Pc stuck in boot loop before BIOS

Tomithy

Tomithy

Tomithy

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Joined
24 Jun 2012
Posts
65
Hi all, out of nowhere my pc(built by me 3 years ago) will not boot up and I desperately need help. When I power on, the system starts for 1 or 2 seconds and then turns off. A couple of seconds later it tries to start again, but the same thing happens. It's doing this indefinitely. Below is my specs and what I have tried so far:

-i5 3870K
-MSI HD 7850 Twin Frozr III OC 2GB
-Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77
-Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 600W
-Seagate Barracuda 1TB
-Corsair Vengeance Blue Low Profile 8GB

~Tried removing RAM, switched modules and tried every combination
~Unplugged everything non-essential
~removed CMOS battery to reset

In another thread elsewhere, someone mentioned to try this " Grab a paperclip and bend it in half, grab the power connector for your motherboard and then stick one end into any green wire and one end into any black. If your fans stay running (Assuming their connected to the PSU) then it's likely a motherboard issue."

I tried this and the system would stay on, but would not boot. Am i looking at a faulty motherboard here?
 
I don't have access to another PSU unfortunately.

All USB devices are unplugged, will try removing the cmos battery for longer and report back.

Anything else I can try?
 
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Ok, cmos battery has been out and back in with no change, so I think we can rule this out. Thanks for your help freddie.

Can anyone else shed any light on this?
 
Yeah, terrible timing too with Fallout 4 on the horizon :(

I only know one other person with a decent rig, so I'll ask them nicely if I can borrow some components to test.

The fact that the PSU fan spins is leading me to believe that's not the problem(really hope i'm wrong here). All fingers point to the motherboard at the moment, which would be a disaster. It's about 3 months out of it's 3 year warranty.
 
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wazza300 said:
you didn't disturb the cpu at all did you? if not then leave it installed/untouched

would be best to try and borrow a spare psu to test with first
Click to expand...

Didn't touch the cpu but did unplug the stock fan and remove it(it's now back on). Would that have disturbed the thermal paste?
 
Yep, tried all possible RAM combinations and tried to boot without HDD's connected, and tried them all individually.

So yeah, hopefully I can get hold of a freinds psu tomorrow, failing that I'll take it to the local PC repair place on Monday.

If anyone else has any other other tests I can do, please say :)
 
Just an update, had a guy on the case today switching out parts for me. The power supply is not the problem. He tried everything except the motherboard and CPU, so that narrows it down. Absolutely gutted.

My copy of windows 7 is OEM, so if I have to get a new motherboard, will I need to purchase another copy of Windows?
 
CrixxzeH said:
I have the same Cpu+mobo. Exact same problem narrowed it down to cpu / mobo but no spares to test. Another alternative would be to get a power on self test card see if that gives you anything if not, spare z77 mobo and cpu
Click to expand...

Really? When did your troubles start and how old is your system?

Wazza, will give that a go when I get the machine back shortly.

So(if it's a new motherboard I need) is my current windows installation safe? I read that I can just call windows and they'll give me a new key, as it's still the same machine, just replacing a part.
 
Hoping to get a clearer picture of what's going on tomorrow.

If it comes down to needing to buying a new motherboard, could anyone recommend me a new one similar to the one I have? My current one doesn't seem to be available anymore. Preferably something i can get delivered on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Thanks in advance...
 
My PSU was found to be working as normal when tried in another setup though :/

My system is currently at the local repair place, fingers crossed they can find a solution.
 
Ok, serious help needed now!

I've had a guy looking at my machine, and he's all but certain the problem is with the motherboard. What he's not certain on is if the CPU is dead as well. Surely this is a long shot that they have both died together?

So the dilemma... Do I buy a new motherboard and hope that my CPU is still okay? Or do I upgrade both now?

:confused:
 
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