Sudden Lack of Post'ing

TafkaD

TafkaD

TafkaD

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Joined
19 Feb 2008
Posts
10
Location
London
I recently built a PC with components bought from overclockers. Until very recently it has behaved well -well apart from a couple of vista niggles- and I have been very pleased with it.

I don't know how/if any of these symptoms are related but its worth having all the available information.
- About a week ago I noticed the occasional random lock up when it was left alone for a while.
- Another boot came up with a bright coloured pattern before BIOS and I had to reset it.
- A little over a week ago I left it downloading some files from iTunes overnight and in the morning whilst the files had downloaded, the PC had again locked up. Having restarted I was able to get back into windows.

Having only switched it on a bit over a week afterwards the PC will now not even POST. I hit the power button, all the fans whir up, and then the machine resets itself and this pattern repeats.

Initially I thought this may be a graphics card or a PSU issue. I now am trying a barebones boot of the mobo with everything disconnected bar the CPU (expecting to hear some beeps from the mobo). Again power on, fans whir up and then the machine resets, never getting to POST and this repeating. I also reset CMOS for this boot.

Has anyone had something similar happen? Any advice on how to proceed would be most appreciated. The next stage will be to reassemble the machine outside of case and start from a barebones boot. I have a feeling is that this is not going to make a difference as I can't see how only now the case could be shorting out the mobo.

My gut feeling is that it may be the CPU or mobo :(

The components used are:

-Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR Edition" Retail / OcUK Value IP35 Pro Intel P35 Motherboard / 4GB OCZ PC-6400 Reaper Dual Channel DDR2 Kit - Bundle - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-092-OK
- Gainward BLISS GeForce 8800 GT 1024MB GDDR3 (now not available on OCUK)
- Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler (Socket AM2/LGA775) http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-002-NC
- Corsair TX 650W ATX2.2 SLi Compliant PSU http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-008-CS
 
"post'ing" *cringes* :D

It's really worth taking everything out to test, as this can help solve the problem in a lot of situations. Also try taking out the motherboard battery for a short while, maybe half an hour.

Try taking everything apart and putting the bare minimums back in and report back on how you get on. :)

Good Luck:)
 
"post'ing" ok so that was bad! :D - should have been "POST'ing"

I've just taken everything out of the case and have left the system as Motherboard, CPU + CPU fan as well as the power supply. Nothing else is plugged into it.

- Switch the motherboard
- LED from Ethernet port flashes
- CPU fan and PSU fans start on for a couple of seconds
- They stop
- CPU fan and PSU fan start again for a couple of seconds
- This loops

No beeps from the motherboard, just the fans cycling on/off and it going nowhere.

This would imply 3 suspects for the behaviour:
- PSU
- CPU
- Motherboard

If I had more kit around me, I would test this with another PSU to rule that one out, however I would have thought that it would not be cycling on/off so frequently as I would have guessed that that problem would be more intermittent.

Any ideas how to get to the bottom?
- Worst case could be to get a new motherboard to test it out on and then assuming it is that, decide whether to keep the new one and sell what comes back from RMA or vice versa. Could always go the CPU route and try a new one however I think that route's more pricey.
 
POSTing! lol

Did you forget to put your RAM in? Just, you said you left everything out except CPU motherboard and PSU. A PC won't post without RAM in it. Or did you just forget to mention RAM? :)
 
you need ram in for it to post

testing the ram would be the first thing (on the hardware side) i would test from the earlier random lock-ups and things you mentioned
 
I was under the impression that the motherboard would beep if there was no RAM in hence I thought that if it would do that then I could tell if the mobo was doing anything at all.

Anyway, tested that trying each stick individually and same cycle of:
power on --> fans on for a few seconds --> fans off and loop back

Either way in both conditions I get the same result which suggests that the RAM is not the factor affecting it. I keep alternating between Motherboard and PSU being the potential issue at the moment. Motherboard as its not wanting to go further past the fans switching on - ie nothing is kicking in. PSU as perhaps it won't go further because the PSU isn't working properly to provide enough power requested by the mobo and it resets.

I have a VERY old desktop (Athlon xp2000) and I am going to see if its PSU has the correct connections to remove to test it with.
 
I had a similar problem, it was doing my head in! It turned out to be the motherboard.

If I were you I'd completely disassemble your computer, even take the motherboard out the case. Make sure nothing is shorting out and put it together very carefully.
 
Thanks for the suggestion. In fact it was something I did when I only connected the Mobo, CPU and PSU together and still no change.

I actually got hold of a 24 pin power supply tester as I thought that would be better than actually swapping an ancient PSU in and hoping it still was working. It had readings for +3.3V, -12V, PG, +5VSB, +12V, -5V +5V

All the LED's for the 24 pin connection lit apart from the -5V however the manual only says that it provides +3.3V, +5V, 12V, -12V, +5VSB - suggesting that in fact the PSU is operating fine.

Time to RMA the motherboard then? :(
 
Last edited:
Just checking, but you did mount the motherboard on the riser bolt things so that the board isn't in direct contact with the case?
 
The motherboard is currenty outside of the case so this isn't an issue now. But when I did have it in the case it was mounted without direct contact with the case.
 
I suggest you:

1.) switch the jumper of the BIOS to "safe BIOS" (not Dual BIOS), so as to boot up from the backup BIOS rather than the Main BIOS;

2.) Plug only the CPU, 1 stick of RAM and your Graphics Card onto the board and attempt to boot, they are all necessary if you want to boot the PC up.
 
check both power cables are connected and also maybe reseat your cpu....if its not making contact properly it will overheat and possibly cause it to reset b4 it even boots up.

did u try a diff power supply ?
 
kenofstephen said:
I suggest you:

1.) switch the jumper of the BIOS to "safe BIOS" (not Dual BIOS), so as to boot up from the backup BIOS rather than the Main BIOS;

2.) Plug only the CPU, 1 stick of RAM and your Graphics Card onto the board and attempt to boot, they are all necessary if you want to boot the PC up.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice,

Tried all of the above, again the same problem still persists. The PSU seems to be working fine, I don't have another one but I have tested its output and this is consistent with how it should be performing.
 
Hi D

This may sound like strange advice but try replacing the mobo battery.
Take the old one out, go to the shops and get a new one. This'll give the cmos
charge time to expire.

Had a similar problem with a friends p4 system. Ripped the whole thing apart and
nothing, couldn't fix it. Out of desperation replaced battery and wham, it comes
to life.
Strange but true :)

Mobo was abit max3... something or the other?

.....rainyday
 
Thanks for the suggestion Rainy,

I tried removing the battery is related to storing the CMOS settings and this resets the BIOS settings previously. Similar to when you short the CMOS reset jumpers. This didn't make a difference to the problem. Motherboard dying could be a more consistent explanation for the lockups prior to the major non POST problem.

I figured that it's either the motherboard or the CPU and whilst I do not have a spare of either I decided to take a gamble and order a replacement motherboard (a Daniweb forum suggested it was the motherboard too. Ordered an Asus P5K Intel P35 which I have just set up and guess what.... everything works fine now:)

I just need to sort selling the extra mobo when I get the old one replaced by J&W. Am going to stick with the Asus - OCUK tech support for 1yr with the product - pretty good service.
 
Sweet. Glad you sorted it out.

Thought the tip was a long shot but worth a go.

Seem to be getting a lot of new boards with flat
batteries lately, don't know why...

Just set up a P5K/P35 for my nephew. Xlent board.

Saying that those J&w's are quite something... when they work ;)
You shouldn't have any trouble selling it to anyone who's familiar
with them.

In my experience OCUK is very good period. Service, support, everything.

.....rainyday
 
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