First build: intermittent boot

[darrellwood13]

This is my first build, everything is new (except HDD & optical drives, which are not connected.)
I3-6100
ASUS Sabertooth Z170 Mark1 3.1
EVGA 500 B
Silicon Power S55 120GB 2.5" 7mm SATA III
Crucial 8GB Single DDR4 2133 MT/s (PC4-17000) CL15
TP-LINK N900
Corsair Carbide 200R
I tried to use the minimum necessary to get up and running, with intent to install the OS on SSD, followed by installation of HDD when pc is working.
After hours of making sure everything was wired/connected correctly, I powered it up. Fans came on and LEDs powered on/off, repeat! There was nothing on the monitor. Apparently I cannot read a diagram; the MB manual indicated that 1 stick of RAM should be in slot 2. I mistakenly read the LEDs incorrectly, assuming the CPU had a problem. I re-installed it 2 more times, but no luck. I moved the RAM to slot 1, and voila, I had bios on the monitor, then it quit. I tried another monitor, and a new unused HDMI cable. I researched cables, disconnected and reconnected. Not until I hooked the pc to my tv did I get consistent video. I then installed an optical drive and HDD, and the system failed again; no video. Disconnected them and the system is still down.
What kind of problems might cause this? How would I determine if MB, PSU, CPU, or memory is the cause? Any assistance is appreciated.

 

[Chicano]

Sounds to me like something is not properly connected or installed. PSU 8/24 pin connector, RAM not seated properly (it should click when it seats).

If all checks ok, reseat the BIOS:
1. Remove the AC Power cable
2. Remove the battery or move the BIOS jumper form contacts 1 and 2 to 2 and 3, press the power button and hold it pressed for 30 to 60 seconds, wait 5 to 10 minutes put everything back as it was and start the computer.


If you still don't get video display, try your diferent video cables. When you get display, press the key to enter the BIOS... and set the video type you want to connect the monitor to. The key to Enter the BIOS should be displayed on the BIOS post screen or the initial motherboard logo screen... Usually DEL and or one of the # keys.

 

[darrellwood13]

Thank you Chicano. I have disconnected & reconnected everything, multiple times, including the CPU. I mistakenly thought I reset the bios, but learned that my attempts fell short. Your suggestion for reseting bios is correct. Unfortunately, it seems to have helped only temporarily. I was able to get it up and running, and believing all was good, installed Win10. This morning I found I have no video. Back to square one. All of this leads me to believe the problem is intermittent and all the more difficult to find.

 

[Chicano]

Well, if resetting the BOS helped, you should do it again... it's bound to "take" at some point... And if it doesn't stay after resetting it a few times, include moving the BIOS jumper from pins 1 and 2 to 2 and 3... And if still not solved, reset the BIOS again allowing it to reset overnight. Also and depending on the video onboard or GPU being used, you may need to update the drivers.. if it's onboard video use the motherboard disk initially and update to the latest drivers later from the motherboard product page downloads. If it's a GPU, use the disk included with the card and later update from the product page. If it's NVIDIA, use the GeForce Experience updater.

If that doesn't do it, you may need to flash/update the BIOS.