The Gateway GT5238E Saga Continues!

[Ant_Teh_Nee]

Welcome back to the GATEWAY SAGA (My new name for this situation)!
-
(Pulled from http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3342303/gateway-gt5238e-problems-upgrade.html)

"Okay, there is going to be a lot of stuff here, but I wanted to compile it into one post. I am having multiple difficulties with upgrading my Gateway GT5238E computer, but every step I take seems to have a roadblock.

General Information/Background:
This computer was once my friend's machine until it was ravaged by viruses that appeared to be duplicating themselves. Deleting one, what seemed to be a "time bomb" was set off. Things started crashing and everything slowed to a halt, and so we shut it down, never to be turned on again. Until now!

Specs & Links:
Sound it makes when turning on, but no boot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urTm7-k4YHk

CPU:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300 (dual core) 64-bit processor

RAM:
Installed: 1024 MB DDR2 (PC4200), 533 MHz memory (two 512 MB modules)
Expandable to: 8 GB (4 memory slots)

GPU:
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000
Up to 224 MB DDR shared video memory

PSU:
300W Supply (Exact is 295W) Note: CAN FIT FULL ATX PSUs

Expansion Slots:
One PCI Express ×16
One PCI Express ×1
Two PCI Conventional

Drive Bays:
Two external 3.5-inch
Two external 5.25-inch
Two internal 3.5-inch

SATA II HHD/SSD CAPABLE

...

Problems/Questions:
- Computer Turns on, fans run, but Windows doesn't boot and the computer isn't detected by my monitor (HP 22cwa monitor) READ: Is it an issue with RAM or my monitor?
- RAM appears to be finicky (Doesn't like to seat properly)
- Hard Drive makes no noise (I'm assuming because it wouldn't boot into Windows)
- Little information about drivers/BIOS Updates/etc for it
- How can I format the drive if I can't boot it up? (Can I even format it?)

...

Hardware Upgrades & Questions About it:
- Not sure if it's capable of Low-Density or High-Density DDR2-533-4200u RAM
- Not sure if it's capable of a Core 2 Quad 6600 with's it's BIOS version (not sure which version)
- What graphics cards can this thing handle? Anything, or is it up to a certain date/model/version?
- Can my PSU handle it? (300W PSU)

Well, that's just about everything I can offer up! Any help with this whole thing is appreciated!"


Okay, so now that that's cleared up, I'd like to mention this.
I'm more interested now in getting this thing to work then upgrading it.

- Now, I've finally got it to boot (yay!) but it throws a 0x7b STOP error.
- Managed my way [strike]Spammed F2[/strike] into the BIOS, and I'm looking to see if everything's okay. I check my Hard Drive Settings, and what do i see?
- EVERYTHING IS EMPTY. No Hard Drive is detected!
- When testing my RAM separately, I heard a whine from the system. Turned it off ASAP. Probably the shoddy PSU.


Things I've done so far:
- Re-seat RAM
- Tried RAM separate
- Ram does not work separately (for some reason)
- Messed and res-seated some cabling

Other Notes:
- CMOS is working, the date showed up correctly, even after 4 years.
- CPU is working, and it is detected by the BIOS properly.
- There is no dedicated GPU in this system.
- The Hard Drive was pulled from a functional system, which I no longer own.
- Windows does try to boot, but produces the 0x7b stop error.
- I do have a spare PSU.
- I have a spare Pentium D CPU.
- I have spare DDR2-533 4200U RAM Sticks.

Thank you all in advance for the assistance I have been provided with so far. Any and all further help is appreciated! I will be tagging photos with more detail of the problem soon (below).

 

[Ant_Teh_Nee]

http://imgur.com/a/ya9lO

 

[Ant_Teh_Nee]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AgakrDqNTc Video of it being completely broken

 

[jaslion]

Welcome back to the GATEWAY SAGA (My new name for this situation)!
-
(Pulled from http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3342303/gateway-gt5238e-problems-upgrade.html)

"Okay, there is going to be a lot of stuff here, but I wanted to compile it into one post. I am having multiple difficulties with upgrading my Gateway GT5238E computer, but every step I take seems to have a roadblock.

General Information/Background:
This computer was once my friend's machine until it was ravaged by viruses that appeared to be duplicating themselves. Deleting one, what seemed to be a "time bomb" was set off. Things started crashing and everything slowed to a halt, and so we shut it down, never to be turned on again. Until now!

Specs & Links:
Sound it makes when turning on, but no boot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urTm7-k4YHk

CPU:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300 (dual core) 64-bit processor

RAM:
Installed: 1024 MB DDR2 (PC4200), 533 MHz memory (two 512 MB modules)
Expandable to: 8 GB (4 memory slots)

GPU:
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000
Up to 224 MB DDR shared video memory

PSU:
300W Supply (Exact is 295W) Note: CAN FIT FULL ATX PSUs

Expansion Slots:
One PCI Express ×16
One PCI Express ×1
Two PCI Conventional

Drive Bays:
Two external 3.5-inch
Two external 5.25-inch
Two internal 3.5-inch

SATA II HHD/SSD CAPABLE

...

Problems/Questions:
- Computer Turns on, fans run, but Windows doesn't boot and the computer isn't detected by my monitor (HP 22cwa monitor) READ: Is it an issue with RAM or my monitor?
- RAM appears to be finicky (Doesn't like to seat properly)
- Hard Drive makes no noise (I'm assuming because it wouldn't boot into Windows)
- Little information about drivers/BIOS Updates/etc for it
- How can I format the drive if I can't boot it up? (Can I even format it?)

...

Hardware Upgrades & Questions About it:
- Not sure if it's capable of Low-Density or High-Density DDR2-533-4200u RAM
- Not sure if it's capable of a Core 2 Quad 6600 with's it's BIOS version (not sure which version)
- What graphics cards can this thing handle? Anything, or is it up to a certain date/model/version?
- Can my PSU handle it? (300W PSU)

Well, that's just about everything I can offer up! Any help with this whole thing is appreciated!"


Okay, so now that that's cleared up, I'd like to mention this.
I'm more interested now in getting this thing to work then upgrading it.

- Now, I've finally got it to boot (yay!) but it throws a 0x7b STOP error.
- Managed my way [strike]Spammed F2[/strike] into the BIOS, and I'm looking to see if everything's okay. I check my Hard Drive Settings, and what do i see?
- EVERYTHING IS EMPTY. No Hard Drive is detected!
- When testing my RAM separately, I heard a whine from the system. Turned it off ASAP. Probably the shoddy PSU.


Things I've done so far:
- Re-seat RAM
- Tried RAM separate
- Ram does not work separately (for some reason)
- Messed and res-seated some cabling

Other Notes:
- CMOS is working, the date showed up correctly, even after 4 years.
- CPU is working, and it is detected by the BIOS properly.
- There is no dedicated GPU in this system.
- The Hard Drive was pulled from a functional system, which I no longer own.
- Windows does try to boot, but produces the 0x7b stop error.
- I do have a spare PSU.
- I have a spare Pentium D CPU.
- I have spare DDR2-533 4200U RAM Sticks.

Thank you all in advance for the assistance I have been provided with so far. Any and all further help is appreciated! I will be tagging photos with more detail of the problem soon (below).

Ok so that hdd is dead. That motherboard seems to be failing and the ram is already on it's way out. Best to just chuck it and buy something new or a replacement used pc for 100$ that is better.

 

[Ant_Teh_Nee]

Welcome back to the GATEWAY SAGA (My new name for this situation)!
-
(Pulled from http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3342303/gateway-gt5238e-problems-upgrade.html)

"Okay, there is going to be a lot of stuff here, but I wanted to compile it into one post. I am having multiple difficulties with upgrading my Gateway GT5238E computer, but every step I take seems to have a roadblock.

General Information/Background:
This computer was once my friend's machine until it was ravaged by viruses that appeared to be duplicating themselves. Deleting one, what seemed to be a "time bomb" was set off. Things started crashing and everything slowed to a halt, and so we shut it down, never to be turned on again. Until now!

Specs & Links:
Sound it makes when turning on, but no boot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urTm7-k4YHk

CPU:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300 (dual core) 64-bit processor

RAM:
Installed: 1024 MB DDR2 (PC4200), 533 MHz memory (two 512 MB modules)
Expandable to: 8 GB (4 memory slots)

GPU:
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000
Up to 224 MB DDR shared video memory

PSU:
300W Supply (Exact is 295W) Note: CAN FIT FULL ATX PSUs

Expansion Slots:
One PCI Express ×16
One PCI Express ×1
Two PCI Conventional

Drive Bays:
Two external 3.5-inch
Two external 5.25-inch
Two internal 3.5-inch

SATA II HHD/SSD CAPABLE

...

Problems/Questions:
- Computer Turns on, fans run, but Windows doesn't boot and the computer isn't detected by my monitor (HP 22cwa monitor) READ: Is it an issue with RAM or my monitor?
- RAM appears to be finicky (Doesn't like to seat properly)
- Hard Drive makes no noise (I'm assuming because it wouldn't boot into Windows)
- Little information about drivers/BIOS Updates/etc for it
- How can I format the drive if I can't boot it up? (Can I even format it?)

...

Hardware Upgrades & Questions About it:
- Not sure if it's capable of Low-Density or High-Density DDR2-533-4200u RAM
- Not sure if it's capable of a Core 2 Quad 6600 with's it's BIOS version (not sure which version)
- What graphics cards can this thing handle? Anything, or is it up to a certain date/model/version?
- Can my PSU handle it? (300W PSU)

Well, that's just about everything I can offer up! Any help with this whole thing is appreciated!"


Okay, so now that that's cleared up, I'd like to mention this.
I'm more interested now in getting this thing to work then upgrading it.

- Now, I've finally got it to boot (yay!) but it throws a 0x7b STOP error.
- Managed my way [strike]Spammed F2[/strike] into the BIOS, and I'm looking to see if everything's okay. I check my Hard Drive Settings, and what do i see?
- EVERYTHING IS EMPTY. No Hard Drive is detected!
- When testing my RAM separately, I heard a whine from the system. Turned it off ASAP. Probably the shoddy PSU.


Things I've done so far:
- Re-seat RAM
- Tried RAM separate
- Ram does not work separately (for some reason)
- Messed and res-seated some cabling

Other Notes:
- CMOS is working, the date showed up correctly, even after 4 years.
- CPU is working, and it is detected by the BIOS properly.
- There is no dedicated GPU in this system.
- The Hard Drive was pulled from a functional system, which I no longer own.
- Windows does try to boot, but produces the 0x7b stop error.
- I do have a spare PSU.
- I have a spare Pentium D CPU.
- I have spare DDR2-533 4200U RAM Sticks.

Thank you all in advance for the assistance I have been provided with so far. Any and all further help is appreciated! I will be tagging photos with more detail of the problem soon (below).

Ok so that hdd is dead. That motherboard seems to be failing and the ram is already on it's way out. Best to just chuck it and buy something new or a replacement used pc for 100$ that is better.

Okay, so I was expecting that kind of response. This has become more of a time waster project then actually trying to get some use out of it.

How would the motherboard be dying? It's working properly...
The RAM is fine, I did some research and turns out the motherboard doesn't cope well with Single channel.
It seems the HHD is dead, but can I at least get an explanation as to why? It was pulled from a working machine, after all.

 

[jaslion]

Welcome back to the GATEWAY SAGA (My new name for this situation)!
-
(Pulled from http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3342303/gateway-gt5238e-problems-upgrade.html)

"Okay, there is going to be a lot of stuff here, but I wanted to compile it into one post. I am having multiple difficulties with upgrading my Gateway GT5238E computer, but every step I take seems to have a roadblock.

General Information/Background:
This computer was once my friend's machine until it was ravaged by viruses that appeared to be duplicating themselves. Deleting one, what seemed to be a "time bomb" was set off. Things started crashing and everything slowed to a halt, and so we shut it down, never to be turned on again. Until now!

Specs & Links:
Sound it makes when turning on, but no boot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urTm7-k4YHk

CPU:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300 (dual core) 64-bit processor

RAM:
Installed: 1024 MB DDR2 (PC4200), 533 MHz memory (two 512 MB modules)
Expandable to: 8 GB (4 memory slots)

GPU:
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000
Up to 224 MB DDR shared video memory

PSU:
300W Supply (Exact is 295W) Note: CAN FIT FULL ATX PSUs

Expansion Slots:
One PCI Express ×16
One PCI Express ×1
Two PCI Conventional

Drive Bays:
Two external 3.5-inch
Two external 5.25-inch
Two internal 3.5-inch

SATA II HHD/SSD CAPABLE

...

Problems/Questions:
- Computer Turns on, fans run, but Windows doesn't boot and the computer isn't detected by my monitor (HP 22cwa monitor) READ: Is it an issue with RAM or my monitor?
- RAM appears to be finicky (Doesn't like to seat properly)
- Hard Drive makes no noise (I'm assuming because it wouldn't boot into Windows)
- Little information about drivers/BIOS Updates/etc for it
- How can I format the drive if I can't boot it up? (Can I even format it?)

...

Hardware Upgrades & Questions About it:
- Not sure if it's capable of Low-Density or High-Density DDR2-533-4200u RAM
- Not sure if it's capable of a Core 2 Quad 6600 with's it's BIOS version (not sure which version)
- What graphics cards can this thing handle? Anything, or is it up to a certain date/model/version?
- Can my PSU handle it? (300W PSU)

Well, that's just about everything I can offer up! Any help with this whole thing is appreciated!"


Okay, so now that that's cleared up, I'd like to mention this.
I'm more interested now in getting this thing to work then upgrading it.

- Now, I've finally got it to boot (yay!) but it throws a 0x7b STOP error.
- Managed my way [strike]Spammed F2[/strike] into the BIOS, and I'm looking to see if everything's okay. I check my Hard Drive Settings, and what do i see?
- EVERYTHING IS EMPTY. No Hard Drive is detected!
- When testing my RAM separately, I heard a whine from the system. Turned it off ASAP. Probably the shoddy PSU.


Things I've done so far:
- Re-seat RAM
- Tried RAM separate
- Ram does not work separately (for some reason)
- Messed and res-seated some cabling

Other Notes:
- CMOS is working, the date showed up correctly, even after 4 years.
- CPU is working, and it is detected by the BIOS properly.
- There is no dedicated GPU in this system.
- The Hard Drive was pulled from a functional system, which I no longer own.
- Windows does try to boot, but produces the 0x7b stop error.
- I do have a spare PSU.
- I have a spare Pentium D CPU.
- I have spare DDR2-533 4200U RAM Sticks.

Thank you all in advance for the assistance I have been provided with so far. Any and all further help is appreciated! I will be tagging photos with more detail of the problem soon (below).

Ok so that hdd is dead. That motherboard seems to be failing and the ram is already on it's way out. Best to just chuck it and buy something new or a replacement used pc for 100$ that is better.

Okay, so I was expecting that kind of response. This has become more of a time waster project then actually trying to get some use out of it.

How would the motherboard be dying? It's working properly...
The RAM is fine, I did some research and turns out the motherboard doesn't cope well with Single channel.
It seems the HHD is dead, but can I at least get an explanation as to why? It was pulled from a working machine, after all.

If an hdd isn't spinning up from a working power and data connection then it means something is wrong (this is why I assume it is dead). Gateways from that era tend to have capacitor problems on the monitor. Look for any bulging capacitors as these will give issues and eventually break (also why single channel has problems according to google). Unless you can run memtest 86 on the sticks there is no knowing if these sticks are dying or not.

 

[Ant_Teh_Nee]

Welcome back to the GATEWAY SAGA (My new name for this situation)!
-
(Pulled from http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3342303/gateway-gt5238e-problems-upgrade.html)

"Okay, there is going to be a lot of stuff here, but I wanted to compile it into one post. I am having multiple difficulties with upgrading my Gateway GT5238E computer, but every step I take seems to have a roadblock.

General Information/Background:
This computer was once my friend's machine until it was ravaged by viruses that appeared to be duplicating themselves. Deleting one, what seemed to be a "time bomb" was set off. Things started crashing and everything slowed to a halt, and so we shut it down, never to be turned on again. Until now!

Specs & Links:
Sound it makes when turning on, but no boot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urTm7-k4YHk

CPU:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300 (dual core) 64-bit processor

RAM:
Installed: 1024 MB DDR2 (PC4200), 533 MHz memory (two 512 MB modules)
Expandable to: 8 GB (4 memory slots)

GPU:
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000
Up to 224 MB DDR shared video memory

PSU:
300W Supply (Exact is 295W) Note: CAN FIT FULL ATX PSUs

Expansion Slots:
One PCI Express ×16
One PCI Express ×1
Two PCI Conventional

Drive Bays:
Two external 3.5-inch
Two external 5.25-inch
Two internal 3.5-inch

SATA II HHD/SSD CAPABLE

...

Problems/Questions:
- Computer Turns on, fans run, but Windows doesn't boot and the computer isn't detected by my monitor (HP 22cwa monitor) READ: Is it an issue with RAM or my monitor?
- RAM appears to be finicky (Doesn't like to seat properly)
- Hard Drive makes no noise (I'm assuming because it wouldn't boot into Windows)
- Little information about drivers/BIOS Updates/etc for it
- How can I format the drive if I can't boot it up? (Can I even format it?)

...

Hardware Upgrades & Questions About it:
- Not sure if it's capable of Low-Density or High-Density DDR2-533-4200u RAM
- Not sure if it's capable of a Core 2 Quad 6600 with's it's BIOS version (not sure which version)
- What graphics cards can this thing handle? Anything, or is it up to a certain date/model/version?
- Can my PSU handle it? (300W PSU)

Well, that's just about everything I can offer up! Any help with this whole thing is appreciated!"


Okay, so now that that's cleared up, I'd like to mention this.
I'm more interested now in getting this thing to work then upgrading it.

- Now, I've finally got it to boot (yay!) but it throws a 0x7b STOP error.
- Managed my way [strike]Spammed F2[/strike] into the BIOS, and I'm looking to see if everything's okay. I check my Hard Drive Settings, and what do i see?
- EVERYTHING IS EMPTY. No Hard Drive is detected!
- When testing my RAM separately, I heard a whine from the system. Turned it off ASAP. Probably the shoddy PSU.


Things I've done so far:
- Re-seat RAM
- Tried RAM separate
- Ram does not work separately (for some reason)
- Messed and res-seated some cabling

Other Notes:
- CMOS is working, the date showed up correctly, even after 4 years.
- CPU is working, and it is detected by the BIOS properly.
- There is no dedicated GPU in this system.
- The Hard Drive was pulled from a functional system, which I no longer own.
- Windows does try to boot, but produces the 0x7b stop error.
- I do have a spare PSU.
- I have a spare Pentium D CPU.
- I have spare DDR2-533 4200U RAM Sticks.

Thank you all in advance for the assistance I have been provided with so far. Any and all further help is appreciated! I will be tagging photos with more detail of the problem soon (below).

Ok so that hdd is dead. That motherboard seems to be failing and the ram is already on it's way out. Best to just chuck it and buy something new or a replacement used pc for 100$ that is better.

Okay, so I was expecting that kind of response. This has become more of a time waster project then actually trying to get some use out of it.

How would the motherboard be dying? It's working properly...
The RAM is fine, I did some research and turns out the motherboard doesn't cope well with Single channel.
It seems the HHD is dead, but can I at least get an explanation as to why? It was pulled from a working machine, after all.

If an hdd isn't spinning up from a working power and data connection then it means something is wrong (this is why I assume it is dead). Gateways from that era tend to have capacitor problems on the monitor. Look for any bulging capacitors as these will give issues and eventually break (also why single channel has problems according to google). Unless you can run memtest 86 on the sticks there is no knowing if these sticks are dying or not.

That's the odd thing! The Hard Drive now does spin up! I checked for bad capacitors earlier and there are none.

"Gateways from that era tend to have capacitor problems on the monitor."
The monitor? Why, I was testing with a Dell monitor, not the original monitor included with it, if that's what you were referencing...

 

[jaslion]

Welcome back to the GATEWAY SAGA (My new name for this situation)!
-
(Pulled from http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3342303/gateway-gt5238e-problems-upgrade.html)

"Okay, there is going to be a lot of stuff here, but I wanted to compile it into one post. I am having multiple difficulties with upgrading my Gateway GT5238E computer, but every step I take seems to have a roadblock.

General Information/Background:
This computer was once my friend's machine until it was ravaged by viruses that appeared to be duplicating themselves. Deleting one, what seemed to be a "time bomb" was set off. Things started crashing and everything slowed to a halt, and so we shut it down, never to be turned on again. Until now!

Specs & Links:
Sound it makes when turning on, but no boot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urTm7-k4YHk

CPU:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300 (dual core) 64-bit processor

RAM:
Installed: 1024 MB DDR2 (PC4200), 533 MHz memory (two 512 MB modules)
Expandable to: 8 GB (4 memory slots)

GPU:
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000
Up to 224 MB DDR shared video memory

PSU:
300W Supply (Exact is 295W) Note: CAN FIT FULL ATX PSUs

Expansion Slots:
One PCI Express ×16
One PCI Express ×1
Two PCI Conventional

Drive Bays:
Two external 3.5-inch
Two external 5.25-inch
Two internal 3.5-inch

SATA II HHD/SSD CAPABLE

...

Problems/Questions:
- Computer Turns on, fans run, but Windows doesn't boot and the computer isn't detected by my monitor (HP 22cwa monitor) READ: Is it an issue with RAM or my monitor?
- RAM appears to be finicky (Doesn't like to seat properly)
- Hard Drive makes no noise (I'm assuming because it wouldn't boot into Windows)
- Little information about drivers/BIOS Updates/etc for it
- How can I format the drive if I can't boot it up? (Can I even format it?)

...

Hardware Upgrades & Questions About it:
- Not sure if it's capable of Low-Density or High-Density DDR2-533-4200u RAM
- Not sure if it's capable of a Core 2 Quad 6600 with's it's BIOS version (not sure which version)
- What graphics cards can this thing handle? Anything, or is it up to a certain date/model/version?
- Can my PSU handle it? (300W PSU)

Well, that's just about everything I can offer up! Any help with this whole thing is appreciated!"


Okay, so now that that's cleared up, I'd like to mention this.
I'm more interested now in getting this thing to work then upgrading it.

- Now, I've finally got it to boot (yay!) but it throws a 0x7b STOP error.
- Managed my way [strike]Spammed F2[/strike] into the BIOS, and I'm looking to see if everything's okay. I check my Hard Drive Settings, and what do i see?
- EVERYTHING IS EMPTY. No Hard Drive is detected!
- When testing my RAM separately, I heard a whine from the system. Turned it off ASAP. Probably the shoddy PSU.


Things I've done so far:
- Re-seat RAM
- Tried RAM separate
- Ram does not work separately (for some reason)
- Messed and res-seated some cabling

Other Notes:
- CMOS is working, the date showed up correctly, even after 4 years.
- CPU is working, and it is detected by the BIOS properly.
- There is no dedicated GPU in this system.
- The Hard Drive was pulled from a functional system, which I no longer own.
- Windows does try to boot, but produces the 0x7b stop error.
- I do have a spare PSU.
- I have a spare Pentium D CPU.
- I have spare DDR2-533 4200U RAM Sticks.

Thank you all in advance for the assistance I have been provided with so far. Any and all further help is appreciated! I will be tagging photos with more detail of the problem soon (below).

Ok so that hdd is dead. That motherboard seems to be failing and the ram is already on it's way out. Best to just chuck it and buy something new or a replacement used pc for 100$ that is better.

Okay, so I was expecting that kind of response. This has become more of a time waster project then actually trying to get some use out of it.

How would the motherboard be dying? It's working properly...
The RAM is fine, I did some research and turns out the motherboard doesn't cope well with Single channel.
It seems the HHD is dead, but can I at least get an explanation as to why? It was pulled from a working machine, after all.

If an hdd isn't spinning up from a working power and data connection then it means something is wrong (this is why I assume it is dead). Gateways from that era tend to have capacitor problems on the monitor. Look for any bulging capacitors as these will give issues and eventually break (also why single channel has problems according to google). Unless you can run memtest 86 on the sticks there is no knowing if these sticks are dying or not.

That's the odd thing! The Hard Drive now does spin up! I checked for bad capacitors earlier and there are none.

"Gateways from that era tend to have capacitor problems on the monitor."
The monitor? Why, I was testing with a Dell monitor, not the original monitor included with it, if that's what you were referencing...

Oops I wanted to say motherboard no clue why I typed monitor. These are really really strange issues. Could also just be the psu giving out and not being able to power the system appropriately.

 

[Ant_Teh_Nee]

Welcome back to the GATEWAY SAGA (My new name for this situation)!
-
(Pulled from http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3342303/gateway-gt5238e-problems-upgrade.html)

"Okay, there is going to be a lot of stuff here, but I wanted to compile it into one post. I am having multiple difficulties with upgrading my Gateway GT5238E computer, but every step I take seems to have a roadblock.

General Information/Background:
This computer was once my friend's machine until it was ravaged by viruses that appeared to be duplicating themselves. Deleting one, what seemed to be a "time bomb" was set off. Things started crashing and everything slowed to a halt, and so we shut it down, never to be turned on again. Until now!

Specs & Links:
Sound it makes when turning on, but no boot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urTm7-k4YHk

CPU:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300 (dual core) 64-bit processor

RAM:
Installed: 1024 MB DDR2 (PC4200), 533 MHz memory (two 512 MB modules)
Expandable to: 8 GB (4 memory slots)

GPU:
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000
Up to 224 MB DDR shared video memory

PSU:
300W Supply (Exact is 295W) Note: CAN FIT FULL ATX PSUs

Expansion Slots:
One PCI Express ×16
One PCI Express ×1
Two PCI Conventional

Drive Bays:
Two external 3.5-inch
Two external 5.25-inch
Two internal 3.5-inch

SATA II HHD/SSD CAPABLE

...

Problems/Questions:
- Computer Turns on, fans run, but Windows doesn't boot and the computer isn't detected by my monitor (HP 22cwa monitor) READ: Is it an issue with RAM or my monitor?
- RAM appears to be finicky (Doesn't like to seat properly)
- Hard Drive makes no noise (I'm assuming because it wouldn't boot into Windows)
- Little information about drivers/BIOS Updates/etc for it
- How can I format the drive if I can't boot it up? (Can I even format it?)

...

Hardware Upgrades & Questions About it:
- Not sure if it's capable of Low-Density or High-Density DDR2-533-4200u RAM
- Not sure if it's capable of a Core 2 Quad 6600 with's it's BIOS version (not sure which version)
- What graphics cards can this thing handle? Anything, or is it up to a certain date/model/version?
- Can my PSU handle it? (300W PSU)

Well, that's just about everything I can offer up! Any help with this whole thing is appreciated!"


Okay, so now that that's cleared up, I'd like to mention this.
I'm more interested now in getting this thing to work then upgrading it.

- Now, I've finally got it to boot (yay!) but it throws a 0x7b STOP error.
- Managed my way [strike]Spammed F2[/strike] into the BIOS, and I'm looking to see if everything's okay. I check my Hard Drive Settings, and what do i see?
- EVERYTHING IS EMPTY. No Hard Drive is detected!
- When testing my RAM separately, I heard a whine from the system. Turned it off ASAP. Probably the shoddy PSU.


Things I've done so far:
- Re-seat RAM
- Tried RAM separate
- Ram does not work separately (for some reason)
- Messed and res-seated some cabling

Other Notes:
- CMOS is working, the date showed up correctly, even after 4 years.
- CPU is working, and it is detected by the BIOS properly.
- There is no dedicated GPU in this system.
- The Hard Drive was pulled from a functional system, which I no longer own.
- Windows does try to boot, but produces the 0x7b stop error.
- I do have a spare PSU.
- I have a spare Pentium D CPU.
- I have spare DDR2-533 4200U RAM Sticks.

Thank you all in advance for the assistance I have been provided with so far. Any and all further help is appreciated! I will be tagging photos with more detail of the problem soon (below).

Ok so that hdd is dead. That motherboard seems to be failing and the ram is already on it's way out. Best to just chuck it and buy something new or a replacement used pc for 100$ that is better.

Okay, so I was expecting that kind of response. This has become more of a time waster project then actually trying to get some use out of it.

How would the motherboard be dying? It's working properly...
The RAM is fine, I did some research and turns out the motherboard doesn't cope well with Single channel.
It seems the HHD is dead, but can I at least get an explanation as to why? It was pulled from a working machine, after all.

If an hdd isn't spinning up from a working power and data connection then it means something is wrong (this is why I assume it is dead). Gateways from that era tend to have capacitor problems on the monitor. Look for any bulging capacitors as these will give issues and eventually break (also why single channel has problems according to google). Unless you can run memtest 86 on the sticks there is no knowing if these sticks are dying or not.

That's the odd thing! The Hard Drive now does spin up! I checked for bad capacitors earlier and there are none.

"Gateways from that era tend to have capacitor problems on the monitor."
The monitor? Why, I was testing with a Dell monitor, not the original monitor included with it, if that's what you were referencing...

Oops I wanted to say motherboard no clue why I typed monitor. These are really really strange issues. Could also just be the psu giving out and not being able to power the system appropriately.

If that were it, that'd sound about right. First of all, I can swap out the hard drive, as I have a few spares lying around. I'll also mess with the power cables. Sometimes one of those ports won't get power properly, or so I've heard anyway.

Just a little strange that a powering, booting (barely because of viruses, which have since been cleaned) machine suddenly stops working after being plugged in again.

 

[jaslion]

Welcome back to the GATEWAY SAGA (My new name for this situation)!
-
(Pulled from http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3342303/gateway-gt5238e-problems-upgrade.html)

"Okay, there is going to be a lot of stuff here, but I wanted to compile it into one post. I am having multiple difficulties with upgrading my Gateway GT5238E computer, but every step I take seems to have a roadblock.

General Information/Background:
This computer was once my friend's machine until it was ravaged by viruses that appeared to be duplicating themselves. Deleting one, what seemed to be a "time bomb" was set off. Things started crashing and everything slowed to a halt, and so we shut it down, never to be turned on again. Until now!

Specs & Links:
Sound it makes when turning on, but no boot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urTm7-k4YHk

CPU:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300 (dual core) 64-bit processor

RAM:
Installed: 1024 MB DDR2 (PC4200), 533 MHz memory (two 512 MB modules)
Expandable to: 8 GB (4 memory slots)

GPU:
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000
Up to 224 MB DDR shared video memory

PSU:
300W Supply (Exact is 295W) Note: CAN FIT FULL ATX PSUs

Expansion Slots:
One PCI Express ×16
One PCI Express ×1
Two PCI Conventional

Drive Bays:
Two external 3.5-inch
Two external 5.25-inch
Two internal 3.5-inch

SATA II HHD/SSD CAPABLE

...

Problems/Questions:
- Computer Turns on, fans run, but Windows doesn't boot and the computer isn't detected by my monitor (HP 22cwa monitor) READ: Is it an issue with RAM or my monitor?
- RAM appears to be finicky (Doesn't like to seat properly)
- Hard Drive makes no noise (I'm assuming because it wouldn't boot into Windows)
- Little information about drivers/BIOS Updates/etc for it
- How can I format the drive if I can't boot it up? (Can I even format it?)

...

Hardware Upgrades & Questions About it:
- Not sure if it's capable of Low-Density or High-Density DDR2-533-4200u RAM
- Not sure if it's capable of a Core 2 Quad 6600 with's it's BIOS version (not sure which version)
- What graphics cards can this thing handle? Anything, or is it up to a certain date/model/version?
- Can my PSU handle it? (300W PSU)

Well, that's just about everything I can offer up! Any help with this whole thing is appreciated!"


Okay, so now that that's cleared up, I'd like to mention this.
I'm more interested now in getting this thing to work then upgrading it.

- Now, I've finally got it to boot (yay!) but it throws a 0x7b STOP error.
- Managed my way [strike]Spammed F2[/strike] into the BIOS, and I'm looking to see if everything's okay. I check my Hard Drive Settings, and what do i see?
- EVERYTHING IS EMPTY. No Hard Drive is detected!
- When testing my RAM separately, I heard a whine from the system. Turned it off ASAP. Probably the shoddy PSU.


Things I've done so far:
- Re-seat RAM
- Tried RAM separate
- Ram does not work separately (for some reason)
- Messed and res-seated some cabling

Other Notes:
- CMOS is working, the date showed up correctly, even after 4 years.
- CPU is working, and it is detected by the BIOS properly.
- There is no dedicated GPU in this system.
- The Hard Drive was pulled from a functional system, which I no longer own.
- Windows does try to boot, but produces the 0x7b stop error.
- I do have a spare PSU.
- I have a spare Pentium D CPU.
- I have spare DDR2-533 4200U RAM Sticks.

Thank you all in advance for the assistance I have been provided with so far. Any and all further help is appreciated! I will be tagging photos with more detail of the problem soon (below).

Ok so that hdd is dead. That motherboard seems to be failing and the ram is already on it's way out. Best to just chuck it and buy something new or a replacement used pc for 100$ that is better.

Okay, so I was expecting that kind of response. This has become more of a time waster project then actually trying to get some use out of it.

How would the motherboard be dying? It's working properly...
The RAM is fine, I did some research and turns out the motherboard doesn't cope well with Single channel.
It seems the HHD is dead, but can I at least get an explanation as to why? It was pulled from a working machine, after all.

If an hdd isn't spinning up from a working power and data connection then it means something is wrong (this is why I assume it is dead). Gateways from that era tend to have capacitor problems on the monitor. Look for any bulging capacitors as these will give issues and eventually break (also why single channel has problems according to google). Unless you can run memtest 86 on the sticks there is no knowing if these sticks are dying or not.

That's the odd thing! The Hard Drive now does spin up! I checked for bad capacitors earlier and there are none.

"Gateways from that era tend to have capacitor problems on the monitor."
The monitor? Why, I was testing with a Dell monitor, not the original monitor included with it, if that's what you were referencing...

Oops I wanted to say motherboard no clue why I typed monitor. These are really really strange issues. Could also just be the psu giving out and not being able to power the system appropriately.

If that were it, that'd sound about right. First of all, I can swap out the hard drive, as I have a few spares lying around. I'll also mess with the power cables. Sometimes one of those ports won't get power properly, or so I've heard anyway.

Just a little strange that a powering, booting (barely because of viruses, which have since been cleaned) machine suddenly stops working after being plugged in again.

Quite normal actually. A system that has been used a lot and suddenly just sits around doing nothing for a year + can fail when plugged into power again. This happens a lot with certain gateways because of the crap psu's they used in certain models.

 

[Ant_Teh_Nee]

Welcome back to the GATEWAY SAGA (My new name for this situation)!
-
(Pulled from http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3342303/gateway-gt5238e-problems-upgrade.html)

"Okay, there is going to be a lot of stuff here, but I wanted to compile it into one post. I am having multiple difficulties with upgrading my Gateway GT5238E computer, but every step I take seems to have a roadblock.

General Information/Background:
This computer was once my friend's machine until it was ravaged by viruses that appeared to be duplicating themselves. Deleting one, what seemed to be a "time bomb" was set off. Things started crashing and everything slowed to a halt, and so we shut it down, never to be turned on again. Until now!

Specs & Links:
Sound it makes when turning on, but no boot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urTm7-k4YHk

CPU:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300 (dual core) 64-bit processor

RAM:
Installed: 1024 MB DDR2 (PC4200), 533 MHz memory (two 512 MB modules)
Expandable to: 8 GB (4 memory slots)

GPU:
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000
Up to 224 MB DDR shared video memory

PSU:
300W Supply (Exact is 295W) Note: CAN FIT FULL ATX PSUs

Expansion Slots:
One PCI Express ×16
One PCI Express ×1
Two PCI Conventional

Drive Bays:
Two external 3.5-inch
Two external 5.25-inch
Two internal 3.5-inch

SATA II HHD/SSD CAPABLE

...

Problems/Questions:
- Computer Turns on, fans run, but Windows doesn't boot and the computer isn't detected by my monitor (HP 22cwa monitor) READ: Is it an issue with RAM or my monitor?
- RAM appears to be finicky (Doesn't like to seat properly)
- Hard Drive makes no noise (I'm assuming because it wouldn't boot into Windows)
- Little information about drivers/BIOS Updates/etc for it
- How can I format the drive if I can't boot it up? (Can I even format it?)

...

Hardware Upgrades & Questions About it:
- Not sure if it's capable of Low-Density or High-Density DDR2-533-4200u RAM
- Not sure if it's capable of a Core 2 Quad 6600 with's it's BIOS version (not sure which version)
- What graphics cards can this thing handle? Anything, or is it up to a certain date/model/version?
- Can my PSU handle it? (300W PSU)

Well, that's just about everything I can offer up! Any help with this whole thing is appreciated!"


Okay, so now that that's cleared up, I'd like to mention this.
I'm more interested now in getting this thing to work then upgrading it.

- Now, I've finally got it to boot (yay!) but it throws a 0x7b STOP error.
- Managed my way [strike]Spammed F2[/strike] into the BIOS, and I'm looking to see if everything's okay. I check my Hard Drive Settings, and what do i see?
- EVERYTHING IS EMPTY. No Hard Drive is detected!
- When testing my RAM separately, I heard a whine from the system. Turned it off ASAP. Probably the shoddy PSU.


Things I've done so far:
- Re-seat RAM
- Tried RAM separate
- Ram does not work separately (for some reason)
- Messed and res-seated some cabling

Other Notes:
- CMOS is working, the date showed up correctly, even after 4 years.
- CPU is working, and it is detected by the BIOS properly.
- There is no dedicated GPU in this system.
- The Hard Drive was pulled from a functional system, which I no longer own.
- Windows does try to boot, but produces the 0x7b stop error.
- I do have a spare PSU.
- I have a spare Pentium D CPU.
- I have spare DDR2-533 4200U RAM Sticks.

Thank you all in advance for the assistance I have been provided with so far. Any and all further help is appreciated! I will be tagging photos with more detail of the problem soon (below).

Ok so that hdd is dead. That motherboard seems to be failing and the ram is already on it's way out. Best to just chuck it and buy something new or a replacement used pc for 100$ that is better.

Okay, so I was expecting that kind of response. This has become more of a time waster project then actually trying to get some use out of it.

How would the motherboard be dying? It's working properly...
The RAM is fine, I did some research and turns out the motherboard doesn't cope well with Single channel.
It seems the HHD is dead, but can I at least get an explanation as to why? It was pulled from a working machine, after all.

If an hdd isn't spinning up from a working power and data connection then it means something is wrong (this is why I assume it is dead). Gateways from that era tend to have capacitor problems on the monitor. Look for any bulging capacitors as these will give issues and eventually break (also why single channel has problems according to google). Unless you can run memtest 86 on the sticks there is no knowing if these sticks are dying or not.

That's the odd thing! The Hard Drive now does spin up! I checked for bad capacitors earlier and there are none.

"Gateways from that era tend to have capacitor problems on the monitor."
The monitor? Why, I was testing with a Dell monitor, not the original monitor included with it, if that's what you were referencing...

Oops I wanted to say motherboard no clue why I typed monitor. These are really really strange issues. Could also just be the psu giving out and not being able to power the system appropriately.

If that were it, that'd sound about right. First of all, I can swap out the hard drive, as I have a few spares lying around. I'll also mess with the power cables. Sometimes one of those ports won't get power properly, or so I've heard anyway.

Just a little strange that a powering, booting (barely because of viruses, which have since been cleaned) machine suddenly stops working after being plugged in again.

Quite normal actually. A system that has been used a lot and suddenly just sits around doing nothing for a year + can fail when plugged into power again. This happens a lot with certain gateways because of the crap psu's they used in certain models.

Well this is an absolutely odd occasion today. Gave up on the old HHD and plugged in the old "Virused-up" Hard Drive and- it works. Literally just works suddenly when it didn't before. I guess that's the magic of an IBM/Hitachi Deskstar(Deathstar)