[SOLVED] New System Setup Issues

Dec 10, 2019
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I just got the parts installed tonight and it all started with great promise...the system came on and went into the initial BIOS setup. I looked around but changed nothing until I finished surveying the land. It looked good until I got to the memory info and found that only 4GB was being seen by the BIOS not the full 8GB installed. So, I shut down, pulled the power and re-seated the memory. Once again the BIOS said 4GB so I went through the same process but this time only installed one of the DIMM's. The power comes on but the BIOS doesn't load...no POST. So, again I disconnect the power, etc. and swap the DIMM's...this time using just the one DIMM I'd left out of the system. Same result...powers on but never goes beyond that. I've tried it with both DIMM's in, just 1 DIMM and in different slots...the board has 4 DIMM slots.

The board also has a MemOK! switch and it was in the On position throughout but at no point did I see the LED come on or flash as the manual says. Frankly I can't even see an LED...might be there but I can't see it. I tried powering off and switching MemOK! off...restarting...powering off...switching MemOK! back on and then powering up again but it made no difference. At no time did I see any time of memory training occurring though the LED's on the two PCI slots flash...not that it helps.

Also, when I was able to get the BIOS to load I saw that it recognized the SSD...so at least that worked right.

I don't have access to any test equipment or other hardware I can experiment on so I'm limited in the additional testing I can do. Ideas are welcome as I'm at a loss right now.

Other than the parts you see below nothing else was connected to the system...no USB drives, no HDD's or SSD's...nothing else. Well, keyboard, mouse and monitor (via HDMI) of course.

Key system specs are as follows and from what I read before buying everything is (should be) compatible:

New Parts:
Motherboard: Asus Prime Z390-P
CPU: Intel Core i5-9600K 3.7 GHz Six-Core LGA 1151 Processor
RAM: Patriot Viper 4 Series 3000MHz Dual Channel DDR4 2x4GB
SSD: Samsung 970 EVO Plus - 250GB
GPU: This is a simple work computer for my wife so I'm not planning to add a graphics card...the CPU has the Intel UHD Graphics 630 chipset so I don't need one on this build
OS: None yet...this is a new build and I haven't gotten that far but it will be Win10

Used Parts (harvested from recently deceased PC):
Optical Drive: Pioneer Black Blu-ray Disc/DVD/CD Writer SATA BDR-205BKS (will have to be replaced as I discovered tonight that it won't open...lol) ... note too that I disconnected the power to this drive during troubleshooting but it had no effect
2nd SSD: Older Samsung SSD from the old PC but although I connected the SATA data cable at no time was the drive powered on...I wanted to get the system fully operational on the Samsung 970 EVO+ drive before connecting the old SSD. The goal is to just harvest old files from this drive and then use it for some extra storage if needed...the new OS will be a fresh install on the 970 EVO+.
 
Solution
Just to clear things up a bit more, your motherboard was made for the i5-9600 it came out in End of 2018. Then in Mid 2019 your cpu, 9600k was released. So a new bios had to be made to be able to use your cpu on the motherboard. So updating the bios is a must.
Dec 10, 2019
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Thanks!!

Yes, the BIOS is a question I had begun to ponder. I did see as well from the ASUS site that it needs to be 2203 or higher and that they are currently on 2606 now. Given that I just bought the board what are the odds that it would be below 2203 if they're already on 2606? Also, it did POST the first couple of times I turned it on and the first time I turned it on the display said "New CPU Installed" (or something to that effect) so the motherboard did recognize the CPU initially.

What are the odds that the BIOS needs to be flashed given the above? It's certainly a valid concern but I'd prefer not to flash the board unless we think it's necessary in this case.

And if I do flash the BIOS I assume I'd remove the memory first...please confirm. And do I need to remove the CPU? SSD?

As you can tell, its been a while since I built a new PC or tinkered with one at this level...9+ years to be precise. I'm replacing my last self-built PC with this new one. I've been out of the loop for a while and best practices have a habit of changing over time so best to ask.

Thoughts?

And what's "the CMOS thing"? I don't see a prior post from you in this thread.
 
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The cmos battery removal will reset the motherboard bios settings. You can update the bios with or without the memory installed. The bios will be stored in an onboard chip. Since you cant get to post to bios, you will need to either try new memory sticks, or update the bios to the newest bios number. If you are not comfortable updating the bios yourself, then take it to a shop to have them do it.
 
Dec 10, 2019
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The cmos battery removal will reset the motherboard bios settings. You can update the bios with or without the memory installed. The bios will be stored in an onboard chip. Since you cant get to post to bios, you will need to either try new memory sticks, or update the bios to the newest bios number. If you are not comfortable updating the bios yourself, then take it to a shop to have them do it.

Thanks...that helps.

In that case, if pulling the battery will reset the BIOS, why not start there? If that works I assume the board would then behave like it's the very first time it's being sparked up and, with any luck, it would POST (as it did previously) and I could get into the BIOS to see what version it's at, etc.

Having said that, I'm guessing that you have good reason why you recommend flashing the BIOS before trying the CMOS reset method. If only for my own education would you mind elaborating as to why you prefer the flash as the first step over the CMOS battery removal?

Thanks,
Chris
 
Removing the cmos battery will reset the bios to the lowest/first one if you will. Your cpu calls for a higher number/newer one than the bios will be if you reset the cmos battery. The bios doesn't make the cpu work, it makes the motherboard work with the cpu. So setting the motherboard bios to the newer one will give you the best chance of getting things going.
 
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Dec 10, 2019
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Just to clear things up a bit more, your motherboard was made for the i5-9600 it came out in End of 2018. Then in Mid 2019 your cpu, 9600k was released. So a new bios had to be made to be able to use your cpu on the motherboard. So updating the bios is a must.

OK...that clarifies...thank you!!

If you (or anyone else) can post a link to a quality, current BIOS flashing guide it would be appreciated.

Like I said earlier, it has been a good 9 years since I've been down this road and I just want to be confident I'm following best practices.

I'll also take a look at the ASUS website for any instructions they offer.
 
Sorry, so I looked up your motherboard model and it does not have flashback on it. So you have to decide what you want to do. You can try the cmos battery removal to reset the board,try to get it to post with different ram, or you can take the motherboard to a shop and have them update bios.
 
Dec 10, 2019
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...and there was much rejoicing throughout the land!! Well, at least throughout my household.

A little more research and effort last night and I discovered that it was a PEBKAC issue, nothing more.

I turned the machine on last night hoping that having left it sitting in a corner like a bad child it would learn its lesson and behave when I returned my attention to it and turned it on. It did not. So I decided to pull the RAM yet again and, although I can't tell you what compelled me to do so, I decided to pull the power cables from the motherboard and re-seat them as well. And that's when I found the the builder error...a not quite fully seated power connector on the motherboard. My best guess is that it was almost fully seated when I first turned the system on which allowed it to POST and see one stick of memory but not the other. Then when I removed and re-seated the RAM, which is in proximity to the power connector at issue here, I must have loosened the power connection just a wee bit more and from there it wouldn't even POST.

After re-seating the RAM and power connections I plugged in just one DIMM as a start and the box acted like you would expect...POST and entered the BIOS setup. I forgot to record the BIOS version for sharing here but can tell you it was well above the minimum required for my CPU but was not at the current release. So, since I was already prepared to flash the BIOS anyway I updated it and the board is now at the current release.

From there I installed the other DIMM and everything checked out. I was even able to get the DVD drawer to work (guess I'll be returning my Amazon purchase) and loaded the OS. From there I updated the OS and added my lone PCI add-on card (firewire port for working with MiniDV videos of my kids when they were little). The only real adventure was when I connected the power to my old SSD as it cause the motherboard to go into spasm where it would allow the system to turn on for ~2 seconds then power off and turn on again...over and over endlessly. Even disconnecting the power from the SSD didn't immediately fix the issue. But taking a moment to gather my inner calm did the trick and the system started up like normal. Connecting the power to the second SSD worked properly the next time and now the system is up and running with everything connected and operating as expected...at least so far. I still only have one monitor on it and am waiting for my new pair of curved panels to arrive before I go down that road.

The only remaining challenge is now software not hardware / system related. How do I get access to the files I need from the old SSD? Windows gives me the "You don't have permission to access this folder" warning so I'll have to look for the appropriate forum and post my question there.

Thank you Fix_that_Glitch, your advice was much appreciated!!

Chris
 
...and there was much rejoicing throughout the land!! Well, at least throughout my household.

A little more research and effort last night and I discovered that it was a PEBKAC issue, nothing more.

I turned the machine on last night hoping that having left it sitting in a corner like a bad child it would learn its lesson and behave when I returned my attention to it and turned it on. It did not. So I decided to pull the RAM yet again and, although I can't tell you what compelled me to do so, I decided to pull the power cables from the motherboard and re-seat them as well. And that's when I found the the builder error...a not quite fully seated power connector on the motherboard. My best guess is that it was almost fully seated when I first turned the system on which allowed it to POST and see one stick of memory but not the other. Then when I removed and re-seated the RAM, which is in proximity to the power connector at issue here, I must have loosened the power connection just a wee bit more and from there it wouldn't even POST.

After re-seating the RAM and power connections I plugged in just one DIMM as a start and the box acted like you would expect...POST and entered the BIOS setup. I forgot to record the BIOS version for sharing here but can tell you it was well above the minimum required for my CPU but was not at the current release. So, since I was already prepared to flash the BIOS anyway I updated it and the board is now at the current release.

From there I installed the other DIMM and everything checked out. I was even able to get the DVD drawer to work (guess I'll be returning my Amazon purchase) and loaded the OS. From there I updated the OS and added my lone PCI add-on card (firewire port for working with MiniDV videos of my kids when they were little). The only real adventure was when I connected the power to my old SSD as it cause the motherboard to go into spasm where it would allow the system to turn on for ~2 seconds then power off and turn on again...over and over endlessly. Even disconnecting the power from the SSD didn't immediately fix the issue. But taking a moment to gather my inner calm did the trick and the system started up like normal. Connecting the power to the second SSD worked properly the next time and now the system is up and running with everything connected and operating as expected...at least so far. I still only have one monitor on it and am waiting for my new pair of curved panels to arrive before I go down that road.

The only remaining challenge is now software not hardware / system related. How do I get access to the files I need from the old SSD? Windows gives me the "You don't have permission to access this folder" warning so I'll have to look for the appropriate forum and post my question there.

Thank you Fix_that_Glitch, your advice was much appreciated!!

Chris
Well now that I re read your original post, I missed the clue that the led light did not come on. That would indicate a possible power problem. :oops: Can't win them all. Glad you found what the problem was. Now we BOTH learned a little bit more about computers.
 
Dec 10, 2019
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I'm using Windows Explorer looking at C:\Users\USERNAME on the old systems SSD. As soon as I click my old user folder or that of any other user (wife & kids) I get that message. If I proceed and click the "Click Continue to permanently get access to this folder" option it offers Windows takes a few minutes to run a process in the background and I gain access. However, once I have access I only see a tiny fraction of what's actually in the folder. My user folder has a 35GB size but I can only see a small fraction of that even after executing the above action from Win 10 on the new box.
 
Dec 10, 2019
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I don't get that option but after I "Cancel" on the "Continue to permanently get access to this folder" I can right-click and going into Properties...then select the Security tab. I'm greeted there with "You must have Read permissions to view the properties of this object." Clicking the Advanced button I see a Permissions tab where Administrators from the new PC is listed with Full Control already...and I'm the admin of this machine. I see an Add button, Enable Inheritance button and a checkbox for "Replace all child object permission entries with inheritable entries from this object".

There are also tabs for Auditing and Effective Access. On the Effective Access tab I added my current user account from the new PC and in viewing my access I now have Full Control and every other permission they offer for the account I'm currently logged into the new PC with. But when I left-click the folder I still get the you don't have permission message.

From the original Permissions tab referenced above I attempted to add my current account just as I did on the Effective Access tab but while it let me do it and add Full Access permissions when I tried to apply it gave an error message that included "Access denied" in the message. But it also gave me a Continue button and then Windows Security spent several minutes updating security permissions on the contents of that folder until it hit a point where it gave me that error message with Access denied...but it also gave the Continue button so I clicked it. It just kept going like that and I had to do nearly endless stream of clicks when it got to a plethora of .TMP files where it happened. Eventually it got to the end but along the way it encountered the failure for a number of folders including the Application Data folder. Now I can get in and I can see a bunch of stuff, including the AppData folder which is where I suspect the most important file I need to find will be, but I cannot even see the Application Data folder. I have show Show Hidden items on so it should show me everything. Hhhhhmmmm...makes me wonder what else I'm not seeing because I was clicking that mouse like a wildman and not reading every message or I'd have been all day.

If you have more ideas keep 'em coming and I'll look to see if I can find what I need now.

As an alternative, when I can afford to log off from work (I'm working from home today) I may try booting to a version of Mint Cinnamon Linux I just put on a bootable USB for this effort. It should mount both drives and hopefully it just ignores the Windows access protocols and lets me get into the folder and copy out any files I want to save. That said, I'd really rather it work under Windows as that will be infinitely easier but the Linux thing shows some promise...I hope...and it won't do any harm.
 
Dec 10, 2019
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Despite the fact that the OS was initially only showing me a small number of files in the folders I gained access to it now appears to be showing me everything and I have access to all the files I needed to find.

WOO HOO...sometimes the good guys win!!

Thanks again for all your help!!!