Dang SCSI controller!!!

B

Bobo

banned
OK, so I wanted to get some data off of 2 SCSI hard drives that I have. So no big deal, I plug the hard drives and the SCSI controller card into my computer. I had successfully done this before, and it wasn't hard. Not to be this time. The computer turns on, but it gives me a long beep, waits a couple seconds, then a short beep and turns on. According to the motherboard manual, this means either a DRAM or mobo issue. So it boots fine, but after the Windows loading screen, it gives me a BSOD for about .02 seconds and restarts. I think the BSOD said something about a physical memory dump. So it restarts, and after the Windows loading, up comes a CHKDisk screen. It gets to 5% before doing the same thing again. So I try to boot into Vista, it runs the CHK disk just fine and boots. But it can't see the SCSI drive. So I give up with the SCSI and reboot it. It still won't boot into XP. So I run CHKdisk again from Vista, and then XP boots. But it still gives me the beeps when it boots. And I have gotten one or 2 random restarts while the system has been running.

What the heck did this SCSI card do to my computer? How can I fix it?
 
You are running the Vista beta version without drivers for your SCSI controller? is one immediate thought there. Both OSs need drivers. Have you installed the XP drivers on the XP side? Bios settings can also play a role too.
 
I don't have drivers. I had worked it before without drivers.

Vista really doesn't play a role here, just that I used CHKDisk from the Vista boot screen to fix the hard drive so that it would boot XP.

Should I try resetting the BIOS?
 
You were fortunate when it worked before probably due to XP having a generic driver onboard to load. Now you are most likely stuck because like any other hardware it's needs drivers in order to work correctly. That would be the first thing to try there.
 
Well yeah, I will try to find drivers. But why is my system so screwed up even when it is not plugged in?
 
Just where did you did install the beta release of Vista? Was that put on a second partition or a second drive? When dual OSing the older version of Windows goes onto the first primary partition. The newer version is always installed following the first even if it goes on a separate hard drive. To avoid the newer version from autoloading both you would install that to a separate drive with the primary unplugged. The boot device order in the bios then decides which OS is loaded by the setting there unless you use a boot loader like ubuntu's boot manager on floppy that will ask which drive/partition do you want to load. It then finds the OS there and loads it.

On the other thread I gave you some tools to work with on cleaning up the software side of this while you may have to look at the bios settings as well as your jumper settings with more then one ide drive if you are running one as well as adding the array. When you mention hearing a long and then later a short beep what bios do you have on the board? Do you know? Is it Award, AMI, Phoenix? A single long beep doesn't always mean a hardware fault. http://pcsupport.about.com/cs/motherboardcpu/a/beepcodes.htm
 
PC eye said:
Just where did you did install the beta release of Vista? Was that put on a second partition or a second drive? When dual OSing the older version of Windows goes onto the first primary partition. The newer version is always installed following the first even if it goes on a separate hard drive. To avoid the newer version from autoloading both you would install that to a separate drive with the primary unplugged. The boot device order in the bios then decides which OS is loaded by the setting there unless you use a boot loader like ubuntu's boot manager on floppy that will ask which drive/partition do you want to load. It then finds the OS there and loads it.
Click to expand...
What the heck are you talking about? I have no problems with booting dual operating systems, and I do know how to do so.

On the other thread I gave you some tools to work with on cleaning up the software side of this while you may have to look at the bios settings as well as your jumper settings with more then one ide drive if you are running one as well as adding the array. When you mention hearing a long and then later a short beep what bios do you have on the board? Do you know? Is it Award, AMI, Phoenix? A single long beep doesn't always mean a hardware fault. http://pcsupport.about.com/cs/motherboardcpu/a/beepcodes.htm
Click to expand...
I looked it up in my motherboard moanual like I am supposed to. It is Award, but I know what the codes mean.
 
AWARD BIOS BEEP CODES​
Below are Award BIOS Beep codes that can occur. However, because of the wide variety of different computer manufacturers with this BIOS, the beep codes may vary.
Beep CodeDescription1 long, 2 shortIndicates a video error has occurred and the BIOS cannot initialize the video screen to display any additional informationAny other beep(s)RAM problem.​
If any other correctable hardware issues, the BIOS will display a message.
 
If you notice from the mention seen at one site that "anything else" other then "1 long 2short" equals "RAM problem". Are those beeps heard close together or is there a long pause inbetween. On some bioses a single long beep followed by the normal quick beep later implies post tests were successful.
 
PC eye said:
If you notice from the mention seen at one site that "anything else" other then "1 long 2short" equals "RAM problem". Are those beeps heard close together or is there a long pause inbetween. On some bioses a single long beep followed by the normal quick beep later implies post tests were successful.
Click to expand...
No, it is one long, one short. And this actually isn't happening any more, but now I have a new problem, which has happened sporadically since I did this SCSI thing.

My computer restarts randomly, on average, once a day, but not at any specific time. The computer will freeze for about 5 seconds, any music playing will sound like a broken record, but the mouse will still move, then it will restart. Does anybody know what could be causing this?

I am pretty sure that it isn't a virus, because twice before I have had a virus that causes random restarts, and the symptoms are not the same this time.
 
I can tell you readily when a bios was failing it acted similar only the system froze solid upon reaching the desktop. That there was due to failing bios or chipset on the board. Upon lowering the memory timings setting from 200mhz down to 166mhz the system suddenly ran normally ONLY ssslllooowwweeerrrr. I built a new case fast there. Have you updated the bios since you got the board?
 
Nope, I haven't updated it. I do have the CPU OCed a little.....

But the BIOS doesn't seem to be the problem anymore, no more beeps.
 
Your OCing could be part of the problem if you have the wrong voltage setting on memory. Try running on the default settings again to see if the locks and reboots decrease.
 
No, the memory settings are all default.

I don't seem to be having any problems, other than a little slowness.

Thanks
 
What I found often even after a fresh installation of Windows is a need to use something like RegClean by Microsoft or RegCleaner. These cleanup useless registry entries as well as errors found. That along with reducing the number of items that startup along with Windows can help too. After a good number of software changes these two methods along with defragmenting the hard drive seem to be important maintainence items.
 
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