eMachines W3653, CPU upgraded, and won't boot

MrFlibble
MrFlibble Member Posts: 10

Tinkerer
in Legacy Desktops

In short, I put a Core 2 Duo in a W3653, and had problems. How do I stop the problems?


After checking what processors were compatible with a 945GCT-M3 motherboard, such as the computer has, I obtained what seemed the best available for it, a Conroe based Core 2 Duo.

Took out the Celeron, and put the Core 2 Duo in it. Leaving everything else as it was, I tried to boot. The screen was blank when I tried, and there were not even any beep codes. Even after resetting the CMOS, it was not doing much.

After fussing with it for a while I happened upon the combination of having only one memory module in it instead of two, and having an old video card in it, instead of using the integrated video. A screen came up, and there was beeping from the system speaker, and then a rattling sound, as it supposedly tried to read from a floppy drive that's not there.

The screen read:
Award BootBlock BIOS v1.0<br>Copyright (c) 2000, Award<br><br>BIOS ROM checksum error<br><br>Detecting floppy drive A media...<br>Drive A error. System halt<br>_<br>
Looking that up, this appears to be what comes up for recovering from BIOS corruption. The system still runs with the Celeron put back in place, though I would like to use the other chip.

What is the issue, and how do I fix it?

Best Answer

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,584 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓
    Yeah, your system supports the Allendale models, but not the faster Conroes. You max out with the 800MHz front side bus. You could likely use the E4xxx but not the E6xxx.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.

Answers

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,584 Trailblazer
    Which Conroe Core 2 Duo did you try? IIRC the 945GC chipset didn't support the higher bus speeds that some of the Conroes did. That might be the reason for the initial problem.
    What memory modules are you using? I believe the system supports up to 2GB DDR2 at 400, 533 or 667 MHz, depending on the CPU. If your CPU speed doesn't match the memory speed you could run into issues.
    The next issue is not unusual when you are first mucking around with this old of a PC (something like 15 years, right?). The CMOS battery had died and the stored CMOS data was just random corruption. Powering on then entering the BIOS and resetting to defaults fixes it... Until you power it off. :( You need a new CMOS battery before it will stay stable.
    Once you can save the to the CMOS again you can redo the BIOS settings to boot from the HDD by default and use the onboard video again. Take a close look at which Celeron was in it to help determine which Core 2 Duo you can install. This kind of thing is a great way to lean how systems work, but needless to say when all is said and done you won't have a screaming gaming machine. :)
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • MrFlibble
    MrFlibble Member Posts: 10

    Tinkerer
    The original chip is a 1.6GHz Celeron E1200. I got a 2.667 GHz Core 2 Duo E6700 to replace that. It runs on a 1066 MHz bus.

    The CMOS battery had been replaced already, the board reliably holds BIOS settings and time/date. However, resetting CMOS settings is supposed to be helpful when switching to a different type of CPU, so I also deliberately did so on another attempt, in case any existing settings were an issue.

    With the Celeron, I use two 2GB sticks of 800 MHz DDR, which the board runs at 667 MHz. The system ostensibly supports 2GB, but ~3.2GB is usable with 4GB installed.

    In case the memory was the crux of the problem, moments ago tried the E6700 with two 1GB sticks of 667MHz DDR instead. Same unappealing result. :(

    Wondering about something not tried yet, if it might be any help at all replacing the eMachines BIOS with a stock BIOS from the motherboard manufacturer? Is it worth a try?

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,584 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓
    Yeah, your system supports the Allendale models, but not the faster Conroes. You max out with the 800MHz front side bus. You could likely use the E4xxx but not the E6xxx.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • MrFlibble
    MrFlibble Member Posts: 10

    Tinkerer
    Minor update. Tried flashing the BIOS. Used the version on the ECS website. Copied the original to disk, and then flashed that version. No significant effect, other than CPU fan running full blast constantly. Other chip fails identically to before. Flashed again to revert to the eMachines version.
  • MrFlibble
    MrFlibble Member Posts: 10

    Tinkerer
    billsey said:
    Yeah, your system supports the Allendale models, but not the faster Conroes. You max out with the 800MHz front side bus. You could likely use the E4xxx but not the E6xxx.

    Oh, that's news to me. Thank you! May see if I can find one of those.
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,584 Trailblazer
    Let us know how it comes out.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • MrFlibble
    MrFlibble Member Posts: 10

    Tinkerer
    edited December 2021
    The Core 2 Duo E4700 finally came in the mail. After putting it in place of the Celeron E1200 the system recognizes it and boots up just fine. As you say, still not a screaming gaming machine, but it does seem a bit snappier now. Thanks for the help!
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,584 Trailblazer
    Good to know you got it working. Ever bit helps on these older machines, especially the bit where the user gets patient. :)
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.

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