seeing as you have 103 posts and still no system specs, you're making it hard for folks to help. We can only guess until we know what we're working with. Google "bios beep codes" and find your BIOS OEM. Each is different.

You might try re-seating the memory module(s). Turn off the PS and unplug the cord from the outlet. Press and hold the power button for at least five seconds. Use a grounding wrist strap or ground yourself to the chassis before touching anything. Make sure each slot and module contacts are clean. Use canned air for the slots. Clean the module contacts with lint-free cloth. Insert and remove a couple of times to wipe the contacts. If you have a video card, do the same with it.

 

[bonkers72]

FYI.........PC spec's have been introduced. Didn't even realize they were missing

 

[bonkers72]

Looks like I found the problem. Bad memory stick. Ran MemTest and determined there were errors. Had 4 sticks installed so it was just a process of elimination. Thanks for everyone's help, B-72

 

[Patrick4215]

good to know.