[SOLVED]Unable to post after system freeze

branthebuilder · 2016-10-10 20:15:34

Anybody know how I can troubleshoot this? My desktop froze up completely and after a hard reboot there is no post to BIOS, just black screen. The CPU fan comes on but I do not think the case fan is on. I suspect it's the CPU but not sure how to verify. Everything is less than a month old. RAM is seated properly, GPU as well. Suggestions?

Last edited by branthebuilder (2018-02-13 05:25:45)

ewaller · 2016-10-10 20:37:29

Unplug it for a while, then try again. Note that powering off might not be sufficient.
If that does not work, do it again, but also disconnect the CMOS battery while it is unplugged. Wait. Reconnect battery. Power up.

R00KIE · 2016-10-10 20:43:35

If your board has some way to check where the post sequence stopped (some kind of led display and/or beep codes) you should make use of it and check the troubleshooting section of the manual. If there are beep codes your best bet is searching on google to know what they mean.

ewaller · 2016-10-10 20:44:57

R00KIE wrote:

If your board has some way to check where the post sequence stopped (some kind of led display and/or beep codes) you should make use of it and check the troubleshooting section of the manual. If there are beep codes your best bet is searching on google to know what they mean.

That is a better solution than mine. At least that should be step 0.

branthebuilder · 2016-10-10 22:03:12

Thanks, will try those things. The manual that came with the MB doesn't list any codes but most threads I've found for this MB suggest if there are no audible beeps then it means the CPU is toast. I didn't hear any beeps before. Will try after leaving it unplugged for a while.

R00KIE · 2016-10-10 22:28:49

I would not assume the cpu is toast before checking other things.

I have debugged something similar before and if I recall correctly the board's diagnostic(1) indicated that the cpu was not working properly, but it turned out that the culprit was the power supply, either the power supply was toast or I didn't connect the 12V rail to the separate plug on the MB, it was a good number of years ago and I can't recall exactly what happened.

Power supplies can go bad just enough to make the system unstable but not bad enough that it fails completely, so try to rule out the less expensive replacements first.

Another thing you can try if the diagnostic leads you nowhere is to disconnect everything you don't absolutely need and clear the cmos memory. By everything you don't need I mean all addon cards expect any discrete graphics card if you need it to see anything, hard disks, cdrom drives, usb peripherals except keyboard if you don't have a ps/2 keyboard and leave just one stick of ram (check on the manual which slot you should populate first and leave the single dimm there).

Then try to boot the machine and get into the bios/firmware setup and reconfigure the basic things (I'd say set time, load defaults, save and quit) before starting to replug everything back.

(1) The board came with a bracket that has four leds which change color (green/red) and produce a color code that changes as the post sequence moves along.

ewaller · 2016-10-10 22:38:46

I agree. clearing the CMOS can cure a myriad of ills. The reason I suggest unplugging the system is because ATX power supplies have a 5V standby that computers can use for a variety of purposes, including Wake On LAN. More often than not, there is an embedded processor running off of that standby power performing various system housekeeping. The only way to kill it and force it to restart is to remove the mains.

branthebuilder · 2016-10-11 00:52:22

PSU is also brand new and not really that much less expensive than the CPU was. Picked up an AMD A10 7700k for <$90 and the PSU was around $50-60.

And this is a pretty bare bones build right now. I have one 8Gb stick of RAM, one NVIDIA GPU, one SSD and that's it. USB keyboard and mouse.

Last edited by branthebuilder (2016-10-11 00:54:24)

branthebuilder · 2016-10-13 00:08:43

Update:
1. Tried resetting CMOS. No change.
2. Threw in a known good PSU. No change.
3. Reseated RAM in different slots. No change.
4. Removed graphics card. No change.
5. Replaced CPU/fan. No change.

At this point seems like it has to be the motherboard, right?

R00KIE · 2016-10-13 12:42:55

If you have tried with a known good cpu then I'd say yes, it looks like a problem with the motherboard. Problems with either ram or graphics card would still get you some diagnostic beeps and/or let the board post I suppose.

The definitive test would be to check cpu, ram, and graphics card in another machine and confirm they are working properly.

branthebuilder · 2016-10-13 13:16:12

No way to test CPU but should be unlikely to have two consecutive bad ones, one DOA, right? GPU won't fit in any other machine available to me. Sigh. Any MB recommendations for FM2/FM2+ AMD socket?

R00KIE · 2016-10-13 14:04:13

branthebuilder wrote:

Any MB recommendations for FM2/FM2+ AMD socket?

See what you can buy either locally or in an online store where you can return it in case something doesn't work or if it breaks down. Read reviews/opinions/problem reports about what you can buy and pick what looks to be the best one.

Specific product recommendations will get this thread moved to topics going nowhere as the information will be useful only now.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Co … n_requests

branthebuilder · 2016-10-23 03:51:09

Well, I must have screwed up somewhere. I have now replaced every part -- PSU, MB, RAM, CPU, GPU and it will not post. Utter failure. I have no idea what to do next.

seth · 2016-10-23 08:02:18

Unplug all devices not really required, any I/O
There also might be a short circuit in the case - I've seen bad power switches causing power-on loops...

mich41 · 2016-10-23 08:47:29

branthebuilder wrote:

Well, I must have screwed up somewhere. I have now replaced every part -- PSU, MB, RAM, CPU, GPU and it will not post. Utter failure. I have no idea what to do next.

In what order?

branthebuilder · 2016-10-23 15:12:45

Replaced CPU. Replaced MB. Replaced RAM. GPU not exactly replaced so much as just removed b/c shouldn't be necessary.

And seth, I don't have any unneeded devices plugged in. This is very minimal setup -- single SSD, monitor, USB keyboard, USB mouse.

mich41 · 2016-10-23 16:07:05

The absolutely minimal setup is MB, CPU, PSU (ATX and P4 connectors), power button* and speaker. This should beep continuously due to missing RAM and beep once per reboot if you install RAM, unless something has changed in these new UEFI motherboards (?) - try to find some information on the net if manual says nothing.

* or screwdriver between power button pins if you don't trust the button itself

I asked about the order because there is a possibility for failed VRM on the MB to kill CPU, maybe also for bad PSU to kill anything else. If you have a multimeter, this is a good time to put it to some use. Also, inspect VRM mosfets on the old motherboard for obvious damage.

Last edited by mich41 (2016-10-23 16:17:48)

branthebuilder · 2016-10-23 19:49:14

I did try powering on with no monitor, no keyboard, no mouse, and no RAM. Got no beeps.

seth · 2016-10-23 20:15:07

Since you replaced every other device, it'll be the case - or rather the case connectors? (also mind "I do not think the case fan is on")

Did you attach anything but power & spkr?
Have a *very* sharp look on the pin descriptions, the pins itself and the connector slots (misplaced, bend, corrupted)
Does the board have any direct contact to the case (except for the intended screws)?

R00KIE · 2016-10-24 14:59:00

When you try to power the machine does the cpu fan spin? I suppose seth might be on to something here, its very easy to connect the power button to the wrong pins on the board, also a short with a screwdriver instead of using the power button is a good way to debug a bad power button.

Make sure the PSU power button is not off, like mich41 said, if you have voltmeter/multimeter check if you have at least 5V standby (use google to find the atx connector pinout).

mich41 · 2016-10-24 15:43:04

I think it's prudent to check all voltages if you have a machine where there is a suspicion that parts are dying mysteriously

Last edited by mich41 (2016-10-24 16:05:21)

branthebuilder · 2016-10-25 13:29:01

Yeah, might have to invest in a multimeter. The power button is connected correctly. All fans spin -- case, CPU, and GPU, so power is getting to the board.

branthebuilder · 2016-10-30 15:18:37

Think I figured out the problem. Looks like the board was touching the back of the case. I think it fried the second board though, because after adjusting it so it's not touch it still won't post. One more replacement before I give up.

branthebuilder · 2016-12-07 18:30:08

Just to bring some closure in case this thread of failure helps someone down the road:
After figuring out where the MB was contacting the case and correcting that with a new (third) motherboard I had a working system again. Unfortunately only 2 (really 1 1/2) of 4 RAM slots were being utilized. Did not see any bent pins but replacing CPU got it to utilize all slots. Despite missing a month of updates, updating arch with -Syyu seems to have not produced any issues (other than having to update key signatures first). So, yay?

Arch Linux

#1 2016-10-10 20:15:34

[SOLVED]Unable to post after system freeze

#2 2016-10-10 20:37:29

Re: [SOLVED]Unable to post after system freeze

#3 2016-10-10 20:43:35

Re: [SOLVED]Unable to post after system freeze

#4 2016-10-10 20:44:57

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#5 2016-10-10 22:03:12

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#6 2016-10-10 22:28:49

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#7 2016-10-10 22:38:46

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#8 2016-10-11 00:52:22

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#9 2016-10-13 00:08:43

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#10 2016-10-13 12:42:55

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#11 2016-10-13 13:16:12

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#12 2016-10-13 14:04:13

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#13 2016-10-23 03:51:09

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#14 2016-10-23 08:02:18

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#15 2016-10-23 08:47:29

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#16 2016-10-23 15:12:45

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#17 2016-10-23 16:07:05

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#18 2016-10-23 19:49:14

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#19 2016-10-23 20:15:07

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#20 2016-10-24 14:59:00

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#21 2016-10-24 15:43:04

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#22 2016-10-25 13:29:01

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#23 2016-10-30 15:18:37

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#24 2016-12-07 18:30:08

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