[thelastegg]

what hardware intervention requires the HDD format procedure?

motto: I'm in the dark, here...

hello,

here it is the whole problem:

I’m having these troubles with my new machine:
a) - poor (sporadic) detection of the DVD-RW when I start the computer; sometimes it is detected, so I can see it in BIOS and I may also use it in XP but, alternatively, this optical drive it is not detected as part of the hardware configuration and thus it cannot be used at all; it’s just not there, next to the A: (floppy) and C: (HDD) .
b) – not-explicable missing of network connection after XP OS initialization, in these terms: the network connection is present and active (in my Network Connections/Local Area Network) but has considerably more Sent Packets than Received Packets (like 27 to 2 or 53 to 5, at some point) and I cannot browse the internet by any of the network browsers I currently use (Mozzila Firefox and Internet Explorer). and again, this happens in the same curious and arbitrary conditions of alternating this malfunction with computer start-up sessions which do not produce this problem.

what I have in my mind is the possibility of a motherboard problem, as there may be some other smaller ones like a cable connection (I hope).

my first question is:
if there is a problem that involves an intervention with the replacement of one of the hardware pieces of my machine, which of these components replacement will require a HDD format procedure?

and, as a second issue, not quite integrated with this topic but related to my problem:
what is going on with this computer that produces this strange behavior, considering the fact that I do not touch a cable between the normal functioning sessions and the malfunctioning ones, described above?

thank you.

 

[thelastegg]

Hi,

here it is the whole problem:

I’m having some troubles with my new machine:
a) - poor (sporadic) detection of the DVD-RW when I start the computer: sometimes it is detected, so I can see it in BIOS and I can also use it in XP but, alternatively, this optical drive it is not detected as part of the hardware configuration and thus it cannot be used at all; it’s just not there, next to the A: (floppy) and C: (HDD) .
b) – not-explicable missing of network connection after XP OS initialization, in these terms: the network connection is present and active (in my Network Connections/Local Area Network) but has considerably more Sent Packets than Received Packets (like 27 to 2 or 53 to 5, at some point) and I cannot browse the internet by any of the network browsers I currently use (Mozzila Firefox and Internet Explorer). and again, this happens in the same curious and arbitrary conditions of alternating this malfunction with computer start-up sessions which do not produce this problem.

I cannot detect a relevant connection between the two problems.

what I have in my mind is the possibility of a motherboard problem, as there may be some other smaller ones like a cable connection (I hope).

my first question is:
what is going on with this computer that produces this strange behavior, considering the fact that I do not touch a cable between the normal functioning sessions and the malfunctioning ones, described above?

and, as a second issue:
if there is a problem that involves an intervention with the replacement of one of the hardware pieces of my machine, which of these components replacement will require a HDD format procedure?
I need to know this as I have some info on my HDD that I should, brobably, back up.

thank you.

 

[manic]

Have you tried updating/reinstalling mobo drivers? That may or may not
clear up cdrom issues. Replacing any type of hardware barring the mobo
will not require a format. I believe you should not put all your eggs in one
basket. If you have data you dont want to lose back it up. I use a external
usb hdd. When some sort of failure occurs, dont be in the I could of, I
should have category. Is this machine new? have you had time enough
to get a trojan/virus. All those packets going out may be a normal thing
but it could also be a proggy trying to go out tying up your resources.
May need to reinstall ethernet drivers, could be a bad nic card,,or just
a loose connection., or isp being flaky.

 

[linderman]

Welcome to TSF:

you are going to need a but of patience to narrow down your problems as they are not consistently bothering you !!

first option / sounds like cable issues to me - random poor quality connection

I would replace the dvd cable (with a good quality cable ~~ they are cheap)as well as the network cable

see if that corrects you problem ????

you must also observe during a bout of no dvd detected is the drive power on light active ???? is the drive getting power ????

is the dvd drive in question - a new install what make and model ???

are there any yellow exclamation marks in your device manager right click my computer / properties/ hardware / device manager

you may also have a windows file conflict / try System File Checker
go to start / run / type the command sfc /scannow you may need to have your OS disk at the ready
http://www.updatexp.com/scannow-sfc.html

post back the results of your observations / dont hesitate to ask more questions if needed

regards

joe

 

[thelastegg]

yes, but...

Hello manic,

Thanks for dropping you answer.
I need some enlightening, here, regarding your answer so I can understand it in full.

Here’s the first silly-sound question: what exactly are the mobo drivers – mobo is the part I don’t understand (I only guess it’s related to the motherboard). Is the DVDRW driver one of them? If so, I must say I cannot manually install that one – it just doesn’t work like that, the DVDRW not being detected at all.

And now, one more, if you are up to it: the isp being flaky means that my computer somehow looses the ip while being not used or shut down (no matter how safely done)? How can I prevent that?

The external usb hdd idea sound wonderful. I’ll get one of those for emergencies like this one.

Thanks a lot.

 

[thelastegg]

well...

hello Joe,

Thanks for dropping you answer.

I will replace the DVDRW cable as soon as I’ll grab a brand new one; I truly hope it’ll be that easy to get rid of the problem. This computer is still under warranty so I’ll let the guys that sold it to me to take care of the operations.
I’ll also replace the network cable and see if it works.

This dvdrw has a so-called busy led that, when not detected, stays off during initialization process (boot session). The opposite happens (the led gets lit on) when the dvd is detected as an actual hardware component.

The optical unit is an ASUS 8x / 4x /12x; I cannot identify the manufacture origin as this part came in already mounted on the case.

In my device manager I have an exclamation sign on yellow, but it is next to the USB controller. It says that the drivers for this device are not installed. As about a CD/DVD device listing or a listing below the Disk Drivers: nothing about my ASUSDWD/RW. I cannot find this dvd in BIOS neither, so that I can select a boot sequence position for it.

I have to mention, again, that this problem occurs by alternating with normal functioning sessions, regardless of any exterior influences of some kind that may be interpreted as an objective cause for the malfunction.

Finally, I’m getting the sfc /scannow running right now and, suddenly, I realize that I got into an unexpected though absolutely justified loop: my cd/dvd unit is not functional thus making the insertion of the original XP installation cd impossible. I hove I’ll manage to get loose of this repeated request window that sfc scan procedure keeps on popping up.


Best Regards,
Alex.

 

[manic]

mobo = motherboard Have you checked the phyical connection of the
drive? Loose cable,,power connector Possibly bad ide cable. How long
has this machine been up and running? You can probably go to mother
board manufacturer and install the drivers from there site, no need for
cdrom support. Have you made any changes to hardware as of late?

 

[ebackhus]

In regards to the IP drop, what's your connection like? Cable/DSL? Firewall? Router/hub/switch?

 

[thelastegg]

to manic

Manic

This bad physical connection is my closest escape route out of the messy troubles I begun to imagine I’ve got into thru the buying of this piece of machinery. Still, I’m not able yet to try it out since this baby is under legal warranty certificate terms (fortunately), thus me having to wait for a guy representing the seller to drop by and make all the verifications involving opening the computer case.

Since the purchase, I’ve been turning this station on and off for several times, including the complete unplugging/plugging of the power cables (monitor and computer). It must be a week since, now.

No hardware change made whatsoever, no sir.

 

[dai]

have a look and see if you can see the drive in the bios

 

[thelastegg]

ebackhus,

About the connection

I have a permanent, up to 512. It happened to me to catch some info from a technical consultant at the local internet provider that I use and, as I understood then, this repetitive ip loss is a phenomenon that may appear at some point. But I didn’t understand the possible cause, neither the side with the damage: me or them.

No, not using a router yet, although I’ve been taking this into consideration while needing to exit to the internet with two computers at a time. For the moment I simply unplug one of them from the modem and plug in the other one, depending on which do I need to use for surfing. Kind of primitive but… Could this be a cause for my internet problem? I must say that the other machine, the older one, causes me no such net troubles. My DNS and IP are set on Obtain Automatically.


Thank you.

 

[thelastegg]

well, dai

No,

There is no driver in the BIOS while not present in Windows either.
But when starting with this device detected, it is apparent also in BIOS.
Why this alternation of detected/not detected – I simply do not know.

Any clue?

 

[manic]

Sounds like you need to wait for there service guy to check your machine.
Dont want to void the warranty. Hopefully if and when the person shows
up they are knowledgeable..Good luck,,,

 

[thelastegg]

all about the wires

Hello, guys

In the end, it all turned out to be about the dvdrw connection wires inside the computer.

Thanks a lot for your patience.