Newly installed parts and now my computer won't boot correctly

[Ballzach]

I recently installed a Gold Rated Corsair HX850 and a Gigabyte GTX 770 4gb video card into my computer. After installing these parts my computer doesn't boot correctly. When I start it, it immediately goes to the motherboard page (which is a gigabyte motherboard by the way) and won't allow me to access the bios or any of the other options provided. If I try to access the bios the computer will simply do nothing for 30 seconds, beep a few times and then give me a black screen. If i press no keys during the boot it beeps roughly 5 times at specific interval, switches the boot screen to my second monitor and then switches the log in screen back to my main monitor and runs fine after that. Having just installed new parts for the first time I have no clue what I may have done to cause this issue. Please help!

 

[jeremyp79]

Can you give us some more info about your system specs?

 

[Ballzach]

Intel i5 3570k , Gigabyte Windforce gtx 770 4gb, Gigabyte Z77-D3H Motherboard, 8GB DDR3 Ram

 

[Ballzach]

My computer beeps once when I first hit the power button, and then 3 spaced out short beeps that sound distinctly higher than the first before it actually boots. AMI Bios on the motherboard

 

[Flying-Q]

I recently installed a Gold Rated Corsair HX850 and a Gigabyte GTX 770 4gb video card into my computer. After installing these parts my computer doesn't boot correctly. When I start it, it immediately goes to the motherboard page (which is a gigabyte motherboard by the way) and won't allow me to access the bios or any of the other options provided. If I try to access the bios the computer will simply do nothing for 30 seconds, beep a few times and then give me a black screen. If i press no keys during the boot it beeps roughly 5 times at specific interval, switches the boot screen to my second monitor and then switches the log in screen back to my main monitor and runs fine after that. Having just installed new parts for the first time I have no clue what I may have done to cause this issue. Please help!

When performing upgrades the usual routine is to do one at a time to ensure each one plays nicely with your existing kit. Try taking out the 770 GFX and use your old card to ensure the original system works with the new PSU. Once you have confirmed that everything works as it should you can happily stick the new GFX back in and go from there.

Alternatively, put the machine back the way it was - old GFX and old PSU to see if the problem is completely eliminated. If you still have a problem with the old kit fitted then that suggests there is a problem with something else such as memory or motherboard.

Also, are both monitors driven by the new GFX or is one on the onboard GFX? Tell us more about your setup please so we can give more advice.

 

[Ballzach]

I have my main monitor plugged in via HDMI to the 770 and the side monitor plugged in to the 770 via DVI-D

 

[Flying-Q]

My computer beeps once when I first hit the power button, and then 3 spaced out short beeps that sound distinctly higher than the first before it actually boots. AMI Bios on the motherboard

That sounds like a base 64k memory failure code. Do you have QuickBoot enabled in the BIOS? If so, disable it and reboot to see if the POST memory test reports anything. Also, if nothing shows there, try memtest86.

 

[Ballzach]

I cannot access my bios. I press the delete key during startup and it does nothing. If I attempt to access the bios my computer then will not boot it will only display a black screen.

 

[Flying-Q]

Can you go back to your original GFX and PSU as I suggested earlier? Are those parts still available?

 

[Ballzach]

The parts are unavailable. Is there any way I can access bios besides doing it from the start?

 

[Flying-Q]

Thinking about the 3 beeps, start by re-seating the memory. This is just incase it has been dislodged. When your motherboard spalsh screen comes up with the 4 options along the bottom press F9 to see if it displays the system information correctly. If it does not then you may need to resort to testing with memtest86. http://www.memtest.org/

 

[Ballzach]

Like an idiot I followed these steps by someone in my same situation to flash my bios. Cannot even boot my computer now. I have the motherboard boot from backup bios but it goes from the motherboard screen to a black one.

 

[Flying-Q]

Like an idiot I followed these steps by someone in my same situation to flash my bios. Cannot even boot my computer now. I have the motherboard boot from backup bios but it goes from the motherboard screen to a black one.

Ouch!

OK page 62 of the MB manual describes the Q-Flash application. Can you access Q-Flash using <END> during POST? If you can you may be able to resurrect your MB. Download the correct BIOS for your board (note revision if it has one) from the gigabyte site. Have it on a USB stick ready for Q-Flash to access.

Good Luck.

Q

 

[Ballzach]

I can access the bios and Qflash. How can I be sure which bios is the one I had before?

 

[Flying-Q]

I can access the bios and Qflash. How can I be sure which bios is the one I had before?

Just install the latest one for your board

 

[Ballzach]

I can access the bios and Qflash. How can I be sure which bios is the one I had before?

Just install the latest one for your board

Ok so I downloaded the original BIOS for my z77-d3h rev 1.0 motherboard and ran it, now I can access BIOS every time I start my computer. The computer boots past the Gigabyte splash screen and then freezes on starting windows, flashes a blue screen and goes back to windows repair. Ran the windows repair and it didn't work. Flashed BIOS from dual bios on my motherboard and does the same thing. Hangs up on the starting windows screen. I have a copy of the good bios saved on my desktop but I cannot access it because Windows will not boot. I had to remove the GPU and all but 1 stick of Ram to get the computer to boot to the BIOS screen. I have also cleared CMOS and have already ordered a new motherboard because I was told that mine was bricked. Any other advice before I finally give up on my motherboard?

Do you use any instant messaging software? I have a sense of urgency since I already ordered a new mobo. I would like to be able to talk in a faster manner. I appreciate your help thus far though.

 

[Flying-Q]

I can access the bios and Qflash. How can I be sure which bios is the one I had before?

Just install the latest one for your board

Ok so I downloaded the original BIOS for my z77-d3h rev 1.0 motherboard and ran it, now I can access BIOS every time I start my computer. The computer boots past the Gigabyte splash screen and then freezes on starting windows, flashes a blue screen and goes back to windows repair. Ran the windows repair and it didn't work. Flashed BIOS from dual bios on my motherboard and does the same thing. Hangs up on the starting windows screen. I have a copy of the good bios saved on my desktop but I cannot access it because Windows will not boot. I had to remove the GPU and all but 1 stick of Ram to get the computer to boot to the BIOS screen. I have also cleared CMOS and have already ordered a new motherboard because I was told that mine was bricked. Any other advice before I finally give up on my motherboard?

Do you use any instant messaging software? I have a sense of urgency since I already ordered a new mobo. I would like to be able to talk in a faster manner. I appreciate your help thus far though.

Some questions:

Has the BIOS beep code ceased? - Is this only with one stick? If only with one then its a bad stick

When you say booting with one stick of memory only, do you mean 'one works and one does not' or do you mean 'either works singly but not both together'? If only one stick works then the other is bad, if both work singly then it is possibly the board.

Have you tried each stick in each channel? If only one channel works then it is a bad board.

I haven't seen which OS you are using - if it is Win 8 you may have the windows repair loop bug on top of MB/mem probs.

Do you have a spare old hard drive? If so, remove the existing hard drive and replace with the spare and try a clean install of windows or linux without the new GFX and with only one stick of memory. If that works then you possibly have a working board. Install the second stick of RAM and see what happens. If it still boots to OS then the board is more likely to be good. Install the new GFX and see again. If you get trouble then possibly its a duff GFX or still possibly a bad board but now less likely.

Tell me how you get on with all results and symptoms of each stage.

Q