Rob

This is the weirdest damned thing...

I boot my computer and it goes through the quick POST/BIOS stuff and the Windows status bar pops up. After about five seconds, the screen goes black, something in my computer clicks two or three times very softly, and the computer reboots. It goes through the same process, this time stopping me telling me that there was a problem last time and do I want to boot normally, in safe mode, etc. Selecting boot normally, the computer starts up fine.

Anyone?

Rob

THRiLL KiLL

its almost as if the Os partition was not marked active, and your computer is just going through each of the partitions untill it finds a bootalbe one.

Try going to a command prompt and type:

diskpart

That will get you to a prompt that looks like this: Diskpart>

Next type: list volume

This will show all the voulmes you have on your pc.

Next type: select volume 3 (or what ever volume has your os on it)

Once it has been selected type: Active.


If you are running a dual boot system, you must select the partition that has the Mbr on it.

Fred_G

Sounds like a hard drive problem. That is the only thing I can think of that clicks and bad things happen. Download the drive's diagnolstic programs and run them. At worst, you will have wasted some time, and eliminted a possible problem.

Rob

Well, I tried it and hopefully it'll work from now on. If it doesn't, then I'll be back.

It's not the hard drive that clicking...I've had a few of those go out on me before, much to the demise of a perfectly good storm window (that the hard drive went through). I think what was clicking was one of my air flow fans up against a wire.

Fred_G

Yep, been there as well. You should have described the clicking noise better.

I am a noob with the Vista myself.

Rob

So far, it's working....I've done four or five restarts tonight trying to work on my video driver.

I think I got the problem narrowed down on that one. Silly me, I'm using the Asus video driver disc instead of using the latest one from ATI. Going to do a new reformat this weekend to try and straighten the problem out.

Thanks again,

Rob

EDIT: As a side issue, do you know that Vista will not boot off of a SATA connector if you have an external USB hard drive powered up and connected to you computer? Might have to play with the BIOS on that one, but it's not an issue, really.

Rob

Well, I'm still having this issue. I've got a bad feeling that it might be the PSU, but I have no clue at this point.

Slaymate

The Vista Disc has a check for start-up problems. Just insert it and restart, once it loads the basics you'll see the option. It might help.

67_GTO

Unfortunately it does sound like the PSU to me. It's getting just to the point where the drivers are being loaded and all your devices are powering up. In that case, a bad capacitor would explain the clicking.

However, the same thing happened to my brothers computer, except his didn't even make it through POST before it would shut off. So with any luck I may be wrong.

Rob

Yeah, I think it's the PSU. The clicking I heard can be more accurately described as sort of a static crackling, so I ordered a new PSU.

Thermaltake W0116RU 750W Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

Should be here later this week. We'll see what happens then.

Rob

Swapped the PSU and the hard drive and I'm still getting the same problem.

Event Viewer isn't picking up anything. I'm going to have to call Asus for some help. Let's hope that they answer their phones.

bingo

I'm not really acquainted with Vista operating system. Wish i could conduct further study regarding that one, oh well, i guess i just have to study it then.

Rob

Well, Asus wasn't much help. Guess I'll have to try and figure this out on my own.

Oh, and I just found out that it's pronounced Ah-Seuss. I was pronouncing it as A-Sus (sus as in suspect).

Rob

Here's something...

When I enter the BIOS from a cold boot, the only SATA device that is showing up is the DVD drive. I had gone in to change the way the mobo reads the drive (from IDE to ACHI). However, even after changing it back, the BIOS won't recognize any SATA drive but the DVD drive.

The manual I got shows that you can view the hard drives in the BIOS.

Anyone?

67_GTO

I'd try taking the DVD drive out and putting the old HD with Windows on it, in using the SATA port used by the DVD drive. It could be a screwed SATA port. I've got one. Try them all just to be sure.

Are you still getting the crackling sound?

If that doesn't help, then I'd say RMA the motherboard. Because what else could it be? Memory maybe? You could try running memtest on a bootable ISO, assuming you can make one. Worth a shot I guess.

Rob

Turns out that it was the hard drive rack. I took the boot drive out of the hard drive rack, restarted, and now everything is hunky dorey.

I'm going to play with it more this weekend to see what happens.

Rob

Ah.

Vantec was helpful. Turns out that I removed the jumper from the pins to make the hard drive 3.0. Turns out that 3.0 drives work well when connected directly to the SATA jumper on the board. If there is anything that interrupts the communication (i.e., hard drive rack), there could be problems.

So, this weekend, I'll pull the drives, install the jumper back onto the hard drives, and see if that works.

GrandpaNoob72

Don't you just hate it when the thing that drives you the battiest ends up being something as cheap and easy as pulling a jumper???

Glad you got it fingered out... (intentional pun, just for the record...)