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PC stuck in BIOS

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organsRgreat

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PC stuck in BIOS

PostSun Jul 25, 2021 1:29 pm

My desktop PC is currently stuck in BIOS - it won't boot into Windows 10. I phoned the makers - QuietPC - and was given the following advice:

"I'm sorry to hear about the boot issues.

Please just watch the video through first so you know what to expect and then start watching again at 2 min 10 sec in when you are ready to proceed.

Here's the video that helped me last week - the link starts at 2 min 10 sec as the first part isn't relevant to you. Just follow the suggestions and if a step doesn't work that's fine, carry on to the next step.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKkfK1v0l98

If none of that works then you'll have to reset the PC which is available in those boot options that you are seeing".

This all seems complicated - would any computer expert like to comment before I go ahead and possibly cause even worse problems? Thanks in advance . . .
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vpo-organist

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Re: PC stuck in BIOS

PostSun Jul 25, 2021 4:37 pm

If the PC detects an error during startup, it usually emits beeps. Depending on the number of beeps, the error code can be found in the bios documentation.
These are errors like no keyboard recognized, main memory error, hard disk error, boot sector not found, boot hard disk not found, too high CPU temperature, if the cooling doesn't work anymore etc..

Maybe a virus has damaged the PC.

For a test on RAM errors you can create a bootable USB stick and test the RAM with memtest86.
https://www.memtest86.com/

There are also boot CDs of various Linux distributions that have memtest86 built into their boot menu. You can use that too.
For a reliable RAM test, the tool must run for a few days in 24-hour operation. I once had a case where a memory error occurred only after a week (a PC dealer tested it for that).

If the voltage supply is no longer guaranteed and the battery on the Mainboard is empty, then the BIOS forgets the settings, such as boot medium, installed memory and other important settings.
In this case, you have to activate the BIOS at startup and possibly correct the settings yourself. But you have to be familiar with this.

The cause of the error can be very complex. This should be investigated by a person who has a lot of experience in the PC self-assembly.

Sorry for my bad english ;-)
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larason2

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Re: PC stuck in BIOS

PostSun Jul 25, 2021 9:33 pm

A very good answer from VPO Organist. I once had a computer that had the same problem, and I eventually gave up and got a new computer. It was an older machine anyway, and needed replacing. If you got it a short time ago from the silent computer people, I would send it back to them, or take it to a computer repair shop. Even if you’re tech savvy, this can be a very frustrating problem to solve.
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organsRgreat

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Re: PC stuck in BIOS

PostMon Jul 26, 2021 5:49 am

Thank you for taking so much time to comment. I bought the computer in November 2018, so it's two and a half years old; out of guarantee, but not old enough to expect serious problems - I hope! There are no beeps when I switch on; I can get into the BIOS by pressing the appropriate key during start-up.

The suggestions in the youtube video involve accessing the Command Line prompt from BIOS, and trying various commands; for instance "Bootrec /fixmbr" means "fix master boot record"; "Bootrec Fixboot" attempts to detect and fix a corrupted file, and so on. The most drastic option is to "Reset" the PC. I understand that this removes all software but keeps all my files.

The Technical Support Manager at QuietPC was confident that one of the above methods would get the computer working again; as this would be quicker and cheaper than taking it to a repair shop, or returning it to QuietPC, I'd like to try his suggestions first. My files are backed up online, and I should be able to get them back if necessary; but even reputable companies are not totally reliable, so I want to go carefully.
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IainStinson

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Re: PC stuck in BIOS

PostMon Jul 26, 2021 6:21 am

The video you referred to shows how to restore the boot record of the hard drive and shows this from accessing the command line prompt in the Windows operating system. To do this you must be able to load the Windows operating system from some device. As you say the machine can’t boot then this could be a problem.

Do you have another drive (usb memory stick or external drive) from which you boot an operating system? If you do then you could possibly follow this route. However, from my experience, when the BIOS can’t boot from the hard drive, if it can, it displays a message on the console or bleeps a number of times. Is this happening?

(Remove any usb or dvd cds from the machine before trying to boot in case the BiOS is trying to load from a usb device which has got a bootable image on it…)

I would suggest that you try to get into the BIOS and see if you get any warnings/messages there.

[The BIOS is a piece of software that is built-in to the motherboard of the computer. It has various facilities to configure the hardware of the system, making them ready to be used by the operating system. It provides a number of "commands" often through a simple menu. Some of these configure hardware options and will include a command to select the device to boot the operating system from (often a list of devices which are tried in order). Usually the default settings of the BIOS will work for most hardware configurations, though the supplier of the system may have set these in a specific way - and they should have given you documentation about their recommended settings..]

You may have been given instructions on getting in to the BIOS when you bought the system - it can be motherboard dependent.
You could try
1. Turn the machine off wait at least 10 seconds.
2. Hold down the F2 key
3. Power the machine on CONTINUING TO HOLD F2 until the system enters the BIOS.
If the BIOS shows the computer's clock and it is wrong reset it. If it is incorrect, this could indicate that the battery on the motherboard has failed. This could be the reason the machine has stopped booting.
You should also be able to check the "disk drives" (or SSDs) from the BIOS.
Sometimes simply resaving the default BIOS settings (particularly checking that it is set to boot from the HDD can get the machine going again.

If you are uncomfortable about doing any of this then I would advise against it. Might be worth getting a local PC specialist to look at the machine.

I'm a little surprised by the advice you were given - I would probably go back to them and check that they understand that the machine won't boot and that the suggestion they made needs the system to have loaded an OS!

Iain
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organsRgreat

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Re: PC stuck in BIOS

PostMon Jul 26, 2021 6:54 am

Iain -

Thanks for taking the trouble to watch the video. When I tried following it (with a friend on the phone watching it, so that I didn't have to juggle two computers) we were able to access the command line without entering Windows. I'm not sure how we did it - we came across the command line prompt by accident - but we definitely found it! Does this tell you anything?

The motherboard is Asus, and so is my friend's, so we were able to compare notes as the screens he was seeing were the same as mine.

I do have Windows on a USB stick, which QuietPC supplied when I bought the machine; but my understanding is that using this is somewhat drastic. That it wipes absolutely everything and reinstalls Windows, after which I'd have to reinstall all my software, and hope that the files backed up online restore successfully.

Getting into BIOS is not a problem - I just have to keep pressing the appropriate key immediately after switching on, so that the PC goes into BIOS instead of continuing to Windows.

I don't recall any bleeps at any stage in the process, but I'm currently using a laptop, and reconnecting the faulty machine would take a while, so I'm not able to check immediately.
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organsRgreat

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Re: PC stuck in BIOS

PostMon Jul 26, 2021 6:56 am

Iain (again!)

The forum software is having problems - after replying to your message I found that there was twice as much text as I had originally been shown; so apologies if my reply doesn't seem quite logical.
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IainStinson

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Re: PC stuck in BIOS

PostMon Jul 26, 2021 8:58 am

The forum "failed" whilst I was putting the text in. I came back and added a little more afterwards (edit) - hence you may have seen the message before it was complete.

To get to the command prompt, your friend may have
a. used "safe mode" which starts your windows system without some of the drivers
b. loaded a recovery system from a separate partition on the disk - the recovery partition (set up by the supplier)
c. loaded Windows from a usb device

If it was "a", then you might find using "system restore" will get back a working system. This feature of Windows (sometimes not enabled and at one time not recommended for HW systems) rolls backs updates to the system software to a point in time (usually BEFORE a major updated) and can often get you out of trouble. I've used this to fix bad drivers (bad graphics drivers in particular) and "mistakes" i had made.) Perhaps discuss this with your friend and trusted web sites.

if it was "b" then using the MS diskpart command (look it up on an MS website https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/window ... s/diskpart) will show what partitions and drives can be seen. Treat carefully, this utility can destroy /reformat disks and partitions. It might be appropriate to rebuild the boot records for the partition containing Windows (will probably be the largest) (See https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 4fef725d0f)

You might look at the option of using the Windows installation media provided to you by the supplier - this can be used to repair the failed computer (rather than installing the system afresh... be careful! (https://www.diskpart.com/windows-10/fix ... -0708.html) "System Restore" can be used from this and the cmd prompt used to run the boot repair programs.

Only do things which you understand. Write down exactly what you do. If you are in doubt - then don't.

Iain.
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organsRgreat

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Re: PC stuck in BIOS

PostMon Jul 26, 2021 3:22 pm

Iain -

I was hoping that advice on this forum would clarify the issues for me, but your explanations, and those of others, have shown me that this could get very complicated. I'm sure you're right in advising "If you are in doubt - then don't".

The friend who helped me initially has two contacts who are very knowledgeable in this area, and has offered to ask one of them to help in real time, with him as intermediary. So rather than risk making a mess of things myself I shall accept his kind offer. If all else fails I still have the option of taking the computer to a local repair shop, or returning it to the makers.

This doesn't mean advice I've been given here has been wasted - I've been saved from blundering into technical matters where I could well have been out of my depth. So thanks everyone!
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IainStinson

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Re: PC stuck in BIOS

PostMon Jul 26, 2021 4:10 pm

Pleased you are getting someone with the right expertise to help “in realtime”.

Good luck!

Iain
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NickNelson

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Re: PC stuck in BIOS

PostMon Jul 26, 2021 11:58 pm

organsRgreat wrote:If all else fails I still have the option of taking the computer to a local repair shop, or returning it to the makers.


My experience with QuietPC has been excellent. My HW PC was supplied by them a few years ago and very soon after
I got it I managed to trash it by fiddling about. I took it back to them (since they aren't too far from me, but I could have sent it) where they looked at it, and sent it back fixed after a few days. I found them courteous and helpful throughout.

Nick
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organsRgreat

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Re: PC stuck in BIOS

PostWed Jul 28, 2021 7:46 am

Thanks Nick, that's good to know. The friend who's advising me also has a QuietPC, and like you has a very high opinion of the company. I'm very intolerant of noise at home, and my Quiet PC lives up to its name - I've only ever heard a slight "chirp" when it first starts up; thereafter it's completely silent. The secret seems to lie in an ENORMOUS passive cooler, which shifts amazing amounts of heat when the machine is doing something CPU-intensive like video rendering.

Andy Ford - to whom I spoke - was certainly very helpful, but probably assumed a higher level of knowledge than I possess. I was impressed that he knew immediately who I was, as the company stores customers' phone numbers, along with details of our machines.

I don't doubt that they'd sort out the problem efficiently if I need to return the computer to them, but I live on the south coast; so if I can correct the problem with telephone advice from expert friends, that's worth a try. Although most vital things are backed up - including settings in Hauptwerk and Reaper - I'm going carefully so as to disturb the overall setup as little as possible.

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