The decision tree on p.97-98 recapitualted pretty
much what I had already done on my own.
I disconnected the SATA cable from the mb
and set the BIOS (I already had) to Load Fail-Safe
default. Then reinstall SATA hd. Again after mb
splash screen there is nothing but a cursor and
small image of N on the monitor. The video is
onboard of the mb and it shows me the splash
screen and the BIOS interface normally.

Without a harddrive installed, is it normal for the
computer to show nothing on the screen, like
for example No Boot Device found? Even with
a bad harddrive, shouldnt the screen report something
after bootup?

The decision tree at this point reads "The IDE/SATA
device, connector or cable might fail."  The cable
is okay, the connector is a mb issue so apparently
it is a bad hd. Or is it?

What do you think?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Michael Eisenstadt
Austin Texas





----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2010 10:44 AM
Subject: Re: [PCBUILD] hard drive failure?


There's no particular reason at this point to think it's the HD. The
single beep indicates a successful boot, so you probably need to look
elsewhere.
I'd start by Setting the CMOS to defaults, then use the decision tree in
the manual(p. 97)
http://download.gigabyte.us/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_ga-ma790gpt-ud3h_e.pdf


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [PCBUILD] hard drive failure?
From: Michael Eisenstadt <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sun, May 30, 2010 5:38 am
To: [log in to unmask]

Thank you for writing.

The HD is recognized in the BIOS. I set the
bootup sequence to CD and tried the WinXP install
disk. Same symptom: the motherboard splash
screen displays and then a blank screen with
a cursor at left top and a small image of the letter
N. without any system information scrolling by.

I removed and reseated the RAM memory
which did not solve the issue. On startup the
beep code is a single beep. Also on startup
there are a series of 3 or 4 clicks audible.
With a screwdriver stethoscope I can hear
the hd motor running.

There were no indications prior to the failure;
the computer was working normally the
previous day.

I welcome any suggestions.

Michael Eisenstadt
Austin Texas

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