Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Help with diagnosing this problem (Armada 1750)

This is topic Help with diagnosing this problem (Armada 1750) in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mike Fitzgerald (Member # 1304) on 03-24-2004, 03:33 PM:

I had a armada laptop 1750 given to me that has some problems and I am looking for help in fixing it. The main problem is as follows. When I power it up 90% of the time it does not POST the cap lock, num lock and one other light just comes on and stays on. The times it will boot I get a 162- systems error. It will go on to load but it does not find the A drive and if I reboot it The same cycle happens again. When I do manage to get it loaded it works ok but still no A drive. Any thoughts on what I need to do to get this up and running correctly. One person said it was because I am running XP on it but that does not make sense since when I do get it running it loads XP ok.
Thanks

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 03-24-2004, 03:37 PM:

Error 162 is "System Options Error 2 short No Disk Drive or Disk Failure Run Computer Setup".

Sounds like you may have a bad floppy controller, cable, or drive.

Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 03-24-2004, 04:32 PM:

Try unplugging cables and plugging them back in to clean up the contacts. I've had a hard drive or two fail to boot in the past, and this cured the problem with them.
Nothing like a good computer mystery to keep you on your toes. [Big Grin]

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 03-24-2004, 05:35 PM:

Does it boot OK when you have the (removable) floppy drive removed?

If it doesn't work with the drive removed there's probably a loose flat cable... something the Armada's are notorious for.

I guess Comcrap got it right when they named it after the Spanish Armada. Invincible, but unsuccessful.

Posted by Mike Fitzgerald (Member # 1304) on 03-24-2004, 07:13 PM:

I have tried taking out the drive and it still does not boot. I do not have any documentation for the unit yet so I am guessing at some of the functions. If I hold the slide switch on the top of the keyboard and then press the big button in center top of the keyboard it shuts off for a couple of seconds and then the theree lights just come back on. It is not easy to check the cables in this small a item and I am a little leary of taking the cover off of it. When I power it up and allo of a sudden it will boot and then give me the 162 error but most of the time it never even gets that far. I just bought another drive off of ebay for 10 dollars so that should be here in a couple of days. Do you think XP has played any part in this.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 03-24-2004, 07:23 PM:

Nah, it's a hardware problem. If it was XP you wouldn't be getting the POST errors.

The Armada's aren't too bad to disassemble and reassemble if you can figure out the order to do it in. Be careful of pinching anything when reassembling if you end up taking it apart.

Posted by Mike Fitzgerald (Member # 1304) on 03-24-2004, 07:27 PM:

I have the laptop up and running. I found it was a combination of problems or at least that is what I think. First I replaced the defective disk drive with one I obtained on EBAY for 10 dollars and then I downloaded a new bios softpaq to a floppy and loaded it on the laptop. I then extracted the file and copied those files to a floppy and powered down and rebooted. It loaded and is working fine now at least up to this point. My next question is it has a internal modem a 56VL and I wish to adapt it to my DSL. I have heard there is a external swithc I can get to make this happen. Anyone out there done this. I am also looking for a good source for a battery and memory for it.
Thanks

[ 03-29-2004, 01:16 PM: Message edited by: Mike Fitzgerald ]