Computer not booting (split-second flash of power)

[genjaguar]

I was playing a game on my computer when suddenly it turned off with no warning. When I tried to power it back on, the fan lights blinked for a split-second and barely moved before there was no response again. Pressing the power button after that yielded no response. If i reset the power cable and powered off/on the PSU, it did the same split-second power up before no response again.

I figured it might be my PSU. I did the paper clip trick with just a fan attached and the PSU came on fine and the fan was lit up and running. I then tried just plugging in my motherboard, and no response(the fan on the PSU barely moved). I tried to reset the CMOS and still the same issue.

I think it might be my motherboard...but is there any way to be sure? Or could anything else be the cause?

My specs:
i5 2500K@4.4k
ASRock Extreme 4 P67
MSI GTX 560Ti
2x4GB Ripjaw X DDR3 1600
Corsair HX620W PSU

 

[Twoboxer]

Its more likely your psu. Driving a fan, and powering a PC are two very different loads.

Unfortunately, the best diagnostic tool for a psu is a spare psu.

 

[genjaguar]

I'll try to pick one up on the way home from work and check with that.

 

[genjaguar]

I got a new PSU (Corsair GS700) and the computer now turns on...however it does not post. My motherboard shows a code of 00...which the manual says is not used. Not sure where to go from here.

 

[pjmelect]

That's what I meant.

 

[Twoboxer]

pj meant the 8-pin. We now know your 20+4 and 4/8 pin connectors are attached

Please keep in mind that statistics make us suggest swapping in a new/borrowed psu. Thee's a smal chance it could be mobo, a tiny chance it could be cpu, and there's always the chance it could be some assembly error or other failure.

 

[pjmelect]

Unfortunately it is not uncommon for a blown up power supply to take out the motherboard when it goes. Fortunately though no other components are usually damaged. When fitting the new power supply did you remember to fit the 4 pin connector?

 

[genjaguar]

Well the new PSU did solve the issue of the computer actually turning on. Now it's down to narrowing down the further problem with booting the computer.

What is weird...I was playing games fine all last night and for the past 7 months on this build, when it suddenly just turned off and wouldn't power on. It's not that new of a build. I haven't really touched anything except the PSU cables.

 

[genjaguar]

You mean the 8 pin connector or the 4 pin that is attached to the 20 pin connector? My motherboard uses a 24 pin for that and so the 4 pin is still attached and I connected the 8 pin as well.

 

[Twoboxer]

When you reset CMOS, did you load BIOS defaults and save them?

Either way, clear CMOS again - this time try it my way:

Unplug from the wall, remove the CMOS battery, press the case power on switch several times, grab a cup of coffee, replace the battery, plug into wall.

Go directly to BIOS, load defaults, make ONLY those changes required to run your PC properly (if any), save, and boot to Windows.

If you get into Windows, and if you have ANY utiluities installed that can OC anything, uninstall them now. Be prepared for a failure on your next boot - if so, clear CMOS and load defaults again.

if your hardware is OK, it should get to Windows fine now.

 

[genjaguar]

When I reset the CMOS before I did the jumper as well as removed the battery. It never let me into BIOS, nothing boots up.

I tried it your way and still the same, the computer turns on, the fans have power but it never boots and I can't get into BIOS. The motherboard just shows 00 as the code and the computer just sits there with the fans on.

 

[theuniquegamer]

It may be your psu and also when psu get dead it takes your MB with most of the time

 

[Twoboxer]

^ That isnt true. More than half the hardware failures here are PSU, and in thousands of posts I've seen maybe one take the mobo with it.

But he may be right in this case.

You were OC'd to 4.4GHz. What temps did you run when you ran your cpu stability test?

 

[craighay]

I had the same problem once. It was one of the HDD's. Believe it or not. Try booting up with your HDD(s) disconnected. If you can then get inti BIOS, you have found the problem. If not an HDD, perhaps the video card.

 

[genjaguar]

I have tried with an unplugged HDD, CD Drive, and video card...still no dice. Same 00 code shows and no booting.

When I was running at 4.4ghz, my CPU temps during stressing never passed the mid 60s. During gaming and such I believe it was mid 50s.

 

[Twoboxer]

Using your new PSU, is the 8-pin power connector plugged into the mobo?

If the Dr. Debug code is to be believed, your BIOS is not even getting to the point where it recognizes power on and would check the type of start-up.

Starting to believe this is mobo or cpu - which is why I asked the question about temps. Do you have any reason to believe you may have "abused' either of those in your OCing efforts?

 

[genjaguar]

Nothing I ever saw showed that I might have pushed it too much. I never did any OC on the motherboard and I only changed the multiplier to 44x on the CPU. The voltage was also 1.3 which is well below the max.

I have all the connections hooked up to the motherboard from my new PSU.

 

[Twoboxer]

At this point, (based on your reports) a diagnosis is a matter of playing the odds. Two PSU failures are unlikely, mobo is the next item likely to fail, and then cpu.

 

[genjaguar]

Other then a new MB or CPU, any real way to test for that?

 

[genjaguar]

Just for kicks I hooked up my old PSU to just the motherboard(24 and 8 pin connectors only connected) and it turned on and stayed on just like my new PSU. Motherboard still only shows 00 as soon as it turns on and never changes or boots.

 

[pjmelect]

The CPU will be OK if the power supply has blown up taking the motherboard with it, because the CPU is powered by its own power supply on the motherboard isolating it from the power supply fault. I have seen hundreds of faulty motherboards caused by blown up power supplies in my time and in not one case was the CPU damaged by the faulty power supply. CPU's normally fail because they have been abused.

 

[genjaguar]

Well from what it seems, my PSU might not have even blown...it now starts the MB just like the new PSU I just got. Anyway to really test the MB?

 

[Twoboxer]

If you discount physical examination and a swap-out . . . no.

 

[genjaguar]

So I'm currently in the process of a RMA for my motherboard...what I'm wondering is what to do when I get thew replacement. Do I hook my old PSU back up(it started running the computer just like the new one when I hooked it back up last) or do I stay with the new one.

The old PSU originally did not turn the computer on at all...just a flash of power. Then I got my new PSU, and it turned the computer on(fans and leds on and the motherboard with a code of 00, but no booting). I then plugged my old one back in and it powered the computer on the same as the new PSU.

So I'm wondering...is it safe to hook the old PSU back and use it in my computer...or should I switch? I figured if the PSU was blown or caused damage it would not have turned the computer on at all later on.

 

[genjaguar]

Got my new motherboard...hooked everything up and I'm still getting a boot code of 00. Everything else turns on...I guess it could be my CPU...but I have no idea why or how it could go out. Any ideas as to what could be causing my issue?