New Computer Restarts During POST

[EliteHunting]

So I have built my very first computer with specs below and have run into a POST problem. When I first put together the external build I had the CRAM issue with the LED staying on and used the MemOK! button and clear feature to fix the RAM compatibility issue. Also, for the external build I used the stock CPU fan instead of my H80. Once the memory issue was fixed, the computer was able to complete full POST and display the BIOS; however, I had an “Out of Range” issue on my crappy monitor because for some reason the monitor tells the video card to use 59hz when really it only supports 60hz. This has been a known issue with these monitors and it doesn’t really affect my POST problem (at least I don’t think so, maybe it does). After pulling out an old monitor to ensure the computer was POSTing and running the BIOS, I moved onto the internal build. For the internal build I installed the H80 hydrocooler and my storage drives. After installing Windows 7 to the SSD I was able to change the resolution settings so I can now use my Westinghouse monitor. I also installed my magnetic hard drive with no issues. So now Windows is running fine.

EXCEPT when I try to turn on the computer. Whenever I shutdown the computer and later turn it on, the computer restarts itself during POST. To make sure its not the power button I turn on the computer by shorting the leads on the motherboard. The computer will turn on and the fans will start spinning and the computer will begin POST, as far as I can tell it restarts when it checks the GPU and sometimes the CPU (I can tell this by the LEDs on the mobo). The LEDs usually go like this: CRAM (ok), CPU (ok), GPU stays lit for a little bit then the CPU LED lights up for a millisecond and the computer turns off. After being off for maybe 1 second it turns back on and goes through POST again. Now this second time it will usually complete POST and boot into Windows with no issue and then as far as I can tell Windows runs fine. Sometimes it will restart twice or thrice during POST but it always is able to eventually boot into Windows. Also, during POST, the splash screen, and BIOS, the video card is outputting the signal that is Out of Range for my monitor so I cant see anything on the screen until the Windows login screen appears. I don’t know if this has anything to do with the restarting problem but obviously that’s why Im here. Another thing Im too sure about is how to plug in the CPU cooler. The wire that comes off the cooler only has one lead on it, and I was told to plug this into the CPU fan plug on the motherboard, but that plug has four leads, so Im not sure if this is done right or if the motherboard thinks there is no CPU fan plugged in (or if that even matters to the mobo). The fans in the hydrocooler do turn on but they get their own power from a MOLEX plug. The PSU is a pretty good one with 750 watts and there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with it. So bottom line, my computer restarts a couple times (sometimes once) during POST (when the GPU or CPU LEDs are lit) but always eventually boots into Windows. My thoughts are maybe its due to the aftermarket cooler or video card giving an Out or Range signal to the monitor. Remember that it wasn’t restarting during POST on the external build. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Corsair Obsidian 650D Case
SeaSonic X750 Gold PSU
ASUS P8P67 Pro REV 3.1
Intel Core i7 2600K
Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600 mhz
EVGA NVIDIA GTX 570
Corsair H80 CPU Hydrocooler
Plextor M2 128GB SSD
WD Caviar Black 1TB 7200rpm
ASUS CD/DVD Burner
Windows 7 64bit (installed on SSD)
Westinghouse L2610NW monitor

 

[Proximon]

I always appreciate the long detailed explanations, not really needed so much this time but that's OK.

Restarting is a feature of modern boards, and most will restart under certain conditions.
-When power has been lost to the board. For instance you unplug the PSU or turn it off at the PSU switch. Normally the board is ALWAYS receiving +5VSB power even if it is not in sleep mode.
-When some setting in the BIOS is not correct. This often happens when the auto settings for the RAM are incorrect. This is the most common problem.

If the monitor was not detected you would not be booting. I have to wonder about this monitor issue though. Have you tried the HDMI port?

I don't think the cooler is an issue as long as your temps are OK and the pump is pumping.

 

[EliteHunting]

There was an issue with the RAM originally but I fixed it. During POST, the RAM passes and the test moves along to the GPU. I am using HDMI for the monitor. Do you think that when the monitor reads "Out of Range" the mobo is not detecting it? I know the video card is outputting something to the monitor b/c otherwise the monitor would just be a blue screen that says no signal. The computer will boot eventually after the restart. And once Windows takes over the video card it outputs the right resolution for me to see the login screen.

 

[arson94]

If your CPU fan only has one lead that plugs into the board and gets power from a 4pin MOLEX connector, then I believe that one lead might just be the PWM pin that allows the motherboard to send signals to the fan to control it's speed relative to the CPU's temps reported by onboard temp sensors. So, your CPU fan is working as it should I believe. If I'm wrong then please correct me.

As far as your computer rebooting several time during post, I've dealt with a similar problem many times before. In my cases, the computer never stops rebooting during POST though. But, I only have to clear CMOS and set the BIOS settings back to what they were before and they'll boot fine after that.

What Proximon said might be the case, that some BIOS setting (most times RAM settings) are incorrect or incompatible with something and the board will reboot itself. However, there's usually a message displayed during POST that will tell you something. Can you reconnect that other monitor and see if the board is displaying an error message of any sorts during POST before it restart? And if the board never restarts with the other monitor connected, then your Westinghouse monitor might be causing the problem.

 

[Twoboxer]

I have a P8P67 Deluxe, and had the same symptoms - as many do - including an occasional "Overclock has failed - press F1 to enter setup" even when no OC was applied. I have not had the problem for quite a while now.

Steps I took:

- Updated BIOS (several versions had "improved compatibility" as the reason for the new BIOS). Changing BIOS alone never solved the problem,
- Uninstalled the Asus OCing utilities to ensure it wasn't screwing with BIOS in any way and interfering with the next boot.
- Cleared CMOS, loaded defaults, made changes I needed, and saved them.
- Manually set memory voltage and timings, hoping the board would not "test" for the best memory settings.

I wound up doing this at least twice before the problems stopped. I've since reloaded the Asus utilities, returned memory to auto, used the utilities to OC and return to defaults, and the problem has not recurred.

Wish I could give you something more definitive, but its owrth a try.