topic Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10 in Desktop PC / All-In-One

Boot Issues on Akoya A10

Alondonboy — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 12:39:23 GMT

Got an Old Akoya A10 PC P4020D, not used much over the years and have wiped and reinstalled a few times. Recently I've had a problem where when booting it would either take ages or just go to a small cursor top left, F8, select drive and it booted fine.

Last week it failed completely. Select drive as as it tries to boot uou get a quick windows logo then bluescreen. Tried repairs and scans and just can't get it to start. No restore points for some reason so took drive out and reinstalled Windows with another drive.

Got finished last night, everything installed as I want and made restore point. Went to boot this morning and it's doing the same as before, just going to cursor. restarted with F8, select drive and fine. This makes me think it must be the machine, thinking BIOS. Am I right or could it be something else?

BIOS is probably original as dated 11/03/2010 so I'm guessing there's an update. Could somebody direct me please?

BIOS says 'American Megatrends Inc. A7621MLN.208' if that helps.

TIA

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

Mallia — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 10:39:16 GMT

@Alondonboy

Kindly provide the MSN of the product. The MSN is located on a label stuck to the product.

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

daddle — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 13:15:29 GMT

@Alondonboy

You can check and find your PC-Model and its MSN here

--> https://www.medion.com/de/service/topic/medion-products?msnCheck=%20P4020D

Those were most All In one PCs with Win 7 and a Legacy Bios.

Did you Upgrade during time passing by to Win 8.1 or Win 10 ?

Or it is still Win 7?

Cheers, daddle

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

Alondonboy — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 14:02:43 GMT

MSN 10013778

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

Alondonboy — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 14:04:51 GMT

Still running Win7 from the original discs although recently wiped and reinstalled. Also computer is really slow, is there any way to access and clean inside, like vents and fan?

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

Fishtown — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 15:27:54 GMT

Hello @Alondonboy and welcome
I would first replace the bios battery then load the "Load Optimized Defaults" values in the bios.

battery replacement see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Grt-CxNnLjs

(But please do not use metal objects to pry it out)

To disassemble the device for cleaning, see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3TEezvPyEQ

You can also replace the battery then.

bye Fishtown

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

Alondonboy — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 13:26:27 GMT

So I'm back with problems on this machine which I never managed to fully resolve.

Machine was temperamental and I finally got around to changing the battery and clearing CMOS. Reset to default in BIOS and set time and date but still the same problem.

Rarely it would boot to windows on it's own. It will go through initial startup and then when it should go to windows it's either just a black screen with cursor or say no operating system found. If I then restart, F8 and select drive to boot from it was always fine.

Now since changing the battery when it starts windows and the logo comes up it flashes a blue screen and restarts. I've been on this a few days now and have noticed the BIOS doesn't seem to retain the date and time but I've tested the battery and it is good. Also the hard disk is coming up as HDD...... when it used to say SATA..... which it did before. When it comes up as HDD is when it seems to not start. I can see no option to change it in BIOS as it only recognises it as HDD.

I pretty sure it's not windows as it's done this for years now and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Also it done the same with a previous drive and I brought a new exactly the same and reinstalled windows which worked a few times and the same thing happened. When I could get it to start before I changed the battery the time was all wrong in windows so had reset that which I was hoping new battery would sort however this has just caused this new problem. REALLY desperate now as a problem has arisen and all the files I need are on it and it's the only machine connected to printer. I really just think it's more to do with the BIOS than the drive and my experience with that is limited.

Sorry for the long post but I'm trying to include as much information as possible and any help will be appreciated. As stated I'm pretty desperate now and as an 'older person' not as savvy on these things as some of you wizzkids 🙂

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

daddle — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 20:18:04 GMT

@Alondonboy

I pretty sure it's not windows as it's done this for years now and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Also it done the same with a previous drive and I brought a new exactly the same and reinstalled windows which worked a few times and the same thing happened. 🙂

You could get a SATA SSD notebook drive 2.5" . maybe it's more reliable.

Before create a Win 10 Installation Stick not for installation of Win 10, but you could check your harddisk with it)

Get yourself a 8-16 GB USB stick, and make use of the Microsoft MediaCreationTool, choose 32 or 64 bit, depending what you actually use. And download it from with an other PC and choose "For another PC"

Boot from the stick, and in the first or second little opening Windows click for Repair option in the left below corner.

It will take a little time , and in the opening Win RE you can check and Repair the Boot and startup sectors on your disk. (no worry, it works also with Win 7!)

Although often it says afterwards " It couldn't repair anything, it still might have done some magic". You have to give it a chance.

Cheers, daddle

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

Alondonboy — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 20:38:51 GMT

I can start it in safe mode and run a repair which I've done numerous times but it says everything is ok. I've run repair from a fob as well and it flies through and says everything is ok and given it used to do this all the time before I'm convinced the problem isn't with windows but the BIOS.

I'd like to understand why it is not recognising the drive for what it is, that may well be a problem worth eliminating.

Could the BIOS be corrupt? Is there an update or can it be reinstalled?

Thanks for the advice. As I say I've spent 3 days on this now and much of the basic stuff I've already tried.

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

daddle — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 20:53:59 GMT

@Alondonboy

Off course everything can be defective. Te mainboard, the RAM, the Proc. or the HDD.

If the HDD isn't recognized as SATA, there's something wrong with the HDD or with the SATA port on the main board. The computer is after all already 15 years old, so it's not unlikely that there are electronic failures or weaknesses in the components.

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

Alondonboy — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 23:09:59 GMT

Problem was I hardly used it so that probably hasn't helped.

Do you know where I can get a copy or update of the BIOS? Is it on this site anywhere as can only see drivers on the specific page. Going to refresh/update that first and see if that works. If not I'll try a different drive but I'm pretty sure it's not the drive as if I boot from flash it's ready to install windows again and from disk and flash I can run repair so to me it's reading it just some conflict between BIOS and disk.

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

daddle — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 06:29:49 GMT

@Alondonboy

@Alondonboy schrieb

Do you know where I can get a copy or update of the BIOS? Is it on this site anywhere as can only see drivers on the specific page. ...... so to me it's reading it just some conflict between BIOS and disk.

It's all just guessing. Nobody can say why it performs erraticlly.

You shoul'd take out all interior stuff, eg CD//DVD drive,cardreader, RAM etc and replace it piece by piece, to check if it makes a difference. If you have two RAM modules, check them each separately.

Edit: And deactivate and/or take the TV-Tuner CTX1920 -A/-T miniPCIe card out. DVB--T is off; the new DVB-T2 can not be handled with this old TV card

For a Bios Update ask @Major_ToM for this old dear.

Major, could you please help ?

Actual Bios is originally dated 11/03/2010, American Megatrends Inc. A7621MLN.208.

MEDION AKOYA P4020 D (MD 8870) AIO A-UK, MSN is 10013778.

daddle

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

Major_ToM — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 12:02:59 GMT

Hi @Alondonboy ,

as a matter of fact we can provide Bios version 2.09,which can be run from the command line.

Please remind, that for any errors, caused by the execution of this update, we don´ t accept any responsibility for damage or lost of data.

Cheers

Major ToM

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

daddle — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 13:26:38 GMT

@Major_ToM

Thanks for providing the Bios.

With " Bios version 2.09,which can be run from the command line" do you mean from a DOS cmd--line, or inside a cmd window in Windows 7

Gruß, daddle

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

Major_ToM — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 05:25:09 GMT

HI @daddle ,

with this machine we usually provided a bootable (so called) "MEDION Driver & Support -Disc", which booted the machine to a DOS cmd--line, from which the update could be executed.

I also might work with the Windows cmd, but I únfortunately do not obtain a product sample to check this

Cheers

Major ToM

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

daddle — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 12:56:56 GMT

@Major_ToM

Thank you for yous answer. It will not work in windows cmd because the AFU431.EXE is a DOS flash file.

See also Andi's explanation; the linked download uses the same AFU431.EXE.

@Alondonboy

If you still have the by Major_ToM mentioned Support CD it_'s all clear.

Otherwise prepare ~~a DOS diskette or~~ a Dos Bootable USB Stick.

~~May be you even still have an old Win 98 start diskette; this would do as well- your old PC should still be equipped with a floppy disk drive.~~ (But it works with an external diskette drive with a DOS diskette, )

You can decompress te Bios File to partititon C:\ into the root; or in the root of the DOS USB stick.

If you boot DOS from the USB Stick, the partition C.\ might have changed it's drive letter to D.

So if you want to change path in the cmd window to original partition C:\, it might be called D now.

In the Root of the USB stick just call the flash.bat.

Success, daddle

Edit: Aktualisiert

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

Alondonboy — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 13:41:54 GMT

This is really bugging me now as I've wasted hours on this and need the PC to be getting on with work.

Have pulled the drive out and installed a 250gb one which has been wiped and formatted. It's getting recognised in the bios but when I try to install Windows there's no drive there?!?! I've had this before where I've forgotten to format it but it is still recognised and gives you the option during install to format it.

Is this an issue within BIOS?? Can anyone explain what's happening??

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

daddle — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 16:47:53 GMT

@Alondonboy

No we can not, as long as we do not know what sort of disk you bought. Is it a HDD or an SSD, in 2.5" Notebook size? Is it a SATA disk?

Second what windows are you trying to install? Win 7 or Win 10? 0r even Win 11???

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

Alondonboy — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 18:24:30 GMT

So to be clear it's Win7 I'm installing and all drives are 3.5" SATA.

After a fault with the original drive I upgraded to a WD 1tb SATA. This started getting unreliable and begun having start up problems so I put in a new identical disk and was running that. After a while this started having the same problems and I noticed there was clock issues so I changed the CMOS battery. Since changing it I've not been able to start Windows.

The 250gb SATA drive I tried earlier that couldn't be recognised may be my fault. I've not put it in an external drive to have a look at it yet but it's possible I formatted it without allocating a drive letter so I won't worry about that for now.

Have fitted a 500gb SATA drive and have managed to get windows installed on that so the PC is up and running. Starts on it's own without having to go into F8 at the moment so all good.

What I don't understand is that the 1tb SATA drive that I took out (second one) will not work in an external drive. If I open it in computer management the partitions are there and recognised but in explorer there's nothing. This makes me think there drive is shot but then how could windows do a repair or try to install on it if it isn't readable??

This PC just eats through drives and i rarely use it.

Re: Boot Issues on Akoya A10

daddle — Sat, 09 Aug 2025 09:47:12 GMT

@Alondonboy

It looks like you make use of old of second hand drives, or drives from a second PC you own-

Whatsoever we can not know anything why the HDDs collapse.. But then you are contradicting yourself.

The one drive is formatted and recognized by your PC, but then you say it's no good.

@Alondonboy schrieb:
......
What I don't understand is that the 1tb SATA drive that I took out (second one) will not work in an external drive. If I open it in computer management the partitions are there and recognized
but in explorer there's nothing. This makes me think there drive is shot but then how could windows do a repair or try to install on it if it isn't readable??

Well, if a drive ist partitioned and then formatted it is empty. Then it will be seen by the Bios and by Windows. Also in the disk management. So whats the problem?

May be the Bios and MB is not made for 1 TB drives.

But I can not diagnose on a distance without having the disk physically in hands, what's wrong with it. Sorry, the Thread is completed, your PC runs on a 500GB drive now, and Windows is working.

So I am out here....

bye, daddle