(Updated) Is it time to RMA this? POST code "d0"

[Jowiso]

Hey guys -

I recently built a computer, and everything was going perfectly well for the first week or so. Yesterday I was playing Braid on Steam (not a demanding game, for those who are unfamilar), and the computer crashed. It rebooted itself and got me to the BIOS. I looked over everything, and it all looked good, so I proceeded to continue booting. But it didn't work. I have taken out one stick of RAM, I have taken out both sticks of RAM, I have taken out the GPU, I have reseated all of the components, including CPU and Heatsink. I have reset the BIOS (pulling the battery), too. Still no luck and I get to a POST code of "d0". On ONE boot attempt, the POST code changed to "60" but it has been "d0" every other time.

I have a Biostar TZ77XE4. Processor is i5-3570k, stock heatsink (I haven't done any overclocking yet). GPU is a Sapphire 6950, 8GB of Vengence RAM. Corsair TX650v2 PSU.

Am I really missing something here, or is this Motherboard somehow dead suddenly? Any other troubleshooting tips for a new builder? I feel that I've done nearly everything I've read and can think of.

If no one else has advice, looks like it's time to get in touch with Biostar for a replacement. Thanks, in advance, for the help.

 

[Pinhedd]

Hi there,

Contrary to popular belief pulling the battery will not necessarily reset the firmware settings. Historically this battery was used to power volatile SRAM which stored configured system settings as well as power the real time clock but with firmware being increasingly stored on Flash rather then EEPROM the sytem settings are not necessarily stored in volatile memory. Thus, pulling the battery is not guaranteed to reset the system. You will have to consult your motherboard's manual to determine the correct way to do this.

 

[Jowiso]

Thus, pulling the battery is not guaranteed to reset the system. You will have to consult your motherboard's manual to determine the correct way to do this.

Howdy -

Just tried checking out my MOBO manual, but see nothing about resetting the BIOS. My MOBO has a "Reset CMOS" button on it, but I'm not entirely sure what to do (when to press it, how long to press it, etc.), so I don't want to risk damaging things further. As mentioned, it's a Biostar TZ77XE4, so I'm not sure if someone out there has more specific knowledge with this board?

Still no luck on getting it to boot, and I continually get the "d0" POST code still.

Thanks for the suggestion so far. Seems like I might need to get in touch with Biostar.

 

[tsnor]

Any chance you can post what the Biostar TZ77XE4 thinks a post code D0 is? The only ref I found googling is 'power on delay'.

Post codes should be in your manual. If not send a note to tech support. This could be anything from psu failing to disk not powering up correctly based on the cryptic words "power on delay"

 

[Jowiso]

Any chance you can post what the Biostar TZ77XE4 thinks a post code D0 is? The only ref I found googling is 'power on delay'.

Post codes should be in your manual. If not send a note to tech support. This could be anything from psu failing to disk not powering up correctly based on the cryptic words "power on delay"

I would if I could. Looking in the manual, no "d0" is listed. It's very frustrating to me that they list two pages of Post Codes, yet there's not one listed for "d0". I've also searched around the internet for a fix. One forum I found ended with the poster having to RMA his MOBO, which fixed the problem. That's why I'm thinking I may have to do the same.

Biostar customer support is only open during the week, so I'll give them a call tomorrow and hopefully figure something out. Unless someone else has some other troubleshooting tips, I'm just going to assume this MOBO went bad.

However, is there any chance that something went bad with the processor or PSU? And if so, how would I test that? I don't have access to any other CPU or PSU, sadly, so I'm guessing there is no real test. As far as PSU is concerned, all of the LEDs come on, all of the fans are spinning properly (case fans, GPU fans, CPU fan), but I don't know if that means anything.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[pjmelect]

I think that you can discount the processor as being the cause of your problem (unless you are overclocking) as they are very reliable and normally either work or totally fail. A faulty power supply could give this problem but substitution of the power supply is the only reliable test. I don't know what the D0 code is for sure but on a AMI BIOS it is "The NMI is disabled power on delay is starting. Next the initialization code check-sum will be verified."
This error could be caused by a memory problem, check for correct fitting of the memory chips, check CMOS memory battery voltage, clear CMOS memory as described in the manual, try with only one stick of memory, try with different memory.

 

[Jowiso]

Thanks. Glad to hear that I shouldn't worry about the CPU, then. One less item to stress about. No way for me to test the PSU at the moment, so I'll have to look into possibly grabbing another one to test with.

I have reseated the memory before, both in A1/B1 and A2/B2. Manual says both are valid options. I have taken the CMOS battery out for a few minutes, but I now see that Biostar mentions taking it out for 20 minutes. I find it hard to believe this would make a difference, but I'm willing to try anything now.

How would I test the "CMOS memory battery voltage"? Not sure how to do that. I actually am about to attempt with different memory, so I will keep you posted. Thanks again.

 

[Jowiso]

Ok - I may have gotten things working again. Here's the deal.

When troubleshooting previously, I tried pulling one RAM stick at a time, with no luck. However, I was feeling desperate, so I tried the same thing again. For some reason, leaving only one stick in slot A1 allowed me to boot. I checked all my settings, things seemed normal, so I shutdown, put the second stick in, and got back to the "d0" post code, with no successful boot.

Now, does this clearly mean that this second stick of RAM is bad? Is it possible for a slot to go bad on a Motherboard? If so, should I test the "bad" stick in the A1 slot that has been working, or is this not necessary? Thanks again for all of the help. So glad to at least be making progress.

 

[Pinhedd]

Yes it is most certainly possible for a slot or power delivery mechanism to fail. It's less common then a rank on the DIMM itself failing but it does happen.

The best way to approach this problem is to systematically test DIMMs and sockets individually. Take all the DIMMs out and test them individually in one socket to verify that there's not a severely damaged DIMM (DIMMs will still work with a few failed cells but they need to be replaced). Then, if all DIMMs work in a socket, or a failed DIMM is found, move on to testing other sockets one by one. It is only necessary to test the other sockets with a DIMM that worked fine in the first socket, no need to test each DIMM in each socket.

 

[Jowiso]

Yes it is most certainly possible for a slot or power delivery mechanism to fail. It's less common then a rank on the DIMM itself failing but it does happen.

The best way to approach this problem is to systematically test DIMMs and sockets individually. Take all the DIMMs out and test them individually in one socket to verify that there's not a severely damaged DIMM (DIMMs will still work with a few failed cells but they need to be replaced). Then, if all DIMMs work in a socket, or a failed DIMM is found, move on to testing other sockets one by one. It is only necessary to test the other sockets with a DIMM that worked fine in the first socket, no need to test each DIMM in each socket.

Ok, well I've returned with "good" news. After trying the good RAM in all slots, it reliably boots. The "bad" RAM, on the other hand, will not boot, regardless of the slot - this must mean that the one stick is bad, and therefore I am clear to do an RMA on this item, you assume?


I REALLY appreciate everyone's help on this. As a first time builder, it feels good to get a problem solved in reasonable time.

 

[Pinhedd]

Ok, well I've returned with "good" news. After trying the good RAM in all slots, it reliably boots. The "bad" RAM, on the other hand, will not boot, regardless of the slot - this must mean that the one stick is bad, and therefore I am clear to do an RMA on this item, you assume?


I REALLY appreciate everyone's help on this. As a first time builder, it feels good to get a problem solved in reasonable time.

Yup, one bad stick brings the whole system down. Set up an RMA for it. Good luck!

 

[Jowiso]

Best answer selected by jowiso.

 

[nikorr]

This topic has been closed by Nikorr