[SOLVED] Asus Z97-Pro - A2 POST code & no display - failed board?

[martinch]

Hi all,

My PC's been running fine for years until today, when it decided to misbehave - when I switched it on, there was no display output and the monitor went into sleep mode. I took the side of the case off, and the POST code LED on the board was indicating code A2 (IDE Detect). It hasn't been altered/disturbed in years (no BIOS updates, tinkering with components, etc).

What I've tried (to no avail):

• Unplugged all SATA drives.
• Removed the GPU and connected the monitor to the HDMI port on the motherboard
• Removed the CMOS battery and replaced with a new battery (PC was disconnected from mains, and waited as few hours between removing and replacing the battery)
• Attempted to boot from USB stick
• Re-seated RAM

When I watch it attempting to boot, the DRAM LED lights up, then the VGA LED, then the DRAM LED (again), then the VGA LED (again), and then the Boot Device LED. The Q-Code LED eventually settles on A2 (IDE Detect).

Is there anything else I should check or try (e.g. BIOS Flashback), or does it look like the board's failed? I'm wondering if the code being output is a red herring, given the lack of display output (I'd expect a message like "no boot device found, press F1 to enter BIOS" if it failed to find any bootable devices).

I assume the monitor's OK - I plugged the HDMI lead into my laptop (same lead, same port on the monitor), and it came up with an image instantly.

PC Specs:

• Motherboard: ASUS Z97-Pro
• CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K (not overclocked) with Noctua U12S
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance 1866MHz DDR3
• GPU: EVGA GTX 970 SC
• SSD: Samsung 850 Pro
• PSU: Corsair AX760

Thanks

P.S. I don't have a stack of spare hardware to try swapping things out.

 

[Lutfij]

How old is the PSU in your build? I'd suggest going ahead with the Crash Free BIOS 3, page 3-64/section 3.11.3, feature on your board to see if the BIOS was what got corrupt.

 

[martinch]

How old is the PSU in your build?

It's from when I built the system in (very) late 2014. It's only ever had light use (PC used for 8 hours per week max), and only a couple of months out of warranty, so I'd hope it was OK (I'm assuming capacitor aging only really occurs under load?).

I'd suggest going ahead with the Crash Free BIOS 3, page 3-64/section 3.11.3, feature on your board to see if the BIOS was what got corrupt.

I've grabbed the latest BIOS and I'll try updating it via USB Flashback this evening.

 

[martinch]

I'd suggest going ahead with the Crash Free BIOS 3, page 3-64/section 3.11.3, feature on your board to see if the BIOS was what got corrupt.

I updated the BIOS to the latest non-beta BIOS from ASUS' site last night, and it appears to have fixed the issue (well, I'm hoping it has!) - it now boots into the BIOS with display output. I haven't tried re-attaching the drives yet (haven't had time), but I'm hoping that's the issue sorted. Have to say, the USB Flashback feature/function is great!

I assume that if it does it again, it's probably a sign of the motherboard being on its' way out, and to start eying up a new PC?

 

[martinch]

A somewhat late update (mainly for the benefit of anyone landing here via Google) - it turns out that either the motherboard or the CPU was failing (it booted OK for a little while, then wouldn't output to the display, and the GPU/monitor were both fine) - can't say which, as I don't have any spares.