PC Load Letter...WTF does that mean?

[Mikz86TA]

Well, I got this error and it wasnt PC Load Letter. But that expresses my feelings at the time I got it.

A few months ago I would fire up my PC and it would display the following. I would manually turn it off since there was no other way and refire it up. Then all was OK and my XP would load. This happens random at best and I would just restart the PC and it would be OK.
But today I used the PC this morning with no issues. 5 hours later I come home and fire it up. Got the message. I tried the turn off and back on, but nothing. I let it sit on with the message for 30 min and nothing. So I finally turned it off ahd came back to it later. Fired it up and its all good now.
I did pull the Video Card in between and clean it off / made sure the pins were OK / made sure it was plugged in. After that it still didnt fire. Thats when I let it sit.
I have not been able to find any solod leads to this. Anyone got any info.

The startup :

Black Screen
Cursor blinking in top left
message says ' Radeon X700 PRO Rialto AtomBios

[C4Tom]

Motherboard crappin' out?? *shrug* I'm confounded... LOL

[Zygoat]

if it makes it to the point where it shows anything, which it does, then it is not the graphics card.


sounds like the mobo to me, or possibly the hard drive.

[Zygoat]

oh and by the way, me and the girl both thought the thread title was hilarious.

[The Enemy]

ummm, you're still hung over and u are really just typing with your forehead...

y gcgkluyi;vvc;yi.

[Dogsofjune]

Try a different video card?
How dirty was it inside of the case?

[Tuteuk]

PC LOAD LETTER!!!...

The phrase is a long standing joke and cause for confusion for computer users because most users could not (and still cannot) decipher its meaning. The term was popularized by the comedy cult film (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_film) Office Space (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Space). Michael Bolton (David Herman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Herman)), one of the three main characters, reads the error message from the VFD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_fluorescent_display) status display on a fax machine, after which he asks, "'PC Load Letter'? What the **** does that mean?" This message appeared on the display just after Bolton filled the printer's cassette with blank paper. Frustrations such as this led the main characters of the film to take revenge on the malfunctioning printer by destroying it in a vacant field with a baseball bat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_bat).
Since then, the phrase has appeared in numerous guises: on T-shirts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-shirts), on the Internet (particularly in blog (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog) entries), as a 2005 Seattle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle) band name [3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PC_LOAD_LETTER#cite_note-seattlepi-2), and referenced in the "System Administrator Appreciation Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Administrator_Appreciation_Day)" song by Canadian comedy troupe Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Dead_Trolls_in_a_Baggie) ("He's the only one in the building who knows what PC Load Letter means"). This message is also displayed in the game Doom RPG (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_RPG), on a computer terminal next to a broken door.[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PC_LOAD_LETTER#cite_note-doom-3) In the MMORPG (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMORPG) game The Matrix Online (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_Online), the printers in the office structures also display the PC Load Letter message. PC Load Letters is also the name of a championship corporate volleyball (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volleyball) team in Malvern, PA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvern%2C_PA).

[Tuteuk]

The message is refering to your video card....It is good you see it...If not..then we got problems..LLOOL

and yes dirty video cards are not gooder, clean that bad boy up and be done with it..LOL


The startup :

Black Screen
Cursor blinking in top left
message says ' Radeon X700 PRO Rialto AtomBios

[Zygoat]

can you read?


if it shows anything on the screen at all, then the graphics card is fine! ie its not the problem. or its not the graphics card. your graphics card is fine!

motherboards indicate a graphics card problem with a completely black screen, and a series of beeps, the number of beeps and there meaning differ by motherboard manufacturer. but the point is that the graphics card is working.

[Mikz86TA]

Try a different video card?
How dirty was it inside of the case?

Not very dirty. I blow it out about every other month.

[Mikz86TA]

OK.
Yes, I can read that text I had posted. Its random at best when it occurs but has become more frequent.
If I fire it up and it does it, I shut it down and let it sit for about 10 min. Then it usually refires OK.
I went and got an updated ATI software and downloaded it
I followed ATI's instructions and deleted the main program. PC had to restart after removal. Black screen came up with that AtomBIOS message and I couldnt get it to refire. So I was tired of fu*kin with it and went to bed.
Sh!t fired 1st try this morning and I continued to remove the rest of the ATI programs there was left as instructed.
It also had me remove DAO program also.
I loaded up the new ATI program. I chose the simpler one they had offered on their site. Restarted the PC. Didnt fix sh!t!!!
After my waiting period < steam starting to rise from my head >
I decided to reinstall the old VCard.
IDK what driver it automatically found to run it. It was the VC that was in the PC when I bought it. Pretty sure its original. Nvidia G-Force MX/400 I think it is. Has VGA and S-vid out. My ATI had a fan, VGA, S-vid and DVI outs

So far it fired up the only time I have tried. Ill see in the next few days. Im kinda OK if that the problem and its resolved....but still pissed my VC I bought a few years ago with my hard-earned money took a crap. Especially since it was recomended to me and I got the suposedly good name brand unit.

If it is the VC, what are some options I have for upgrades? Its AGP slot.

[C4Tom]

How much are you spending??? Are you a gamer?

I'm saying... as long as the video card you have does everything you need it to do... keep what you have.

If you need a new card, I searched Newegg.com for AGP and sorted cheapest first: CLICKY HERE (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%201069609639&bop=And&Order=PRICE)

[Zygoat]

if it is dieing at the bios then it has nothing to do with the software you install in windows. if it makes it to windows then dies or has issues then the software would make a difference.

either you have a compatibility issue with your bios, or something is wrong with the card

so the card or motherboard might have physical gone bad. only solution there is to by a new one (of whichever is the problem.... could be both you never know.)

otherwise you could try updating the bios on your motherboard. the download would be available on the motherboard manufacturers site.

or updating the firmware (same thing as bios) on the graphics card. available on their site.

good luck and if you need more help or explanation post up.

[Mikz86TA]

Problem is I dont understand WTF BIOS is really! hehehehe
Im about 75% computer literate. I learn as I go. Every search on the Rialto AtomBIOS has neted zilch in explanations.
Rialto suposedly is a ATI term that has to do with the Radeon cards.
AtomBIOS suposedly is somthing ATI uses in their programming and it looks to be contreversial for many years. As opposed to using what....IDK.

I havent yet shut down for a restart. So IDK if the old card reinstall was the fix or not. Im not in the mood to find out B4 Im done on the PC tonight.

Im aggrivated if my card is f-ed. IDK what the warranty is yet, but 3 years old it shouldnt be crapped out.

As far as what Im looking for if I need to get a new one. IDK. Yes I do game, but not that much. The old card (which I am using now) is a Nvidia G-Force MX. You ll need to look in 'archives' at the Smithsonian to get the specs on it. hehehehe It couldnt keep up with Battlefeild 1942 and I doubt it can handle BF2. BF2 is prob the most advanced graphincs game I have. The ATI kept up great on BF 1942 in which the G-Force didnt.
So something equal to the ATI Radeon X700 PRO ( AGP 8x/4x 256MB GDDR3 )
I do prefer output options like this one had. VGA / S.Vid / DVI

[Tuteuk]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS


:cowsleep:

[C4Tom]

Well... then peruse the newegg.com link I posted. Plenty to choose from.

[Mikz86TA]

OK Thanks.

So BIOS is a startup/boot loader. Then there is a probelm with the graphics card specific BIOS.
So then that is prob a part of the GCard or PC Board?

[C4Tom]

Probably an issue with the graphics card. That's assuming your motherboard is fine.

[techno_mage]

that error usually means that your bios is set incorrectly or it is losing its battery.

[Mikz86TA]

explain more pls.

Im good at following directions.

[Mikz86TA]

I put the G-force (old-azz) card back in and its no problem whatsoever.
Anyone want to buy the ATI X700 Pro for a cheap deal?

[Tuteuk]

that error usually means that your bios is set incorrectly or it is losing its battery.


If his Bios was incorrect it would not boot but drop him to the Bios setup screen to fix the issue....

And if the battery was dead...it would lose it's setting and forget things like HD size and such.

:cowsleep:

[Mikz86TA]

Is this graphics card of any use or value to a computer tech to fix or use in some way?

[Tuteuk]

Is this graphics card of any use or value to a computer tech to fix or use in some way?

sure send it to me, I can always use another doorstop..LOL

[Mikz86TA]

LOL

Currently it will also come with FREE and rare Great Northern Florida Dust Bunnies

[keldoran23]

Is there a battery on the video card itself? If there is, that is probably the problem. Sometimes, good video cards come with there own bios battery, on top of the one on the motherboard.

[Tuteuk]

LOL

Currently it will also come with FREE and rare Great Northern Florida Dust Bunnies


please put on a large set of boxing gloves and pick off those bunnies..you got a sale..:cowsleep:

[Mikz86TA]

They made me sneeze...now Im scared of them =(