System specs @ end of post.
My computer has been hanging for 60 seconds during post for the last several months. No big deal. I should have left it alone. However, recently my computer has been crashing once or twice a day; random reboots, mostly during WoW. After one of these reboots, my CMOS had been reset. Again, everything kept working, I should have left it alone. Today I decide to flash the BIOS in hopes of resolving it. I've made it worse. Now the computer won't boot. I used AsusUpdate to flash the BIOS on my Striker Extreme. I believe that was my second mistake. My first mistake was not backing up my existing BIOS. The closest I have got the computer to boot is getting to the Windows XP login screen. I click my name and then it BSOD. I only got that far once. Some of the various degrees of boot are as follows:
1. After POST, the screen goes black, I hear my HD work a bit, then the lights to my keyboard/mouse go out, and it ejects the iPod. This is all before Windows ever tries to load, mind you.
2. Sometimes I can get into BIOS, sometimes I can't.
3. Sometimes when I am actually able to get into BIOS, it is unintelligible. Half the screen is black, the other half is colored mumbo jumbo. Nothing legible.
I've already tried the Reset CMOS button on my motherboard as well as pulling the CMOS battery and unplugging the computer to reset it all. Nothing has helped.
What are my priorities/options? Is my motherboard screwed? Can I flash back to a previous version of BIOS? Should I try to reflash to the new version of BIOS the right way this time; ie: Floppy/EZFlash
Is there a BIOS setting screwing something up? I can't imagine there is as BIOS defaults are a proven success up until 6 hours ago.
One more goofy thing to add. There seems to be as issue with my floppy drive. BIOS sees it, but I get a Floppy error during POST. I've disabled the floppy check on startup so as to bypass it, but I can't help thinking maybe it's part of the problem.
Asus Striker Extreme
Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0 GHz
4 Gig OCZ 800 MGhz RAM
nVidia 8800 GTS
Sound Blaster xFi
PC Power & Cooling Quad 750
Western Digital 150G Raptor
Plextor CDR
There are many other hard drives and CD ROM drives, however those listed above are all my primary devices.
Please assist, I need all the help I can get.
My computer has been hanging for 60 seconds during post for the last several months. No big deal. I should have left it alone. However, recently my computer has been crashing once or twice a day; random reboots, mostly during WoW. After one of these reboots, my CMOS had been reset. Again, everything kept working, I should have left it alone. Today I decide to flash the BIOS in hopes of resolving it. I've made it worse. Now the computer won't boot. I used AsusUpdate to flash the BIOS on my Striker Extreme. I believe that was my second mistake. My first mistake was not backing up my existing BIOS. The closest I have got the computer to boot is getting to the Windows XP login screen. I click my name and then it BSOD. I only got that far once. Some of the various degrees of boot are as follows:
1. After POST, the screen goes black, I hear my HD work a bit, then the lights to my keyboard/mouse go out, and it ejects the iPod. This is all before Windows ever tries to load, mind you.
2. Sometimes I can get into BIOS, sometimes I can't.
3. Sometimes when I am actually able to get into BIOS, it is unintelligible. Half the screen is black, the other half is colored mumbo jumbo. Nothing legible.
I've already tried the Reset CMOS button on my motherboard as well as pulling the CMOS battery and unplugging the computer to reset it all. Nothing has helped.
What are my priorities/options? Is my motherboard screwed? Can I flash back to a previous version of BIOS? Should I try to reflash to the new version of BIOS the right way this time; ie: Floppy/EZFlash
Is there a BIOS setting screwing something up? I can't imagine there is as BIOS defaults are a proven success up until 6 hours ago.
One more goofy thing to add. There seems to be as issue with my floppy drive. BIOS sees it, but I get a Floppy error during POST. I've disabled the floppy check on startup so as to bypass it, but I can't help thinking maybe it's part of the problem.
Asus Striker Extreme
Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0 GHz
4 Gig OCZ 800 MGhz RAM
nVidia 8800 GTS
Sound Blaster xFi
PC Power & Cooling Quad 750
Western Digital 150G Raptor
Plextor CDR
There are many other hard drives and CD ROM drives, however those listed above are all my primary devices.
Please assist, I need all the help I can get.