Switched PCIe cards, slots no longer working

mickarol

Commendable
Dec 10, 2016
1
0
1,510
I recently purchased an inateck usb PCIE hub card for addition to my Asus z170s Sabertooth motherboard.

Prior to installation I had a GTX1070 plugged into the PCIE x16_1 slot and a gigabyte wifi card plugged into the PCIE x1_3 slot. When attempting to install the usb card, the power cord would not reach with my current cable management and I was forced to resort to moving the wifi card to the PCIE x1_2 slot and then place the usb card in the PCIE x1_3 slot.

Everything was seated correctly and plugged in appropriately (I decided to use the SATA power cable for the usb card). When I turned the computer on, I immediately heard two unusual noises in succession of each other. They sounded like a hissing/heavy air rush and lasted approximately 1 second each. I thought at first that my liquid cooling fans were just recalibrating after the system detected new hardware. However, neither the usb, nor the wifi card worked after startup. All drivers are installed correctly. As part of my trouble shooting attempts (listed below), the wifi card did still function in the PCIE x1_1 slot, so I am led to believe this is a motherboard port issue..

Have my PCIEx1 slots fried themselves?? I was/am very careful to keep any cords from contacting anything else that could be damaged on the motherboard. That I can tell, everything other than these two ports is working correctly. There was no associated pop that I heard. If I did do something to these ports, I legitimately do not know what would have caused it

Things I have tried:
- unplugged usb card and left wifi card in slot 2: did not work

- unplugged wifi card and left usb card in slot 3: did not work

- unplugged both cards and put wifi card back in slot 3: did not work

- unplugged both cards and put wifi card in slot 1: DID work

- reset BIOS and put wifi card in slot 3 (as per original config): did not work

Additionally, there is a usb pass-thru on the wifi card that I have case lighting hooked up to and the lighting continued functioning in both the pci 2 and 3 slots. When the usb cable for the lighting is unplugged, the lighting ceases, so I'm led to believe that the wifi card is still pulling something from the pcie ports.

Hardware in question:
Motherboard: Z170S Sabertooth
Wifi Card: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5660#ov
USB Hub Card: http://www.inateck.com/pci-e-to-usb-3-0-cards/inateck-ktu3fr-4p-usb-3-0-pci-express-karte-mit-4-usb-3-0-ports.html
PSU: http://www.corsair.com/en-us/rmx-series-rm650x-650-watt-80-plus-gold-certified-fully-modular-psu

Will list more specs if necessary.

Thanks
 
When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, please list your specs as:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
GPU:
SSD/HDD:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:

That being said, have you made sure your BIOS is up to date? I can't help but wonder if your OS is Windows 10, often it's these minor changes that can result in a mishap of sorts. On another note have you tried removing the CMOS battery for 15 minutes before replacing it?