PC shuts down within seconds of being switched on before attempting to restart; Please help.

Kwiterite · Jun 9, 2015

Hi; I apologise if this is the wrong place to ask for support.

When switching my PC on, the system tries to boot for a few seconds before immediately shutting off and switching itself on again to get the same result. In this time (which varies between 2 seconds and 10) nothing comes up on the monitor, and the power light remains on until the system turns off again. This first started happening this afternoon; yesterday I changed the PSU (to an EVGA 500w) and the case, but the PC functioned perfectly normally after my modifications until it stopped working today.

I have tried changing back to my old PSU, but the same issue continues to occur. I have tried unplugging all fans and removing my GPU, but still to no avail. The same thing happens whether or not my HDD is plugged in. I can only assume it is an issue with the motherboard - a Gigabyte GA H81M-S2PV.

I would greatly appreciate any help.

Mattios · Jun 9, 2015

Do you have a motherboard speaker/beeper installed? If so do you get any error codes?

Kwiterite · Jun 9, 2015

Mattios :

no i do not

Mattios · Jun 9, 2015

I suggest you buy one and report back.

C12Friedman · Jun 9, 2015

While a motherboard speaker is a good thing to have installed (it should've been an accessory that came with the case) and I agree it will help a lot here, you can try removing the ram for about 5 seconds then putting it back in, you may be able to start then.

Kwiterite · Jun 9, 2015

C12Friedman :

What exactly is a motherboard speaker? A quick google image search informs me that it plugs into the headers on my mobo; my case has a pair of headers entitled power LED +/-, but my educated guess is that those are the LEDs for the power switch.
I'm afraid removing and replacing the RAM makes no difference. Is there a way I could be absolutely certain that the problem is with my motherboard or CPU?

I very much appreciate your help sir.

Or Nah · Jun 9, 2015

I actually had this issue about 2-3 years ago. Turned out my PSU was dead. Could or could not be your problem though.

Kwiterite · Jun 9, 2015

Or Nah :

PSU is brand new, and I have connected another PSU of the same wattage and had the same problem.

Mattios · Jun 9, 2015

Have you tried changing the RAM out to only use one stick at a time? You need to narrow down the cause of the issue.

A motherboard speaker plugs into the same area (not the same pins) that your front I/O connectors do.

Kwiterite · Jun 9, 2015

Mattios :

Ah thanks for clarifying.
My RAM is one stick of 8gb; I've tried booting it with the stick taken out, as well as inserting it into either of the two slots on my mobo, still no luck.

Mattios · Jun 10, 2015

I suggest purchasing a motherboard speaker then.

FYI the system wouldn't boot without RAM anyway.

Kwiterite · Jun 10, 2015

Mattios :

I see. I probably should know that so thank you for bearing with me! I've tested it until I am certain that the problem is with either the motherboard or CPU; is there any way to know for certain which it is without buying a motherboard speaker or similar diagnostic chip? I know speakers are about a pound each but I'd like to get this sorted without waiting for it to arrive/ going out to get one.

Jayz666 · Jun 10, 2015

Have you try ed resetting the Bios by taking the battery out of the main motherboard but please make sure you have a anti static band on and have drained all the power out of the board by turning off the power switch off on the PSU and pressing the power on again on your pc you see the fans move but that is normal. Then remove the Bios battery from the board for about 10 to 15 secs. Also did you move the case you might have dislodged the CPU that would make the motherboard shut down so have a look at that too. hope this helps Jayz666

Kwiterite · Jun 10, 2015

Jayz666 :

Do you want me to just take the battery out, not replace it or anything? Out of interest, why would this help? I'll do as you say anyway, but it would be nice to know how exactly it works.

Jayz666 · Jun 10, 2015

Hi bro hope this helps you it's a link so hope its ok guys. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA3MrgBsjpE watch this man.
or this one might help you out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdp_L5IxaNI

Mattios · Jun 10, 2015

Kwiterite :

Look in your motherboard manual about how to reset the CMOS. This resets the BIOS so if there are any bad settings they'll be removed and the motherboard will go to default factory settings. You won't lose data.

Kwiterite · Jun 10, 2015

I have reset the CMOS, still without any change. I am looking now at buying a replacement motherboard; is this the right thing to do? Is there a chance that it could be a problem with another component?

ZandaThebigbluePanda · Jun 10, 2015

Could be anything from PSU to CPU at this point

PC shuts down within seconds of being switched on before attempting to restart; Please help.

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