Desktop sometimes will not POST; Windows behaves strangely

Danger781

Hello boards

I'm having a strange issue with my gaming PC over the last few days. Sometimes when I go to power on my PC it will just sit there with a black screen. It will never reach the BIOS splash screen. After running through this procedure a second time, sometimes a fourth or fifth time, I will eventually get access to Windows. However often when I do get access it will refuse to recognise my mouse so I go through the process again! When I do eventually get access with a functioning cursor I will start encountering weird issues.. For example UAC was re-enabled on my PC so I get warned whenever an application is about to make changes my PC. I've had this turned off for months. I tried to save an image earlier today to "My Pictures" but I got an error saying that this directory does not exist when it clearly does..

At first I thought maybe my SSD was acting up, but I downloaded "SSDLife" and this returned a 99% healthy rating. I have a feeling it may the motherboard, considering the issues POSTing and the mouse not getting recognised (By not recognised I mean that the cursor is not visible in Windows). Is there any way to check this, short of removing it?

I'm hesitant to start removing hardware because it's such a pain in the arse..

Specs:

• i5 6600k
• MSI Z170A GAMING M5
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
• Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
• Windows 10

Danger781

Starting to think it's my graphics card or mobo. Rocket League just randomly minimised a moment ago and when I brought it back up the entire screen was green.

Crap.

SterlingArcher

Danger781 wrote: »

Hello boards

I'm having a strange issue with my gaming PC over the last few days. Sometimes when I go to power on my PC it will just sit there with a black screen. It will never reach the BIOS splash screen. After running through this procedure a second time, sometimes a fourth or fifth time, I will eventually get access to Windows. However often when I do get access it will refuse to recognise my mouse so I go through the process again! When I do eventually get access with a functioning cursor I will start encountering weird issues.. For example UAC was re-enabled on my PC so I get warned whenever an application is about to make changes my PC. I've had this turned off for months. I tried to save an image earlier today to "My Pictures" but I got an error saying that this directory does not exist when it clearly does..

At first I thought maybe my SSD was acting up, but I downloaded "SSDLife" and this returned a 99% healthy rating. I have a feeling it may the motherboard, considering the issues POSTing and the mouse not getting recognised (By not recognised I mean that the cursor is not visible in Windows). Is there any way to check this, short of removing it?

I'm hesitant to start removing hardware because it's such a pain in the arse..

Specs:

• i5 6600k
• MSI Z170A GAMING M5
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
• Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
• Windows 10

Could use onboard graphics.

I think it may be your psu. Why your mouse not showing up. gpu could also be showing signs its not getting enough power.

Danger781

If it's my PSU then I have horrible luck. This would be my third PSU in the last two years.

Surely if the PSU was the issue then my system would be crashing? This has not been happening..

extra-ordinary_

Danger781 wrote: »

If it's my PSU then I have horrible luck. This would be my third PSU in the last two years.

Surely if the PSU was the issue then my system would be crashing? This has not been happening..

All manner of problems with a dodgy PSU - get the lend of another one to test.

Danger781

Oddly enough this stopped happening after I moved my mouse to another USB port...

Windows will now POST successfully every time, and my cursor is no longer disappearing...

Hopefully that's the end of it.

Dyr

MSI motherboard.

Never trusted em

ballyargus

Have had a few MSI boards. By far my favourite manufacturer. Never had a bother

ED E

Danger781 wrote: »

I tried to save an image earlier today to "My Pictures" but I got an error saying that this directory does not exist when it clearly does..

At first I thought maybe my SSD was acting up, but I downloaded "SSDLife" and this returned a 99% healthy rating.

Its the drive.


Drive analysis tools cant see many problems without writing/reading each block a few times. The vast majority dont do this and just look at SMART which is isnt as clever as it sounds.

smacl

Danger781 wrote: »

Oddly enough this stopped happening after I moved my mouse to another USB port...

Windows will now POST successfully every time, and my cursor is no longer disappearing...

Hopefully that's the end of it.

So try putting the mouse back in that USB port and see if the issue starts happening again. Give you a better idea whether its cause or coincidence.

pogcica

Try updating the ssd firmware there should be a tool you can download from the manufacturer website.I had two different ssd drives that Windows would sometimes not recognize and updating firmware fixed the problem.