As I’ve been privileged enough to grow up alongside computers, repairing computers seemed easy. You analyze the problem, then you fix it right? Not that fast. After spending a good deal of time refurbishing computers at my local computer plant as well as spending a good part of the last three years with the kind folks at PC Mechanic, I discovered that troubleshooting and (hopefully) fixing a computer are tedious tasks. I am sure all of you can relate to what I am saying in one form or another. Recently, I had the opportunity to build a computer that booted, but nothing showed up on screen. From this, I was reminded of two common-sensed lessons that I needed to keep in mind that I will share with you all.
These past two weekends, I was building a computer for a customer – this person also happens to be a good friend of mine. The first step always involves planning – easy enough. Ask for a budget, and build around it. Customer A asked for a 1200 USD budget build to last for as long as possible with parts from today’s market. The build would include an Intel Pentium D 930 Presler core and an Asus P5LD2 as its processor and motherboard. Almost everything else that he ordered were parts from trusted quality manufacturers. After ordering all the parts, everything came in from Newegg within a few days. I read the motherboard manual, read the case manual, then I start putting it all together.
Eventually, I have everything connected. After double and triple checking all the connections, I fire it up. The fans start running, but there’s nothing on the screen. Naturally, for a computer technician, I turned the system off and tried to reconnect everything. All the power connectors were in securely, all the data cables (Opticals ATAPI-IDE, SATA, FDD cables) were aligned correctly securely in. Now what? In general, I guess I’ve been very lucky with defective parts in the few years I’ve been a PC tech. I have never had a defective component land in my hands and therefore I have never had to deal with tech support for hardware RMAs. But a possibility of a defective component came to mind. I tried a different monitor. I tried an out-of-case build with minimum specs as per PC Mechanic forums recommendation. One stick of memory, one hard drive, one DVD drive. Still nothing. Switched out the sticks of memory. No dice. I tried isolating the video card. Nothing. A few years ago, I would have been frustrated enough to run around in circles yelling out obscenities. This is where I was reminded of a very important lesson. Although it sounds like common sense, I am surprised at the number of people who lose their cool and storm out like I was back in my first years as a computer technician. Stay calm and collective. If you need to, step away from the problem for a while and revisit it when you have a clear mind. Frustration will only act as a roadblock to finding the solution to the problem and will only hinder your efforts. The likelihood of finding the answer when calm is much higher than finding it in a fit of range and frustration.
After checking the BIOS chip on the motherboard, I arrived on the conclusion that the motherboard BIOS was outdated. The Intel 945P chipset was launched before the 65nm fabrication process Presler/Cedar Mill core processors. Since I built the system several months after the release of the Pentium-D Presler processor, I would have thought that the motherboard should already have all-around support for the Pentium-D Presler processor. Unfortunately, the P5LD2 I had was from the older batch. Without a compatible processor with which to fire up the system, the BIOS cannot be flashed. I did not have any Prescott or Smithfield core processors lying around, so I did the next best thing, which was to call Asus technical support and explain the problem. After a short wait, I talked to a tech support person. They also confirmed that it was an old BIOS with a new processor. This is where lesson number two came in, although this ties in with the first one. Again, it is also common sense. Be nice to others when they are trying to help you. No matter how much you are frustrated, they will be disinclined to help you out if you charge at them with accusations and verbal frustration. This especially applies to online-forum etiquette. Be thankful for what the other person is doing for you even if their efforts turn out in vain. Always remember that they are there to help you, not to intentionally dig you into a bigger hole.
Without using a spare processor to boot up the system, I needed to procure a replacement BIOS chip with the upgraded BIOS that will support the system. I requested that option and as a result, the support representative kindly forwarded me to the BIOS department. There, Asus shipped me a BIOS chip. I was pleasantly surprised when they only charged me only for the shipping. That is great service from their part. I requested ground shipping for five dollars instead of next-day for twenty-five dollars, even though I needed to get the chip as soon as possible. Luckily for me, the chip was sent from Louisville, KY, which is only two hours southwest of where I live. Amazingly, the chip was waiting on my front door the next day on FedEx ground delivery. I installed it using a BIOS extractor tool, put all the components inside the case, and fired it up. Bingo – it all works prompting me to hit “DEL” to go to setup. It works, I’m happy.
Like what you read?
If so, please join over 28,000 people who receive our exclusive weekly newsletter and computer tips, and get FREE COPIES of 5 eBooks we created, as our gift to you for subscribing. Just enter your name and email below:
