[SOLVED] Stuck on BIOS Screen - Won't Boot to OS

[1Reality1]

Monitor went into "Power Saving Mode" while I was sitting at the keyboard and actively using the PC. Shortly before the happened, there was screen flickering and going black - and it came back from that a few times; until it didn't anymore.

After trying a couple things, I reset the CMOS and have been staring at the BIOS screen ever since - except for when I attempt o get past it and it's back to the abyssal "Power Saving Mode" bottomless pit.

So, now, I'm staring at the BIOS screen. Have unplugged the peripherals, re-seated the RAM, reset the CMOS and am stuck.

On the surface, all the lights, fans and indicators with the hardware seem as good as ever. Time and date is recorded, though the time is around 10 minutes off.
Have not done anything to the BIOS whatsoever.
Also, each time I "Press F1 to Enter Setup", there are multiple flashes, between which the "Entering Power Saving Mode" dialog box can be seen flashing hauntingly.

Specs:
Win 10
ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero (Wi-Fi AC)
I7-8700k @ 3.7GHz
32GB (4x8GB DDR4-2747)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080Ti EVGA Hybrid FTW3
M2 Samsung SSD 960 EVO (250GB boot drive)
Samsung SSD 850 EVO (1 TB gaming drive)
... and two other HDs, one hybrid and one mechanical, for recordings and archiving, respectively
EVGA Supernova 750 G3

 

[vertigo_2_20]

Sounds like possibly a motherboard failure or maybe power supply. You said you can't get past the BIOS screen, but it sounds like you can't get into BIOS, so I assume you mean you can't get past the POST screen? Try disconnecting all drives and taking out all but one stick of RAM (and try a different stick in a different slot, but make sure you're using whatever slots you're supposed to with just one stick). Could also be GPU but that shouldn't prevent you from getting into BIOS. But if you really can't get into BIOS or past POST, it's very likely the motherboard. Try powering off and unplugging, then while unplugged try turning it on to dissipate any residual power and then reset CMOS again, then plug it back in and try starting it up.

 

[1Reality1]

Sounds like possibly a motherboard failure or maybe power supply. You said you can't get past the BIOS screen, but it sounds like you can't get into BIOS, so I assume you mean you can't get past the POST screen?

I can get into BIOS; just can't get into the OS.

 

[1Reality1]

Unplugged all except the PSU, dissipated power, then cleared CMOS again.
Now, the monitor simply goes into Power Save Mode and I no longer have the BIOS screen that tells me "Press F1 for Setup".

 

[1Reality1]

Q-Code is sticking on "A0" (IDE initialization has started) indefinitely, along with the "Boot" LED remaining green and constant.

Tried an extra DP and HDMI cable that is on-hand, in each of their respective GPU and mobo slots; each time turning-off, unplugging and holding the power button for 30 secs between each attempt. This didn't work

 

[1Reality1]

Tested each stick of RAM individually and each time the Q-LED indicator stuck at "A0", with the "BOOT" LED green and constantly lit.
Removed GPU and booted with a single stick of RAM, trying both the extra DP and HDMI cables - one per power-down, unplugging and static removal cycle - without change.
With GPU still removed, tried booting with all 4 RAM sticks, to no avail.

 

[kerberos_20]

Tested each stick of RAM individually and each time the Q-LED indicator stuck at "A0", with the "BOOT" LED green and constantly lit.

try disable/enable CSM in boot options, if that doesnt help, your drive might be dead

 

[1Reality1]

try disable/enable CSM in boot options, if that doesnt help, your drive might be dead

Would love to do so, but cannot access BIOS at this point.

 

[kerberos_20]

Would love to do so, but cannot access BIOS at this point.

what did you do, bios was accessible before

 

[1Reality1]

what did you do, bios was accessible before

It was stated above:

Unplugged all except the PSU, dissipated power, then cleared CMOS again.
Now, the monitor simply goes into Power Save Mode and I no longer have the BIOS screen that tells me "Press F1 for Setup".

As an aside, when I did have access to the BIOS, it wasn't retaining any changes from attempt to attempt.

 

[kerberos_20]

It was stated above:

As an aside, when I did have access to the BIOS, it wasn't retaining any changes from attempt to attempt.

did bios said something about overclock fail or cmos checksum error?

 

[1Reality1]

did bios said something about overclock fail or cmos checksum error?

Negative, not that I noticed anyhow. The only thing I noticed was something about a "fan speed error".

 

[1Reality1]

So it seems likely that it could be either the boot drive or mobo, at this point.
Any solid tips on how to narrow the possibilities further?