BIOS problem

[pelouk]

Hello,

I'm using an old Asus laptop with 3 GB RAM and 250GB hard disc and LL 3.8 installed. Been running for months without any real issue but hit a snag today.

I closed down properly last night but on booting up this morning, it opens up (immediately after the Asus logo) to BIOS. I can't see anything there which indicates a fault but each time I try to exit - whether by f10 or ESC - the laptop closes down. On booting up I'm instantly back to the BIOS screen. Just can't seem to get out of it. Any ideas/advice would be much appreciated.

[DeepThought]

Just guessing but it sounds like a hdd problem, did a google search and got a number of different hits, something might help:

Code:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=asus+laptop+booting+to+bios&oq=asus+laptop+booting+&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l4.8159j0j8&client=ubuntu&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I would also try booting using a live usb/dvd to see if it will boot past the BIOS screen.

[TheDead]

Also had that problem in the past, most of the time it's what Deepthought mentions, but, just in case check that you don't have a key stuck on your keyboard(s) too, could save you lots of time, hehe.

[pelouk]

Many thanks. I'll give those tips a go when I get home tonight.

[trinidad]

Good answers so far: Stuck key, failing or nearly full HDD, and to add one more, some laps had a CMOS coin battery which upon failure sends you to BIOS default.

TC

[TheDead]

LOL...

Lets see if we have a winner! All bets are off.

[pelouk]

OK, here's what I've determined so far:-

Stuck Key

I've remove and cleaned the f2 key and the problem remains.

Hard Drive

The drive is a 250GB spinner and is not even half full. I don't otherwise know how to determine whether or not it is failing. In any event, the laptop model is the 1225B - a pretty old machine - and the rigmarole to get to the drive involves virtually dismantling the whole machine - which is beyond me. Took it to the local repair shop and they want £50 just to check it out. Since that's more than the thing is worth, it looks like going in the garbage.

CMOS battery

Going by some online diagrams, it does have such a battery but again, that can only be accessed by a complete strip-down. If it means anything, the laptop is retaining correct date and time within the BIOS, so I'm not sure if that tells me anything.

?????????

[Valtam]

Sounds like hardware failure to me.

Sent from my Mobile phone using Tapatalk

[TheDead]

Seems like a hardware failure indeed.
Just to be sure on the "time" battery, you could try and remove the main battery while power is unplugged and wait an hour.
If the clock is still on time the time battery should be OK.

Anywhoo, did you try Deepthought's idea to boot from a USB key with a live Linux Lite? Maybe there's a little life left in the patient
Edit: Typos

[DeepThought]

Boot with a live usb. If you manage to get to the live desktop your laptop drive should appear as a removal drive and you should be able to mount it. If you get to this point I would immediately transfer any files/docs etc which are important to you to another external usb drive.

If the laptop drive does not appear try:

Code:

sudo blkid

or

Code:

sudo fdisk -l

either command should list all the drives on the system, check the size to see if your 250Gb drive is there. If not i think it will definitely be a hdd fault.