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Can't Get Safe Mode
Name: The Colonel Date: January 4, 2006 at 10:05:05 Pacific OS: ME CPU/Ram: 350/128
Comment:
I'm working on a friend's Gateway Essential 933C if any one is familiar with these. The problem is in normal boot up the PC stops at the ME start screen and goes no further. I thought I'd try getting into safe mode and found that the keyboard was not responding, in fact upon hitting f8 I get an error message "no keyboard present/failure." Now these particular machines have no PS/2 ports, everything is USB. I've tried the keyboard and mouse in another machine (USB) and they are working, apparently the problem is in the USB on the machine I'm working on. My question, how can I get into safe mode or BIOS without any keyboard access? I also tried a boot disk and booting with a CD without success. I have no idea what the boot sequence is. At this point I would just like a clean install. Please advise.
Name: street1 Date: January 4, 2006 at 18:10:32 Pacific
Reply:
You need to remove cmos battery and let bios reset to defaults.You may need to try another USB keyboard.
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Response Number 2
Name: street1 Date: January 4, 2006 at 18:11:49 Pacific
Reply:
If you remove cmos battery make sure the system is unplugged with no power available.
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Response Number 3
Name: street1 Date: January 4, 2006 at 18:15:41 Pacific
Reply:
Use the "clear Bios" pinouts 2-3 on the motherboard to clear the system's BIOS.
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Response Number 4
Name: The Colonel Date: January 5, 2006 at 05:51:09 Pacific
Reply:
Thanks for the suggestions. I tried what you mentioned with negative results. This PC is a unique machine, actually different. No ps/2 ports and the card slot/s, for trying to add another USB card, are much smaller than the norm. I have taken the mouse and keyboard and operated them on another PC, they work fine. I get an error message on start up that they are not present, it's in the MOBO (USB) and not allowing me to enter the BIOS or Safe Mode by way of keyboard commands. Is there another way to get into Safe Mode?
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Response Number 5
Name: street1 Date: January 5, 2006 at 15:23:15 Pacific
Reply:
Have you tried the keyboard on every USB outlet on the computer?
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Response Number 6
Name: street1 Date: January 5, 2006 at 15:32:30 Pacific
Reply:
http://www.usbgear.com/USB_PS2_adapter_cable/USB_ps_2_Adapter.html>This website is the only other solution that might work.
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Response Number 7
Name: The Colonel Date: January 6, 2006 at 03:59:10 Pacific
Reply:
That can't work. The USB ports (all) are not working and there are no PS/2 ports.
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Response Number 8
Name: street1 Date: January 6, 2006 at 04:08:46 Pacific
Reply:
http://www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm
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Response Number 9
Name: street1 Date: January 6, 2006 at 04:18:49 Pacific
Reply:
http://tinyurl.com/a7bat.There are no real solutions.
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Response Number 10
Name: street1 Date: January 6, 2006 at 14:28:03 Pacific
Reply:
Hello,Colonel>I talked to gateway technical support today for 15 minutes.Their only solution was another motherboard.I was really speachless.I thought until I thought a hole in the ground.I have came up with the only solution I could.You would need to take the hard drive out put it in another computer.Now that you have it in another computer you will need to install windows 2000 or XP which has USB support after it is installed.Now you put the hard drive back in your 933c gateway and boot with it.You should at least be able to safe boot or get into your bios to set it with USB enabled.Gateway has no solution.
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Response Number 11
Name: The Colonel Date: January 7, 2006 at 03:41:39 Pacific
Reply:
streetl, thank you for going to all that trouble for me. I didn't bother with the Tech. as this was an older PC and out of warranty. I will try what you just referred to and get back to you. Again, thank you so much for your time and suggestions.
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