[SOLVED] PC doesn't boot unless I change the GPU power cable?

Sequela7

Reputable
May 7, 2017
12
0
4,520
Hello all!

I haven't posted this until now, but it is a problem that I have with my PC that started happened a while ago (more than a year I guess. I know it's stupid to be this "late" to troubleshoot).

I custom built my PC buying the parts and assembling them in July 2018 and have been using this PC almost everyday until now. The parts are fine and I OC'd sometimes but now it's running stock.

So here it is: this morning after my coffee, I went to boot my PC so I could go about my day, but the thing is that it wasn't turning on. I tried turning it off by pressing the power button on the case and turning it back on and the Corsair fan light would blink once (as you'll see in the video) but I wouldn't get any video in any monitor. I tried a few times and it wouldn't work, so I did what I've always did and switched the power cable from the GPU and tried again. This time, like usual, the PC would boot normally.

I don't know what causes this problem from time to time but it is about time I found out what it could be. Any help would be very much appreciated because I haven't seen any kind of problem like this when I searched up.

Here's a picture of my PC (mind the dust. It will get cleaned!! It's been two weeks):

View: https://imgur.com/N4bE6qD


Heres a video of the problem that I just uploaded to YouTube:

View: https://youtu.be/PXKoR1ENZVk


Here are my parts:

CPU: Ryzen 5 1600 @ 3.2GHz
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 1060 6GB Windforce OC
Mobo: Gigabyte AB350-M Gaming 3 (BIOS F23)
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 2x4GB 2400Mhz
PSU: EVGA 100-GD-0550 550W 80+ GOLD
SSD: Crucial CT250MX500
HD: ST1000LM024 5400rpm from my old notebook
Case: Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-04

Thank you!!
 
Last edited:
Solution
Ok, cool. Hybrid and Hibernate are for Laptops, windows is a cross-platform OS (Microsoft One-size-fits-All laziness), so making a desktop try and act like a laptop is not kosher.

Seems like you've already been at the bios/power plan settings before, so far what I've seen like fastboot is Enabled by default, as is Hibernate. But I'm hoping that was the underlying cause.

Usually the thought of being forced to go out and buy a newer, bigger, better pc component fills me with unadulterated joy 😍 (don't show it on the outside 😉), the only objections coming from the wife and the wallet. But spending money to fix something that isn't really broke, just irritating, is irritating. 💸

4745454b

Titan
Moderator
I didn't see you switch the VGA cable. I saw you unplug and replug the GPU power cable. Is that what you need to do to get it to boot/show? If you don't do it does it boot fully but not show anything? And it always did this? Bad PSU or GPU is my guess. Swap the PSU and see if it still happens.
 

Sequela7

Reputable
May 7, 2017
12
0
4,520
I didn't see you switch the VGA cable. I saw you unplug and replug the GPU power cable. Is that what you need to do to get it to boot/show? If you don't do it does it boot fully but not show anything? And it always did this? Bad PSU or GPU is my guess. Swap the PSU and see if it still happens.
It's because I paused the video in order to do it. I couldn't unplug and plug the GPU power cable with one hand haha, Also, I mistakenly said VGA when it is actually the GPU power cable. It's written VGA in it. My bad!

It's what I have to do it sometimes in order to boot/show video. If I don't do it, it won't boot. It's been a little while like this. My guess is it is most likely a GPU problem. I had that buzzing problem a while back but fixed it when I screwed the GPU correctly.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
In bios, turn off 'fastboot'.
Leading cause of errors with an SSD as boot drive. One tiny little glitch when windows is trying to shutdown and the psu doesn't fully shutdown, but goes into a standby mode. Wake timers in power plan can also cause that.

The issue lies in when you push the power button to turn the pc back on the standby mode is caught in the middle. Demand for low power output keeps it partially active, but not enough to reset and fully wake up.

There's more than likely some sort of issue with the driver or registry that's glitching the fastboot. Fastboot itself is just all the drivers getting saved to storage at shutdown, so on boot it shoves those back in quick so boot process doesn't have to go searching and verify/reload fresh drivers. No worries for a hdd, but ssd is fast enough the extra second or two doesn't amount to anything.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sequela7

Sequela7

Reputable
May 7, 2017
12
0
4,520
In bios, turn off 'fastboot'.
Leading cause of errors with an SSD as boot drive. One tiny little glitch when windows is trying to shutdown and the psu doesn't fully shutdown, but goes into a standby mode. Wake timers in power plan can also cause that.

The issue lies in when you push the power button to turn the pc back on the standby mode is caught in the middle. Demand for low power output keeps it partially active, but not enough to reset and fully wake up.

There's more than likely some sort of issue with the driver or registry that's glitching the fastboot. Fastboot itself is just all the drivers getting saved to storage at shutdown, so on boot it shoves those back in quick so boot process doesn't have to go searching and verify/reload fresh drivers. No worries for a hdd, but ssd is fast enough the extra second or two doesn't amount to anything.
Will turn off the 'fastboot' option. Thanks!

In case this error persists, I will post in here again!

I noticed that when I accidentally press my keyboard or mouse, their lights will turn on (and leave at it) even when the PC is off.
 

Sequela7

Reputable
May 7, 2017
12
0
4,520
Fastboot was already disabled when I went into BIOS. I guess it's more of a GPU issue. Will only be able to fix it when I purchase a new one in the near future xD
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
In Windows power plan - advanced settings, can you check which wake timers are set. You have a pc, not a laptop, so Hibernate should be disabled/never, sleep should be whichever you want, and 'Enable Wake Timers' On battery: disable, and 'Plugged In' Enable Important wake timers Only.

I agree that possibly it's a gpu issue causing the problem, but hitting a key and the keyboard/mouse lighting up with no actual startup sounds exactly like the psu is hanging up in standby and pulling the plug on the gpu is causing it to reset. (if the psu is plugged in, and the switch in back is on, the psu is in standby mode just waiting to turn on the motherboard/OS, your pc isn't actually 'Off' just the OS is off.)
 

Sequela7

Reputable
May 7, 2017
12
0
4,520
In Windows power plan - advanced settings, can you check which wake timers are set. You have a pc, not a laptop, so Hibernate should be disabled/never, sleep should be whichever you want, and 'Enable Wake Timers' On battery: disable, and 'Plugged In' Enable Important wake timers Only.

I agree that possibly it's a gpu issue causing the problem, but hitting a key and the keyboard/mouse lighting up with no actual startup sounds exactly like the psu is hanging up in standby and pulling the plug on the gpu is causing it to reset. (if the psu is plugged in, and the switch in back is on, the psu is in standby mode just waiting to turn on the motherboard/OS, your pc isn't actually 'Off' just the OS is off.)
I'm using the Ryzen Balanced Plan on my stuff.

Hibernate was disabled already;
Sleep was disabled already;
Plugged In was activated. I changed it to Important Wake Timers Only; and
I don't have the 'Enable Wake Timers' On Battery. Only the Hybrid Sleep mode, which was activated and I set it to off.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
Ok, cool. Hybrid and Hibernate are for Laptops, windows is a cross-platform OS (Microsoft One-size-fits-All laziness), so making a desktop try and act like a laptop is not kosher.

Seems like you've already been at the bios/power plan settings before, so far what I've seen like fastboot is Enabled by default, as is Hibernate. But I'm hoping that was the underlying cause.

Usually the thought of being forced to go out and buy a newer, bigger, better pc component fills me with unadulterated joy 😍 (don't show it on the outside 😉), the only objections coming from the wife and the wallet. But spending money to fix something that isn't really broke, just irritating, is irritating. 💸
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sequela7
Solution

Sequela7

Reputable
May 7, 2017
12
0
4,520
Ok, cool. Hybrid and Hibernate are for Laptops, windows is a cross-platform OS (Microsoft One-size-fits-All laziness), so making a desktop try and act like a laptop is not kosher.

Seems like you've already been at the bios/power plan settings before, so far what I've seen like fastboot is Enabled by default, as is Hibernate. But I'm hoping that was the underlying cause.

Usually the thought of being forced to go out and buy a newer, bigger, better pc component fills me with unadulterated joy 😍 (don't show it on the outside 😉), the only objections coming from the wife and the wallet. But spending money to fix something that isn't really broke, just irritating, is irritating. 💸
Haha yes, I completely agree with you! Hopefully I won't get this 'not booting' problem anymore. I was always like, very rare, but still very annoying.

Thanks for the help! Be well!