Dusted Out PC - Now Motherboard Light Is Blinking And Will Not Turn On

[it is james]

Hi all,

As the title mentioned, I opened up my PC to dust it out as I've had it around three months now and have yet to dust it throughly. When I put the side back on and was ready to turn it on, I noticed one of my computer speakers making the usual noise it does when it receives power, only consistently, every 2 seconds or so. Looked inside the case, motherboard light was blinking, as if the power supply is having a problem. The power supply makes no noise once I turn it on, and the above things happen once I flick the switch on in the back. I have tried removing all other power connections I can find, and all but one stick of RAM, the CPU and GPU. I would remove the GPU but I literally do not have enough space to get in and get it out, I built this computer in an area where I had a lot of space and moved it into an area where I have very little space.

Anyway, the parts I have are:

GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Performance 80PLUS Silver SLI CrossFire ready Power Supply
Radeon 7970
i5 2500k
Haf 932 Case

If anybody knows what could possibly be causing this, please let me know. When I was dusting it out, I did not (to my knowledge) ruin any parts, or make heavy contact with any of them.

Thanks all.

 

[C12Friedman]

I would first be looking for a loose connection somewhere on the mobo. Check the 24 pin and 8 pin connectors especially. Also, check that there are not any loose wires going into the connectors. I think that'll be a good starting point.
You might also try resetting your CMOS if all your connections are good.

 

[it is james]

I would first be looking for a loose connection somewhere on the mobo. Check the 24 pin and 8 pin connectors especially. Also, check that there are not any loose wires going into the connectors. I think that'll be a good starting point.
You might also try resetting your CMOS if all your connections are good.

I can't find any lose connections and I held down the button on my motherboard to reset the CMOS, but nothing has changed.


I really have no idea what could be causing this all of a sudden.

 

[C12Friedman]

If you have access to a digital multimeter, you might want to check your PSU voltages. Although you do have a quality PSU there, it could be going bad. There is also a possibility of a short somewhere which may put it into a startup loop. Of course checking for that would entail removal of the PSU and possibly the motherboard which I'm guessing is not desirable (room constraints) but I'm thinking that would be the next direction.

 

[it is james]

If you have access to a digital multimeter, you might want to check your PSU voltages. Although you do have a quality PSU there, it could be going bad. There is also a possibility of a short somewhere which may put it into a startup loop. Of course checking for that would entail removal of the PSU and possibly the motherboard which I'm guessing is not desirable (room constraints) but I'm thinking that would be the next direction.

Thanks for all the help so far.

I don't have a digital multimeter, and if this is the next direction, so be it. I've removed the PSU (what a pain!)

What now?

 

[C12Friedman]

You can always shake it out first just to ensure nothing is loose inside (other than the fan there aren't moving parts). As a very basic test, you can jump the 24 pin connector (to fool the PSU into thinking it's plugged into a computer), this page shows how (basically any black to the green wire)
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2881
then turn it on, see if it goes into it's startup loop, hopefully it will not.

 

[it is james]

You can always shake it out first just to ensure nothing is loose inside (other than the fan there aren't moving parts). As a very basic test, you can jump the 24 pin connector (to fool the PSU into thinking it's plugged into a computer), this page shows how (basically any black to the green wire)
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2881
then turn it on, see if it goes into it's startup loop, hopefully it will not.

Thanks again for your help, I tried that, nothing sounds loose inside. I had done that test you mentioned, the fan ran continuously for the 60 that I tested it and then still ran for about another 20 seconds after I flicked the power switch. What could be the problem?

 

[C12Friedman]

I'm going to assume at this point you've removed the graphics card also. I think your next step will be to try to get a good post. Connect only the PSU to the motherboard 8 and 24 pin, leave the GPU out for now, unplug the data cable(s) from your motherboard, plug video output into motherboard - power on, see what happens...
if possible, keep an eye on your debug led to see how far into post (if at all) it gets.

 

[manuelcore]

Please try to verify the Capacitors on the motherboard. If the have bulging tops this could be the problem and have to be replaced.
You can see come bad capacitors here: http://www.siliconchip.com.au/cms/A_30328/article.html

 

[it is james]

I'm going to assume at this point you've removed the graphics card also. I think your next step will be to try to get a good post. Connect only the PSU to the motherboard 8 and 24 pin, leave the GPU out for now, unplug the data cable(s) from your motherboard, plug video output into motherboard - power on, see what happens...
if possible, keep an eye on your debug led to see how far into post (if at all) it gets.

Well, I plugged nearly everything back in, testing things one at a time, and I noticed I get this entire problem only when I have the "F_usb1" connector plugged in. What could that mean? Is it ok to have "f_usb2" plugged in without "f_usb1" in? Or should I start only using my back USB ports? Computer boots up fine without either plugged in, haven't tried with just "f_usb2" in...

 

[jay_nar2012]

It should be fine, your f_usb1 ports might be damaged or shorted..

 

[C12Friedman]

It should be fine, your f_usb1 ports might be damaged or shorted..

Yep, exactly.
You should be able to use the f_usb2 no problem (hopefully) without using f_usb1.

 

[it is james]

Thanks all for your help, especially you, C12FriedMan. When I took it all out and did the paperclip test, that was the turning point and as of right now everything seems to be working fine (with the exception of course of the front USB ports, which isn't really a huge deal for me)

Very much appreciated, saved me an RMA fee and allowed me to get back to my work much quicker. Thanks a ton.

 

[it is james]

Best answer selected by it is james.