PC startup comes to two varieties, only one of them successfully POSTs. I've done each step of the TH POST steps.

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
3

3dprintedwaffles

Prominent
Sep 9, 2017
17
0
510
I've been through the list, which has gotten me to the point where it does sometimes boot successfully. (Weird combination of reseating 4 and 20 pin, and single RAM stick seems to boost success rate from ~5%-~20% Successful POST seems mostly random.

Components are listed below.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/bf6WNN

Motherboard isn't listed on PCPartPicker. It is an M5A97 R2.0

When it boots successfully (rarely), power button immediately spins up fans to high RPM, then "idles" at that speed at least a minute before the fan speeds drop by at least 50%, then it immediately begins successfully POSTing and booting.

When it fails (much more common) it stays in this high RPM "idling" position indefinitely. It would go forever if I let it.

Also the power button works fine to start it, but will not work to shut it down. Does this tell us something?

I've found this to be a hard combination of factors to search. If anyone knows of a previous post addressing this problem I would greatly appreciate a link.

If not, I'm hoping someone can shed some light on what these symptoms indicate that the problem may be.

My sincere thanks,

3DPrintedWaffles


Many thanks.
 
Solution
DRagor
So now you got non-working USB ports. Brilliant ;) Since the only cause of non-working USB is motherboard failure, this strengthens my previous suspicion - your motherboard is the problem. Now, since your tests with battery has proven some success, you can try installing new motherboard battery, maybe that can help, but if not, you need new motherboard.
Sort by date Sort by votes
3

3dprintedwaffles

Prominent
Sep 9, 2017
17
0
510


I haven't, but that's not a bad idea. Of course I can only do it on one of the successful POSTs, so it still means trying it 20 times before even getting to try it. I've removed CMOS battery which I would think would have a similar effect, canceling out any incompatibilities in the BIOS settings, but anything could happen.

Anyway that's a good idea, I'll try it when it next POSTs. Though sometimes it's hard to catch it at the right time since it still takes at least a minute (sometimes 10 or more) to slow the fans and begin booting in the best case scenario haha.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
3

3dprintedwaffles

Prominent
Sep 9, 2017
17
0
510


Old build, worked successfully for years, though there are two new components, the PSU and Case, which are both brand new. I've also tested it with a different PSU with the same results.

No power outages or anything to my knowledge. I've been breadboarding it the last two days while trying to get it going and eventually just said Fkit and put it in the case just to get rid of some of the clutter.

No change in result/behavior so I don't think it's the case or PSU.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
DRagor

DRagor

Polypheme
Jan 23, 2017
9,028
745
65,440
No, it's definitely not case - if it was causing problems with boot, they would be consistent (you would not be able to boot at all).
PSU failure is most tempting solution here. However, if you are sure 2nd unit you tried is known to work, then it leaves only motherboard as possible suspect. Once the system successfully boots, there are no other issues of any kind?
Right now, If I had to guess, I would say the new PSU was faulty, and managed to damage your motherboard when you run it together.
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
3

3dprintedwaffles

Prominent
Sep 9, 2017
17
0
510


Very possible. I know the other PSU is good- I'm using it now.

My understanding was that a CPU failure was basically all or nothing. Getting these occasional successful boots really throws me.

The first time it did successfully boot it did run incredibly slow and then froze, but it's been absolutely fine (when it boots) since then.

The motherboard was my original thought when I last bothered troubleshooting this about 6 months ago and I actually ordered a brand new one of the same model, all for naught. At that point it was spinning fans but never sending picture to the screen or getting any beeps, even with no RAM installed. I've since sold the new replacement motherboard on eBay to recoup some of the cost.

Additionally, I've tried two different CPUs in this thing. I have a FX-4100 Zambezi Quad core that I tried during the initial attempts during this most recent troubleshooting attempt. It did however have a couple of bent pins, for which I strapped a magnifying glass to my face and straightened out pretty well. While I think I got it all sorted out, it does add an extra variable to the mix.

Whew. Not much left to try replacing. I think I'll start at the beginning again and run all the tests I did before I was able to ever get it to even beep, never mind start. I'll try and get some beeps with all RAM out and report back.

*edit: Been running a bit over a minute with no RAM installed, no beeps.

I gotta go run some errands for a couple hours but I'll be back to continue the journey soon. Thanks for your thoughts, everybody. Step by step, we will make this thing work or I will defenestrate it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
3

3dprintedwaffles

Prominent
Sep 9, 2017
17
0
510
@freercurse @DRagor
Holy Crap. It beeped. It lives. Right as I was about to give up on it.

I hadn't gotten it to successfully boot in the last what must have been 100 attempts, but it's alive at the moment.

The configuration is barebones, no HDD, the simple PowerColor GPU that doesn't require additional power, no audio or USB -> case connections, no USBs in motherboard, 1 stick of 4GB RAM in slot A1 (Stick labeled 4GB#2 since I've gone through every conceivable arrangement with 2x2GB sticks and my 2x4GB sticks so I've had to label them all).

I'd tried the last battery of tests with the CMOS battery completely removed. All I wanted was a beep... a complaint... Notice that there was no RAM installed, please! Things were looking bleak.

I was ready to give up, to put it all back in the case just for storage. I stuck the CMOS battery back in and gave it one last try, just for the f*ck of it, and viola, I've got picture to screen.

Removing and reinserting that battery is something I've done more than ten times, but for whatever reason this time it seems to have done the trick.

Or something unrelated did. Nothing makes sense anymore.

But alas, there's still a problem. It's reporting No Keyboard Detected! Which is true... Or it was. I've since tried plugging in two different wireless USB keyboards and haven't gotten any response from the system. I wish I had a wired one, but I don't think I do.

Now I'm torn between trying to restart it with the keyboard USB already in, or leaving it as is until I can find a wired keyboard. Also on the docket, is whether I should plug in the SSD if I were to do a reset so that I could actually get into the system and look around.

I'm at a crossroads, folks. Penny for your thoughts?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
F

freercurse

Distinguished
Dec 16, 2016
256
17
18,865


hmm, i can't suggest anything with any confidence, logic would suggest if in current configuration it should boot fine the next time. have you clears the cmos? if so i would i would try boot to BIOS. But so far the system has been so finicky. use it while you can :D.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
3

3dprintedwaffles

Prominent
Sep 9, 2017
17
0
510


Ya I'm pretty uneasy with giving it a restart. I don't know if switching to a wired keyboard would make any difference, but I bet I could find one sometime tomorrow haha.

If I were confident I could replicate this boot I'd just give it another go, but so many times it's booted successfully just to go back to nothingness after shutdown with no perceivable change in variables.

So yeah... I guess I'll ask around and see if any of my buddies around town have a wired keyboard... which I'm only 50% confident would make a difference anyway.

Man, fleeting tastes of functionality suck. I wish it were just dead and I knew why and could be done with it haha
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
DRagor

DRagor

Polypheme
Jan 23, 2017
9,028
745
65,440
Well, the system is not much of use anyway, if you can't make it boot (almost) every time. Since it failed last 100 times, it will probably fail next time too ... Wired or wireless, should make absolutely no difference (unless you forgot to put batteries :grin: ). It points out at USB ports failure, which in turn points to motherboard failure. Btw, what about the mouse then? Was it only keyboards that did not work?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
3

3dprintedwaffles

Prominent
Sep 9, 2017
17
0
510



Wow. bizarre stuff going on here. I got it to POST and get to BIOS without any HDD installed. Installed SSD and tried booting again. No luck, tried probably 20, maybe 30 times, including the CMOS battery swappadoodle trick without any luck. I had just decided to downgrade it from my main workspace to a back burner spot, and literally just thought, ahh wth, I'll give it one last shot.

Beep. Boop. Keyboard recognized. SDD recognized.

So it seems the one factor that makes it work is that I'm about to give up on it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
3

3dprintedwaffles

Prominent
Sep 9, 2017
17
0
510
@DRagor @freercurse
Now that I'm in BIOS and have a hard drive in there, what should I do? Any suggestions about things to tweak either in Bios or Windows that could fix and/or help diagnose the root issue? I don't want to waste this precious opportunity.

Also I created a bootable Linux flash drive to try. But that will have to wait until after trying to seize this precious moment of functionality.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
3

3dprintedwaffles

Prominent
Sep 9, 2017
17
0
510


@Dragor @Freecurse

I'd given up on this thing for a while, but gave it another go tonight. Trying to boot several times with the CMOS battery out, then booting with it in has proven to have a much higher success rate, maybe ~80%. Also I've found that shorting the reset pins from this functioning boot position has so far kept it POSTing mostly successfully. But a new problem has emerged.

It's stuck at the "Please press DEL or F2 to enter UEFI BIOS setting" page. I tried the keyboard dongle in different usb ports, nothing. I unwrapped my main keyboard from it's cable organizer and plugged it in, still nothing. Tried it in every motherboard USB spot just to be sure.

So I unplugged the SATA SSD (the only drive) and tried to boot from a linux USB, but still nothing.

Searching this problem online comes up with a myriad of "it was some USB dongle!" but that's no help to me. Currently I've got a wired keyboard, plugged right into the motherboard, and that's it. SSD and Linux drives removed.

So, I can either boot with the keyboard installed with the possibility tha tthe USB is causing the problem, or boot with absolutely no keyboard and be unable to press F2 or DEL anyway.

This machine has surpassed catch-22 status. Can we call it a catch-44?

Edit*
Oh yeah, I've even gone as far to try it with DVI and VGA. Nothing.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
DRagor

DRagor

Polypheme
Jan 23, 2017
9,028
745
65,440
So now you got non-working USB ports. Brilliant ;) Since the only cause of non-working USB is motherboard failure, this strengthens my previous suspicion - your motherboard is the problem. Now, since your tests with battery has proven some success, you can try installing new motherboard battery, maybe that can help, but if not, you need new motherboard.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom