On 12 Aug 98 at 16:57, Jim Cook wrote:

> ....  You can hit the reset button or Ctrl-Alt-Delete when the
> message displays and the computer boots normaly.  This happens only
> during a cold boot.

  This is the normal signature of some sort of power-related problem.
Power demand in the system peaks when the hard drive(s) need a little
extra "oomph!" to overcome friction and start rotating -- so if
the power isn't available, the drive is not yet quite up to operating
speed when the BIOS wants to boot from it.  The peak demand during a
warm boot is somewhat lower -- enough to produce a "warm boot works,
cold boot doesn't" symptom in borderline cases.

  [Inexpensive proprietary boxes (and that's about the politest
description of Packard Bell I've ever heard...) often include a cost
savings by cutting the power supply wattage close to the bone.  This
generally only becomes a problem for customers who install upgrades
which happen to use more power.]

  If the owner has done something like upgrade to a bigger
hard-drive, my recommendation would be to mount that drive in a new
system, and re-install the original drive and pass the PB on to some
family member or tax-deductible charity.
  It MAY be possible to replace the PB power supply with some generic
supply that provides more power -- 200, 235, even 250 watts.  The
only trick there is that the PB case may not fit a standard/generic
supply.

David G