Ot...help!

Toast · 12-12-2003, 10:43 AM

Sorry to post this help that is off topic, but im in a time restraint binde. I know I can depend on my fellow Pelican-heads for help on this.

My one computer has problems reconizing my CD-ROM and CD-RW drives. I have to reboot it like 3 times to get it to reconize them. And even then, when I am making a cd, it will sometimes not reconize one of the drives. Both of my Roms are new japanise whatevers.

My other computer has a serious problem! I was burning cd's last night and then shut down my computer to go to sleep. When I fired off the computer this morning, it gave a Microsoft warning that "Your computer may be infecting with a virus. The (?) mainboard or motherboard settings have been modified"....ect.

When I went to My Computer, it does not show either of my Roms!! Even with a reboot.

Help!! I need help asap. I really need to have my Roms working by tonight if possible!

Thanks for any advice.

Toast

John Rogers · 12-12-2003, 11:13 AM

Don't panic yet....Start the computer with a power on and hit which ever key you are supposed to use to get into the BIO setup program and scroll to the screen to see what drives and cd-roms are listed. Make sure they are recognized by the BIOS and then save and exit the BIOS setup with a save. Once the computer starts up the operating system should see the drives. Since you did not give any details of the hardware and which version of Windows you have, I am going to guess that you probably do have a virus and/or the settings for the hardware have been lost. The drivers might have to be reinstalled and if you can suppply some more info eith I or someone here can tell you how to do that. If the driver reinstall fails then the operating system might have to be repaired and that is when you need to panic.... Good luck.

Toast · 12-12-2003, 11:52 AM

Thanks, I have Windows 98. Both the CD-ROM AND CD-WRITER are HP.

John Rogers · 12-12-2003, 12:35 PM

Well it is pretty easy to fix in W98. Right click the mouse on the My Computer icon and select the hardware manager and it should list all the hardware in the PC and I would imagine next to the CD-ROM drives there are some big yellow exclamation marks which means the drivers or some other thing is not working. Click on each CD-ROM and see what the hardware window says about the drivers, probably "not installed" so reinstall them. If the CD-ROMs are not there you might lost the hardware connection since W98 will see new hardware with it's plug and play feature. That means opening the case or having someone look at it if you are not comfortable doing that. Good luck

Toast · 12-12-2003, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by john rogers
That means opening the case or having someone look at it if you are not comfortable doing that. Good luck

So what would I do after I open the case?

Toast · 12-12-2003, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 914GT
You can also check that the jumpers on the back of the drives for master/slave/cable select were set right.

The jumpers and/or wires were not tampered with between the time I shut off the computer and when I started in. I dont believe that they were moved. I happened suddenly, and the microsoft warning about a virus is what makes me wonder....

ematulac · ematulac's Garage

If it's an older computer or motherboard, you probably have a dead (or dying) BIOS battery. When this happens, your computer 'forgets' its hardware settings when it shuts down. Replacing the battery should fix things for you.

In the meantime, you should still be able to operate your computer. Boot up your computer and hit whatever key takes you into your BIOS settings. Go to the screen which shows your drive settings. Most have an autodetect function which will take care of your settings for you; otherwise, you can cursor down to each device and set it to 'auto' or 'cdrom'. Then save your settings and exit, and your computer should reboot.

To replace the battery, open up the case and look for the battery on the motherboard. The most common type looks like a big watch battery. Take it to your nearest Radio Shack or Fry's Electronics and find a suitable replacement.
Once you've replaced it, re-check your BIOS settings and you should be good to go.

In all my years working with computers, I have yet to experience a virus that has modified the BIOS.

HTH

ematulac · ematulac's Garage

Sorry, the above post applies to your second computer.

For the other computer, open the case and make sure that all the power and ribbon cables going to your CD and Hard drives are seated properly. They can loosen up over time. If you have spare ribbon cables handy, replace them. They tend to become frayed or damaged with constant handling.

If you recently added hardware to the computer, then remove it and see if that solves the problem. You may have installed more hardware than your power supply can handle.

If it's neither of those, then your IDE controller card may be dying. You can buy an inexpensive replacement at your local computer parts store. If it's built in to your motherboard, disable it in your BIOS settings when you install the new one.

John Rogers · 12-12-2003, 02:28 PM

I doubt that the jumpers were changed, also. I am betting it is a virus that has deleted a bunch of driver files such as those ending with a .dll file extension, probably in the Windows or Win98 \System or \System32 sub directories. If you can not see the hardware as noted above then check the batt as it could be failing or have failed. A quick check is to look at the computer's time setting and if it is still current than the batt should be okay and since you said the machine boots up the BIOS is still seeing the hard drive(s). Good luck

ematulac · ematulac's Garage

John is right ... check the time on the second machine before running out to buy a battery. The best indication of a dead battery is the computer 'forgetting' what time it is.

sammyg2 · 12-13-2003, 10:01 AM

If all the hardware checks out ok you will prolly have to clean the machine and re-install the hardware. I've found that installing over corrupt software doesn't usually cut it, I prefer a clean install after completely cleaning the hard drive of all files or re-formatting it. I also prefer XP. I hate all previous versions of windblows. XP rules.

M. Hendrix · 12-13-2003, 11:11 AM

Virus

I don't know which one, I've fixed 20-30 boxes with missing drives

This is a common failure mode for several versions of viri based on a 5 year old piece of haxor crap that I don't recall the name of at this moment.

M

M. Hendrix · 12-13-2003, 01:16 PM

I hope in the next couple of reboots, you didn't lose access to your main drive... or the networking..

I have had that happen.. =\

M

sammyg2 · 12-13-2003, 03:52 PM

My sisterin-law brought over her computer a few days ago (compac, uhhggg)

She had at least 4 viruseses (that's how i say it, so I may as well spell it that way) in it along with absolutely no maintenance since she bought it 4 years ago. Not even a re-boot unless it crashed. prolly 5000 files in her temperary internet file.
Oh, she also dropped it when she was bringing it over.

Keyboard was dust, motherboard was on/off depending on how it felt, problem was in the front side buss.

I replaced the keyboard, m/b, CD (noisy), and wiped the HD clean and installed XP and norton anti-virus. I had spares for all the above from previous upgrades so total cost was zip. All is well again.

She was ready to plop down $1000 for a regular ole 'puter at a local store, there's one born every minute.

Toast · 12-14-2003, 12:05 AM

Ok guys. I ended up getting someone to come over and take care of it. The one with the possible "virus" had many corrupted files and took quite a while to configure.
The other comuter just needed a little help with drivers and proper settings. Its an old 'n anyway.

Thank You So Much Everyone for all your expertise. I tried many of your opinions.

Until next time..........