Booting and restarting problems.

[subjekt]

Built my absolute beats around 2 months ago, but a month ago problems began. It began intermittenly not starting properly...ie i having no ouput from the video card and no bios beep.
Opening up I saw that when i get this hanging problem, the red light is illuminated on the card. I assumed this to be that its not getting enough power. However im using a 580w hiper modular psu that should be more than enough. Anyway, replaced the video card with brand new one and same problem.

More recently its has got far worse. NEVER boots first time, lucky if it ever gets into windows. Here is a list of the problems:

1)Doesnt boot at all, fans spin, no post or beeps. Red light on VGA card.
2)Boots, gets to 'windows was not properly shut down' screen and hangs.
3)Black Windows loading bar screen appears, and loading bar freezes and hangs.
4)Black windows loading screen completes, then hangs on a completley blank screen
5)Black windows laoding screen completes, then system restarts immediatley.
6)Windows laoding screen completes, hangs on log-in page.
7)Black windows screen completes, I log in, windows loads up and restarts almost immediatley (the most frustrating of them all)
8)When PC does work, everythigs fine, temps are good. But it intermittenly restarts.
9)And this morning for the first time, it froze during post!!

I have been on build your own forums for a while now, jsut wanted to see if you giys had any idea. A MOBO problem does sure seem likely, but can i rule out a HDD problem if these restrts seem dto happen during windows booting etc (except the post and bios problems)? I have just completed a fresh install of windows so I dont see how this could be the case.

Also, would these restarts be caused by dodgy PSU, and is it more likely to be the MOBO? I disconnected everything except one memory stick, the VGA card and the windows HDD and still same problems.

Im sure itsnot the VGA card now as I bought a new one from seperate supplier and still same problem.

Havent tested memory yet, are these problems common with damaged memory?

Thanks for your time.

[Cricket]

Do this out-of-case troubleshooter and let us know what happens. You must remove the motherboard from the case when doing this. You also don't want to install anything not necessary to get POST.

Also, you'll want to remove that image from your post and use a link instead. The mods here frown on in-post images.

Cricket

[subjekt]

Thanks for that, il remove it ASAP! Ive done the whole out of case on cardboard thing, with just VGA card, onr stivk of ram and hard drive. My problem is intermittent. Sometimes i get post, sometimes not, sometimes all the prblems i listed!

[flanzig1]

If you still have the motherboard out of the case, check to make sure that the CPU heatsink is fully latched in at all four corners.
If OCing, reset defaults in the BIOS.
Sounds like a possible PSU problem, would start with that by trying a known working PSU in your system.

[Cricket]

Do you always get POST if you don't have the hard drives connected?

Samsung hard drives aren't recommended at this forum because of their poor reliability record.

Cricket

[subjekt]

Wow cricket, that last post suprised me completley! I searched aorunf for good, reliable, quiet hard drives tht were good for audio streaming (i have a large home studio set-up) and i was recomened the samsungs by many! But to be honest these werent tech savvy guys, just music buffs.

I think I MAY have found the potential problem....took out my quad core, replced it with a 2ghz celeron I have (which i had to buy to initially boot up the bloody computer as default bios didnt recognise quad core, although the box cleary stated "quad core ready!!)...and low and behold...boots EVERY time with no problem (bar my AVG anti virus saying its encountered an error-guessin thats due to cpu change?)

So....quad core is a dud? All the temps were fine when i managed to boot with the quad, so it cant be that it was overheating...any ideas?

[doubledragon5]

Your mb might need a bio update to handle the quad core, even thoughit said quad ready.. And just for the sake of it, what brand of psu are you using?

[subjekt]

Done that already.. had to boot with this celeron to do the Bios update initially, and then swap back to the quad core, and then it worked fine (for a month until the current problems). I am now running the latest bios, but the quad just wont boot up properly anymore.

Im using a hiper 580w modular psu. Should be powerful enough surely?

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by subjekt Im using a hiper 580w modular psu. Should be powerful enough surely?

I'm not familiar with Hiper power supplies, but some modular designs can cause power loss through the modular connectors and that might be a problem if it's causing a reduction in amps to the system...that might be why the Celeron works but the C2Q doesn't. Something to consider.

Cricket

[subjekt]

Wise words yet again cricket, i'lcheck it out but I was recommended the hiper 580 as especially good for the Q6600. Something fishy is going on..

[subjekt]

Looks like the problem is my MOBO or PSU as turned it on this morning and no POST or BIOS (red light on VGA card again. Waited ong enough and it restarted itself and now its working. Brilliant.

Othe people on forums are having the same problems with the P5K-E which makes me think its the MOBO more than the PSU so i'l RMA that first. Obviously have to get a direct replacement, but thinking I migh tmove away from ASUS if the next one gives me problems. Any suggestions for a good futureproof board capable of the Q6600 etc.