motherboard Motherboard issue after cleanup.

[Geek-O]

I recently cleaned my PC that I have not used for few month (10 months to be exact), re-assembled everything and tried switching it on and it won’t turn on. Nothing happens when I press the power button or try jump the motherboard.

 

Steps I have tried to troubleshoot this :

 

1. Checked ALL the cables, all are firmly plugged in on both ends.
2. Verified PSU is working, did a paper clip test, it turns on and voltages on all the pins are as per the motherboard manual.
3. Tried starting with bare minimum components.
4. Clearing CMOS.
5. Replaced CMOS battery.
6. Jump the motherboard.

 

System Config:

 

Motherboard : MSI Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon

RAM                : GSKILL DDR4 8 GB x 2

PSU                 : Cooler Master V750W Gold Plus.

CPU                : i5 7600K

 

 

PS: I switched it on only after cleaning it.

 

Any help to troubleshoot this further is greatly appreciated. 

 

[MantraWeasel]

7 minutes ago, Geek-O said:

I recently cleaned my PC that I have not used for few month (10 months to be exact), re-assembled everything and tried switching it on and it won’t turn on. Nothing happens when I press the power button or try jump the motherboard.

 

Steps I have tried to troubleshoot this :

 

1. Checked ALL the cables, all are firmly plugged in on both ends.
2. Verified PSU is working, did a paper clip test, it turns on and voltages on all the pins are as per the motherboard manual.
3. Tried starting with bare minimum components.
4. Clearing CMOS.
5. Replaced CMOS battery.
6. Jump the motherboard.

 

System Config:

 

Motherboard : MSI Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon

RAM                : GSKILL DDR4 8 GB x 2

PSU                 : Cooler Master V750W Gold Plus.

CPU                : i5 7600K

 

 

PS: I switched it on only after cleaning it.

 

Any help to troubleshoot this further is greatly appreciated. 

 

Can you see any capacitors that may have been knocked during cleaning? 

 

Additionally, are all case headers in the right location as per manual? Although, that wouldn't explain being unable to jump the mobo. 

 

Are you getting any LED indicators at all that the system is alive? If not then the motherboard may need to be RMAd if that is an option.

 

Good Luck! 

[Geek-O]

Just now, MantraWeasel said:

Can you see any capacitors that may have been knocked during cleaning? 

 

Additionally, are all case headers in the right location as per manual? Although, that wouldn't explain being unable to jump the mobo. 

 

Are you getting any LED indicators at all that the system is alive? If not then the motherboard may need to be RMAd if that is an option.

 

Good Luck! 

Nothing knocked off during cleaning and everything seems to be in place, do not see any blown capacitors or anything.

Yes, case headers are on right location, no LED indicators, nothing happens when I try to power on, no lights nothing.

Unfortunately RMA is not an option in this case

[MantraWeasel]

2 minutes ago, Geek-O said:

Nothing knocked off during cleaning and everything seems to be in place, do not see any blown capacitors or anything.

Yes, case headers are on right location, no LED indicators, nothing happens when I try to power on, no lights nothing.

Unfortunately RMA is not an option in this case

Damn, have you got any way of testing the other core components just to ensure they're all working? If you can get to a point where the motherboard is definitely the only common factor in stuff not working at least that'll give you some reassurance that that is the only issue.

[leclod]

If you were carefull while cleaning (cleaning ?!)

If you didn't witness anything weird (smell, spark, noise)  then I believe your MB is fine and you missed something.

 

Edit : Jumping MB, pins 6 and 8, right ?

PSU switched ON ?

 

24 pin connector full in and 8 pin connector too, on both sides, and in the right connector psu side ?

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by leclod

[BetteBalterZen]

You are sure these little ******* are seated correctly? 

[Geek-O]

3 minutes ago, leclod said:

If you were carefull while cleaning (cleaning ?!)

If you didn't witness anything weird (smell, spark, noise)  then I believe your MB is fine and you missed something.

 

 

Yes, I was very careful. Just removed the dust with light brush strokes, removed and re-applied thermal paste on CPU. Did not witness anything weird.

Yea that is my worry, If I can pin point to the component that is causing issue I can order a new one but just want to be sure before ordering it.

[Geek-O]

1 minute ago, BetteBalterZen said:

You are sure these little ******* are seated correctly? 

Yup, these are secured correctly, I even tried jump the MB, nothing happens.

[leclod]

Edit : Jumping MB, pins 6 and 8, right ?

PSU switched ON ?

 

24 pin connector full in and 8 pin connector too, on both sides, and in the right connector psu side ?

 

And an idea from kb5zue :

I have the Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming motherboard and I was have similar problems a couple of months ago.  Turns out it was an easy fix.  For some unknown goofy reason the two pin contacts on the motherboard for the power on/off switch turned out to be corroded.  Don't know how they got that way but turns out that was the problem.

 

I cleaned the pin contacts on the motherboard using a fingernail file that I stole from my wife and just brushed the pins with it a little making sure that I got all four sides of the little pins.  When I was done with the fingernail file, I took a q-tip and dipped it in 90% iso alcohol and cleaned up the pins with it to make sure that I didn't leave behind any dust from the fingernail cleaning.

 

While I had the case open with this little project, I went ahead and did a thorough blow-out with my air compressor making sure not to blow anything loose with the compressed air.

 

That's it, job was all done.  After putting things back together and closing up the case everything worked great and has continued to work just fine ever since.

Edited May 24, 2023 by leclod

[Geek-O]

1 hour ago, leclod said:

Edit : Jumping MB, pins 6 and 8, right ?

PSU switched ON ?

 

24 pin connector full in and 8 pin connector too, on both sides, and in the right connector psu side ?

 

And an idea from kb5zue :

I have the Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming motherboard and I was have similar problems a couple of months ago.  Turns out it was an easy fix.  For some unknown goofy reason the two pin contacts on the motherboard for the power on/off switch turned out to be corroded.  Don't know how they got that way but turns out that was the problem.

 

I cleaned the pin contacts on the motherboard using a fingernail file that I stole from my wife and just brushed the pins with it a little making sure that I got all four sides of the little pins.  When I was done with the fingernail file, I took a q-tip and dipped it in 90% iso alcohol and cleaned up the pins with it to make sure that I didn't leave behind any dust from the fingernail cleaning.

 

While I had the case open with this little project, I went ahead and did a thorough blow-out with my air compressor making sure not to blow anything loose with the compressed air.

 

That's it, job was all done.  After putting things back together and closing up the case everything worked great and has continued to work just fine ever since.

Yes, Jumping MB, pins 6 and 8 and PSU switched on.

Unfortunately don't see any corrosion on the pins or anywhere on the board.

 

[DontBeSillyWrapYourWilly]

I mean , compressed air is the only thing i would generally 'touch' motherboard with. Brushing motherboard , even gently is just asking for some static electricity or something like to damage the board.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

Take off the heatsinks and cmos battery, clear cmos and short powerbutton for 2 mins, give a rinse in water making sure every part gets soaked, then dunk in a bucket of water for an hour or 2 but dishwasher apparently works aswell no detergent. Leave to dry for a day or 2 depending on climate

 

i assume some filth might have gotten somewhere and now the board is detecting a short so it wont power on so fully cleaning the board with a dunk in water should fix your issue

 

i have revived boards via dunking in water before so this isnt as ridicolous as it seems, though all living proof has been sold off

[Beerzerker]

3 hours ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

Take off the heatsinks and cmos battery, clear cmos and short powerbutton for 2 mins, give a rinse in water making sure every part gets soaked, then dunk in a bucket of water for an hour or 2 but dishwasher apparently works aswell no detergent. Leave to dry for a day or 2 depending on climate

 

i assume some filth might have gotten somewhere and now the board is detecting a short so it wont power on so fully cleaning the board with a dunk in water should fix your issue

 

i have revived boards via dunking in water before so this isnt as ridicolous as it seems, though all living proof has been sold off

It doesn't hurt to use a soap tab and sometimes that helps to remove crap that won't let go because water alone can't remove it.
If you don't have a soap tab, a little dawn dishwashing liquid works too, just don't use alot of it or you'll have a nice & foamy mess on your floor.
Ask me how I know about that.....

NOTE:
Before popping it in - Remove the CMOS battery and if it's a board with pins down in the socket, use a socket cover/protector since the water jets can cause pins to move/bend and that will keep them from getting blasted.
If it's a board for chips with pins on the chip you don't have to worry about any specific things/prep with the socket. I normaly have it with the lock lever partially "Open" so the cleaning can get down into the socket and clean the fingers under the socket cover.

DO use your Pots & Pans cycle with hot water so it gets a really good cleaning and also use the extended rinse cycle too - No need for the heated dry function if your dishwasher has that, just remove it when the wash and rinse part is done. 

After that remove the board and drain it off, then set it in front of a fan for a couple of days minimum to make sure it's 100% dried out. Doesn't have to be a big fan or one with alot of airflow, just a small desktop fan on low will suffice but be sure the entire board has airflow going to/over it, not just a part of it.

I just cleaned my Sabertooth R 3.0 and it came out squeaky clean.
It had sat under my ceiling fan for a couple of days drying out and then it was ready, started up without issue and runs fine.
 

[Somerandomtechyboi]

48 minutes ago, Beerzerker said:

It doesn't hurt to use a soap tab and sometimes that helps to remove crap that won't let go because water alone can't remove it.
If you don't have a soap tab, a little dawn dishwashing liquid works too, just don't use alot of it or you'll have a nice & foamy mess in your floor.
Ask me how I know about that.....

Last time i used soap (the kind meant for taking a bath) board died though maybe thats because i left the damn cmos battery in since that was my first try at this cleaning method

 

Ill ive the stuff used for washing plates a go particularly on this china h61 that really doesnt want to be fixed, random shutdown issues and ive rinsed the thing 5 times, but atm no post cause i didnt cover the socket after just leaving it for a few months

 

50 minutes ago, Beerzerker said:

Before popping it in - If it's a board with pins down in the socket, use a socket cover/protector since the water jets can cause pins to move/bend and that will keep them from getting blasted.
If it's a board for chips with pins on the chip you don't have to worry about any specific things/prep with the socket. I normaly have it with the lock lever partially "Open" so the cleaning can get down into the socket and clean the fingers under the socket cover.

I deliberately leave the socket exposed and i havent had any bending issues and the tap i use isnt one of those laminar flow ones that flow smoothly either, though i do take precautions with not hitting the socket from the side, it is fine if you hit the socket directly from above though

 

52 minutes ago, Beerzerker said:

After that remove the board and drain it off, then set it in front of a fan for a couple of days minimum to make sure it's 100% dried out. Doesn't have to be a big fan or one with alot of airflow, just a small desktop fan on low will suffice but be sure the entire board has airflow going to/over it, not just a part of it.

Im in indo so with like no airflow takes only a day for the thing to dry out (room with no ac), i just lay the board against a wall vertically and on the corner touching the floor i place a tissue to absorb any water, its actually a pretty good indicator on wether or not the board is dry

 

Also you wanna shake the shit out of the boards before leaving them to dry to get rid of a decent amount of water so shorter drying times

 

 

I am considering to eventually build an ultrasonic cleaner to clean my boards more thoroughly, maybe a hotbox aswell to dry the boards faster

[SamClan]

4 hours ago, Geek-O said:

Yes, Jumping MB, pins 6 and 8 and PSU switched on.

Unfortunately don't see any corrosion on the pins or anywhere on the board.

 

Ram is in the wrong spot could be a problem too 

[Beerzerker]

16 minutes ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

Last time i used soap (the kind meant for taking a bath) board died though maybe thats because i left the damn cmos battery in since that was my first try at this cleaning method

 

Ill ive the stuff used for washing plates a go particularly on this china h61 that really doesnt want to be fixed, random shutdown issues and ive rinsed the thing 5 times, but atm no post cause i didnt cover the socket after just leaving it for a few months

 

I deliberately leave the socket exposed and i havent had any bending issues and the tap i use isnt one of those laminar flow ones that flow smoothly either, though i do take precautions with not hitting the socket from the side, it is fine if you hit the socket directly from above though

 

Im in indo so with like no airflow takes only a day for the thing to dry out (room with no ac), i just lay the board against a wall vertically and on the corner touching the floor i place a tissue to absorb any water, its actually a pretty good indicator on wether or not the board is dry

 

Also you wanna shake the shit out of the boards before leaving them to dry to get rid of a decent amount of water so shorter drying times

 

 

I am considering to eventually build an ultrasonic cleaner to clean my boards more thoroughly, maybe a hotbox aswell to dry the boards faster

It depends on the washer, if it has alot of spraying pressure from the jets it can affect the pins so it's best not to take that chance. Use a cover if it has pins in the socket - No problem.

BTW good catch about removing the CMOS battery - I forgot to mention that.

I agree with shaking the board to get some of the water out, I do that too.
Placing it upright makes it drain out faster for better drying.
Yes, I'm talking about soap intended for dishes or the washer, just have to be sure it gets a good rising once done, that's why I suggest the extended rinse cycle if the washer has it.
After a day or so under a fan it's fine and ready to power on again but I do suggest two days in case there are areas that aren't dried so easily, depending on the board you're drying out.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

8 minutes ago, Beerzerker said:

It depends on the washer, if it has alot of spraying pressure from the jets it can affect the pins so it's best not to take that chance. Use a cover if it has pins in the socket - No problem.

I just rinse my boards under a tap and dunk em in a bucket of water for an hour or 2

 

I dont have a dishwasher so never had any experience with one

 

And ofc i take off heatsinks just so no thermal pads or paste dirty the board

 

11 minutes ago, Beerzerker said:

After a day or so under a fan it's fine and ready to power on again but I do suggest two days in case there are areas that aren't dried so easily, depending on the board you're drying out.

I dont use any airflow though i wonder how much a fan would speed things up

 

currently im considering making a hotbox to bake the boards and dry em out faster but idk what kinda temp i should use, nor do i have any idea what heater element to use

[Beerzerker]

On 5/24/2023 at 11:14 AM, Somerandomtechyboi said:

I just rinse my boards under a tap and dunk em in a bucket of water for an hour or 2

 

I dont have a dishwasher so never had any experience with one

 

And ofc i take off heatsinks just so no thermal pads or paste dirty the board

 

I dont use any airflow though i wonder how much a fan would speed things up

 

currently im considering making a hotbox to bake the boards and dry em out faster but idk what kinda temp i should use, nor do i have any idea what heater element to use

Be careful here, it's possible to make things too hot.
All it needs is for the air inside to be warm/very warm, not hot when fully up to temperature.
 

Moving air does more of the drying than the heat itself will but the heat does help. If temps on average inside the box are about 50c or so that's fine and will work to dry things out well without overheating components on the board.
I will advise avoiding temps beyond 65c because even though air temps will show one temp the actual hardware can soak up enough heat to be higher so make sure not to use too much heat - Also know high airflow with heat will make it even hotter.
The more airflow you have at a given heat temp, the hotter the item will get so don't have it getting blasted with very warm/hot air, if it's airflow you can feel it's fine.