4400 Can't Cold Boot without Switching PSU ON and OFF multiple times

[krille]

^ As topic says. I tried disconnecting all HDDs and one of my GTXs, as to see if the PSU couldn't deliver. But it didn't help. When I try to boot (push the power/reset) nothing happens, nothing at all. Since I changed PSU (PCP&C 850 SSI to Seasonic S12 600W) it has only managed to cold boot ONCE (without turn OFF/ON PSU). I need to switch PSU OFF and then ON (sometimes multiple times) in order to do a cold boot. Also having problems getting any display (sometimes it boots but no display, sometimes it hangs while booting - always had problems with display, but it's gotten much worse). It's sig rig. Any ideas?

edit1: This is all stock.

edit2: When it DOES manage to boot, I head this very long beep (not the short beep you hear when thing's are allright). I can't really make out if it's just a single very long beep or if it's multiple shorter, hard to tell, but sound volume is not even (so it could very well be a few shorter beeps very close in time).

Thanks

- Kris

[NightCrawler™]

How many red LED's do you see light up after you try to boot....?
Try to boot your system with only one memory stick in the orange slot...

NC™

[krille]

Upon booting first it's four 0-0-0-0 then it quickly (in a blink of the eye) goes down to three 0-0-0-x then for just an instant goes up to four again 0-0-0-0 but just as quick back to three 0-0-0-x (by this time only a second or two has passed) stays at three 0-0-0-x for a few seconds then LONG BEEP (or a few very tight beeps) and only one led is lit 0-x-x-x. Does that help?

Will try boot with only one mem stick, i used to have one faulty mem stick, but, I rma'd it and got a replacement one which now passes MemTest (win). Perhaps I should also note, that upon changing PSU I also changed CPU heatsink (to a BT TT).


Edit1: Booting with only one memory stick in orange slot farthest from socket yielded in no difference (tried both sticks separately), so it doesn't seem to be the RAM. I will try switching graphics card.

[krille]

LOL! I switched graphics card to my other GTX and placed it in the lower PCIe 16X slot, then tried to boot: I got normal display, no longer the long beep, but just the short normal, it booted (however it wasn't a 'cold' cold boot per se) and only left-most LED is shining 0-x-x-x.

[alexio]

Maybe some condensators in the psu or on the mobo or graphics card are screwed. Have you tried the psu with another system? Or maybe the system with another psu?

I think it's the psu not giving enough juice at startup because of bad condensators. If I put a 9800 pro in my barebone instead of the onboard video I often get a :banana::banana::banana::banana:ed up image when I do a cold boot because the condensators can't give the juice. Using a stronger psu fixes this.

[NightCrawler™]

only left-most LED is shining 0-x-x-x.
That last one will turn off too...

Did you connect all 5 power cords to your mobo..?? Especially the 5 pin molex connector and the floppy connector (for SLI) are very important...

NCâ„¢

[Vapor]

I went to install a new HDD and it wouldn't boot...exact same problem. I've taken out the HDD and still have the problem. Same system, minus SLI (same card though).

This computer's been fine for months :stick:

[Vapor]

bump....would like my computer back.....I've tried the obvious related to graphics cards (reseating, switching DVI ports), but it still won't boot. One different thing it is doing (other than not getting past the LANPARTY screen) is the GFX card memory 'loading' IS getting displayed, never used to do that. I'm trying to turn my room into an oven of sorts as well--might be a cold bug thing.

More ideas would be GREATLY appreciated though--my Rosetta teammates would also be grateful.

[Vapor]

Anybody?

[muzz]

I've had the cold boot problem for many months, some folks say it is the ram, but I've tried UTT, BH-5 AND TCCD ram...
Results have always been cold boot.
I did all the things you've done ( switching PCIE slots helped at first, but even that stopped working).
Lately I've been pretty lucky, as it actually boots up MOST days, the days it doesn't, I get the flickering 4th led ( 3 solid, 4th flickers), some times it just stays there, but other times it will go down to 1 led, and than do that long beep ( it's actually a couple short and a long I think), when that happens I hit reset, then hit insert a million times, and sometimes it takes a few tries doing this to make it boot. Once it boots the first time I can reboot at any time without issue (even immediately).
I've hit reset and pounded BOTH the insert and delete keys(back and forth) as fast as possible to get it to boot.

When the cold boot first started happening I couldn't get it to boot at all ( took 2 days or so 1 time), but nowadays it's just a nuisance, cuz MINE will boot everytime doing what I stated above.
BTW I never heard that weird beeping thing until I flashed to the 704 bt2 ( or whatever it is), maybe there is a different setting in there that enables the internal speaker or something.

GL

m

[Vapor]

This is not a memory issue I know that for sure....it's VGA, [in a songful voice]my little light of mine[/s.v.], well, I ain't gonna let it shine because it's all that's standing between POST and Windows loading it seems (I have zero reason to suspect ANY hardware damage).....and yes, like you, this has happened before (which is why I HATE shutting down...restarts are okay most of the time).

Unlike you, all I have is the very last light shining.....LANPARTY screen works fine (and loads QUICKLY--sometimes instantly) but that's all I get.....here's a copy of a more detailed description of what I've done from posts I made over at HWA as I wasn't getting any response here:

Switching 16x slots,
CMOS clear ~5 times,
battery pull twice,
switching DVI ports,
no monitor connected (once booted without a light--but then I couldn't get a display, go figure ),
reseating ~15 times,
reseating the water block,
warming my room to 28C (thinking it was a cold bug problem),
a nearly infinite combination of booting/rebooting patterns.

When it just sits there, the card gets mildly warm (as in I can tell it's on), a little warmer than usual (but I've turned off and disconnected all the fans, which is why--my card has EXCELLENT airflow and always remains cold to the touch with the fans on--I have also reinstalled the fans and the card remains cold to the touch),
I've tried propping it up in various positions (once no light went on but it still didn't leave the LANPARTY screen).

I do not have a backup card (been meaning to get a PCI card for when I go Dothaning--now I really wish I did) but there's no reason for the card to not be working....I feel like I'm neglecting to do something but at this point it's been 24 hours without my computer and I'm just frustrated......

Let's add to what I've tried....

SLI jumper reconfig (with card in both positions)
pulling the power cable on the card and rerunning just about everything
booting with no card (got the long-short-short-short that I got initially)
getting the card fantastically cold (by dropping ambient--not by freezering)
plugging in part way into the boot process (the DVI cable, not the card, lol)


There's something else (key) that I've done that I can't recall....it keeps popping in and out of my mind and right now it's out :(

Anyway, I'll try the ferocious pounding on the Insert and Delete keys now and report back on any progress......

PLEASE LEAVE IDEAS IF YOU HAVE THEM :woot:

[muzz]

I KNOW that my ram isn't bad either, as ALL 3 sets have booted without issue in other boards, and all run flawlessly.

I just booted this up....
Booted 1st try today... Yeeeeehaw!!!

Having the splash screen come up is a total different animal, I don't know whats up with that, mine wouldn't even get to that point.

GL

m

[typer77]

I think I had a smilar problem before.
Back then, it was my Enermax PSU and the Expert board.
I had the same Enermax PSU with a SLI-DR, it worked fine.
I had the same Expert board with a TruPower 2.0, it worked fine.
But the combo between Enermax and Expert caused a cold boot issue.
I swapped them, it worked great. I got the info from Thunda on DFI-street.

[bito]

I had this issue on my first Expert board...i've just picked up another and it does NOT have this cold boot PITA problem.....
For the first board, every time i shutdown the system, i have to switch off the mains power from the psu switch and turn back on prior to startup again.....this works every time.
My 2nd Expert board boots as normal.....
NOW...the interesting thing is the first board is a, RAA0 revision and the 2nd board is an RA02 revision.....the revision number is on a sticker on the pci slot.
Not sure if this is significant or not !!

[stone_cold_Jimi]

AA0 again, huh? On a UK board again, huh?. I mooted the idea that we had a batch issue here with DFI support. They said unlikely and that batch problems are rare. I simply note that these seem to be common denominators in the problem.