Start/restart button lights up but does not turn on

[dCie]

hey guys, so ive been looking all over the web on how to resolve my issue and i think my situation might be a little more complicated...
so first of all here is my build.

Case: CoolMaster Haf X
GPU: Zotac GeForce GTX 590 3GB
CPU: Intel Core i7 3930K
PSU: Enermax MaxRevo 1200W
MoBo: Asus Rampage IV Extreme
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws Z F3-17000CL9Q-16GBZH (4x4GB) DDR3
SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 120GB SSD Max IOPS
Windows 7

PS: ive had this for about 6 months now, it was working beautifully, no problems whatsoever.

What happened:
31/05/12: 1AM: Shut down the computer using the start button in windows 7
01/06/12: 11PM: Came back from work, pressed start button on the panel.. nothing happens.. Went to the back of the case and switched the psu on and off, nothing changes.
Decided to google some solutions;
- checking if the psu was fine using the paperclip trick,
- using the troubleshooting site that was posted on another thread similar to my problem that had like 40+ points such as using 1 stick of ram and placing it in one of the sockets which is usually the furthest away from the cpu
- pulling everything out and carefully inserted each wire
- checking if the MoBo was mounted properly
- starting the system using the start button on the motherboard
- ETC

After everthing, Freaking out right now.. cause nothing worked.

02/06/12: 10PM: got back from work decided to give it one last go. I carefully place the GPU back into it's socket made sure all the wires were in place switched on the PSU at the back, lights lit up on the motherboard (start/restart button ALSO i a Po605 orange light came on at the bottom of the MoBo) tried hitting the start button on the panel, nothing, decided to hit the start button on the motherboard.. nothing.. BUT STRANGELY as i was about to insert the last wire to one of my fans, IT BOOTED UP! everything sounded perfect, there was that one beep and all the fans were spinning. So i decided to turn the computer off so i can insert the fan wire in and after putting it in, the problem reoccurred, nothing, start button did nothing on both the panel and the MoBo.

So right now im absolutely confused as to what it might be and seriously contemplating on calling Geeks2u for some professional help. Also the reason i dont want to call them for this issue is because if it is my MoBo, i can claim warranty only if the mobo is not modified or damaged physically, and i dont want them to accidentally damage it and change the features in anyway as they might try and fix it themselves but i dont know.. personally im bad with computers.. what do you guys think.. do you rekon its my mobo or the wires are faulty? do you rekon its time for some professional help and call up Geeks2u?

THANKS GUYS

PS: yes i did take out the fan wire after that to see if that was causing it to not boot up and no, nothing

 

[soundguruman]

And how long will it be before you buy a reliable motherboard?
Don't freak out. There is a 90% chance that it will be fine when you change the motherboard to a reliable type.

 

[smorizio]

I would start by clearing your cmos. it may be that the cmos or mb glitched when your powered down from the front button. it may be stuck in a sleep mode/power up mode. i would then pull power from the wall and talk out 1/2 the ram. and see if it posts. if it wont post swap the stick (keep them in a0 or a1 the main ram slot). i would pull your video card out and check the pins on the video card and in the pci slot for any damaged pins or bent pins. (new power supply have a short protection on them.) if the card looks fine leave it out and see if the mb will power up. if it wont power up i would see if you had another power supply to see if the one you had died. without ram and a video card you should get some fan spinning on newer mb they just give you a cmos failure for ram and video.

 

[dCie]

soundguruman:
LOL, not sure if that was a serious question.. but assuming that it is, because the mb was actually quite pricey ($500+) i plan on keeping the mb for maybe a few more years??
you reckon its definately the mb?? i just found out warranty can be void if the warranty seal is broken :S where would i find this warranty seal??

smorizio:
yeh i also looked up on how to clear the cmos and one of the ways was to remove and replace the motherboard battery.. found the battery but couldnt get it out, didnt want to use much force just incase i might break something and poof there goe my warranty.
ive tried using 1 stick of ram alrdy swapping it 4 times as ive got 4 sticks of ram but nothing changed. i alrdy pull the GPU out completely (all the pins seems to be there and undamaged) and tried to get a boot there but also nothing.
I havent tried booting it without a single ram stick but i do know for a fact that the psu is working properly as ive performed a test called the 'paperclip trick' where if the fan continuously spins (which is has) it means it fine. if you are unfamiliar with this 'paperclip trick' here is the link i used to understand it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Loqz-GAjcA

 

[smorizio]

with a power supply it more then likely it failed and not the mb. the paper clip test will fool a power supply into thinking there a load there..but without a meter and o-sope is the power supply outputting 12/3.3/5v/ on the correct legs of the power supply.
the on switch on the front of a computer switch just load down a circuit in the power supply telling it to come on. on a mb for warranty replacemnt there looking that the mb serial number label is readable. if you dont have the proof of purchese they will use the date the mb was made. on the power supply are lables to see if you opened up the power supply and tried to repair it. if you break these labels the warranty is void.

 

[dCie]

with a power supply it more then likely it failed and not the mb. the paper clip test will fool a power supply into thinking there a load there..but without a meter and o-sope is the power supply outputting 12/3.3/5v/ on the correct legs of the power supply.
the on switch on the front of a computer switch just load down a circuit in the power supply telling it to come on. on a mb for warranty replacemnt there looking that the mb serial number label is readable. if you dont have the proof of purchese they will use the date the mb was made. on the power supply are lables to see if you opened up the power supply and tried to repair it. if you break these labels the warranty is void.

Thanks man! That actually really makes sense.. Damn computers are so complicated haha.
With the warranty, do they usually ask you to put the product back in the original box with everything that came with it? Or is it okay to just send the faulty unit in and sort of package? Sorry if this is a stupid question, this will be the first time claiming a warranty!
Also after reading all this, it seems like its either the psu or the motherboard so im thinking about just claiming warranty on both? And just pay the fee on the one that wasnt faulty??
Also would the wires that connects the psu being faulty be a possibility in this situation??

 

[smorizio]

take a look at inside of power supply there few good ones on youtube. the wire going into and out of them unless there cut or have a short dont go bad. one thing before you do the ram check that the power switch if your ps has it still set to 110v. most new ps are auto switching. a power supply main part is to take 120v ac and turn it into dc power. most time it a part in there (fuse) that pops. with rma (ps) pack it as nice as you can back into the box it came from. with the mb make sure you take of the cpu and cooler and cpu. the biggest thing is put it in the anti static bag and put the cpu cover on. (bent pins are not covered under warranty, keep the owners guild..cd and cables and screws. most time vendor is going to send you the board back bare. in a brown box. it may be new or refurb if you go throught the vendor. if it under 30 days use new egg or the store you bought it from.

 

[dCie]

take a look at inside of power supply there few good ones on youtube. the wire going into and out of them unless there cut or have a short dont go bad. one thing before you do the ram check that the power switch if your ps has it still set to 110v. most new ps are auto switching. a power supply main part is to take 120v ac and turn it into dc power. most time it a part in there (fuse) that pops. with rma (ps) pack it as nice as you can back into the box it came from. with the mb make sure you take of the cpu and cooler and cpu. the biggest thing is put it in the anti static bag and put the cpu cover on. (bent pins are not covered under warranty, keep the owners guild..cd and cables and screws. most time vendor is going to send you the board back bare. in a brown box. it may be new or refurb if you go throught the vendor. if it under 30 days use new egg or the store you bought it from.

thanks man, you have been really helpful!
i know this is a very stupid question but i gotta ask otherwise ill be googling this crap all night lol...
it is actually possible for the mb or psu to be faulty after 6 months time yes? cause i literally didnt touch the inside of the computer till after around 6 months when this happened.. and it was out of no where so there cant possibly have any damages that would void a warranty yes? sorry im just kinda paranoid cause this is the first comp ive built and kinda dont know what i'd do if i cant fix this shyt lmao.. just doing my head in bad..

and after reading the terms and conditions at the store i purchashed these items from;

- Is your product incompatible with other components or software?
Compatibility with other components and/or software is not covered under warranty

- Is your product damaged in any way?
Physical damage instantly voids your warranty

- Have you modified or altered you product? eg installing an aftermarket cooler
Please check with our support staff to see if this affects your warranty

i should be honest and tell them i installed a corsair H100 (which was the best cooler they had at the time) which i had bought from them around the same time as the motherboard?

PS: im actually starting to think its my powersupply.. cause when my comp randomly started to work again by itself.. the motherboard gave me one beep sound which means everything was sweet yah? so im guessing maybe my psu is working.. its just not giving off enough volts to power the entire computer?

 

[smorizio]

it might be the power supply. what i would check is that the new cpu cooler has all the power it needs connected. some of them use a moxlex connector to power the pump/fans. alsi check that the coolers itself not down to hard and is bending the mb or cpu. on the back side and top check that the back cpu cooler plate not shorting out the mb or shorting to the case. if you think it a short try taking the mb out and puting it on top of the mb box or wood desk. if it shorting out putting it on a box that does not conduct power will tell you if the mb will boot. also with new mb some of them to post need a fan connected to the cpu fan header.

 

[kumkss]

got the exact same problem with my now, years old, asus maximus iii gene. not a single clue in how to fix it. system start sometimes, last time was for about 40 days ago, and i let it on the whole time. now, needed to make some electric repairs around, and system won't start again. you don't know how annoying this is.

 

[KCKAOS]

Hey mate,

I have the SAME issue, machine was on unattended and when I checked up on it later it was off, tried turning it on exactly the same symptoms as you described Lights on on the motherboard but no boot up the GPUs fans that normally spin up on boot don't even spin now nothing in the case seems to work, Except the Hard drives, I am(Was) using 2 PSUs 1 with an proper dual PSU adapter that my case came with see below for full spec of my hardware

RIG spec:

PC case SilverStone TJ11
Asus RAMPAGE IV EXTREME/BF3 Intel X79 Socket 2011 Motherboard - Water cooled
Intel Core i7-3930K 3.20GHz (Sandybridge-E) Socket LGA2011 Processor - Running at 4.25Ghz OC - Water cooled
AMD XFX 7990 X 3
GSkill Ripjaws Z Series 2133 CL 11.0 16GB Memory Kit - Red (4 x 4GB, DDR3, Quad Channel, Intel XMP Certified)
Tough Power 1200 Watt PSU
Silverstone Zues 1350 PSU
OCZ Vertex 3 SSD X 1
256GB Samsung SSD X 1
250GB Seagate X 3
1TB Seagate ST31000340NS Barracuda X 3
3TB Seagate ST3000DM001 Barracuda 7200 SATA III 6GB/s 7200rpm 64MB Cache X 3
Water cooling (Custom build)
Scythe Kaze Master Ace Black 5.25inch Fan Controller X 2

I individually tried each PSU but the Zues seems to have slight different 8 pin connector for the CPU connector, I originally was using the Tough Power 1200 watt PSU for the Main board and the other was just for the GPUs.

The system was not on a surge protector could BOTH of the PSU have been fried they spin up when testing with paperclip but could some of the rails inside the PSU lets say the CPU rails ?!?!?

I hope its the PSU rather that the MB as the MB is water cooled and would be a headache to swap out!

The issue is I work on IT trouble shooting as part of my Job for a living and I am baff'd as to what happened/caused this!

Please could you tell me what the issues was on your system, it would REALLY REALLY help me out.

Many thanks

 

[Rusty Craven]

Hey mate,

I have the SAME issue, machine was on unattended and when I checked up on it later it was off, tried turning it on exactly the same symptoms as you described Lights on on the motherboard but no boot up the GPUs fans that normally spin up on boot don't even spin now nothing in the case seems to work, Except the Hard drives, I am(Was) using 2 PSUs 1 with an proper dual PSU adapter that my case came with see below for full spec of my hardware

RIG spec:

PC case SilverStone TJ11
Asus RAMPAGE IV EXTREME/BF3 Intel X79 Socket 2011 Motherboard - Water cooled
Intel Core i7-3930K 3.20GHz (Sandybridge-E) Socket LGA2011 Processor - Running at 4.25Ghz OC - Water cooled
AMD XFX 7990 X 3
GSkill Ripjaws Z Series 2133 CL 11.0 16GB Memory Kit - Red (4 x 4GB, DDR3, Quad Channel, Intel XMP Certified)
Tough Power 1200 Watt PSU
Silverstone Zues 1350 PSU
OCZ Vertex 3 SSD X 1
256GB Samsung SSD X 1
250GB Seagate X 3
1TB Seagate ST31000340NS Barracuda X 3
3TB Seagate ST3000DM001 Barracuda 7200 SATA III 6GB/s 7200rpm 64MB Cache X 3
Water cooling (Custom build)
Scythe Kaze Master Ace Black 5.25inch Fan Controller X 2

I individually tried each PSU but the Zues seems to have slight different 8 pin connector for the CPU connector, I originally was using the Tough Power 1200 watt PSU for the Main board and the other was just for the GPUs.

The system was not on a surge protector could BOTH of the PSU have been fried they spin up when testing with paperclip but could some of the rails inside the PSU lets say the CPU rails ?!?!?

I hope its the PSU rather that the MB as the MB is water cooled and would be a headache to swap out!

The issue is I work on IT trouble shooting as part of my Job for a living and I am baff'd as to what happened/caused this!

Please could you tell me what the issues was on your system, it would REALLY REALLY help me out.

Many thanks

 

[Rusty Craven]

I had the same problem with a new computer, asus motherboard, corsair power supply, memory, mouse,etc. I built the computer from parts purchased at Micro Center, $3800 before adding an SSD - 1TB. The computer would light up momentarily and die. I took it back to Micro Center and they found that the new, out of box power supply failed. After a quick replacement, the computer worked nicely, except Windows 8.1 kept losing programs. They would work one day and then quit, reporting that some files were missing. When my photoshop program quit, I reinstalled Windows 7 and everything stabilized. Until 45 days later. I turned on the computer one morning and it light up momentarily and died. This happened over and over, but , I remembered that this happened when the computer was first assembled. I drove back to the tech dept at Micro Center, they put their scope on the power supply and found that it failed. With all of the hype about Corsair power supplies, I can report that I wouldn't have another. I had the tech guy put in another brand and so far, everything is back to normal. All covered by warranty. Oh! The Corsair mouse failed in about 30 days and I am now waiting for the warranty replacement.