Noob question. Socket 370 motherboard doesn't boot properly. \ VOGONS

Noob question. Socket 370 motherboard doesn't boot properly.

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First post, by jolurove

Posted on 2015-09-25, 21:56

jolurove Offline

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Today I got a new motherboard for my DOS/W98 PC. It is a Chaintech 6AJA4, which I got because it has more features than the other one I own. It has a Pentium III 933MHz, 192MB of RAM, A Voodoo 3 and an 80GB HDD.
It boots up, detects all the devices correctly, but it freezes at PCI device listing screen. The other board booted correctly with all the same components.
I already cleared the CMOS, changed the IDE configuration, disconnected the HDD and connected a 4GB one, disconnected the HDD altogether, tried to boot only with the floppy drive connected, checked and rechecked all the jumpers, and nothing. It always stays there. The BIOs is up to date. I looked for an answer on google but didn't find anything. Also the guy who sold it to me claims it booted correctly with windows XP, though I don't know how, as it freezes before the OS even starts to load.

Any help will be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Reply 1 of 6, by PhilsComputerLab

Posted on 2015-09-25, 23:30

PhilsComputerLab Offline

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You already have tried quite a few things.

Using the clear CMOS jumpers is also the first thing I would have tried. Then booting just from the floppy drive.

I guess you have already loaded the BIOS default settings (sometimes there are turbo defaults, BIOS defaults and system defaults). Under integrated peripherals, disable devices you aren't going to use for the test. Serial, parallel, IDE, USB. Disable everything apart from the FDD controller.

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Reply 2 of 6, by jolurove

Posted on 2015-09-26, 16:01

jolurove Offline

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Thanks for replying. I'll give it a try tomorrow, I'm in a 24 hour shift at work now. Anyway I don't know if that's gonna help because I don't get anything after the pci devices list. Normally I would see a message stating that there's a device trying to boot. This doesn't even try. Not with abootsble CD nor floppy disk

Reply 3 of 6, by brassicGamer

Posted on 2015-09-26, 16:09

brassicGamer Offline

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How about the 'Reset Configuration data' option in the BIOS? Set that to yes and it should refresh the NVRAM next time you turn on. Also, have you tried the cards in a different order in the slots? I had this exact problem with a P4 board after reflashing the BIOS and couldn't be bothered to work out what the problem was, but I think it was due to the BIOS not being 100% compatible with the hardware as all the troubleshooting steps I found online didn't resolve it. Even if the BIOS is up to date, it could be worth forcing a re-flash just to eliminate it as an issue. How many watts is your PSU out of interest?

Check out my blog and YouTube channel for thoughts, articles, system profiles, and tips.

Reply 4 of 6, by jolurove

Posted on 2015-09-26, 17:51

jolurove Offline

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Joined: 2014-10-13, 17:35

Well. The only card installed during testing is the Voodoo 3. All the pci and the Isa slots are free. I think I already tried the reset bios option. The PSU is an atx 500 watts from an obscure brand.. But I didn't have issues with it on my previous build. What really bugs me is if anyone else has had this behavior in the past. For me it doesn't make any sense, since the hard drive, optical and floppy are all detected in the splash screen