My PC won't start

Hi Uwe

Thanks for the reply. I tried to reply to you last night but my Android tablet wouldn't show it's keyboard to enter text.

Me and technology aren't getting on at the moment!

Yes I'd done the psu test. It's harder to test as the fan doesn't spin until it's up to temperature. The Corsair handbook says it will spin once when you short out pins 4 and 5. If it did I must have missed it.

I'll test with my meter today though.

I would have done that last night but I was so hacked off with the whole thing.

So I've just got the mobo out of it's case and I'm going to 'breadboard' it. Test one thing at a time. and listen out for those beeps and look for led signals. Although there aren't many leds.

One for power. Only one next to the ram switch (needs pressing if ram is not compatible)

CPU Boot device and VGA leds and one for the XMP switch

I'd already done a printout of the manual. I had to hunt for a beeper(tiny speaker) though,there's not one built in to the mobo.

I've got three power supplies. Two motherboards, 5x 16gb sticks of DDR4 RAM, 2x i7 processors .One of them is probably knackered though. The 'lid' came off it when I removed the fan and heatsink. I followed instructions to repair it using metal thermal paste and silicon glue. But it may have already been damaged beyond repair. I've never manually overclocked it. I've let the motherboard do it automatically though. That's probably not helped.

I've got three graphics cards to choose from. Although just one screen working with the onboard graphics would do.

If I cant get a working PC out of that lot by the end of the day I give up!!

I've had interesting results. I thought I'd test the Asus Maximus first. The one I thought had failed. I tried it with the i7 that had managed to de-lid itself. The one I repaired. It just came off when I removed it when the Maximus failed. I didn't really expect it to work but it did.

I tried it with a stick of DDR4 I knew was working. Using another PSU than the one currently in the Music PC.

Nothing else connected. Just the two power cables 1 stick of memory the cpu and its fan.

It fired up straight away! So I added a monitor, mouse, ps2 keyboard and a blank ssd. Straight into the bios.

Had to reset the time as I'd reset the cmos and had the battery out. Shut down added all the four sticks of memory. Rebooted. Managed to install windows on the blank drive. Fabulous!

So then I tried the i7 I bought last week on ebay. Everything else the same. Nothing. Wouldn't start at all.

I pulled the mobo from the music PC . Went through the same procedure as the Maximus. With the known working i7. The memory led came on. One stick of known to be working memory as before. I reseated it several times. Pressed memory reset several times . waiting for it to go through it's test cycle. Nothing. Tried each stick of memory individually. Nothing. The red lights stays on. If you press memory reset it reboots flashes whilst it does it's tests then stays on.

So I abandoned that board. connected up the Maximus again added the m2 drive from the music PC and ...

I'm just going to add cards one by one making sure they work before rebuilding. I have a water cooler in the PC to refit too. But it looks like the problems solved.

I just seem to have a dead motherboard and processor. The i7 can go back. I only bought it last week.

Once the music PC is all back together and in the studio I might have another go at the Z170a.

Thanks very much for your suggestions.

Apart from anything else I didn't feel quite as alone with the problem. My friends and family know nothing about computers.

Greg

Yeah. It's a miracle it works at all really. I've checked everything now. Graphics card Usb cards. Just have to put it back in the case now. Oh yes both power supplies were fine.

I can't get the Asus Z170a past the red memory check led/reset button though. I've tried all the different sticks I have and made extra certain they're seated properly.

The i7 I bought last week doesn't work on either motherboard. If I put it in the working PC it just won't start.

I'll have to try and get a refund or exchange on that.

Thanks again!

It may or may not be your kind of stuff but this is what I do with the computer:

https://lodgerwright.bandcamp.com/

Hmmm....Brian May......sure I've heard that name somewhere......

(my dining room)

:-P

That's very pleasing. I only started playing guitar in 2018. I was a drummer for years before that.

I thought the only thing I had in common with Mr May is we both made our own guitars.

Thanks!!

No I've got the Night at the opera 5.1 though.

Actually I've just been trying to do some 5.1 mixes.

I've done one of 'The Lion the witch and the wardrobe' I've got it on a mega storage site. Link below.

Its an iso so you can either burn it to dvd or play it with vlc in 5.1 if you can on your computer. https://mega.nz/folder/J7BFTT7R#hdGMnv2QG8eUY2A9gL-Cqg

It was a dead processor. Now you mention it though. What is it with those front panel connectors on the motherboards. They're the most infuriating little buggars. You'd think they'd just have an all in one plug like the USB and audio connectors. Not that those are perfect.

As a fully paid up grumpy old man of 62 (next week) with failing eyesight. I just can't make out the writing on those plugs without a magnifying glass AND glasses. Some smart Alec told me it's marked on the motherboard. I can't see that even with both the above.