Computer Won't POST

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bilvihur

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Dec 23, 2009
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18,510
On Friday morning I got a blue screen with white lettering saying a serious error was detected and the system was shutting down to prevent damage. Stupidly blush , I didn't jot down the error, and tried to power down by holding the power button in. After a minute, it still hadn't shut down so I hit the PSU switch. That should have been my first indication that this was no ordinary problem! After that the system wouldn't boot, nor POST.
This afternoon, I've pulled and reset ALL the memory sticks, ALL the HDD cables, ALL the other wires attached to the Mobo. I verified all the PSU voltages under load, reset the CPU power connector, and reset CMOS. When I power-up, the fans come on, but no beeps, no video, nada (even with RAM and HDD's disconnected).
I built this system 3 years ago, and it's been working fine since. I blew out dust a month ago.
My question is, do I now assume it's the Mobo, and purchase a new one (plus a graphics card, since they don't seem to come with integrated graphics anymore), or do I take it to a shop with more sophisticated techniques? Is there more I should be testing? Thanks.
_________________________
ASRock Mobo, Phenom II CPU, Win 7/64 Premium, 8GB DDR3 Ram
 
Solution
clarkjd

As a last resort, then yes, a re-install is recommended. However, removing all the old MB drivers (via Add/Remove Programs), and installing the new MB drivers usually works...Sometimes you reach a point in the process that a clean install is necessary. There are also people who re-install Windows every 6 months whether they need to or not. ;)

At any...
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bilvihur

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Dec 23, 2009
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I used the "Perform These Steps" sticky to guide me through yesterday's troubleshooting:
1} Built in 2009. ASRock M3A785GXH/128M MOBO, Antec EA650 PSU, AMD Phenom II 550 CP
U, 4 x Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 RAM. Worked perfectly until Friday.
2) Unplugged/replugged the CPU power connector.
4) No video card.
6) Tried each RAM module individually.
10) CPU has been installed for 4 years.
12) No cooler.
13) CPU fan running.
14) Does NOT have Mobo speaker.
21) Reset CMOS.
Finally, I checked the PSU with a multimeter. Yellows were +12V, Reds +5V, Oranges +3.3V, Blue-12V. and Grey came to +5V on power-up.
 
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bilvihur

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Dec 23, 2009
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I replaced the Mobo with an MSI 970A-G46 and an MSI Geforce 210 video card. I used the same PSU, RAM, and SATA drives (realizing too late that the MSI doesn't have an ATA connector for 1 HDD and 1 DVD). It POSTed right away, and I was able to boot WIN 7.
Now for the problems. I can't connect to the internet (using same LAN cable I'm using now.). The video resolution is out of whack. It won't execute the setup execs on the DVD's that came with the board and card (but I can display the folders fine). I know there's something I must have forgotten, but what? I sure can use some advice. Thanks.

 
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clarkjd

clarkjd

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Dec 7, 2005
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You may have to do a Windows repair-install as you changed brands and models of motherboards. Your old Windows install had drivers for your old MB and when you replaced it you now have drivers not matched to the motherboard. That can cause unpredictable results.

 
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bilvihur

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Dec 23, 2009
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StartUp Repair (Repair Install with original Win 7 cd) doesn't find any problems, nor does it fix anything. Am I looking at a clean install, or is there something else I can try?
 
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bilvihur

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I wasn't able to install the drivers (yet). The driver/utility disk doesn't autorun, and nothing happens when I open the setup.exe file. I have a call into MSI to see if there's a way to manually install the drivers from the disk.

 
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bilvihur

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Dec 23, 2009
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I was on the phone with MSI off-and-on today. I downloaded the latest MB drivers and installed them, but still have a degraded Win7. Their final advice was "Dear customer, Anytime you switch out motherboard you need to reinstall window." I wish I had known this earlier so I wouldn't have spent so much time doing Repair Install, Driver Install, etc. I'll let you know the outcome.
 
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clarkjd

clarkjd

Splendid
Dec 7, 2005
6,486
34
28,490

As a last resort, then yes, a re-install is recommended. However, removing all the old MB drivers (via Add/Remove Programs), and installing the new MB drivers usually works...Sometimes you reach a point in the process that a clean install is necessary. There are also people who re-install Windows every 6 months whether they need to or not. ;)

At any rate, the clean re-install should fix your issues.

 
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Solution
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bilvihur

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Dec 23, 2009
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I did the clean install, and finally got connected to the internet. Setting up LiveMail was a hassle. I dug out my old userid and passwords, but still had to get help from TWC. It seems they've changed their IN/OUT Server port numbers! I'm able to access all my personal data, because it's all in different partitions which get Included in Win7 Libraries, but I lost all my Chrome Bookmarks and LiveMail Contacts. I'm still trying to get them set up as before. I've had to re-learn the various tricks such as deleting the hiberfil.sys file, and moving the paging file off of "C" to free up 6G+ of space.
My advice is to plan like your Mobo will crap out tomorrow, save/backup everything possible, and write down all the steps somewhere.
Thanks for all your help!:)
 
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