Startup Issues

Potential-Monke

Hi all. A few years back, I built this for the brother, all going well since up to last week, when he goes to turn on the PC it makes the startup whirr, then powers off and keeps going in a loop like that. Need to disconnect the power cable to get it to stop. Nothing comes up on screen at any point, it's like it powers down again before the BIOS, so can't get in to anything to test safe mode, etc.

Build:

Intel Xeon E3-1230v2, boxed, LGA1155
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost EditionWindforce 2X, 2GB GDDR5, VGA, 2x DVI, HDMI
Cooler Master N300, ATX-Midi-Tower, schwarz, ohne Netzteil
LiteOn iHAS124-04 schwarz SATA
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s (replaced with Samsung 1Tb SSD)
8GB-Kit G-Skill RipJaws PC3-12800U CL9
be quiet! Pure Power L7 530 Watt
ASRock Z77 Pro4, Sockel 1155, ATX

On advice from a friend, I've swapped out the PSU and reseated the ram, but the same issue persists. He reckons it could be the MB. Anyone any advice or suggestions? And if it's the MB, would a straight swap be the best (if it can be found, quick Google is only giving me refurbs), or would you recommend an upgrade that doesn't cost more than €200?

Samuel T. Cogley

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor (£91.98 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£62.93 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£54.98 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £209.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-09-07 20:00 BST+0100

Only issue is you'd have to buy from somewhere that will flash that Motherboard for compatibility with the CPU. Oh and It's over budget but just giving you a point of reference to check against the refurbished motherboard cost.

Edit: I see a couple of cheaper boards to bring it down a bit. Shop around to find one flashed, or flashable by the seller.

EoinHef

I had that MB,is there not an LED indicator that gives you an error code on boot? I could have sworn there was.

If not there's definitely a speaker header on the board,should get error code based on amount of beeps the speaker makes.

EDIT: So just had a look at my old manual,chasis speaker header labelled 19 on the MB layout page. No LED readout,i must have been thinking the Extreme 4 which did have the LED error code

grogi

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor (£91.98 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£62.93 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£54.98 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £209.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-09-07 20:00 BST+0100

Only issue is you'd have to buy from somewhere that will flash that Motherboard for compatibility with the CPU. Oh and It's over budget but just giving you a point of reference to check against the refurbished motherboard cost.

Edit: I see a couple of cheaper boards to bring it down a bit. Shop around to find one flashed, or flashable by the seller.

This day all.b450 come with ryzen 3000 compatible bioses anyway. This MB is horrible thought, I'd get ASRock pro4 instead.

bobbyy gee

Can you try memory and gpu in another computer have you reset cmos battery
Does the fan run
Remove any new hardware
Any beep codes you might need sound card

CPUs never go bad
Did you put new paste on when you put cpu back
Can you pick up cheap motherboard used
Before that check power supply

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/motherboard-shutting-down-shortly-after-power-up.213984/

Samuel T. Cogley

Better Motherboard. Still not great but we're working to a budget here and Hardware Unboxed gave it a sorta thumbs up back in the day.

EoinHef

Id defo do more investigating and make sure its the motherboard before dropping any money on a 7 Yr old motherboard.

Homelander

A320M with M2, Ryzen 3100 + 16GB DDR4 is close to €200 new and it's a decent upgrade, with a new platform, and much newer features.

Potential-Monke

Sound for everything folks. I'll try and convince him to up his budget and maybe bring it a bit more up to date, probably for the best anyway, but in the meantime...

Here's a link to what happens. No LED I believe on the MB, and no beeps. Just spins and cuts out mid-spin, repeat.

https://youtu.be/w-kAFMsMRFY

Edit: Sorry for the delayed responses, I'm at work.

JoyPad

Before you dismantle anything, can you try a different GPU?
AFAIK, the Xeon has no integrated graphics, so you need a separate discrete card.

Potential-Monke

Hmm, I could try taking the HD 7850 from mine and put it in his. CPU has its own HDMI connector, would that mean I could try booting without the GPU and it should work?

JoyPad

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Hmm, I could try taking the HD 7850 from mine and put it in his. CPU has its own HDMI connector, would that mean I could try booting without the GPU and it should work?

The motherboard has an HDMI connector, but the CPU doesn't have the circuit to power that.

Potential-Monke

Ah got ya. I'll try that tomorrow so. Thanks!

EoinHef

You would have to attach the below to the header on the board to hear the beeps.

Might just be better off upgrading if he has the cash

Hyzepher

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Ah got ya. I'll try that tomorrow so. Thanks!

I'd take the cpu if you eventually sell

pah

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Hi all. A few years back, I built this for the brother, all going well since up to last week, when he goes to turn on the PC it makes the startup whirr, then powers off and keeps going in a loop like that. Need to disconnect the power cable to get it to stop. Nothing comes up on screen at any point, it's like it powers down again before the BIOS, so can't get in to anything to test safe mode, etc.

Build:

Intel Xeon E3-1230v2, boxed, LGA1155
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost EditionWindforce 2X, 2GB GDDR5, VGA, 2x DVI, HDMI
Cooler Master N300, ATX-Midi-Tower, schwarz, ohne Netzteil
LiteOn iHAS124-04 schwarz SATA
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s (replaced with Samsung 1Tb SSD)
8GB-Kit G-Skill RipJaws PC3-12800U CL9
be quiet! Pure Power L7 530 Watt
ASRock Z77 Pro4, Sockel 1155, ATX

On advice from a friend, I've swapped out the PSU and reseated the ram, but the same issue persists. He reckons it could be the MB. Anyone any advice or suggestions? And if it's the MB, would a straight swap be the best (if it can be found, quick Google is only giving me refurbs), or would you recommend an upgrade that doesn't cost more than €200?

Very similar issues with 2 different machines in the last few years for friends. Ended up being the mobo on both occasions. Straight swap with a replacement from eBay was the easiest fix.

frozenfrozen

Funny enough I've got a couple of computers given to me to look at last week with the same issue, no beeps no lights no codes just spins up fans for a second then off and repeats.

Tried everything bar new motherboard or new cpu...


ones a h77 pro4-m and the second is an intel mobo still lga1155 doing similar

Maybe there was a self destruct button someone pressed

Potential-Monke

I hope not, my own is a ASRock Z77 Pro3! Strange issue though. Didn't get a chance to try the GPU today, and I'm "working" now.

Potential-Monke

Finally got around to swapping the gpus, no difference. When I first tried it, I only got a flashing power button, wiggling a few cables and it started boot but ended the same, powering off within a second or two, no beeps (but dont have that speaker attachment) and no picture.

Seems to be pointing towards MB. Anyone got any good suggestions for a replacement that'll work with the rest of the setup above? Preferably from 150-300, especially if other parts will need an upgrade too.

Thanks again folks!

K.O.Kiki

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor (£130.62 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI B450M MORTAR MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£84.98 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Team T-FORCE DARK Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£57.34 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2 GB Video Card (Purchased For £0.00)
Case: Cooler Master N300 ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For £0.00)
Power Supply: be quiet! 530 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply
Total: £272.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-09-13 23:11 BST+0100

Potential-Monke

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor (£130.62 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI B450M MORTAR MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£84.98 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Team T-FORCE DARK Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£57.34 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2 GB Video Card (Purchased For £0.00)
Case: Cooler Master N300 ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For £0.00)
Power Supply: be quiet! 530 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply
Total: £272.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-09-13 23:11 BST+0100

Thanks for that. Brother only got back to me now. Would I need to replace the cpu and ram? Also, quite cheap, I was expecting more tbh!

Would these be an improvement?

frozenfrozen

I sorted out the first pc with a straight swap of the same motherboard from ebay, around 45 euro.

Second board on the way to fix the other, but 115 euro as it was a better motherboard.

Just in case you were still wondering if it was the motherboard or psu / ram etc causing it I think you're safe to assume it's his motherboard as well.

K.O.Kiki

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Thanks for that. Brother only got back to me now. Would I need to replace the cpu and ram? Also, quite cheap, I was expecting more tbh!

Would these be an improvement?

That's CPU, RAM & motherboard in that list.

You wouldn't be able to use any of those parts from the older build as they're completely incompatible (Intel LGA1155 socket, DDR3 RAM).

However the following parts can be reused:
GTX 650 Ti (GPU)
CoolerMaster N300 (case)
DVD drive
SSD drive(s)
be quiet 530W (PSU)

It is a much-improved CPU, however you'll be bottlenecked by the GPU in games.

Potential-Monke

Awesome. He doesn't game, its mainly for music production, lots of VSTs, etc, so I believe the ram and cpu are more important. He'll have the money Tuesday so I'll go with that. Thanks for the help. I can build them, I'm just useless at picking compatible parts!

Potential-Monke

Parts are en route. Just reading up on replacing motherboards, will this be a simple swap or will it require a fresh install? Typically, he had only 1 drive, so I'm unsure if he'll lose that.

Potential-Monke

Clarified with a mate that should be simple swap, so hopefully that'll be good.

Anyone have any recommendations for different RAM? Have the CPU and MB, still no dispatch on the RAM and no update since purchased. Might need to cancel and order something else from somewhere else. This is where I fall down with picking parts, there's so many DDR4 3200 types out there, I've no idea which would be best/suitable.

TEAMGROUP MODULO MEMORIA RAM DDR4 16GB(2X8G) PC3200 DARK Z

K.O.Kiki

Corsair Vengeance LPX or Crucial Ballistix.

3200 CL16 or 3000 CL15

65-70 euro from most vendors.

Potential-Monke

Ended up getting the Crucial Ballistix on Thursday, should be delivered Monday and hopefully all sorted then! Thanks! Got a crash course on RAM and while quite simple, I think it'll do me going forward.

Potential-Monke

Alright, all parts here. Put it all together, connected up the cables and nada. Nothing happening when I push the power button. Double checked all cables and as far as I can tell they're all in right. The only thing throwing me is the second power cables (if I'm calling that right). Have the 24pin connected, and then I have 2 cables that look like they go together, CPU1 P4 and CPU2 P8. Whether I connect both, one, the other or neither, there's no change.

Any ideas?

JoyPad

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Alright, all parts here. Put it all together, connected up the cables and nada. Nothing happening when I push the power button. Double checked all cables and as far as I can tell they're all in right. The only thing throwing me is the second power cables (if I'm calling that right). Have the 24pin connected, and then I have 2 cables that look like they go together, CPU1 P4 and CPU2 P8. Whether I connect both, one, the other or neither, there's no change.

Any ideas?

You don't get anything at all lighting up on the motherboard?
If so, maybe check that the PSU is plugged into the wall, and the little button at the back is in the ON position.

After that, I would do the paper clip test for the PSU. If that works, I would disconnect as much as possible and try just PSU with motherboard/CPU/one-RAM-stick. As long as you are able to POST, you can keep adding things (e.g. all the RAM, then GPU, and so on).

The point is to detect at which point things stop working.

Potential-Monke

Cheers for the advice. I searched the house and couldn't find a single paperclip, so I removed the psu from my own and put it into his. Still nothing (reconnected mine and works fine). I double checked the cables are correct and they should be. Nothing happening when pressing the power button, as if its not plugged in.

A mate reckons its a DOA motherboard. When it was delivered (from Amazon) there was no outside amazon box, just the box the mb came in, and there was a hole in it. I reckon it might have been damaged in transit. Anyone know how one returns to Amazon if I had to use parcel motel for delivery (don't ship to Ireland, something that's becoming a lot more common with amazon).

JoyPad

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Anyone know how one returns to Amazon if I had to use parcel motel for delivery (don't ship to Ireland, something that's becoming a lot more common with amazon).

I'd say open the Amazon support chat and talk to a rep. Tell them the board doesn't work, and they should give you all the steps needed to get it replaced. They might post the replacement to you immediately.

Potential-Monke

I had problems with greeting my car back for the nct due today, and then this happening, I knew it wouldn't be a good day. I put the old mb in, put in 1x8gb ram (from my pc, I took his 4x4gb), left the gpu disconnected and it feckin booted. No picture however, but instead of powering off and on over and over, it sounded like it would in a normal power on. The power button turns it off immediately though, whereas I'm pretty sure the power button needs to be held down to power off any other time.

Its still fecked, but by jesus I nearly lost it when it stayed powered on.

Edit: connected the gpu, tried again and its working... ram would hardly cause the initial issue?

jelem

Potential-Monke wrote: »

I had problems with greeting my car back for the nct due today, and then this happening, I knew it wouldn't be a good day. I put the old mb in, put in 1x8gb ram (from my pc, I took his 4x4gb), left the gpu disconnected and it feckin booted. No picture however, but instead of powering off and on over and over, it sounded like it would in a normal power on. The power button turns it off immediately though, whereas I'm pretty sure the power button needs to be held down to power off any other time.

Its still fecked, but by jesus I nearly lost it when it stayed powered on.

all seem looking wrong direction as classic symptoms of HD failure -- hence never reach boot
as bios fails to register HD.
simple if using linux as replace HD or boot with "live distro" then attempt to mount old to
attempt save data off old hd.
i can always be mistaken but been there with attempting to add failed HD to mb in linux.
along with adding a failed HD to existing linux and given kernel failure and no boot.
if you windows well lash in repair disk or a boot disk and try repair.
if windows do yourself a favour and download and try pclinux os from distrowatch
it will run well on your stated hardware (hd aside).

Potential-Monke

She's not running Linux, Win10 Pro, and no HD, using only a 1tb ssd. I'm in it now, is there anything I could/should run yo show possible problems?

jelem

Potential-Monke wrote: »

She's not running Linux, Win10 Pro, and no HD, using only a 1tb ssd. I'm in it now, is there anything I could/should run yo show possible problems?

"in it now " what you mean - ssd can be more trouble than HD - still need to get bios "setup" so need to remove ssd and see
what bios does with no drive attached. maybe a setting change for ssd as first boot device. can be a litle awkward
as i know some boards with "old" ide and sata and raid would not boot and see sata if ide drive attached.
look at "linux forums" as far as ssd is concerned and you will see common issues with the workarounds.
some boards have bios locked cache which needs a swap of pins to clear before bios will act.
win10 i thought most had accepted win took a lot out of win7 and 8 so loss of "useability" for the gain
of touchscreen.that also goes for changes in bios's.
dont need to use linux to benefit from knowledge in "linux forums", open and free access to experience
and knowledge of users across the planet.
A point to note different linux distrobutions like slackware\linux mint etc. have had issues with ssd so
linux not perfect in all cases but more stable and usable than win.