Boot, Baby, Boot! (Please?)
Posted 10/21/09 at 01:30:53 PM by The Maximum PC Staff
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Lately I’ve been having an issue on startup with my PC. During POST, my system will hang and fail to load past the Asus splash screen. My keyboard stops responding altogether, so I cannot hit Tab to see the POST messages. (I’ve changed keyboards and the issue persists.) When it does load past POST, it hangs just before the GRUB boot loader. When this happens, I usually have to hit the reset button and go through the process three times before I can load an OS. Other than the keyboard swap, I’ve made no major changes to my system that I think would prevent my PC from POSTing and I run everything at stock clocks. When I do load into an OS, everything is rock-solid and stable with no issues.
I have an Athlon 64 X2 4600+ on an Asus M2-N32 SLI Deluxe motherboard, 3GB DDR2 RAM, and an XFX 8800 GT. My keyboard is a Logitech G15. My PSU is a Cooler Master 600W eXtreme Power Duo.
My bet is on the PSU, but I really don’t have an easy way or the cash at the moment to test this. Please let me know if I’m on the right track.
—J.P. Allen
While it seems like the power supply is always the culprit, the Doc actually suspects it may be somewhere else down the line. If the power supply were indeed going bad, you should experience instability elsewhere when the system is under a heavier load and when the PSU is warmed up. Since you changed keyboards and the Logitech G15 is a USB keyboard, the motherboard may be balking at some USB device in the chain, the built-in hub in the G15, or the actual keyboard itself.
First, disconnect all nonessential USB devices including the front-panel USB ports and card readers plugged directly into the motherboard. Now with just the keyboard plugged in, try to reproduce the error by rebooting numerous times. If you cannot reproduce the problem, at least the keyboard is fine. You should now try plugging in one device at a time to see if the problem crops up.
If the problem leads you away from USB, you should consider pulling individual components from the machine to try to reproduce the problem. Since it’s happening so early in the boot process, it sounds like a bad piece of hardware is involved. If all of that fails, then it may be time to consider swapping out the PSU for another unit, but the Doc would not spend money until the “free” fixes are cleared first.
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Have you been able to do disk check?
Submitted by mentormatt8 on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 5:25pm
Although it doesn't seem to be the problem , it won't hurt to do a thorough disk check.
doubtful
Submitted by sartan2002 on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 9:07am
I would think it is very doubtful that the disk is at fault, if that was the case he would get a more consistant problem but because he is still able to get to his OS with "rock solid" performance when he gets there I would think his disk is just fine. I do however agree with checking your USB connections, I've had several USB connections over the years stop by boot cold. I've gone through the same steps that are listed and have had success before.
I have had the same problem on the same MOBO!
Submitted by Devo85x on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 1:08pm
What I found to be the problem was when my iPod was hooked in through USB and I tried to boot. Make sure to unplug any periferals other than your keyboard and mouse. (It shouldn't be a problem with the keyboard, I have a Logitech G15 too and it runs perfectly)
Submitted by Lestaticon on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 11:44am
I have the exact same motherboard, by the way. What about removing some RAM sticks? Try one stick at a time in the first RAM slot.
I wonder if the CMOS battery could cause this? I don't think so personally. You tried removing other USB devices as suggested?
Submitted by Lipchitz on Tue, 10/27/2009 - 9:54am
In my experience most POST problems are caused by faulty RAM modules or a failing memory controller on the Mobo. Usually bad RAM, try 1 RAM DIMM in the first slot, if it fires up then use the other DIMM sticks in the same slot to see if one's bad.
Submitted by Hg Dragon on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 12:05pm
Only USB devices I have continuously connected are my mouse and keyboard, and the front-panel connectors for my case. The other USB devices I use are my iPod charge cable, an external drive I have my music collection on, and a webcam, all of which stay disconnected until I need them.
Submitted by Hg Dragon on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 11:11am
^^^ This is me. I'm still hanging during the boot process. I finally managed to get the ASUS "Ai" boot logo disabled (after a two hour search for the mobo's manual) and tried a cold boot after the machine was off overnight. It would hang in POST right after recognizing the processor, but before it would recognize the drives or do the RAM check. After the fourth reset, it would boot fine and I wouldn't have another issue until I would shut down and try to restart the next day again. If it's been running, I can restart as many times as I want/need without issue.
I don't think the PSU is failing per se, but that I'm right at it's capacity to startup correctly until it's "warmed up" for a minute or two.
Submitted by soccer1105 on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 3:15pm
It's interesting that it happens right after the CPU check, but before anything else. You may want to remove you CPU and make sure that it is seated properly, and with no bent pins, or other problems. Also, if something did happen to get messed up in the BIOS, you will want to reset your CMOS. Many boards have a reset button. You may have to physically take out the battery though. An easier option my to enter the BIOS and use the "Restore to Defaults" feature.
Also, if you're motherboard has an integrated display adapter, try removing your video card and just using the integrated port. This will help you narrow down the problem.
Finally, a BIOS update may be needed. Go to the manufacturer’s website and find and install the latest BIOS version.Hope one of these works.
Submitted by Carmaine on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 11:40am
@Hg Dragon
This happened to me also a few years back and it happened to be a memory ram issue. IF you haven't tried this before, give this a shot:
Try resetting CMOS by removing the battery for about 2-3 minutes and remove all your ram sticks. Then, put the battery back in and try turning on your comp with just one memory stick at a time. I tried this and it turned out that one of my sticks was faulty and was causing my POST problems.
Best of luck
Submitted by Hg Dragon on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 11:58am
I've ran MemTest86+ for three hours straight and it didn't throw a single error. I did have a stick of RAM fail about a year and a half ago (2x512 from
my ex-GF's dad's rig), and ran with only one of the pair for a few
months (512 on Vista? Never again...). Those have been replaced with
new sticks.I'll give the CMOS reset a shot though.
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