First post, by gattilorenz
Hi all,
I recently found a PC with a ASUS VX P/I-P55TVP4 rev 1.5, a 166Mhz P1 MMX CPU, 96 Mb RAM (32 SIMM + 64 DIMM) and the extra cache module (probably 256K) preinstalled.
The machine powered up ok, but didn't have an hard drive, the CD drive belt was dead and the floppy didn't seem functional.
I replaced the CPU with a Pentium 200Mhz MMX (fastest CPU this board can support), reconfigured the jumpers (just the multiplier, the others seem ok), added a hard drive, fixed the CD belt, and added a GOTEK emulator.
However, I can't get the machine to boot from either the floppy drive, CD drive or HD.
The GOTEK (or the original floppy drive) just shows the usual "Disk Boot Failure - Insert System Disk And Press Enter".
The CD drive reads the Win98 disk, shows the menu (boot from hard drive/boot from CD), but hangs on a black screen as soon as "boot from CD" is selected.
The HD also doesn't boot/hangs if DOS is installed on the drive. I tried installing Mandrake 9.2 in a 86Box VM, dd-ing the image on the hard drive, and booting it on the real PC.
I could get to the graphic Lilo screen, the kernel starts booting but then it crashes with Bad EIP value: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeR6kBtne6s
I tried, to no avail:
- changing the primary/secondary IDE channel for CD and HD, and even disabling the unused one
- removing any PCI/ISA card except VGA
- changing VGA card
- changing IDE cables
- multiple CD drives
- removing the DIMM module
- removing the fast check of RAM
- putting a slower setting for RAM (70ns instead of 60ns)
- disabling all cache, internal and external, and removing the external one
- resetting the CMOS
- putting back the previous MMX CPU
- using an older linux distro
- reinstalling Mandrake in 86Box and adding memtest86+ to lilo.conf (but now the system doesn't even get to lilo, it shows "L" and then keeps printing a long stream of "99 ")
Sometimes the PC has trouble "coming alive" entirely, the VGA card doesn't initialize and there's no beep for, say, 30 seconds. Switching it off and on a few time "fixes" it.
I'm honestly running out of ideas. The caps look OK, but I have ordered an ESR meter just in case. I should also receive soon-ish an ATX to AT cable to try another PSU.
Is there something obvious I'm missing? What would you do at this point?