Help me diagnose random problem

[jbunch07]

I am having a random problem with my system not wanting to post.
It happens sporadically at best so its not something I can get it to do on demand.
Ill try to go into as much detail as possible.
It seems to me that the computer does not want to post boot at all when the problem happens.
All lights and fans come on but no signal to the monitor.
Bios reset works sometimes but not all the time.
I have a back-lite keyboard that will initially turn on but the turn off again.
On one occasion I was able to get it working just by changing the video source from DVI to HDMI.
I would be willing to bet that there is a short somewhere or the motherboard might just be flaky.
I originally had an ocz agility3 ssd 60gb for a boot os drive that I had to remove to get it working so now I'm just using 2 320gb drives in raid 0.
After removing the ssd the problem seemed to go away for a while so I assumed that was the issue. but now its back.
seems to only happen once every two weeks or so.

The system specs in my drop down are current btw.
ps...when the problem happens there are not post failure beeps but I don't think my mother board has built in speaker for that so i wouldn't know anyway.
So any ideas?

 

[m1dg3t]

Try clearing CMOS, pulling the battery and all settings back on stock? Are all your drivers up to date, MOBO included? Double check all your connections, you may have bumped one while doing some service, has happened to me before

Thats where i'd start anyways, good luck

 

[Kreij]

Test your RAM for several hours using Memtest.
It's the first thing I do when having intermittent POST problems as it is the cause many times.

 

[m1dg3t]

Test your RAM for several hours using Memtest.
It's the first thing I do when having intermittent POST problems as it is the cause many times.

+1 That would be my next step

 

[jbunch07]

Try clearing CMOS, pulling the battery and all settings back on stock? Are all your drivers up to date, MOBO included? Double check all your connections, you may have bumped one while doing some service, has happened to me before

Thats where i'd start anyways, good luck

Thanks for the advice, I have set cmos settings to stock and havent changed anything other than what i need to cahange for the raid setup. and all the drivers are up to date.

Test your RAM for several hours using Memtest.
It's the first thing I do when having intermittent POST problems as it is the cause many times.

Ill try running for a few hours tonight before I go to bed. thanks for the advice.

 

[Kreij]

Let it run overnight if that's an option. Doesn't hurt anything.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Is your MB BIOS updated? The bit about the SSD has me wondering if was a compat issue that needed fixing in the BIOS.

 

[Kreij]

I saw that too, Frag, but he said that changing from DVI to HDMI seemed to fix it on one occasion.
That makes me look at a lower hardware level like possibly RAM given that the fixes are as random as the problem.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Well I did some checking on the BIOS update page for the AsRock Z68 Pro3-M, and there isn't anything for improving drive support but there are two for improving discrete VGA compatibility, specifically for vBIOS. If it were me, if the cabling doesn't completely solve it, I'd flash in the latest BIOS version

You don't usually see those kind of BIOS updates on a MB, and it's an indication there's been compat problems with some video cards, esp since they issued two such updates. If you'e hesitant about flashing you could ask AsRock if your GPU is one of the ones it was updated for.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z68 Pro3-M/?cat=Download&os=BIOS

 

[drdeathx]

Since is happens random and with both drives, it could be many things. I would test the PSU or it could something as easy as a bad sata cable.

 

[Kreij]

You are both right, but when you have intermittent problems you gotta start somewhere.
I think it's best to ensure the hardware integrity first, but that is just my opinion.

 

[jbunch07]

I don't have a discrete gpu I'm using the built in gpu on the i5...if that helps at all.
ill try flashing new bios regardless.

 

[drdeathx]

Its not the bios. Who came up with that idea? Problems just don't start from nothing.

 

[jbunch07]

Well I flashed new bios and let memtest run for 10 hours over night and it passes 100%... So I can only assume it's safe to say the memory is not the issue.

 

[Kreij]

10 hours of memory testing would indicate to me that the RAM is okay also.
I would do as death said and look into the PSU or cables.

 

[jbunch07]

I'm starting to wonder if there might be a bad ground somewhere in the case but I would think that would produce a more consistent problem.

 

[drdeathx]

I'm starting to wonder if there might be a bad ground somewhere in the case but I would think that would produce a more consistent problem.

JB, this is not the symptom of a grounding problem...... The system would not post just fan spin for a brief moment.

 

[jbunch07]

So as I was using the computer today the monitor freaked out and acted as if was going to cut off. It had a bunch of horizontal bars and static but I could still partially see the picture. I shut down the computer and it would not post. Rest CMOS twice and it finally booted like nothing ever happened. Now its working fine.

 

[95Viper]

Check and make sure your cables (video, drives, usb, esata, power, etc.) are snug and secure.
Try a different keyboard and, maybe, mouse.
Also, bypass the start & reset buttons/switches on the case.

EDIT:
Definitely check the monitor cable and re-seat the video card (if using descrete gpu).
Possibly PSU is having hiccups.

Also, check your temps.

 

[ur6beersaway]

HI, My 2 cents, I have ozc ssd also and to my surprise ozc has issued firmware update/upgrades to address various issues. You boot off yours, check your version? also the CMOS jumper in default position, is it snug ? I once had to tweak a pin because it had slipped off = no boot.

this: http://ocz.com/consumer/download/firmware

 

[kiddagoat]

Sooo you are having POST issues you say?

Let's get a checklist going here:

- Tested RAM - CHECK!
- Checked/Updated BIOS - CHECK!
- Double Checked all cables and connections - CHECK!

You get where it does not POST at times and all you get is fans spinning and lights. You also state you get video corruption and are using the built in GPU.

I would narrow this down to MB and/or CPU my friend. You MB does not come with a speaker, I would highly recommend getting a speaker on that board to hear beep codes. You could be missing some valuable information.

To test the board, I would attach said speaker and pull out all of the RAM. IF the speaker starts going nuts as it should, that is a good indicator that the CPU is being initialized and hence the memory controller is talking to the RAM slots checking for population. The MB to me would be good at this point because it is doing its basic diagnostic functions.

Your board doesn't have it but if you look at some the Intel branded boards, they have LED Debug display and also Diag LEDs at the bottom of the board. The CPU is always initialized before anything else.

IF when the RAM is pulled you are not getting any type of beeps, I would look more at CPU being either seated wrong and/or is bad. It is rare but it does happen. I have seen where just one pin wasn't making contact and it caused an issue similar to yours.

Also when the RAM is pulled no beeps, could also be a bad MB. I would start with bad MB first myself.