[SOLVED] PC needs multiple attempts before it boots

[JasonAnselmo]

My PC takes more than 3 attempts before it boots. When I initially press the start button the LED lights lit up and all the fans start spinning. But my monitor says no power. I have recently replaced my PSU with a new one. Also replaced the stock CPU fan with two large fans. I have checked all connections and reseated all of them but its still the same. What is going on?

Here are my specs:

CPU - AMD FX-8350 8 core
Motherboard - MSI 970
Memory - 8 GB (2x4GB)
OS - Windows 8.1
Hard drive - 255 GB SSD Kingston (main)
3 TB Seagate (secondary)
Graphics Card - Sapphire Radeon R7 240
PSU - Seasonic 620 watt Bronze (brand new)

 

[Darkbreeze]

What do you mean by "replaced the stock CPU fan with two large fans", exactly?

 

[JasonAnselmo]

Sorry I mean the new CPU fan has two fans built into one.

 

[Darkbreeze]

What is the model of the new cooler?

Where are the CPU cooler fans plugged into?

Do you have the display cable connected to the graphics card video output, or is it connected to the motherboard? Can't be connected to the motherboard, if that board HAS a video output on it.

Which, by the way, what is the EXACT model of your motherboard? Is it the MSI 970 Gaming?

Have you tried doing a hard reset of the BIOS?

BIOS Hard Reset procedure

Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes, press the power button on the case for 30 seconds. After the five minutes is up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as correct boot order, Memory XMP profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the hardware tables to reset in the boot manager.

It is probably also worth mentioning that for anything that might require an attempt to DO a hard reset in the first place, it is a GOOD IDEA to try a different type of display as many systems will not work properly for some reason with displayport configurations. It is worth trying HDMI if you are having no display or lack of visual ability to enter the BIOS, or no signal messages.

 

[JasonAnselmo]

Hi DarkBreeze,

To answer your questions...

1. My cooler has no brand. I ordered it online but is designed and fits AMD processor with AM3+ motherboard,
2. My CPU cooler is plugged into the motherboard.
3. My display monitor is plugged to the graphics card via HDMI.
4. My motherboard is MSI 970 Gaming.

I already did the hard BIOS reset. I don't know if I missed or skipped something but I followed all of your instructions as religiously as I can but its still the same. I will try replacing the CMOS battery and see if it works. I'll update you later.

 

[Darkbreeze]

What is the exact model of your memory kit?

Did both your sticks come together in one kit or were they purchased separately, even if they are the same part number?

Do you have the XMP profile set for the memory in the BIOS?

Are your memory modules installed in the A2 and B2 slots? Those are the second and fourth slots over from the CPU going left to right starting at the CPU socket and moving towards the edge of the motherboard with the B2 slot being the one located closest to the edge of the motherboard.

On your board, those specifically are named DIMM2 and DIMM4, per the manual.


Also, after you have set the XMP profile you may need to enable the "memory fast boot" setting in the BIOS, if one is present, not to be confused with the actual "fast boot" setting that is found on most boot information tabs in the bios. It sounds to me like every cold boot the motherboard is trying to re-train the memory because the settings are not sticking.

Given the age of your board I think it is also very likely that you may need to replace the CMOS battery. It may be losing it's settings between boots, which is normal if the CMOS battery is dead.

 

[JasonAnselmo]

Hi DarkBreeze,

I have found the problem. When I checked my BIOS settings thoroughly and went to advanced settings, I noticed that the my SSD main drive is on Boot Priority 9 instead of Boot Priority 1. I simply changed my SSD main drive to Boot Priority 1 and is now working properly. Thanks for your help anyway. Much appreciated.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yes, boot order is important which is why I noted that in my Hard reset instructions. Glad you got it sorted out.