Wasted most of the day troubleshooting a suspected hardware malfunction on the PC, one of my worst nightmares. It all started when the PC refused to budge during the Power On Self Test (POST) boot, even after many resets/restarts, remaining static on the Checking NVRAM process which prevented me from even accessing the BIOS setup option. Dang! Fortunately I was still able to access the net (all hail the great Internet), using the other machine of course, to search for possible DIY solutions.
Error: Booting stuck at Checking NVRAM process
NVRAM stands for Non-Volatile Random Access Memory which continually store information, normally the BIOS settings and stuff, even then the power has been turned off.
Possible cause of error:
This one, quite susah to identify I tell you. Few of the common known causes includes battery on motherboard running out of juice, hardware changes, hardware incompatibility, hardware malfunction, etc. Since you have no idea what the actual cause would be, the only way is to find out through trial and error.
In my case, I had to try all listed below, except #1 before finally being able to identify the possible root cause, its either a hardware malfunction or a sudden stroke of incompatibility which up until now, I am unable to conclude. Nevertheless, I have achieved the main objective which is to get the PC running again, yay?
Just as a reference, possible solutions are as follow, depending on the cause of error, of course:
1. The NO-FRILLS solution
WHY - You either have no idea on what to do or you are just lazy.
Send your PC to the nearest technician/repairman directly and leave them with your headaches. After a round of shopping, food and perhaps some karaoke plus a few phone calls later, you'll be returning home with an up and running PC. Much like car mechanics, the cost would be totally dependant on how good that guy is and how well you know him/her, hehe. I was on the verge of doing so before my stinginess took over the decision making skill segment of my brain, subconsciously.
2. The battery no juice solution
WHY - Unable to access the retained CMOS configurations, possibly
Change the battery on your motherboard loh, its those 3.5V lithium based coin-like object, only much thicker. Take note that the battery swap should happen fairly quickly else your BIOS settings might get resetted, similar to solution #3. Unless you know how to re-configure them, do it real fast.
3. The clear your CMOS solution
WHY - Settings corrupted or unable to read the new plug and play devices
There are 2 ways to do so, one is to remove the battery (remember to power off and unplug the power cord first) for more than 30 seconds and the other being slightly more complicated, which is todo a hard reset using the jumper. First and foremost, power off your PC and unplug the power cord then locate the 3-pin jumper normally located near the battery. Remove the jumper from the default position (usually connecting the 1st and 2nd pin) then connect it to the 2nd and 3rd pin. Wait for a minute or two before returning the jumper to its default location.
Power On your PC, the earliest indication of the reset would the the processor speed running at a much lower configuration.
4. The check your hardwares solution
WHY - The boot is not proceeding due to issues with new or existing hardware
Strip your PC to the bare minimum, just leaving the processor, one stick of RAM and the video card (if your motherboard comes with integrated display capabilities, better still, used that one). If the booting goes through, congratulations, it seems that one of the hardwares removed is causing the Checking NVRAM issue. Now all you have to do it reattach the hardwares one after another and do a boot sequence each time. Sure it takes time but at least its solve-able unless its the HDD.
Else, I pray that you have additional video card or RAM standby, chances are, either of these is the culprit. Worst still, I've read a case where a bent pin on the processor would likely to cause this error else well. In my case, it was the Video Card argh, of all things, it has to be one of the more expensive parts, WHY!!!
Sigh, not only that, after reassembling everything back in order, I found that one of the RAM is not functioning properly, leaving me with only 512MB. This one really a case of sudah jatuh ditimpa tangga, not forgetting to mention it has to happen when I am poorest. In actual fact, the PC has been acting up quite frequently in recent times and no loh, cannot afford another machine because her notebook also not yet finish paying off huhuhu *hates installment packages suddenly*
Error: Booting stuck at Checking NVRAM process
NVRAM stands for Non-Volatile Random Access Memory which continually store information, normally the BIOS settings and stuff, even then the power has been turned off.
Possible cause of error:
This one, quite susah to identify I tell you. Few of the common known causes includes battery on motherboard running out of juice, hardware changes, hardware incompatibility, hardware malfunction, etc. Since you have no idea what the actual cause would be, the only way is to find out through trial and error.
In my case, I had to try all listed below, except #1 before finally being able to identify the possible root cause, its either a hardware malfunction or a sudden stroke of incompatibility which up until now, I am unable to conclude. Nevertheless, I have achieved the main objective which is to get the PC running again, yay?
Just as a reference, possible solutions are as follow, depending on the cause of error, of course:
1. The NO-FRILLS solution
WHY - You either have no idea on what to do or you are just lazy.
Send your PC to the nearest technician/repairman directly and leave them with your headaches. After a round of shopping, food and perhaps some karaoke plus a few phone calls later, you'll be returning home with an up and running PC. Much like car mechanics, the cost would be totally dependant on how good that guy is and how well you know him/her, hehe. I was on the verge of doing so before my stinginess took over the decision making skill segment of my brain, subconsciously.
2. The battery no juice solution
WHY - Unable to access the retained CMOS configurations, possibly
Change the battery on your motherboard loh, its those 3.5V lithium based coin-like object, only much thicker. Take note that the battery swap should happen fairly quickly else your BIOS settings might get resetted, similar to solution #3. Unless you know how to re-configure them, do it real fast.
3. The clear your CMOS solution
WHY - Settings corrupted or unable to read the new plug and play devices
There are 2 ways to do so, one is to remove the battery (remember to power off and unplug the power cord first) for more than 30 seconds and the other being slightly more complicated, which is todo a hard reset using the jumper. First and foremost, power off your PC and unplug the power cord then locate the 3-pin jumper normally located near the battery. Remove the jumper from the default position (usually connecting the 1st and 2nd pin) then connect it to the 2nd and 3rd pin. Wait for a minute or two before returning the jumper to its default location.
Power On your PC, the earliest indication of the reset would the the processor speed running at a much lower configuration.
4. The check your hardwares solution
WHY - The boot is not proceeding due to issues with new or existing hardware
Strip your PC to the bare minimum, just leaving the processor, one stick of RAM and the video card (if your motherboard comes with integrated display capabilities, better still, used that one). If the booting goes through, congratulations, it seems that one of the hardwares removed is causing the Checking NVRAM issue. Now all you have to do it reattach the hardwares one after another and do a boot sequence each time. Sure it takes time but at least its solve-able unless its the HDD.
Else, I pray that you have additional video card or RAM standby, chances are, either of these is the culprit. Worst still, I've read a case where a bent pin on the processor would likely to cause this error else well. In my case, it was the Video Card argh, of all things, it has to be one of the more expensive parts, WHY!!!
Sigh, not only that, after reassembling everything back in order, I found that one of the RAM is not functioning properly, leaving me with only 512MB. This one really a case of sudah jatuh ditimpa tangga, not forgetting to mention it has to happen when I am poorest. In actual fact, the PC has been acting up quite frequently in recent times and no loh, cannot afford another machine because her notebook also not yet finish paying off huhuhu *hates installment packages suddenly*
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