Boot by keyboard or mouse doesn't work anymore

[Fergutor]

I hope I'm posting this in the right place, if not sorry and please move (?).

So, yesterday I tried to turn on my PC by keyboard as always, and nothing happened.
Using the case button works and the computer seems to work fine.
Between that and the previous post I didn't touched bios.
Entered bios. All fine.
Today, the same. But when entered Windows 10, saw the hour was wrong at about 1:30 or 2 hours after I turned off last night. But the date was right.
Tested turning it off without interrupting power to the PSU and turned on fine by keyboard, but if I interrupt the power to the PSU and wait until the caps drain (or force them to) it doesn't work, but the hour stays fine at least waiting 3 minutes after the caps drain and not the 1:30-2hours like last night (will have to test that afterwards).
Tested sleep mode and no problem.
Hibernation same as normal turn off.
Also restored bios defaults and turned the wake up by keyboard on and still the same.

So what could it be?
Dead battery?
Motherboard dying?!

Specs:
MSI B350 Tomahawk (6 or 7 months old)
Keyboard: Old A4Tech PS2
Mouse: Logitech M100 and A4 tech X7 718F both USB
Cooler Master Silent Pro 700W
Ryzen 5 1600
AC Freezer 64 Pro (yep the old S939 one!)
2x8GB Ballistix Sport LT
Asus GTX970 Strix OC
1 SSD, 3 HDD
Audigy SE

 

[eidairaman1]

Try a different keyboard, switch ports

 

[Bill_Bright]

saw the hour was wrong at about 1:30 or 2 hours after I turned off last night.

So what could it be?
Dead battery?
Motherboard dying?!

Because you time was off too, I suspect the battery - though not dead, but likely weak. And since they are fairly inexpensive (compared to new motherboards, for example), little is lost if not the problem. These typically are CR2032 batteries, available at most any place that sells battery.

To replace, unplug the computer from the wall, open computer and touch bare metal of the case interior BEFORE reaching for battery. Do not touch new battery with bare fingers. Skin oils attract dust and promote corrosion. I put a clean cotton sock over my hand.

Connect power and boot directly into the BIOS Setup Menu. Reset date and time, check boot order (if not the default) and your "Wake on" commands to make sure Wake on Keyboard is enabled. Then Save and Exit. Hopefully you will be able to wake it with the keyboard again. If not, then as suggested try another keyboard. Note these are dependent on the USB being kept alive during sleep mode too. You might have to try a different USB pair.

While it depends on the "Wake on mouse" settings, you can try that too. Some let you wake by wiggling the mouse, some by pressing a mouse button. Some let you do either.

 

[Fergutor]

Thanks to both of you but one clarification: the keyboard is PS2, is in the specs.

I doubt it's suddenly not working properly, but on the other hand, it's very old.

I will try all posibilities anyway.

(But I'm really not trusting this motherboard... )

Because you time was off too, I suspect the battery - though not dead, but likely weak.

Yes, my same conclusion/suspicion, but do you think the symptom (wake by keyboard not working) adjust to the possibility (and how?)?
While google searching I find some weird behaviour caused by dead or low battery: in a couple od cases, the PC refused to start with a dead one!

 

[Bill_Bright]

The battery is there to hold changes made to the default settings in the BIOS Setup Menu (as well as keeping the RTC, real-time clock ticking). When the battery becomes weak, it is not uncommon for really weird symptoms to occur. And since a new battery inexpensive, it is easy and quick to eliminate it as the cause.

 

[Fergutor]

The battery is there to hold changes made to the default settings in the BIOS Setup Menu (as well as keeping the RTC, real-time clock ticking). When the battery becomes weak, it is not uncommon for really weird symptoms to occur. And since a new battery inexpensive, it is easy and quick to eliminate it as the cause.

Ok, changed the battery. Apparently now it works!

Weird thing.
Will see tomorrow after hours of being turned off, but testing like before, draining the PSU and waiting some minutes, now works, booting up from hitting a key on the keyboard.
As you recommended, I didn't touched it.
Also tested both batteries with a multimeter, the old one (Panasonic) 0.8v, the new one (Energizer) 3.2v.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Well, like all power sources, to accurately test them, they should be tested under a proper load to see if their output holds under a load. But 0.8V with no load is a clear indication that battery was shot.

While it is still possible your motherboard has developed a short (or partial short) and that is what drained the old battery, that is not very likely. If all is fine after your computer has been shutdown overnight, I am confident your problem has been resolved.

Thanks for posting your followup.

 

[Fergutor]

Well, like all power sources, to accurately test them, they should be tested under a proper load to see if their output holds under a load. But 0.8V with no load is a clear indication that battery was shot.

While it is still possible your motherboard has developed a short (or partial short) and that is what drained the old battery, that is not very likely. If all is fine after your computer has been shutdown overnight, I am confident your problem has been resolved.

Thanks for posting your followup.

Yes, I just turned it on with the keyboard, it works as it should!

Everything seems fine, date and hour included.

Yeah, yesterday I was thinking about what if it's a motherboard problem that makes the battery drain, or what if it's simply the overclocking settings stored in bios (4 out of 6) draining the battery? Time will tell I guess.
But on the other hand I read a review on Amazon, of a motherboard model that the brand (don't remember wich one, but I think it was Asus) released a whole batch with drained batteries. So probably mine came with an old battery...I bought it new I think august or july last year, and I was surprised to find such an "old" motherboard new, so it got me suspicious then...and even more now...But apart from this and what I realized weeks ago that can't find the pstates options in bios that I can almost swear I could find them before (that don't work in this motherboard anyway) and that to make "cool and quiet" work when overclocking I have to load an OC setting and change cool and quiet setting from "auto" to "enabled" or from "enabled" to "auto", if I don't do that, doesn't work (need it as I don't have the pstates and works fine once activated), apart from all that...everything is fine.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Bill_Bright]

or what if it's simply the overclocking settings stored in bios

Not this. Making changes to the BIOS Setup Menu does not put an extra load on the battery. This information is stored in a CMOS memory device or similar circuit. That device, like all memory devices, is just storing a bunch of 1s and 0s. What is unique (and why they are used here) about CMOS memory devices is they almost immediately dump their stored data when power from the device is removed. This is why simply removing the battery for a few seconds, or moving a jumper for a few seconds, is all that is needed to reset the BIOS.

CMOS devices are intentionally used here to make it easy for normal users to reset the BIOS. Making it easy is by design. If motherboard designers had wanted to make it hard to reset the BIOS, they could have just as easily selected a different type memory device - EEPROM for example, to store that data.

A typical CR2032 CMOS battery usually lasts at least 3 years. But I have seen them last 7, 8 years and even longer. I have also seen them dead right out of the package. In any case, your overclocking settings do not put additional load or drain on that battery.

Since your motherboard was only a few months old, it is more likely you just got a bad battery. CR2032 are very common these days. So companies are really mass producing them, and making them cheaper and cheaper, and performing fewer and fewer quality control checks before they leave the factory.