Question Custom PC won't boot. Black screen, keyboard and mouse off

May 7, 2021
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Hey guys, I appreciate any help I can get on this.

When I try to boot my PC, after the bios screen, the screen turns black and the keyboard and mouse turn off.

I've tried reseating everything as well as changing the slot that the RAM is in (I made sure that was properly seated as well). I've reset the BIOS by removing the battery.

The most success I've had is when I've tried reinstalling Win10 from a USB stick. I'm installing Windows to my SSD (and erasing the previous partitions). When I do this, sometimes, it will boot after setup, etc. After that though, when I restart the computer, it goes back to the same behavior (black screen, keyboard and mouse off). Sometimes when I'm doing the Windows setup after it reinstalls (and I take too long to fill out language preferences, ect.), the screen turns off as well and I have to start over. There are also times where the screen freaks out a bit and flashes to black but comes back on.

I've also tried troubleshooting the display even though I doubt it's that (new HDMI cable that works on other PC, monitor works, etc).

This all started after I took my PC on a road trip with me. It worked when I got there but when I got back home, the issue started. That made me think it was a connection issue but again, I've triple-checked everything.

The motherboard sensor says that my CPU is running at 123 degrees F which seems high (is it?). I could put some new thermal paste in there but I just did that in January when I got a new case and motherboard.

Basically I can't get it to boot unless I run a Windows setup. Then it will work until I restart it.

Here's the specs:

i5-4570 (123 degrees with 1.002V)

Kingston Hyper X Blu (RAM is identified in the BIOS utility)

SanDisk SDSSDHP128G (128GB identified in the BIOS) R9270 graphics card

ASUS Micro ATX DDR3 1600 LGA 1150 Motherboard B85M-G

I also checked in the advanced menu of the BIOS and it said that the voltages were all there (3.3V, 5V, 12V).

This is an older PC that's been tried and true for awhile so I'm just trying to keep it going in its golden years.
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

What is the make and model of your PSU and it's age? You might want to include the sticks of ram used, a link would help if you can't identify their SKU's. If you can get into BIOS, can you check and see what BIOS version you're on at the time of writing? As for your OS, did you fabricate your installer using Windows Media Creation Tools before reinstalling your OS? How are you cooling that processor? 123 Degrees F is about 50 Deg C, you're fine with temps.

Does the SSD have any firmware updates pending?

I just did that in January when I got a new case and motherboard.
Did you inspect the CPU socket for any bent or broken pins?
 
May 7, 2021
2
0
10
Thanks for getting back to me and thanks for the welcome! Good to hear about the CPU temp.

The PSU is an M12 II Bronze EVO edition. It's the original PSU I got for my PC so it'd be around 8 years old now. The Motherboard is showing all the voltages as being correct (not sure if that can be trusted or not) but I haven't double-checked with a voltmeter.

I think the RAM was one of these but just a single 8GB card:
https://www.bonanza.com/listings/Ki...JpP2D61LoopqDWDXgDh56r7HdwzGbUVkaAsgTEALw_wcB

It's a DDR3 Kingston HyperX Blu. I got it at the same time as the PSU. In the BIOS it mentions Kingston 8192MB 1333MHz.

The readings from the BIOS utility were:
3.376V
5.160V
12.288V

The BIOS version is currently 3602. I'm not sure how to get to the SSD firmware from the BIOS.

I did use the Windows Media Creation tool for the USB.

I'm cooling with the stock fan that came with the CPU. I also have a fan on my case.

When I installed the CPU, I checked it out and didn't see anything bent or broken on it. It hadn't moved for 8 years. Everything worked just fine until last week.