Bootup hang "Verifying DMI Pool Data"
Rick Smith
(power on self test), displaying the message "Verifying
DMI Pool Data." All I can find on Microsoft's Knowledge
Base is Q287553, which says it's a hardware problem, with
information about DMI and its main component, MIFD,
described as "a database that contains all the information
about the local computer and its components." My question
is, what piece of hardware?
I have a 10GB IBM hard drive and 256MB RAM. I've run IBM's
downloadable DFT test and the drive tests fine. But here's
the scoop...
I tried to add a 20GB Seagate hard drive partitioned and
formatted on a Windows 2000 computer. Because of the
difference in operating systems, I tried to install the
new drive manually, as a slave drive. I physically
installed the drive, connected the cables properly,
checked the jumper settings for master and slave drives,
set the CMOS settings for the slave drive, then tried to
boot up, and got an error message something like "Non
System Disk. Remove disk and press any key (or maybe it
said restart the computer)."After two tries, I put in the
W98 startup disk, got into DOS, and began fdisk commands
to repartition and reformat the new drive. The computer
saw the new drive and fdisk verified its storage capacity.
It seemed to carry out the partition commands
successfully, but failed to reformat, giving me an error
message "Not enough memory."
After two attempts at this, I disconnected the new drive
and set the CMOS settings to the original settings for the
10GB IBM drive. I went to reboot and got the same "Non
System Disk" error message. I rebooted with the W98
startup disk which suggested that the system command file
might be missing or corrupted and to copy it to the IBM
drive, or to run scandisk.
First I ran the scandisk command. The result indicated
that the partition table was not identical to previous
backups and asked if I wanted to copy the backup partition
table file to the IBM drive. I began this, but the process
was so slow that I canceled it, knowing I had made a
Norton Utilities restore disk before attempting to add the
new drive. The NU restore disk supposedly restores the
original partition tables. After running that procedure, I
copied the system command file to the IBM drive and
attempted to reboot.
Now I get the "Verifying DMI Pool Data" message. I have
checked every connection in the case and nothing appears
out of place. At this point, everything points
to "rebuilding" the IBM drive, but all tests on the drive
itself show that it's running fine.
I'm not real sure where to go from here without doing
things that might not be necessary and losing data,
possibly having to reformat the IBM drive and reinstall
Windows 98 and all software, etc.
Any suggestions? Is it possible the BIOS is corrupted and
the problem is not with the IBM drive?
Also, does anyone have any suggestions how to reformat the
W2K Seagate drive so it will operate on the Windows 98
system?
Ron Badour
http://www.maxtor.com/products/DiamondMax/techsupport/informationbulleti
ns/15007.html If you have any questions about any of the procedures or
things Maxtor recommends, you would be best served by asking them. If
you do not know about making changes in the BIOS, I would advise that
you get help.
DiamondMax : Tech Support : General Information Bulletin : 15007
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
Subject: Troubleshooting System Hangs caused by a Computer's DMI Pool
Data
Summary: Tips for resolving hangs generated via a system's DMI Pool
Data
Document #: 15007
Disclaimer: This Document is provided as is without any warranty of any
kind, either expressed or implied. In no event will MAXTOR CORPORATION
be liable to you for any damages, including any loss of profit or
savings, arising out of the use or inability to use the information
contained in this document. Maxtor Corporation makes no representations
or warranties with respect to the contents hereof and specifically
disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any
particular purpose.
Overview:
The Desktop Management Interface (DMI) is a new method of managing
computers in an enterprise. The main component of DMI is the Management
Information Format Database, or MIFD (the DMI Pool Data). This database
contains all the information about the computing system and its
components.
At times, some systems may experience hang conditions after
partitioning, formatting and initial bootup of a hard drive. The
message, "Verifying DMI Pool Data" appears and the system hangs. This
condition may continue after the drive has been removed.
! WARNING ! ALL SUGGESTIONS LISTED IN THIS INFORMATION BULLETIN ARE BIOS
RELATED. FOR A PERMANENT SOLUTION, MAXTOR RECOMMENDS THAT USERS CONSULT
THEIR SYSTEM OR MOTHERBOARD MANUFACTURER FOR BIOS UPGRADES.
Suggestions to Resolve the Condition:
Apply power to the computer.
Access the system BIOS.
Set the drive type as None or Not Installed.
Load BIOS Defaults
Load SETUP Defaults
Save the BIOS changes and reboot the PC to a System Boot Diskette.
Shut down the PC after the memory count is displayed.
Reconnect the power and interface cables to the hard drive.
Access the System BIOS.
Auto-Detect the hard drive. Ensure that the LBA Mode option is enabled.
Save the BIOS changes and boot the PC with a System Diskette.
Partition and format the hard drive via the operating system.
Reboot the system. On bootup, the screen should read:
Verifying DMI Pool Data
Update Successful
The system should continue booting normally.
Other Possible Solutions:
Apply power to the computer.
Access the System BIOS.
Disable both the Internal and External CPU Cache. These features are
located in either the "BIOS Features" or "Advanced Settings" options of
the BIOS Setup.
NOTE: Consult the System or Motherboard User's Manual for exact location
of the Internal and External CPU Cache settings.
Save the BIOS changes and reboot the PC to a System Boot Diskette. On
bootup, the screen should read:
Verifying DMI Pool Data
Update Successful
The system should continue booting normally.
After the system successfully boots, re-start the PC and access the
system BIOS.
Enable the External CPU Cache. This feature is located in the "BIOS
Features" or "Advanced Settings".
NOTE: Consult the System or Motherboard User's Manual for exact location
of the External CPU Cache setting.
! WARNING ! User's MUST re-enable this feature for optimal system
performance.
Save the BIOS changes and reboot the PC to a System Boot Diskette. On
bootup, the screen should read:
Verifying DMI Pool Data
Update Successful
The system should continue booting normally.
NOTE: If the aforementioned suggestions fail to resolve the issue,
contact the system or motherboard manufacturer to:
Remove the "Clear CMOS" Jumper and reset the system BIOS
Obtain a Flash BIOS Upgrade
--
Regards
Ron Badour, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
Tips: http://badour.freewebsites.com/index.html
Knowledge Base Info:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo&
"Rick Smith" <gi...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:4a0801c1b888$1060d8d0$9be62ecf@tkmsftngxa03...
Dago
Goto the bios and reset the stored PCI settings. Next re-boot should be
fine.
Dago
"Rick Smith" <gi...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:4a0801c1b888$1060d8d0$9be62ecf@tkmsftngxa03...