My old Packard Bell computer is having an error where it refuses to boot. It gets power but nothing really starts up. The one time I got it to work, it said "A20 hardware error, please contact local vendor."
To my knowledge, I believe A20 is a motherboard error. I've taken the pc apart and attempted to find any possible cause. That being a loose connection or well, anything you can think of honestly.
The specs on the comp are as follows.
Pentium 1 200MHz with MMX.
49MB RAM (Was 16Mb, I suspect this could be the source of the error. However the upgraded RAM was installed for several months before this error occured.)
2.1 GB HD by Seagate
Original OS was Win95, later upgraded to Win98 First Edition.
Full Version: Hardware error on old pc.
I just did a quick Google search and it might have something to do with the keyboard... Sounds strange, but that's what popped up! 
Edit: Did another search --> Might be a BIOS problem!
Edit: Did another search --> Might be a BIOS problem!
As I recall, it did have an adapter for the keyboard. Perhaps there was a fault with that. BIOS could be possible too, though I cannot access the screen to check anything in the BIOS.
Edit: The adapter as I now recall was called MediaSelect.
Edit: The adapter as I now recall was called MediaSelect.
QUOTE
In order to fully understand this setting you need to understand what the A20 line (21st address line) is and what its significance is. In a nutshell, the A20 line is used to control access to the high memory area, the first 64 KB or so of extended memory. This line is normally controlled by the keyboard controller. To improve performance, newer systems have this control function built into the chipset as well.
To have the chipset control the A20 line and improve performance, enable this option. This setting is normally enabled by default. There is rarely any reason to disable this.
To have the chipset control the A20 line and improve performance, enable this option. This setting is normally enabled by default. There is rarely any reason to disable this.
Check the memory??? Shot in the dark
The Keyboard controller on the motherboard may be bad???
Man!!! I have not heard that name since 97! Man I would recommend to throw it out and buy something new for 400 bucks...Packard Bell is a horrible name and they used to make horrible PCs. WHOA! 
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