Problems in booting with DFI K6XV3+/66 Rev. BB+

Questions that don't belong in the other forums.
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videoclock
BIOS Newbie
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 11:04 am

I have a motherboard: DFI K6XV3+/66 Rev BB+
The processor is: AMD K6 II 550 MHz
The RAM memory is: 128 MB in one module
The BIOS is: Award BIOS
That's the version: 04/12/2000-VP3-596B-DD-2A5LED4GC-00 K6BV3+/66
Graphic Card: ATI, but I don't know the model (tell me if there is any way to know the model if PC doesn't boot)

Ok, I tell what happens:
When I turn the button to switch on the PC, one of the following things occur, whitout to know before turning it, which of them is going to occur:
1.- I don't hear any beep, nothing appears on the screen, system hangs
2.- I hear four beeps, with irregular duration, nothing appears on the screen, system hangs
3.- I hear one correct beep, the correct information of the BIOS appears on the screen, I boot from some Linux Live CD, whose logos appears with same areas with changed shades of colours, and in one unspecified point of time, system hangs or reboots itself.

Times I've got the point 3, I've used different Linux Live CD and a lot of times I got the changed shades of colours in same areas of the logos. But in all times I got the point 3 system hanged o rebooted itself.

I don't know if all this abnormal behaviour is related or there are more than one independent problems.

Why do I get this behaviour? I have this PC about 8 years and I didn't get it working correctly. Since I knew this forum some weeks ago, I think someone can help me in that. Tell me if you need more information.


Thank you in advance
videoclock
BIOS Newbie
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 11:04 am

I have to add that yesterday was the day I booted this PC long ago. I did a lot of boots trying to determine the cause. I had to change the 3V cell because I was getting the message "CMOS checksum failed" or something similar. Now it doesn't show this message. But the behaviour done by the PC described in the last post is taking since I got it 8 years ago approx.

I have to add also that since I changed the 3V cell I haven't got any boot with the point 1 described in the last post. All boots since I changed the 3V cell behaved like the pont 2 or the point 3 described in the last post. I don't know if it's related to the 3V cell change.

Thank you in advance.
edwin
The Hardware Archivist
Posts: 6286
Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2002 7:11 pm
Location: Netherlands
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If it reboots or hangs after a while it is usually something that is overheating. But, the 4 beeps could point in long-short-short-short which is a video error. Have you got any other video card you could test with the board instead of that ATi one to see if that is the problem?
edwin/evasive

Do not assume anything

System error, strike any user to continue...
videoclock
BIOS Newbie
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 11:04 am

Sorry, when I wrote:
3.- I hear one correct beep, the correct information of the BIOS appears on the screen, I boot from some Linux Live CD, whose logos appears with same areas with changed shades of colours, and in one unspecified point of time, system hangs or reboots itself.
I wanted to write:
3.- I hear one correct beep, the correct information of the BIOS appears on the screen, I boot from some Linux Live CD, whose logos appears with some areas with changed shades of colours, and in one unspecified point of time, system hangs or reboots itself.
This mistake could give confusion.

Thanks edwin. I think I will do some more checkings.

Regards
edwin
The Hardware Archivist
Posts: 6286
Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2002 7:11 pm
Location: Netherlands
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Buy or borrow a different video card and test with that. Sounds like that is the problem here.
edwin/evasive

Do not assume anything

System error, strike any user to continue...
videoclock
BIOS Newbie
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 11:04 am

I tell you the results of some experiments:

I changed the 128 RAM module for another 3 modules of 128 MB each one.
And I tested it with 2 different video cards:
1.- Nvidia Riva TNT 2 Value, ISA card, 32 MB
2.- S3 Virge DX, PCI card, I don't know the exact model

Then:

A.- With the #1 video card, the system didn't hang and it didn't reboot itself while booting the Linux Live CD. The only error I got was, as I expected, that I didn't have hard drives plugged to the system, so it appears on the screen and the system is halted (not actually hanged)

B.- With the #2 video card, the Linux Live CD showed me some video modes to choose, noticing me that video card wasn't recognized firstly, and testing some of these video modes, the system rebooted itself with not being able to boot the Linux Live CD.

C.- Booting the 'Windows XP Installation CD' with the #2 video card, after getting the usual "Booting from CD" message, screen turned all black and I didn't get any message related to Windows XP Installation CD.

D.- It seems that my K6-II doesn't like my S3 Virge DX

E1.-Sometimes, not always, I continue hearing the four irregular beeps. But not in the pattern you referred: long-short-short-short. In fact, I think each time I hear a different pattern. A one that I hear quite times is: long-long-short-long.

E2.-I've realized these four beeps are heard only sometimes after I press the 'reset' button when my system hangs or gets halted, so it's possible in these situations the video card or the RAM modules have an inconsistent state, right?

F.- Sometimes, not always, I continue seeing the changed shades of colours in some areas of the Welcome Logo of the Linux Live CD, so the video card isn't involved in that nor RAM modules. Possibly a similar reason that in point E2?

I'm currently using the Nvidia card in another old PC, so it's desirable to use the S3 Virge DX with this k6-II. Do I have to active 'PCI video card' in BIOS or something similar to get the S3 Virge DX working? Why I haven't been to use that video card?

Regards.
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