Gateway - Booting or Vid. Card Issue?

English Open Chat
1

This is my Computer : Gateway DX4831-07 Desktop Gaming PC - Intel Core i5-750 2.66GHz, 8GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, DVDRW, HDMI, eSATA, FireWire, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit at TigerDirect.com

I paid Less :slight_smile:

I switched out the video card to a GTX 460, and the power supply to a 750W Power supply. She worked like a charm for 2-3 months. Kept an eye on the temperature, and no problems.

I must tell you that when I turn on the computer, it goes through three screens:

Screen 1 : says “No Drives Dectected”
Screen 2 : Big Gateway Logo that gives you the option to enter BIOS, and change boot source
Screen 3 : …gives the option to enter pentium setup (CNTRL P)

…than it boots Windows … (I wiped my drive, to attempt to fix the issue, and it didn’t work, at all) I just haven’t put opensuse on it yet, as I haven’t fixed the problem yet). I also got the blue screen talking about purging cash, but you can’t really read it because you can only see it a limited time before it disappears (it wasn’t looping, it just happened whenever you boot into windows - Blue screen of death?)

The problem is that now, when I power up, It goes to screen 1, than everything goes blank". This just randomly happened one day.

The indicator light sometimes flashes normally. Other times it’ll flash a few times, go half the brightness, or dim, and stop, literally, just stop. What you will see from the indicator light is always a guess. There is no consistency.

So I have to Hard reboot, which I really don’t like doing. Again, this is a new computer, and its nice :-). On average it takes 2-6 hard reboots to get to Screen #2, and when it does, it works like a charm, as if it never missed a beat. Sometimes it offers to boot into windows safe mode, and I usually do it. I Really don’t like hard booting like this.

I have opened the case and checked All hardware connections, and power cords.

It also cannot get out of sleep or hibernate. When I wake it up, you’ll see the windows user login screen for 3-5 seconds, and the monitor goes blank.

Ideas? Thanks in advance…

-Cheers

2

Look and see if there is a BIOS update for it.

3

The MoBo is a Systemboard with Intel® H57 Express Chipset. I am not finding a BIOS update for it.

4

If it originally it went through screens 1,2,3 then original setup worked perfectly, as in no problemos.

It should be still be under warranty so you should be calling Gateway for warranty assistance.

I suspect the PC was reporting no IDE disk drives available, especially since it booted to Windows after the messages.
Anyway I wouldn’t have wiped the drive because now you don’t know what was on the HDD.

You should have a system restore CD that resets the HDD to factory ship if not beg Gateway for one.
Bottom line call Gateway support and worst case ship RMA.

5

Well, please keep in mind that since I switched out the power supply, and the video card, its probably not under any warranty anymore.

It did not come with a system restore CD, and when I tried to call them they tried to charge me about 20-30 dollars, for one, which I did not have at the time.

…was hoping to fix it myself, and learn something, but if I absolutely have to buy the CD, I will.

6

From many (7) experiences with Gateway, and after a look at the configuration, I believe that “Screen 1” is notification that no active external (eSATA or USB) drives were found ready at boot-time. You may wish to look at the Boot-order priorities. Most Gateway BIOS’es allow you to select that (F10) at boot, and selection should be accessible via BIOS options (usually F2).

“Screen 2” is the usual Gateway blurb from BIOS boot-time. (There should be your F10 & F2 options). Since you do not always get this display, I would suggest swapping out the GTX 460 (nVidia) for the factory ATI Radeon HD 5750. It would not surprise me that Gateway’s installed/customized BIOS’es may not (yet) support the GTX 460 (this would not bode well for future usage).

If the “Gateway logo”/boot screen appears with the original GA, then contact Gateway (or the BIOS manufacturer).

As to “Screen 3”, I have no idea. Can you take a picture and post it here ?

This comes from Windows detecting a previous incomplete boot, most likely from one of the hard re-boots.

Lets worry about the sleep/hibernate problem after the Boot and GA problems are sorted.

7

Screen 1 always said " no drives detected" even fresh out of the box. Once tested and played around for a night, thats when I made the switch to the GTX 460, and it worked like a charm the first try. It worked for several month. If the gateway BIOS wasn’t ready to support it, wouldn’t it have not worked right when I did the switch? I can tell you that there was a noticeable difference (or improvement) in graphics once I took out the ATI Radeon HD 5750.

As far as going into safe mode, That’s what I presumed.

Once it decides to go to Screen 2 (Gateway Logo) everything is the same as it always was.

So we’re thinking its a BIOS issue??

8

No I’m thinking its a Windows or wipe disk issue. SeanMc98 explains it perfectly for me and there are no bios updates at this time anyway.

You can put the psu and the HD5750 back into the box, they’d never notice.
For my $20 I’d buy the system restore CD. If you decide to sell that PC it will come in handy, not to forget it would have been handy now.

The HD 5750 is an ATI and the GTX 460 is a nVidia there’s your difference. The latest Windows nVidia driver update fubared your system. That happened to me, I had to back out the Windows update driver and install a prior nVidia proprietary driver.

9

Aaahhhh, somehow that update got passed me. I didn’t realize that there was recently a driver update (nvidia) for windows. So your saying that if I go kill that driver, and reinstall using the cd that came with my Fancy GTX 460, my problem will be solved?

(I’m going to buy the cd anyway)

10

tartarpharozon,

Do you know roughly how long ago that Nvidia update came out?

11

Yep it was an optional update that got installed 10/8/2010. IIRC, it didn’t fubar my entire system but it did fubar my Flight Simulator screens. I backed it out for the latest nVidia drivers but that didn’t help. So, I backed that out to the version I had installed before the update. I need to review my optional updates before I let them install.

12

just an update:

I rolled back, and it worked fine for the first three reboots.

Than the same issue happened again.

My next step is to replace the video card back to the ATI, and place the original power source back.

In the meantime, maybe this is over my head, I admit… but I want my GTX 460. I paid for it.

How can I make this work, provided everything works when I switch back…

-Cheers

13

I think your Opensuse should be fine. For Windows I’d just back out the ATI drivers from Windows and install the latest nVidia drivers and Catalyst from the nVidia website.

14

The driver was the issue. I just kept the driver that was on the cd and the problem has been solved. Thank you. Just leaving the windows Nvidia update alone did the trick!

Now I have a problem with the drivers for my mouse and keyboard. Whenever I try to install either, I get the blue screen, and it reboots. This has never happened. The computer is also slow. Slower boot. slower windows boot. slower downloading. Its just not as smooth as it once once.

My mouse is a deathadder 3500 dpi
my keyboard is a steelseries merc stealth

Thanks again in advance …

15

Also, I just had the same booting issue. It was the first time I allowed it to go to sleep. When I pulled it out of sleep, I had a blank screen, and than had to hard re-boot about three times. This is getting very frustrating.

16

Do these blank screens only happen with Windows or does OpenSuse hang on a window when turning from hibernation? Have you done the basics for Windows? Delete temporary, recycle and temporary internet files, remove temporary cookies, uninstall obsolete programs, defrag the HDD, reboot, etc. Or you could stop hiberating on the desktop.

17

I hate to admit it, but I don’t even have Linux installed at all :frowning: . Keep in mind, I was having the same issue with 11.3 also.
I have done all of the above. I also open task manager and the processes are down to the bare bone minimum. I have the OEM restore CD on its way right now. I will keep you posted, as information comes, Just have to wait for this recovery CD to get here.

When I do get it and recover? should I put the Radeon 5780 back in? along with the original power supply, or just leave it as it is??
I keep hearing that it should work fine with the GTX 460 still in there.

Again, I really appreciate your help in this…

-Cheers

18

I’m not sure what the problem could be. You experience the problem with a new video and new more powerful Psu, which should rule out the most common hardware problems.

Could be something wrong between Win 7 hibernation process and Gateway hardware where Win 7 doesn’t wake up a process. While you’re waiting, check the Administrative Tools -> Event Viewer to see if there’s any error messages about hibernation. Also, double check the motherboard, psu and all connections.

Put back the original equipment and check with Gateway about this problem. If Tech Support can’t solve the problem then they should give you a warranty RMA which is good and bad news. The question is whether can live without hibernation on the desktop or you need to return the machine.

If I bought the GTX 460 and bigger psu, I’d put them in my Gateway and turn off hibernation.

19

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you.

I just received the Gateway recovery disc in the mail.

Honestly I have not even bothered with sleep or hibernation. At this point i’m trying to concentrate on the initial boot. I spoke with gateway, and did my best not to tell them that I switched out hardware (as it will void the warranty). I worded it very carefully and from what I get out of it, the recovery cd should still work with the GTX 460, as opposed to the Radion. I should be able to apply the recover disc within the next few days, and will keep you posted, thanks again, and sorry for the delay, wasn’t exepcting the cd to take so long to get here…

-Cheers

20

sorry for taking so long to get back on this, I’ve had a lot of negative things going on lately.

So I have the Gateway recovery disk, and put the original psu (500w) and the original video card back in, and she’s running great, except when I try to boot up.

I have recently noticed however, that when it does boot up fine, the text in all of the boot screens is twice as bright, and its 1/2 dim when the problem persists. when this happens, I have no problem shutting down completely, and booting up. It seems as though this problem happens when I turn it off, or sleep/hibernate, or in other words, when I leave it alone for a couple of hours.

Is it possible the the mobo battery (…like a watch battery…) is dead? Maybe I fried it with the 750w psu? Maybe Gateway just gave me a garbage battery? The only problem is that I’m under the impression that the mobo battery is for cmos, or keeping the date/time, so I really don’t know, its a little over my head. It just seems like if the computer is on for awhile, It has a chance to “charge”, and there are no problems…

I can tell you, that since I’ve done the hardware switch (psu $ graphics card), that when the problem happens, the text is still 1/2 dim, the “Gateway” bootsplash does pop up more, and about 1/2 the time I am now hearing the sounds of winblows booting up.

I’ve probably gone through about 5 boots since I did the hardware switch, and format HD/ restore to original factory settings…

…any advice…?