MSI z97 mPower Max AC debug codes 10,15,55. At a loss on this one..

[USMC32]

Ok, so I am a loss on what to do with these error codes. My system will not post. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The codes show up on the LED debug, 10, 15, and 55 are the codes. When I first set the system up I tried power the system on and realized I forgot a ATX power cable to the mainboard and fixed that simple and stupid on my part issue. The board now powers on but will not post. I tried removed the CMOS battery for 10 minutes and jumper the 2 pins to clear the CMOS. I also removed the RAM sticks and reseated them, also pulled the CPU and checked for bent pins, proper placement and so on. All my cables seem to be in order and properly seated. Can I be missing something?

System setup
MSI z97 mPower Max AC mainboard
Intel I7 4790k CPU
Cooler Master Seidon 240m water cooling CPU cooler
Sapphire Tri-X OC R9 290 GPU
ADATA XPG V2 16GB DDR3
Corsair RM Series RM1000 power supply
Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM HDD
Cooler Master HAF Stacker 935 case

 

[kira70591]

Did you look up the codes in your manual?

 

[USMC32]

Yes, the manual says code 15 is "Early North Bridge Initialization" code 55 is "Early Memory Initialization" and code 10 is not listed.

 

[TheGoat Eater]

When doing some more troubleshooting - always remember to unplug all USB items an just leave the KB,mouse, and display. Sometimes additional connected devices can F up things on boot. Please do that and message me and I can help you - I am very good with MSI boards and I have a direct line to MSI so I can help you get straightened out


AMI status code manual PDF from my Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-JDJzaQKzOCMHlPUGtZcFJ0TmM/edit?usp=sharing

 

[USMC32]

Thanks TheGoat Eater. I didn't have anything plugged in besides the display via the hdmi output on the mobo (also tried GPU hdmi) and kb, mouse. I also tried with no display, kb, or mouse to see if the codes would go away. I forgot to mention the m.2 card that I have installed when I was listing the hardware. I don't think that can cause these issues but figured Id list it.

 

[TheGoat Eater]

Have you tried troubleshooting the memory and testing with one stick?

 

[Daniel Goyette]

I just proceeded to the new installation of Z97 gaming 7 motherboard.
I am building this machine from A-Z.
I installed the PSU, the CPU fans, and a I7-4770k.
All this in a R4 Define case.
All this is brand new.
The processor is compatible with the Gaming 7 motherboard.
I used 4x8 Gb ram sticks and a Corsair SSD 240 Gb drive I already had.
The ram sticks are Kingston 8Gb 2Rx8 PC3L-12800U, which were working fine in my previous computer.
I installed a GTX 660 TI GPU I already had and which was working fine.
When I power up, the motherboard light shows that it detects the drive.
The codes shown on the debug LED are also 10, 15, and 55.
No reference found on the code 10.
I removed the graphic card and tried booting without it.
I unplugged all the motherboard battery connectors coming from the PSU, then re-connected them.
I removed the motherboard battery, waited and re-installed it.
I tried clearing the CMOS.
I tried booting from the second CMOS also.
I unplugged all PSU cables to the motherboard and replugged them.
The same debug codes appear.
It seems the system boot up, as the motherboard shows signs of activity, but no screen at all.
My screen reacts as if it was unplugged.
The debug code 10 is unexplained, I found no reference to it.
Is it because there are no CMOS instructions left?
And if yes, how to put them back in if the system wont even start?
I tried with only 1 ram stick, no change.
I am at loss now, I invested a lot of money in this.
Any suggestion?

Update.

I made a lot of research on internet.
First, have a look at the web site of American Megatrends.
Type "Aptio 4.x status codes".
This brings in the PDF files showing all the debug codes.
Code 10 : PEI core is started.
Code 15: Pre-memory north bridge initialization is started.
Code 55: memory not installed !

I am not a pro in computer.
But I believe the first 2 codes are standard start-up procedures.
The code 55 reveals the probable cause: the motherboard does not recognize the memory sticks installed.
It's possible because the memory sticks I used came from an Acer machine I bought almost 2 years ago, and this computer proved itself almost impossible to upgrade.

So I got into the process of purchasing ram sticks, I wished to install 16 Gb of them.
First I searched the web with "MSI Z97 GAMING 7 Compatible RAM".
The site of PC-specs.com shows the compatible ram sticks for the Z97 Gaming 7 mobo.
Some of them.
Corsair is a big name, so I investigated the sticks advertised there.
First it proved hard first to find on the market the sticks shown as compatible with my mobo.
There are so many different types sold on the market (I wonder why?), I spent hours looking at all these specs.
I decided that I want a stick running at 1866 Mhz with a minimum timing of 9.
And I wanted to be able to overclock without the system failing because of the ram.
It was a pain in the neck to locate any of the suggestions shown in the MSI Z97 GAMING 7 Compatible RAM chart.
And worse of all, many reviews of customers showed that often these sticks are defective, either when received or a short while after installation.
Particularly the Corsair brand, who advertises a lot.
So I focused on the company Crucial.
They have a web site "Crucial.com" which enables a customer to verify the compatibility of a ram stick model with a mobo.
I finally decided to purchase the following sticks:
Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model BLT4K4G3D1608ET3LX0.
It has a CAS of 8: fast.
And expensive (269$ Can, tax and delivery included).
But the customers reviews are excellent.
So now it is in the mail, waiting to see if I can finally power-up this mobo.

Got my new memory sticks and installed them.
You know what? Same damn codes 10,15 and 55 appear on boot-up.
Can't access the boot-up screen.

I made a request to MSI support to this address:
http://service.msicomputer.com/msi_user/support/ts_form.aspx.
I got almost immediatly and answer, which is:

Dear customer, please kindly put only one stick on the Dimm2 and recheck the issue. Debug code 55 more likely the memory issue and try to reseat the processor as well. Thanks!

So I tried different combinations, like 1 stick in dimm1,...
The boot-up screen finally appears when a memory stick is installed in dimm3, or 2 in dimm3 and dimm4.
If anything installed in dimm1 and/or dimm2, no boot-up and the same debug codes appear again.
I made a follow-up to MSI support.
The answer was:

Dear customer, if you can access the bios then try to update to the latest bios version and recheck the issue.
Friendly reminder update bios is risky and do it at your own risk! Thanks! http://us.msi.com/support/mb/Z97_GAMING_7.html#down-bios
I am going to do that now.










After a lot

 

[hendry]

Ok, so I am a loss on what to do with these error codes. My system will not post. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The codes show up on the LED debug, 10, 15, and 55 are the codes. When I first set the system up I tried power the system on and realized I forgot a ATX power cable to the mainboard and fixed that simple and stupid on my part issue. The board now powers on but will not post. I tried removed the CMOS battery for 10 minutes and jumper the 2 pins to clear the CMOS. I also removed the RAM sticks and reseated them, also pulled the CPU and checked for bent pins, proper placement and so on. All my cables seem to be in order and properly seated. Can I be missing something?

System setup
MSI z97 mPower Max AC mainboard
Intel I7 4790k CPU
Cooler Master Seidon 240m water cooling CPU cooler
Sapphire Tri-X OC R9 290 GPU
ADATA XPG V2 16GB DDR3
Corsair RM Series RM1000 power supply
Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM HDD
Cooler Master HAF Stacker 935 case

Strange. How did you plug spinning HDD and M.2? Which SATA port you installed Seagate HDD? I thought it could be another clue.

 

[Daniel Goyette]

After trying all I could (see my previous answer), I bought a jeweller magnifier on the WEB at a cheap price
in order to examine closely the CPU socket for bent or broken pins.
I dismounted the mobo and looked closely inside the CPU socket with it.
And there it was, at least 5 bent pins!
This probably happened when I insert a CPU that was not compatible with this socket.
A big mistake by an inexperienced builder.
I renounced trying to straight up the bent pins, they are so tiny.
So I resolve to buy another mobo, the same: MSI Z97 Gaming 7.
When installed, it worked at the first try.
So take my advice when building your own computer system:

• 
  search the WEB to be sure that all parts are compatible;
  search Youtube for videos showing what you intend to do, there are a lot of them;
  be very, very gentle when inserting the CPU into the CPU socket.

All considered, I am proud of my new computer system, finally I have a very fast machine.
My dream came true.

 

[kira70591]

Hmm, if you only tried the 4790k, then it should have been compatible with a Z97 board, as Z97 uses LGA1150. However, glad that you found your problem, good luck and enjoy the machine!

 

[Daniel Goyette]

Hmm, if you only tried the 4790k, then it should have been compatible with a Z97 board, as Z97 uses LGA1150. However, glad that you found your problem, good luck and enjoy the machine!

The CPU I installed first was not the I7-4790k but and older one that came from an ACER PC. This CPU was not compatible with the Z97 Gaming 7 mobo. That's why the pins in the mobo processor socket were bent on the first try.