‘OC’ System Crashes at Windows Logo (If it even POST’s)

[Comben]

Hello OC’ers, as a disclaimer before my post, I have tried a google and forum search but I feel my question is so niche I’ve not come up with an answer.

TL: DR - Is is possible a once overclocked bundle may not work correctly once the BIOS is reset to defaults?

My systems was a custom build from overclockers (way back when) using one of their overclocked bundles. I have since left the computer off and barely used for the last 5 years. Now when I went back to use it the system wouldn’t POST, I realised it could be any hardware issue at this point but let me further explain... Occasionally the system will POST and asks which BIOS setting I want, to which I select default, the desktop PC then makes it to the Windows logo only to freeze there. A few of the default Windows tests I’ve tried also crash when attempting to diagnose.

This is where my question gets niche and I could be way off but I’m now starting to think that the previous OC might have something to do with the issue. Is it possible the PSU, Processor or HDD are expecting to be overclocked but the BIOS is preventing that? (Or is that a stupid question because the BIOS is the overclock and everything should work under default settings?)

So should I just sack it off as the system is so old, should I take it to a repair shop or is there someone here take has the slightest clue what I’m on about. (Apologies if this is a noob question, I’m one of those terrible people that think they know about PC’s but really have no expertise.)


Krypton AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition 3.20GHz @ 3.80GHz Overclocked Bundle

MSI GeForce GTX 460 HAWK "Super-OC" 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card

Antec High Current Gamer 620W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gbs 16MB Cache - OEM

I can provide some more hardware details or specs on request but to be honest as the computer doesn’t ever load you’d have to explain how I get the info. Also I have tried changing the CMOS battery and disconnecting some hardware such as the CD drive and Network Card (in an attempt to save power)

 

[Comben]

I was about to delete this post out of embarrassment because I have now managed to fix the problem. However I actually decided to leave it here incase anyone else ever has this issue....

To answer my own questions, the BIOS controls the overclock (regardless of whether its a bundle or not) and if the BIOS is reset to defauts the computer should still work - just without the overclock.

Secondly the reason the computer couldn’t POST consistently was likely caused by an unused/ flat CMOS battery because once replaced it would POST everytime. Sitting idle for so long likely drained the battery.

Next Windows wasn’t able to boot because the SATA port in the MoBo must be faulty (after I switched the disc drive and harddive SATA cables, the harddrive booted Windows but the disc drive didn’t work. I have since moved the SATA cable to a new port in the MoBo and everything now seems to be working.)

Also as I bought an Overclocked bundle direct from overclockers, there was a BIOS profile I was able to load (in the BIOS) meaning my system is now overclocked again. (For the noobs out there like me, it’s worth noting that my PC worked before and after I loaded the ocuk BIOS profile)

Finally my system wouldn’t start without certain components such as ram but it’s a good idea to test things one at a time. I’m glad to have PC back, even if it’s a bit old, cos it still does the trick.

Good luck to everyone with a similar problem. I hope my embarrassment has helped you.

 

[FredFlint]

I had boot issues with my old Intel PC, replaced the battery and that sorted it. It was the first thing I tried as if that was not it would likely the PSU and that's harder to test. Never had a PC so long that I had to change that before. The battery lasted about 7 years!

 

[Comben]

Thanks for the reply FredFlint, I too suspected a PSU fault but realised it would be hard to test so started by checking other components instead.

I honestly had no idea the CMOS battery could be such a vital part (I generally associated it with the bios time date and settings) However I was also surprised to find it was just a SATA port (linking to the harddrive) which caused such problems.