Constant Restarts, Even After Building New Machine

[defunctgames]

Two weeks ago, my Windows 10 desktop started having restart problems. At first it was every few hours, then it was every few minutes. It eventually got to the point where I couldn't even get it to boot into Windows. It kept rebooting no matter what I tried, even if it was just sitting in the BIOS or waiting for me to plug the right HDD in. It would just reboot every few minutes.

I ended up buying a new power supply, but that didn't work. The reboots persisted.

So I ended up buying a new motherboard and CPU, along with new RAM. I completely rebuilt the machine using the new parts, along with my existing video card, DVD and hard drives. Everything booted up properly and it seemed like the problem was solved.

But not so fast, because a week later, the machine starts restarting. Actually, it doesn't restart, it just crashes to a black screen. The reset button doesn't do anything, so I'm forced to hold the power button to get it to fully turn off. Then I turn it back on and it works for a few hours before doing that crash/reboot thing.

Now here's the problem: Holding the power button stopped working. The PSU and motherboard remained on, but I couldn't get it to restart. What I had to do was turn off the PSU from the on/off switch on the back. Now when I turn it back on, the PSU starts up, the motherboard lights up and the fans go, but the computer doesn't seem to turn on anymore. The lights in the front (showing when it's on and accessing data) don't turn on and there's nothing on the monitor.

I have spent hundreds on new hardware and am at the point now where I have no idea what is wrong. I know this was long, but I'm hoping that somebody might be able to point me in the right direction.

 

[mortemas]

It could be one if the parts you retained from the original build, or something to do with your home’s electricity. I’d start with trying everything outside of the case (see guides on “breadboarding a computer”). Use the bare minimum amount of components and leave out the graphics card if integrated graphics is an option. Then add back more components one by one until the problem resurfaces again. Hopefully you’ll be able to boot again after setting things up outside of the case, which is also a suspect and could also be the source of the problem. If you still can’t boot, try a bootable usb drive like a Windows installer because maybe your boot drive is bad. Get everything out on the table and take it from there. Keep us posted.

 

[defunctgames]

Thank you Mortemas for the response. I have tried different outlets, all resulting in the same problem. I have tried a second computer at the same outlets and cannot replicate the issue, so I don't think it's an electrical problem with the outlet. I have also tried multiple cords, same problem.

There is an update: I managed to get the system to turn back on (lights and all), so that's a good thing. It turns on and at least goes to the motherboard screen every time, which is an improvement. I was even able to stay in Windows 10 for about 3 hours, which gave me some time to continue to back stuff up and uninstall my video drivers (a solution a friend recommended). Unfortunately, that didn't work.

Currently, it restarts about every four or five minutes. Sometimes it restarts just trying to load up Windows. It also reloads when I'm in safe mode and simply in the BIOS screen.

There aren't many old parts left. The case is about three years old, the fans came with the case, the video card and the two hard drives. Everything else is new as of November 1. That's why I'm so confused. It feels like it worked for around 10 days and then now it's back doing exactly what it was doing before I replaced all the parts. So frustrating.

 

[mortemas]

OK, list your full system specs. Is the PSU adequate?

 

[USAFRet]

So I ended up buying a new motherboard and CPU, along with new RAM. I completely rebuilt the machine using the new parts, along with my existing video card, DVD and hard drives. Everything booted up properly and it seemed like the problem was solved.

But not so fast, because a week later, the machine starts restarting.

Did you happen to do an OS reinstall during this escapade?

 

[defunctgames]

USAFRet: No, I have not done a fresh Windows 10 install. Seeing as the two hard drives are from the old computer, I've been debating picking up a new hard drive and reinstalling Windows onto it and then trying to pull the data from the other HDDs later.

Mortemas: I upgraded from a 600 watt to a 750 watt PSU, so I am pretty sure I have enough power. What's in the machine right now includes the MSi Tomahawk B350 motherboard, the Ryzen 5 CPU, a GeForce GTX 960 video card, 16 gb worth of Corsair Vengeance DDR4 RAM and two older Western Digital hard drive. I hope I'm not forgetting anything.

Thank you so much for the help, it really means a lot.

 

[USAFRet]

USAFRet: No, I have not done a fresh Windows 10 install. Seeing as the two hard drives are from the old computer, I've been debating picking up a new hard drive and reinstalling Windows onto it and then trying to pull the data from the other HDDs later.

Mortemas: I upgraded from a 600 watt to a 750 watt PSU, so I am pretty sure I have enough power. What's in the machine right now includes the MSi Tomahawk B350 motherboard, the Ryzen 5 CPU, a GeForce GTX 960 video card, 16 gb worth of Corsair Vengeance DDR4 RAM and two older Western Digital hard drive. I hope I'm not forgetting anything.

Thank you so much for the help, it really means a lot.

After a major parts swap, a clean OS install is recommended.

Your PSU...what specific make/model is it? There are good 750w boxes, and there are others that I would not trust to power a desk lamp.

 

[defunctgames]

That's a good point USAFRet. Both PSUs I own are made by Corsair. The older was the GS600 and the one currently in my machine is the CX750M.

The reason I haven't tried the Windows 10 install is because the restarts are happening outside of Windows. For example, the system currently restarts even when I'm sitting in the BIOS screen.

 

[USAFRet]

That's a good point USAFRet. Both PSUs I own are made by Corsair. The older was the GS600 and the one currently in my machine is the CX750M.

The reason I haven't tried the Windows 10 install is because the restarts are happening outside of Windows. For example, the system currently restarts even when I'm sitting in the BIOS screen.

While a clean OS install can't hurt, this sounds like a different issue.

I'd suspect RAM, or secondarily the motherboard.

 

[defunctgames]

Is there an easy way to test the motherboard and RAM? I tested the machine with only one stick in (I have two 8 gb sticks) and the results were the same. Just seems like it's prone to restart. I'll test it out by removing one of the hard drives to see if maybe it restarts, or maybe both and just log into the BIOS to see if it continues to restart. I've built several computers and am not a complete novice, but I feel like I'm getting to the point where I don't know what else to do.

The mother is brand new (as of November 1st), so I'm hoping that's not the problem. I have until the 15th to return the parts I bought on the 1st to the store to get my money back, so I'm trying to make a decision. If it's the motherboard, then I guess I can try my luck at another one.

When it comes down to it, I just don't understand why the machine would work perfectly for 10 days after rebuilding the unit, only to now be doing the exact same thing it was before I bought all those parts.

One more thing: When I go to Event Viewer to see if there's a reason why it restarted, I get a few errors. It's usually a string of "Service Control Manager" and "WAS" errors, as well as DistributedCOM (Event ID #10016). I looked those up and didn't see anything particularly useful. I have also paid attention to the heat, just in case that was the problem. All that seems to be in check.

 

[USAFRet]

For the RAM, memtest. Let it run a good long time.
https://www.memtest86.com/

Prime95 v26.6
https://www.mersenneforum.org/showthread.php?t=15504

 

[defunctgames]

Update: Yesterday, I decided to remove all the parts out of the computer case and set it up on a cardboard box on a table. With the motherboard, video card, CPU and RAM out of the case, the computer has NOT restarted in around 16 hours. It also seems to run a little better/faster, though there's a chance my mind is playing tricks on me). I'm still trying to put it through its paces in an effort to see if the restarts come back, but as of right now, this seems to have fixed the problem. So ... I guess that means the problem is the case?

 

[USAFRet]

Update: Yesterday, I decided to remove all the parts out of the computer case and set it up on a cardboard box on a table. With the motherboard, video card, CPU and RAM out of the case, the computer has NOT restarted in around 16 hours. It also seems to run a little better/faster, though there's a chance my mind is playing tricks on me). I'm still trying to put it through its paces in an effort to see if the restarts come back, but as of right now, this seems to have fixed the problem. So ... I guess that means the problem is the case?

Or something went massively wrong with the install, OR the disassembly/reassembly made some cable connection better...

The case would only come into play if you had forgotten the motherboard standoffs.