T41 won't get past initial "Press blue AccessIBM key&qu

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jch · #1 Post by **jch** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 3:32 am

Not sure whether this is relevant, but just installed RnR 3.10.0022.00 and did my Base backup to an external (USB) HDD. Seemed to work fine.

However, when I tried to reboot from same USB HDD to verify the RnR recovery console would work, the system would not get past the initial IBM splash screen (Press blue AccessIBM for startup options).

- I *can* get into BIOS settings by pressing F1. Beeps and asks for admin and HDD passwords (good)>

- If instead I try pressing the Blue AccessIBM key, nothing happens. No beeps or requests for HDD password. HDD status light does not even come on.

- If I try pressing F12 to choose a Boot device, again, nothing happens.

- If I plug in a USB Floppy drive with bootable floppy (that I've used many times previously), nothing happens.

- If I put a bootable CD in the UltraBay drive, nothing happens.

- Starting up with the MIGR-54483 RnR repair diskette (or CD) does nothing.

- Resetting the BIOS to its defaults did not help.

- Removing the battery, holding the power key for 1 minute, pressing it 10 times, and reinstalling battery did not help.

Any idea what the problem could be? I'm hoping it's not a hardware problem, but the timing with RnR installation/base backup seems like more than mere coincidence.

Anyone?

Thanks,
.../j

#2 Post by **Kyocera** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 3:42 am

I'm going to guess you may need to fix your MBR. Click on the HD clone link and read to the bottom about repairing boot sector.

jch · #3 Post by **jch** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 10:38 am

Kyocera wrote:I'm going to guess you may need to fix your MBR. Click on the HD clone link and read to the bottom about repairing boot sector.

That was my first thought.

However, it does not even attempt to read a repair floppy or CD.

If I press F12 at startup, it will say it's Creating a Boot Device List, but then just sits there--no floppy read attempts, no CD read attempts.

I'm wondering if this is a motherboard problem that just happened to coincide with this software install.

Would a bad MBR cause it to not even look for other devices??

Thoughts?
.../j

#4 Post by **GomJabbar** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:04 am

AFAIK, the RnR backups are not bootable. You have to boot up off of a Recovery CD, they choose to restore the backup.

Caveat: I have not tried to do any sort of restore from an RnR backup. I tried it once to backup to CD's, but I found the program was too slow for my taste. I already had StompSoft Backup MyPC, which works much faster for backing up to CD's or DVD's.

If you want to make a second drive bootable that is identical to the main hard drive, you need a cloning program IMO - which RnR is not.

jch · #5 Post by **jch** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:23 am

The problem is that the system will not attempt to boot off *anything* any more.

I have an Acronis True Image bootable CD, but it won't even attempt to read it (even if I press F12).

It just sits there. Doesn't even ask for my boot-time passwords (unless I use F1 to go into the BIOS menu--that's the only time it asks for them).

Has anyone else faced a similar problem??

.../j

egibbs · #6 Post by **egibbs** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:47 am

Look in the BIOS for the boot device order. Maybe the USB drive is listed first, and it's hanging looking for it?

Try moving things around in the order to put the most likely to be good device first.

Ed Gibbs

jch · #7 Post by **jch** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:52 pm

egibbs wrote:Look in the BIOS for the boot device order. Maybe the USB drive is listed first, and it's hanging looking for it?

Try moving things around in the order to put the most likely to be good device first.

Just tried that. No luck.

So I entered the BIOS and enabled Extended Boot-time Diagnostics and turned off. Then pulled the hard drive and tried starting up. Nothing.

Put the hard drive back in and out a few times to clean the connectors. Tried starting up. Bingo.

So I suppose it was a HDD connection problem? Time to run SpinRite to see whether this HDD is about to die (it's a 2-month old 100GB Hitachi 7200rpm).

Sure am glad that I didn't send it in for repairs.

Thank you for all the speedy and helpful suggestions everyone. This is a great resource for those in dire straits

I'll post back how the SpinRite test goes...

.../j

jch · #8 Post by **jch** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 2:05 pm

jch wrote:I'll post back how the SpinRite test goes...

SpinRite says that everything's A-OK with the drive. What a relief.

Thanks again everybody.

.../j

T41 won't get past initial "Press blue AccessIBM key&qu

T41 won't get past initial "Press blue AccessIBM key&qu

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