Question My old Pentium 4 pc is stuck on this screen. How do I fix it?

[Koushik11]

Hello! I found an old PC of mine that hasn't been in use for a while. When I tried to turn it on, every component seems to be running fine but it's stuck on this screen saying "Intel Desktop Boards".
I don't really remember the specs except it has Pentium IV and an 80 GB HDD. The RAM doesn't say anything on it except for the brand (Kingston) and a bunch of random numbers. The motherboard's Model is Intel Desktop Board D845GLVA. I would like to know what problem my PC has and is there any possible way to fix it?

I've tried disconnecting the DVD ROM and HDD and tried booting it up but the same thing happened. Also, tried removing the RAM (only 1 stick) and booting it up and heard three beeps. Fixing RAM in different slots didn't seem to work either. I also tried clearing the passwords using the BIOS jumper and changed the CMOS battery too.

Thanks in advance!

 

[TerryLaze]

This is probably the bios splash screen, it was a thing back then and is still being used today, it covers up all the "DOS" boot up text to make it look more modern.
Keep hitting the bios keys (F1, del, f12 whatever you remember from your youth) to get into bios and find the option to show you the boot screen.

 

[Koushik11]

I did try that but using a wireless keyboard with no response. So I suppose wireless keyboards don't work in the BIOS?

 

[TerryLaze]

Yeah, even if you put in the dongle, a pentium 4 system would probably not pick it up outside of windows.

 

[DSzymborski]

Using a modern wireless USB keyboard in a nearly 20-year-old PC that's having issues is just asking for trouble. Either use a wired USB keyboard or, if that still doesn't work, dig up an old keyboard with a PS/2 connector.

 

[dorsai]

Two things you'll need:
1 - a new BIOS battery
2 - a ps/2 keyboard

 

[Koushik11]

Thanks for the replies! I'll try to get into the BIOS with a wired keyboard.

 

[Pimpom]

Even a wired USB keyboard will probably not work with a motherboard from that era. A PS/2 keyboard is really the only option that's certain to work.

 

[Koushik11]

Even a wired USB keyboard will probably not work with a motherboard from that era. A PS/2 keyboard is really the only option that's certain to work.

I found in the user manual of my motherboard online that a USB keyboard will be supported inside the BIOS. I'll try that and update if it works once I get a wired keyboard.

https://www.intel.com/content/dam/s...boards/845/D845GLVA/D845GLVA_TechProdSpec.pdf (Page 75)

 

[OrlyP]

If it has a USB port, any standard wired USB keyboard will work. If it doesn’t, there may be issues elsewhere on the board and it’s freezing at the BIOS splash screen.

 

[Pimpom]

I found in the user manual of my motherboard online that a USB keyboard will be supported inside the BIOS. I'll try that and update if it works once I get a wired keyboard.

https://www.intel.com/content/dam/s...boards/845/D845GLVA/D845GLVA_TechProdSpec.pdf (Page 75)

Great. Many motherboards from that era didn't support USB keyboards and mice until the OS was loaded. Maybe legacy mode was not enabled by default in the BIOS, I don't remember.

This created a Catch-22 situation and made many experienced builders want to tear out their hair. I always kept a PS/2 kb & mouse handy. In fact, I still have a working Logitech PS/2 keyboard with me.

 

[Koushik11]

So I know it's been a while but when I tried a USB keyboard and PS/2 Keyboard, I couldn't get into the BIOS. Does that mean my motherboard is dead? If so, it shouldn't turn on, right? But I still get the same Intel Desktop Boards screen which I have attached in the first message which seems glitched at the bottom. Can anybody please tell me if it's because of a corrupted BIOS? I need to recover the data from my HDD but it's an IDE drive, not SATA and I couldn't find any IDE to USB convertors at a cheaper price. Also, I don't remember if it had a dedicated GPU or not but according to the motherboard's manual, it should have intel extreme graphics. Maybe that's why it doesn't POST?