Booting PC - fans spin for a 1-2 sec then restart and loop.

[Alcsaar]

Hey.

Posted a few days ago about my PC randomly restarting particularly (but not always) while gaming. Thought it was a driver or windows update issue because I hadn't had any problems the past couple days since doing some clean up/updating.

Woke up today to my PC having shut off at approximately 7 AM this morning (Had it connected to a server on my laptop which showed exactly when it disconnected).

Starting it up causes the fans to spin for a few seconds, then it restarts and does so again. The duration seems to vary, sometimes they'll spin only half a second, sometimes for a few seconds.

I disconnected everything except the CPU/MOBO/PSU/MEM, same issue. Removed the memory sticks and tested them out individually, same issue.

I'm borrowing a PSU either today or tomorrow to test that. The PSU was my original suspect (Its old). 3 year old 620 W Bronze-certified PSU.

In the meantime, is there anything else I should try? Obviously if its not the PSU I can only assume its my motherboard. A shot CPU doen't really have these symptoms in my experience.

[Vash The Stampede]

Remove the CMOS battery form the motherboard and then reinsert it. If you happen to have a multimeter then test the battery to insure it has 3 volts. Obviously do this with the PC unplugged. If it has 3 volts, then put it back in and prey it turns on just fine.

[Lathais]

Do you have some RAM you could borrow from someone that you could try booting with? I've seen this happen, where the RAM appears to be fine, even tests ok with memtest, but replacing the RAM fixed the issue. Could be something wrong with the XMP profile for that RAM on that Motherboard or it could just be bad RAM. After testing/replacing the CMOS battery, that would be the first thing I would replace.

[Alcsaar]

Do you have some RAM you could borrow from someone that you could try booting with? I've seen this happen, where the RAM appears to be fine, even tests ok with memtest, but replacing the RAM fixed the issue. Could be something wrong with the XMP profile for that RAM on that Motherboard or it could just be bad RAM. After testing/replacing the CMOS battery, that would be the first thing I would replace.

I do not have ram that I can borrow for this set up. However, even attempting to boot the pc up with NO ram results in the same issue, so I don't think thats the problem.

Update:

I just tried the borrowed PSU, same issue. I had a similar problem to this recently with another PC - turned out the motherboard was shorting because there was something wrong with one of the standoffs. This occurred MONTHS after it was built. Was really strange and I didn't expect to see it again. The only thing left for me to try is reseating the cpu/removing everything, giving it a good clean out, make sure the standoffs look good and rebuild it.

Update 2:
Rebuilt the PC. Checked the motherboard standoffs, everything looked fine. Reseated the CPU (Re applied thermal paste and all of course). Same problem with only the MOBO, PSU AND CPU connected. At this point, I can only see it being the motherboard dying out. Trying one last-ditch effort of removing the CMOS battery for a bit, but that has literally never solved an issue for me so I'm not holding my breath. Looks like I'll be looking for some new build advice soon. If I have to replace the motherboard anyway, seems like a good time to consider upgrading to that i7 I've been wanting.

[moremana]

What type of cpu, motherboard, ram etc?

[Alcsaar]

What type of cpu, motherboard, ram etc?

GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-D3H LGA 1150 Intel Z87

Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell Quad-Core 3.4 GHz LGA 1150

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (x2 for 16 gigs)

Antec HCG M Series HCG-620M 620W

EVGA GeForce GTX 970 04G-P4-2974-KR 4GB

[Lathais]

I do not have ram that I can borrow for this set up. However, even attempting to boot the pc up with NO ram results in the same issue, so I don't think thats the problem.

Yeah, that's the same thing my friend said when I told him that. Then I brought my RAM over and it booted. Thing is, with no RAM, the system has nowhere to put stuff, therefore can not go past POST and can not boot. If it's doing the same thing with RAM that it is doing without RAM, that RAM is likely no good, so it's acting like it's not there. If you don't have RAM you can borrow, best bet at this point would be to take it to a local shop and have them troubleshoot it for you, since they have better tools to test individual parts. That or just RMA your RAM.

[Alcsaar]

Can't RMA, parts are well past warranty. Without RAM, the PC wouldn't get past post, but it would still beep indicating the problem (No memory) if I tried to boot it with no memory installed. It didn't post at all, thus that is not the problem.

In your case your friend likely didn't have a POST Speaker to hear if it was getting to POST or not. I do.

Not to mention even if it was the memory, there is no way that all 4 sticks go bad at the exact same time unless there was a more serious issue, like the PSU frying the components. (I tried all the sticks individually)

[Vash The Stampede]

Can't RMA, parts are well past warranty. Without RAM, the PC wouldn't get past post, but it would still beep indicating the problem (No memory) if I tried to boot it with no memory installed. It didn't post at all, thus that is not the problem.

In your case your friend likely didn't have a POST Speaker to hear if it was getting to POST or not. I do.

Not to mention even if it was the memory, there is no way that all 4 sticks go bad at the exact same time unless there was a more serious issue, like the PSU frying the components. (I tried all the sticks individually)

Time for another motherboard. Make a note to avoid buying Gigabyte motherboards. From my experience, I know I will.

[Lathais]

Can't RMA, parts are well past warranty. Without RAM, the PC wouldn't get past post, but it would still beep indicating the problem (No memory) if I tried to boot it with no memory installed. It didn't post at all, thus that is not the problem.

In your case your friend likely didn't have a POST Speaker to hear if it was getting to POST or not. I do.

Not to mention even if it was the memory, there is no way that all 4 sticks go bad at the exact same time unless there was a more serious issue, like the PSU frying the components. (I tried all the sticks individually)

So without RAM, it POSTs "fine" with a code for no memory. With your RAM, it does nothing. Thus, with good RAM it should boot.

BTW, my friend did have a Motherboard Speaker to hear POST and it was doing the same thing. So he came to the same conclusion you did, and he was just as wrong as I suspect you are. But whatever, you're the one that came asking for help and then when it's given, say nope that can't be it. So whatever, figure it out on your own.

[Alcsaar]

So without RAM, it POSTs "fine" with a code for no memory. With your RAM, it does nothing. Thus, with good RAM it should boot.

BTW, my friend did have a Motherboard Speaker to hear POST and it was doing the same thing. So he came to the same conclusion you did, and he was just as wrong as I suspect you are. But whatever, you're the one that came asking for help and then when it's given, say nope that can't be it. So whatever, figure it out on your own.

I wasn't getting a post at all, with or without memory installed. The issue is that you think you're helping with out actually even comprehending what I said. I will break it down for you so you understand why you were mistaken:

Without RAM, the PC wouldn't get past post, but it would still beep indicating the problem (No memory) if I tried to boot it with no memory installed. It didn't post at all, thus that is not the problem.

I wasn't explaining my experience to you here. I was explaining to you how POST works. I was saying that if I had no RAM installed and the PC got to POST, it would beep telling me there was a memory error. I wasn't getting a post with or without memory installed. As a result, it could not have been the memory - since even with out the memory the computer was not getting to the POST.

[Mythbredor]

I wasn't getting a post at all, with or without memory installed. The issue is that you think you're helping with out actually even comprehending what I said. I will break it down for you so you understand why you were mistaken:



I wasn't explaining my experience to you here. I was explaining to you how POST works. I was saying that if I had no RAM installed and the PC got to POST, it would beep telling me there was a memory error. I wasn't getting a post with or without memory installed. As a result, it could not have been the memory - since even with out the memory the computer was not getting to the POST.

Are you saying you aren't getting the beeps either? Do you have the speaker plugged in to the correct pins? Sounds like a dead motherboard/ram but can't be sure until you provide more information. Are you sure all cables are seated correctly?

[Kr4k3n]

I wasn't getting a post at all, with or without memory installed. The issue is that you think you're helping with out actually even comprehending what I said. I will break it down for you so you understand why you were mistaken:



I wasn't explaining my experience to you here. I was explaining to you how POST works. I was saying that if I had no RAM installed and the PC got to POST, it would beep telling me there was a memory error. I wasn't getting a post with or without memory installed. As a result, it could not have been the memory - since even with out the memory the computer was not getting to the POST.

In case you're still looking for info, I recently have very similar symptoms. I took apart my comp to basically try to breadboard the components. After restarting it multiple times trying to figure out if there was a motherboard issue, the motherboard started smoking - it shorted above the CPU. Basically, time for a new motherboard.