BIOS problem - computer resets randomly

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productx

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Hi,
I have a problem with my computer, a quad-core Q6600 with an ASUS P5Q-E motherboard. It started a month ago, when I had occasional failures to start the computer. It often stopped before POST. After some tries, it would eventually boot. This went on for a month till recently, when I started having also blue screens randomly occuring and the, again, resets and no POST.
So i changed the battery on my MOBO. Now, it also states "bad checksum error". So I updated my BIOS, but the problem still occurs. specify that i am using EZ Flash for this.

Now the interesting part: during bios update (also during a BIOS recovery I did before), when the bar "erasing BIOS" advances, at the end two of the progress lines remain "unfilled" with something called "boot block" or similar. However the update procedure goes forward to the next step, writing the BIOS, where again the two lines remain "unfilled", yet the message states that the update was succesfull. The computer boots, enters windows (windows 7 x64) and proceeds normally. Then, after some time, it goes again blue screeny, resets, and the whole problem with no POST, or bad checksum goes again. Sometimes it also goes in BIOS recovery mode.

Any ideas?
Thank you
 
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productx

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Something to correct:
at the part of the interesting problem I made a mistake. Actually, the process of updating or recovering Bios (both have the same symptoms) goes like this: erasing BIOS - not all the progress bar is filled
writing BIOS - at the segment where it was not filled before it states first erasing Bios (boot block) and then writing BIOS (boot block).
Verifying Bios - complete
Update is complete
Then it restarts normally and boots normally into windows.
 
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Ra_V_en

Ra_V_en

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Flash again, reset bios settings using on board jumper or swich... if the problem still persist get a new BIOS battery:
1597212700_1375471623.jpg
 
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productx

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I wil try that soon, since the new battery I purchsed before is kind of a no name: TRONIC.
In the mean time, I managed to obtain another BSOD stating "PFN-LIST CORRUPT", then reboot, and bios won't POST again. The strange thing is that after a while, the BIOS comes alive, it reverses and the everything goes normal for a while. Then, again all that stated before....
 
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Ra_V_en

Ra_V_en

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Had similar issues, when the battery was dead... but after observations I've realized BIOS behaves weirdly after a longer periods of the PC was off. In the time battery got discharged thus making the PC unstable after the first start, then it got charged again.
 
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productx

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So, i'm back after several days o trying with a new battery. Sadly, the problem isn't solved. The symptoms are:
If I remove the battery and reset the cmos, it goes normal even for a whole day.
If I leave the battery in after I shut the computer down during the night, the next day It won't start, no POST, for serveral tries. Basically I push the button... no POST....shutting it down then again...no POST and so on. After some tries it eventually starts and gives me the BIOS recovery mode. I tell him to recover, It does the whole procedure (the same as before, erasing the BIOS only partially) and then starts normally.
One thing I observed is the fact that after it recovers the bios every setting remains the same except the boot order. I don't know if it means something.
 
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Ra_V_en

Ra_V_en

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Ok then step 2.
I'm just guessing "no POST" is constant situation every next day. Lets try this time to switch off PSU by the PSU's switch off button or taking out cable.
Do it as soon as you soft turned off the PC and connect it next day. Normally turning off the PC by the case button makes it soft-off and in this mode current is still flowing from the PSU to the mobo. There is slight chance there might be some weird voltage behavior overnight. Obviously don't mess with the batt anymore just leave it and lets see what will happen. If it will still be hanging on the POST then problem origin still unknown, if the bios will be reset then it means there is still something wrong with providing power from battery (rusted/oiled connectors?) to the bios chip (bios chip bricked?)

 
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productx

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Hi, I did what you suggested, meaning I shut the computer down and immediately removed the cord, letting it like this overnight. Today it started normally, as if nothing was wrong. What I will further do is remove RAm sticks one by one to see if there could be something wrong with them. I saw on other threads that this ca contribute to this strange behavior.
I should mention one thing I forgot in the previous posts: one of my hard drives is making a clang! noise sometimes. I have 5 of them so I don't know which is the one. Could a hard drive cause such a behavior?
Thank You for all your patience.
 
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productx

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Yep, I will try to find one. Actually i HAVE ONE OF 450w, but it's a no-nam brand "Deluxe" and don't know if it would be relevant. Another possibility is to ask a friend to test the PSU's output, but this will happen only next week at the earliest. What's strange is that the PSu is new, still in warranty and it's a 620W Seasonic. The thing is that last night I did the same as the night before, reomved the cord and today it started again without fault.
Another thing I will try is to plug in the computer to another outlet since the one I have, with power-surge protection, has no green light anymore. I just noticed it. It could be that it is itself broken.
 
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productx

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There was another development in my problem. I didn't manage to test my PSU yet, nor to aquire another one, however I started playing around with the RAM sticks. What I found out is that any two of the sticks (total 2gb), set in any of two slots, don't trigger any blue screens or BIOS problems. In fact, the windows is completely stable and, strangely, it occupies much less memory at startup. Before, when I had all 4 sticks, windows occupied roughly 1,3 gb of RAM, now it is somewhere under 1 gb of RAM. My question is, cant windows itself be responsible for all the troubles? Or can another thing be wrong since it works with 2 gb of RAM, but not with 4?
 
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Ra_V_en

Ra_V_en

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Either I've missed it or you didn't mention about blue screens but only BIOS issues. Obviously it can be still related with RAM, MOBO , CPU, GPU or PSU since all are required for POST to be proceed and all can lead to unstable BIOS behavior.
Your first post especially "bad checksum error" pushed me to think it can be related to battery issues, but indeed its not necessary true.

Don't bother thinking about RAM usage, Windows loads files dynamically based on installed ram, it tends to use more if it has more available.

If you managed to suspect RAM for the issues, there is nothing better to run a Memtest for a decent amount of time.
 
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productx

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Now at least it's clear. When I put all 4 sticks in...it doesn't post or gives me the BIOS recovery error. Either one of the sticks, in either one of the slots is OK. The same with any two sticks in any two slots (so that they work in dual-channel). Only with all 4 sticks does the computer misbehave.
I will do do the memtest as soon as I have the time, although I have doubts that the RAM itself is the problem. Same goes for the RAM slots.
 
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zodthelucky

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I had the same prob. after six months of moving and reflashing and banging my head, I pull the corsair psu new by the way and wa-la the g-d brand new corsair psu was the culprit. it seems that this is a inherent problem with corsair try it ill bet its it.
 
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productx

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Yep, I'm beginning to suspect my 5 months old seasonic PSU. Here what happend just now. First I put the timings and voltage etc. manually in BIOS. It started fine with two RAm sticks in dual-channel mode. Then I put the other two and...not only it didn't POST, it also had a forst try to start, stopped like a car without gas and then started again...but with no POST. So I tried with three RAM sticks....the same. Then I treid with two sticks in single channle mode...the same. Then again with two sticks (randomly chosen) in dual-channel and it worked fine, BUT AFTER an initial message that stated something about overclocking. By the way, I have no overclocking. After that it went fine. So, first thing i will send the PSU back for warranty and hopefully get a new one. Man, these problems are annoying!
 
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