Question PC Boot loop, won’t start?

[Szpz]

Hello. I have been playing the new call of duty and my PC was crashing.

I tried to boot it today and it keeps restarting on the boot. I’ve tried so much and I can’t get it to work. I’d love to avoid replacing all my components.

I have an i7 4790k
R9 390
16gb ram
Evga 750w 80+ gold psu

Any advice is appreciated I really can’t figure it out..

 

[Szpz]

99% isopropyl alcohol only

i wouldnt use surgical spirit that would probly make it worse

it should go right back to normal. however its always possible to cause damage judging by the fact that your still getting into the computer before it freezes or locks up makes me believe the motherboard or cpu is trying to protect itself i could link you to all you need if you like ?

I don’t always get into the computer before it freezes, only on rare occasions.
If you could link me it would be fantastic!
Is it still possible this is a power issue as well? Or have we ruled that out by now?

thanks again!

 

[beyondlogic]

I don’t always get into the computer before it freezes, only on rare occasions.
If you could link me it would be fantastic!
Is it still possible this is a power issue as well? Or have we ruled that out by now?

thanks again!

i really think its a overheating problem at this point it could be a power issue but changing the paste wont cause any harm and its cheaper then paying for brand new psu id do that before ripping my case apart lol

the freezing issue you discribe reminds me of when i owned a fx 8350 and the temp on that thing was sitting near 80c

cleaning fluid
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003D8SDSW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

cotton buds ( not cotton whool that would be a nightmare lol)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Johnsons-B...ix=johnsons+cotton,office-products,167&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ARCTIC-MX-...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

the fluid will evaporate over time use a plastic cup party cup to hold some of it

the reason i say use cotton swabs as there dead useful for absorbing the trace oils left by the paste and youll know when its clean when you dont see anything on the swabs

and there good for getting into the groves between the heatpipes the cooler and cpu should be completely clean

 

[Szpz]

i really think its a overheating problem at this point it could be a power issue but changing the paste wont cause any harm and its cheaper then paying for brand new psu id do that before ripping my case apart lol

the freezing issue you discribe reminds me of when i owned a fx 8350 and the temp on that thing was sitting near 80c

cleaning fluid
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003D8SDSW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

cotton buds ( not cotton whool that would be a nightmare lol)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Johnsons-Baby-Cotton-Buds-Pack/dp/B00PB1XNI4/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1QVT45V7YUBLZ&keywords=johnsons+cotton+buds&qid=1572306444&sprefix=johnsons+cotton,office-products,167&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ARCTIC-MX-...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

the fluid will evaporate over time use a plastic cup party cup to hold some of it

the reason i say use cotton swabs as there dead useful for absorbing the trace oils left by the paste and youll know when its clean when you dont see anything on the swabs

and there good for getting into the groves between the heatpipes the cooler and cpu should be completely clean

Okay thanks very much.
I managed to load up the bios once and the temp was 32 degrees. The temps aren’t always at 82c, I only noticed that while playing the game and loading maps.

ill try the thermal paste this week and just pray that it fixes things!

 

[beyondlogic]

Okay thanks very much.
I managed to load up the bios once and the temp was 32 degrees. The temps aren’t always at 82c, I only noticed that while playing the game and loading maps.

ill try the thermal paste this week and just pray that it fixes things!

idle will always be low it should never be hitting 82 degrees in game it should be sitting

idle 32c-35c is normal
gaming from my experiance on that platform i never went beyond 65c

 

[Szpz]

idle will always be low it should never be hitting 82 degrees in game it should be sitting

idle 32c-35c is normal
gaming from my experiance on that platform i never went beyond 65c

I just took these images after taking off the heatsink. It was very dusty so I blew it all out.

to me it looks like the thermal paste wasn’t doing much anymore, is that correct or is it hard to tell from something like this?

the thermal paste will come in a couple of days

 

[beyondlogic]

yikes that is def the problem looks like the paste didnt spread very well it looks like the cpu cooler has melted at the bottom of the heatsink im not sure if its the picture but that die doesnt look healthy either your cpu may be damaged and the cooler heatpipe 1 and 2 looks like its finished so the bad news

is you may be out of a cpu and cpu cooler hard to tell without seeing the die in person but it looks melted.at least from these pictures

id still clean of the cpu to see if that is just dry paste but looks like the plate is damaged .

 

[Szpz]

yikes that is def the problem looks like the paste didnt spread very well it looks like the cpu cooler has melted at the bottom of the heatsink im not sure if its the picture but that die doesnt look healthy either your cpu may be damaged and the cooler heatpipe 1 and 2 looks like its finished so the bad news

is you may be out of a cpu and cpu cooler the rest looks like its fine

at least from these pictures id still clean of the cpu to see if that is just dry paste but looks like the plate is damaged

ok so I wiped it off with a swab until the alcohol comes.
correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think anything has melted, I just think it was a dodgy photo and the dust / dry paste

does it look good to go?

 

[beyondlogic]

yeah it looks fine now lol thank god lol thought i had a heart attack never seen arctic silver like that there still seems to be a bit of paste trapped in the gaps of the pipes the cpu spreader looks good you just need some new paste and to clean up the pipes a bit more inbetween them thats why i use the swab to get really inbetween it then your good to go with some new paste

also were is the 2 nuts ? as i noticed the bracket is missing them holding the cooler to the board

 

[Szpz]

yeah it looks fine now lol thank god lol thought i had a heart attack never seen arctic silver like that there still seems to be a bit of paste trapped in the gaps of the pipes the cpu spreader looks good you just need some new paste and to clean up the pipes a bit more inbetween them thats why i use the swab to get really inbetween it then your good to go with some new paste

also were is the 2 nuts ? as i noticed the bracket is missing them holding the cooler to the board

The nuts are currently on my floor haha, I removed them to remove the cooler!
Fingers crossed the new paste fixes my issues, or else I’ll be having to drop around £550 upgrading to skylake with some new bits

 

[beyondlogic]

The nuts are currently on my floor haha, I removed them to remove the cooler!
Fingers crossed the new paste fixes my issues, or else I’ll be having to drop around £550 upgrading to skylake with some new bits

if it is a cooling issue the mx4 paste should def fix it using the spreader that comes with the tube to spread it evenly using a pea size ammount i normally do 2 small pea sizes it should be spread very thinly enough that it covers the metal not to thickly ( not making a cake). as when the cooler goes back on it will spread it out so dont worry about the edges too much.

my prediction will be temps at 30-34c

under load 60-64c

after about a week it should settle at 34c idle and 60c under load.

thats from my experiance using the mx4

 

[Szpz]

if it is a cooling issue the mx4 paste should def fix it using the spreader that comes with the tube to spread it evenly using a pea size ammount i normally do 2 small pea sizes it should be spread very thinly enough that it covers the metal not to thickly ( not making a cake). as when the cooler goes back on it will spread it out so dont worry about the edges too much.

my prediction will be temps at 30-34c

under load 60-64c

after about a week it should settle at 34c idle and 60c under load.

thats from my experiance using the mx4

Okay perfect thanks for all the help.
I’ll be praying over the next few days and I’ll be back if this doesn’t fix it!

 

[beyondlogic]

Okay perfect thanks for all the help.
I’ll be praying over the next few days and I’ll be back if this doesn’t fix it!

no problem drop me a update in my box on here i usually check daily now

 

[Szpz]

no problem drop me a update in my box on here i usually check daily now

Hi!

so the paste came and I put it on, but the pc still boots in a loop. Sometimes I hear the normal startup beep and it loads a bit further, but then it freezes and I have to restart it.
What should I try next?

 

[beyondlogic]

Hi!

so the paste came and I put it on, but the pc still boots in a loop. Sometimes I hear the normal startup beep and it loads a bit further, but then it freezes and I have to restart it.
What should I try next?

ok this is one idea i had remove all hardrive cables from the motherboard and then turn it on see if its a os issue if it doesnt turn off or is acting more normal turn it off manually turn it on again and get into that bios. if this fails try the other ideas below


try taking the coin battery out of the motherboard and placing it back in ( after 5 minutes)
or use the cmos jumper on the motherboard.


( this could also be a issue ive had dead batterys in the past in these boards that caused the bios to constantly reset.)

another idea is getting a canned air duster can

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-HFC-A...ords=canned+air+duster&qid=1572482076&sr=8-13

and using it while the computer is turned off and unplugged hold the power down to discharge the motherboard this will drain the caps

then take out the ram and blast it in short bursts into the ram slots see if theres any dust build up in there. if the case is dusty clean it with canned air preferably outside as if its really dirty its gonna get messy lol.

do the same to the power supply fan area basicly dislodge as much dust as you can

do not use cloths or anything damp in the case hence why the duster cans

then reseat your ram and fire it back on its possible when you were moving etc that the ram became slightly unseated and allowed dust into the ram slots.

also just make sure every cable to the harddrives etc is seated properly if your unsure unplug and reseat.

if all this fails id go with a new power supply.

or motherboard.

it could be either of these. i doubt it will be the cpu

the reason i say its either one of these as it seems more of a power issue now

its either the vrms have gone bad on the board
or the power supply has a burst cap and when it draws more power and that caps broken it will just shut off

 

[Szpz]

ok this is one idea i had remove all hardrive cables from the motherboard and then turn it on see if its a os issue if it doesnt turn off or is acting more normal turn it off manually turn it on again and get into that bios. if this fails try the other ideas below


try taking the coin battery out of the motherboard and placing it back in ( after 5 minutes)
or use the cmos jumper on the motherboard.


( this could also be a issue ive had dead batterys in the past in these boards that caused the bios to constantly reset.)

another idea is getting a canned air duster can

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-HFC-A...ords=canned+air+duster&qid=1572482076&sr=8-13

and using it while the computer is turned off and unplugged hold the power down to discharge the motherboard this will drain the caps

then take out the ram and blast it in short bursts into the ram slots see if theres any dust build up in there. if the case is dusty clean it with canned air preferably outside as if its really dirty its gonna get messy lol.

do the same to the power supply fan area basicly dislodge as much dust as you can

do not use cloths or anything damp in the case hence why the duster cans

then reseat your ram and fire it back on its possible when you were moving etc that the ram became slightly unseated and allowed dust into the ram slots.

also just make sure every cable to the harddrives etc is seated properly if your unsure unplug and reseat.

if all this fails id go with a new power supply.

or motherboard.

it could be either of these. i doubt it will be the cpu

the reason i say its either one of these as it seems more of a power issue now

its either the vrms have gone bad on the board
or the power supply has a burst cap and when it draws more power and that caps broken it will just shut off

Thanks!

just ordered the canned air, I’ll try cleaning it that way and see how it goes . It was working for a good month since I’ve moved, it’s only since I played the new call of duty that it’s gone all dodgy so I doubt it’s the dust but it can’t hurt to try.
I’ve also tried claiming my PSU warranty so hopefully I get a new one through and that fixes things.

fingers crossed!
I’ve ordered a 9700k and motherboard and ram just in case things don’t work out, but fingers crossed I can return them and save the money lol. Hopefully this or the PSU does the job.

 

[beyondlogic]

Thanks!

just ordered the canned air, I’ll try cleaning it that way and see how it goes . It was working for a good month since I’ve moved, it’s only since I played the new call of duty that it’s gone all dodgy so I doubt it’s the dust but it can’t hurt to try.
I’ve also tried claiming my PSU warranty so hopefully I get a new one through and that fixes things.

fingers crossed!
I’ve ordered a 9700k and motherboard and ram just in case things don’t work out, but fingers crossed I can return them and save the money lol. Hopefully this or the PSU does the job.

i hope whatever ive said above proves to be a problem fixer its a royal pain in the rear end to replace a motherboard it means reinstalling everything os etc its not exactly a happy experiance lol.
im in the process of upgrading my own hardware lol dreading the whole build but space is a limited factor atm as i love tinkering with hardware i am uk based if i wasnt miles away id have looked at in person lol

 

[Szpz]

i hope whatever ive said above proves to be a problem fixer its a royal pain in the rear end to replace a motherboard it means reinstalling everything os etc its not exactly a happy experiance lol.
im in the process of upgrading my own hardware lol dreading the whole build but space is a limited factor atm as i love tinkering with hardware i am uk based if i wasnt miles away id have looked at in person lol

literally. If I do have to replace my motherboard, will I have to format my SSD?
Also, here is a video that shows what’s currently happening. Maybe this will help someone figure out what’s going on.
Link
Once it hits my motherboard loading screen I can get into bios by hitting delete, and if I do I can sit there and adjust everything without any issue, but as soon as I go off of that it freezes or restarts..

 

[beyondlogic]

literally. If I do have to replace my motherboard, will I have to format my SSD?
Also, here is a video that shows what’s currently happening. Maybe this will help someone figure out what’s going on.
Link
Once it hits my motherboard loading screen I can get into bios by hitting delete, and if I do I can sit there and adjust everything without any issue, but as soon as I go off of that it freezes or restarts..

try removing the ram altogether see if it does the same behavior if it beeps that theres no memory in the slot then it could be a board issue

also try replacing the battery altogether it could be the 3.3v battery is dead

if your using windows 10 i think its tied to the motherboard so worst case youll probly be able to boot into it and get all the files on to a diffrent drive

i have my pc set up so if my board ever died

the os is on a ssd
and all of my important stuff is on a second drive that isnt associated with the os

e.g steam games on one drive and documnets

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change

 

[Szpz]

try removing the ram altogether see if it does the same behavior if it beeps that theres no memory in the slot then it could be a board issue

also try replacing the battery altogether it could be the 3.3v battery is dead

if your using windows 10 i think its tied to the motherboard so worst case youll probly be able to boot into it and get all the files on to a diffrent drive

i have my pc set up so if my board ever died

the os is on a ssd
and all of my important stuff is on a second drive that isnt associated with the os

e.g steam games on one drive and documnets

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change

It bleeps a lot without the ram but still reboots all the time.
I managed to get onto the windows desktop once yesterday but then it froze again lol

 

[beyondlogic]

It bleeps a lot without the ram but still reboots all the time.
I managed to get onto the windows desktop once yesterday but then it froze again lol

then the board isnt dead if your getting that far it makes me think something power wise now

try disconnecting all your hardrives and ssds and re add the ram back in power it back on and spam the get into bios button

if you can navigate the bios leave it on that for a while say 10 minutes and see if it turns off if it stays on and you can navigate around the bios do this next step


get the latest bios for your motherboard on to a usb drive

once in the bios update the bios and see if it fixes it.

if it fails to even let you in and keeps boot cycling im going to say its a power issue at this point

brands i recomend at this point is seasonic

ive never had a failed unit from this power supply yet

failed units ( corsair/evga/aercool.

will be doing a youtube channel next year on some of this and may buy some cheap psus to test there worth

 

[Szpz]

then the board isnt dead if your getting that far it makes me think something power wise now

try disconnecting all your hardrives and ssds and re add the ram back in power it back on and spam the get into bios button

if you can navigate the bios leave it on that for a while say 10 minutes and see if it turns off if it stays on and you can navigate around the bios do this next step


get the latest bios for your motherboard on to a usb drive

once in the bios update the bios and see if it fixes it.

if it fails to even let you in and keeps boot cycling im going to say its a power issue at this point

I’ve managed to get into bios before from just waiting. I’ve managed to snoop around and look at all the settings for a good 5 mins before trying to go and boot and reset windows but then it crashes
I’ll try and update the bios, is it pretty easy to do with a usb and bios access?

 

[beyondlogic]

I’ve managed to get into bios before from just waiting. I’ve managed to snoop around and look at all the settings for a good 5 mins before trying to go and boot and reset windows but then it crashes
I’ll try and update the bios, is it pretty easy to do with a usb and bios access?

depends on the manufacturer what is your motherboard model ill try to find the guide on it and the latest bios

 

[Szpz]

depends on the manufacturer what is your motherboard model ill try to find the guide on it and the latest bios

I have the gigabyte z97x gaming 5 if I remember correctly!

thanks!

 

[lynx1021]

Usually rebooting is typical of a bad PSU.

 

[Szpz]

Usually rebooting is typical of a bad PSU.

It’s quite dusty I think so I’ve ordered some canned air to give it a blast, also testing it on another PC on Saturday. If that doesn’t work I’ll try replacing it!

thanks!