Computer not POSTing
polycounter lvl 19
So, my new rig is giving me headaches now.
When I leave my PC off for an extended period (overnight for example) and I go to turn it on, it doesn't quite work. When you turn on a PC, normally everything revs up for about 1-2 seconds tops, then it revs down, and you get the POST beep. Mine isn't reving down though, or reaching POST. It just sits there reving the whole time. The HDD lights are going off for about 2-4 seconds, like it's loading, but nothing ever happens. I wait until the HDD lights stop working, then I flick the power switch off/on on the PSU. Once I flick that switch and hit the case's power button, it starts up just fine, not a single problem.
I've tried unplugging the DVD drives, the GFX card and resetting CMOS. Do you guys have any ideas? I'm running a 650w psu, so power is more than adequate. Also note that if I turn the PC off and turn it back on after a SHORT amount of time (say, 30minutes), it turns on just fine.
Thanks,
When I leave my PC off for an extended period (overnight for example) and I go to turn it on, it doesn't quite work. When you turn on a PC, normally everything revs up for about 1-2 seconds tops, then it revs down, and you get the POST beep. Mine isn't reving down though, or reaching POST. It just sits there reving the whole time. The HDD lights are going off for about 2-4 seconds, like it's loading, but nothing ever happens. I wait until the HDD lights stop working, then I flick the power switch off/on on the PSU. Once I flick that switch and hit the case's power button, it starts up just fine, not a single problem.
I've tried unplugging the DVD drives, the GFX card and resetting CMOS. Do you guys have any ideas? I'm running a 650w psu, so power is more than adequate. Also note that if I turn the PC off and turn it back on after a SHORT amount of time (say, 30minutes), it turns on just fine.
Thanks,
Replies
Thanks for another wonderfully useless post hawken.
I'll be testing it out with my 450w PSU, which I know works. I don't think it's enough to power up the full rig though, so I'll have to remove some things.
Yeah, the CMOS battery is usually a 2032 watch battery. If you have another computer/motherboard around, you could pop it out of that also (although you risk testing with a battery with an unknown condition).
Start with the power supply though since you already have another one. I try to go cheapest solution first
- Conroe E6600
- GeForce 7950GX2
- 2x 250GB SATA2 Raid0
- Creative Audigy 2
- dvd burner
- cdrw burner
- 3.5 floppy
I'll try both tonight, for sure.
Thanks,
If anything, you may have to remove the CDRom drives while testing just so they aren't there drawing power during the boot. To be honest though, I have yet to see a computer not boot on a 400W supply, even with higher end video. That doesn't mean that a computer hasn't needed more... 'I' just haven't seen one
Ebagg - I think if you're running 2 7950gx2's, you need a 700w PSU, though I could be wrong. I'm only running 1, so a 650w should be more than adequate.
I'll try all of this stuff tonight, and see if that helps. Unfortuneatly, I have to wait hours between each test (unless that "ground" touch-drain trick works).
Thanks,
A while back, a few months ago, I got a 420w PSU from thermaltake off of newegg, and it wouldn't boot, nothing I could do would make it boot, I RMAed it, and bought a slightly more expensive Fortron, which is what I had before. Those things rock.
I've had great experience with the local store brand from CompUSA. I bought 2 of their PSU's a few years ago, and they are still going strong.
I tried a process of elimination last night with my pc. I removed all components and started it up. It was a no go, however. Tonight I'll be trying the CMOS battery, and then swapping out the PSU. If that doesn't solve the issue, I know the mobo is toasty.
I'm running the newer 0204 bios (aug 8th, I believe).
You may want to do some quick searches with your motherboard and issues... see if anyone else has a similar problem. You should still definitely check the power supply and CMOS batt, but a quick google search costs you nothing
My mobo, cpu and case all stay pretty cool. I've got 2 120mm fans, and 3 92mm fans in the case.
I think it's definetly a PSU issue. I'll be buying a new one tonight at CompUSA, see if that helps. (also a CMOS battery).
Thanks for another wonderfully useless post hawken.
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you love it
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104954
FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, version 2.0, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W Power Supply - Retail
As far as your CMOS battery goes, meh...doubtful, but you could try reseting it OG-Style. Flip it upside down, turn the PC on for a few seconds, turn it off, put it back in correctly...viola a reset CMOS battery.
BTW, the chances of a CMOS battery or Power Supply being the problem of a POST issue is very unlikely.
Also, I know you've been playin around with your cards and drives, but try running on the bare minimum. Vcard (unless you have onboard, use that), one stick of memory, one HDD. Then slowly add pieces back in. If it's a combination of things, then it's your MoBo.
Out of curiousity, do you get the correct beep sequence when the video card is taken out and the box is powered up? It should be "beeeeeeep beep beep beep"....or is it two "beep's"? Anyhow, in most cases, if you were to take out the video card and NOT get the beep sequence, then it tells you that you have a bad MoBo also.
Hope this helps, post how all of this worked out. GOOD LUCK!
Robert, thanks for the recommendation, but that's only 450w - I need 600w minimum. I'm running 2 hd's in Raid, 2 DVD drives and a 7950gx2. I bought a new PSU and it still did the same thing anyways, so it's not that.
Windows then continued to load completely normal.
What could possibly be wrong with the new card? I mean, it runs perfectly fine when it's started up and running. It's just the initial start-up after a period of downtime, that it struggles.
Somevideocards, especially the PCI kind require a 5v rail.
Check that
Double check what sequence the vid card power hookup is to the PSU. Make sure its on one of the first connectors. I had this exact same issue a few months back with my geforce 6600 desktop system.
I only had a 400W psu, and was running into this error of not getting it to boot the first time, then turning it off, and back on and it would boot. Sometimes it took 2 or three tries.
What it turned out to be is that my vidcard was getting insufficent power because it was not on the first molex connector, I had inadvertently swapped it a few months before, and so it took a sort of "pre charge" to get the thing up and running. After I swapped the connector the apparent boot problems stopped.
Valias, the card is using PCI-E power connectors, not molex plugs. How can I tell what sequence they are in the PSU, though?
I bought the mobo in August, which had a BIOS date of 8/8/06 pre-installed. This is the bios that worked fine at first, then started poopin' out on me. I upated the 0204 bios to the beta 0301 bios, which also had no effect at all. Today I updated to the brand new beta 0501 bios, and all is well again
I'd definitely go for a higher power supply. I made sure to get a 550w and I'm running a geforce 6800 ultra. How many power cords go into the dual 7950s?
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im running dual 7900 GS cards in my machine, and 400W is fine, dont get any problems at all.
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I'd definitely go for a higher power supply. I made sure to get a 550w and I'm running a geforce 6800 ultra. How many power cords go into the dual 7950s?
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im running dual 7900 GS cards in my machine, and 400W is fine, dont get any problems at all.
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As I suggested earlier. I'm really beginning to wonder about the power supply requirements everyone is always suggesting. Then again, some supply makers are better than others.
Congrats on getting the rig going Vass. Good to hear the solution didn't really involve additional cash at all
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