PC restart loop even before the display turns ON

[ankit_k]

So here is the thing my pc is constantly restarting itself even before anything appears on screen. I concluded that it is restart loop because both the cpu fan and case fan start when I press the power button but go off within 2 3 seconds and continue to do so.

 

My config is pretty basic because I usually use this machine for web browsing and web development.

• i3-3220
• Gigabyte B75M board
• 4gb corsair DDR3 1600Mhz RAM
• WD 500gb green drive
• Coolermaster 420W PSU
• Coolermaster 311 case

 

All of these components are a little more than a year and are under warranty, expect for the HDD which is about 4 year old.

I need some help troubleshooting this issue and to narrow down on to the component that is causing it and replace the same if required.

 

The basic troubleshooting that I have tried in this case so far:

1) Clean all the fans and filters on the case, reinsure all the connections.

2) Completely disconnected the HDD from the system but it still kept on restarting. Thus it might not be and software/OS related issue.

3) Replaced my PSU with a spare 400W, even tried using a different socket in other room, still didn't work.

 

What should be the next thing that I should look for?

 

Let me know if the above information is insufficient.

 

Thanks.

[aidenrelkoff]

were you doing a windows update before you restarted?

[ankit_k]

were you doing a windows update before you restarted?

No. This had happened a few weeks back as well, even at that time I wasnt in the middle of any update. That time after 4 5 restarts it came back to normal. But not this time.

[Alpha17x]

A harddrive wouldn't normally (or possibly ever) cause a no-post loop.  Which is what that sounds like.

 

If it is a no-post loop then you shouldn't even see a bios/uefi screen.  just a blank screen the whole time.  If so;

 

 

Open your computer up. disconnect everything. re-seat the power supply. 

If it has onboard video, don't connect a video card. 

 

Boot it up with one ram module and the video card (if necessary) if it gets to the 'no disk drive detected screen' then we are making progress,

Shut it down and repeat the process. each time you do so, try every ram modules you have one by one in each ram slot on the board to identify if there is a ram issue. After that just put all of the ram in.

Continue this process adding different components back in one by one with the hard drive being the absolutely last device you put in.

 

Your computer should only need Motherboard, power supply, CPU, Video (if there's no on-board) and ram to start up.

 

It fails when you've got one stick of ram, the motherboard and the power supply, make sure everything is connected securely and try again rotating whatever part you can out.  (this is why you're trying all the ram individually in each slot.

 

The point of failure is a part you need to send off for RMA if it's under warranty.

 

Document all of the tests you did and the order you did them in. Have that ready when you contact the vendor for RMA if you need to. It may save you and them time from having to do it all again.

 

As well; If you can test the part that seemed to fail on another computer that would be good as well, because it could very well be the connection point on the motherboard. If the device works in another system but not yours, that would point to a possible problem with that point on your board.

[Leon KJT]

^ Exactly that. Run it on bare-minimum.  If you manage to boot into OS (Windows), then check the event log and see what went wrong. 

[ankit_k]

"If it is a no-post loop then you shouldn't even see a bios/uefi screen.  just a blank screen the whole time. "

It sometimes does go upto the uefi screen, sometimes even till OS selection menu, but lasts hardly 2 3 seconds and restarts, but this behaviour is inconsistent.

 

"Open your computer up. disconnect everything. re-seat the power supply. "

Done that with every single component.

 

"if it gets to the 'no disk drive detected screen' then we are making progress,"

When the HDD is disconnected it had gone to that screen once or twice, again inconsistent.

 

"Continue this process adding different components back in one by one with the hard drive being the absolutely last device you put in.

Your computer should only need Motherboard, power supply, CPU, Video (if there's no on-board) and ram to start up."

Doing the same currently, connected only power supply to motherboard, RAM module(i have a single module) inserted in slot named "DDR3_1" on the board, and connected monitor to onboard VGA. No HDD connected yet (I am a bit worried that this frequent restarts might damage my HDD). Disconnected the case fan as well. No PCI/SATA/USB devices connected except keyboard. But still the cpu fans starts stop after 2 3 secs stops, again starts and continues to do so with nothing on the display.

[ankit_k]

Another bare minimum test that I have done :

Connected power supply to motherboard, with cpu and its fan in place, NO RAM, NO HDD, only monitor to onboard VGA, NO peripheral devices at all. Yet this issue exists.

 

So now the issue seems to be in the motherboard or the process itself. Am I right in reaching to this conclusion?

 

What tests should I do next?

 

My specific motherboard is  Gigabyte GA-B75M-D2V (rev. 1.0)

Processor : Intel 3rd Gen i3-3220

Both purchased around july/august last year.

[Kimmaz]

I think you need atleast one ram inserted to get any picture on the screen.

[ankit_k]

I think you need atleast one ram inserted to get any picture on the screen.

Even with RAM inserted nothing changes. The cpu fan constantly restarting indicates something else. I am even trying to contact gigabyte support since my motherboard is yet under warranty.

[ankit_k]

I have been trying to contact gigabyte india customer service, not no success as of now. The number on their india site don't seem to work.

[ankit_k]

Took my motherboard to Gigabyte's mumbai service center. They had it tested and confirmed that the motherboard is faulty. They will let me know about the repair status coming week. Will post here once I am updated

[ankit_k]

I went to take my replacement yesterday. They tested with my processor and ram, and it worked fine. But when I brought it home, and tested it again it started restarting the same way as it was before. The cpu fan starts running, stops... starts again stops again within 2 secs. I have only connected psu, motherboard, cpu, heatsink-fan, and RAM.

 

Please help as my problem is yet to be solved.

[Kimmaz]

I went to take my replacement yesterday. They tested with my processor and ram, and it worked fine. But when I brought it home, and tested it again it started restarting the same way as it was before. The cpu fan starts running, stops... starts again stops again within 2 secs. I have only connected psu, motherboard, cpu, heatsink-fan, and RAM.

 

Please help as my problem is yet to be solved.

 

Ive had this problem many times, pc starts up, all the fans start up and run, and nothing on the screen, not even the blinking "_" in the top left. Had this exact error and the following was the reason: (different situations, different builds/hardware)

• one of the ram modules was defect, Just took out one ram module at the time and tried to boot, when it started I knew witch one it was. Try swapping your ram (try one of them at the time) to se if it starts.
• My graphics card had a capacitor that was loose, I pressed it into place and then the system worked. I had to do this often, and everytime I moved my case. If someone slamed the front door on the case slightly hard I got black screen ^^ my old 8800gts =P
• On some old motherboard the clear CMOS jumper had to be in the right spot to boot. If it was in the wrong "setting" I got this error you describe aswell.
• I took my pc with me by car, and connected it and got this error. The cpu cooler had come off, and was hanging by the cable.
• A friend got this error cause he connected a floppy power connector to a fan header on the motherboard.
• I got this error cause I put the ram modules in the wrong way, ignoring the hook in the middle. I just flipped them around and it worked.
• edit: The CPU was dead, checked by swapping it out, and the pc booted
• edit: swapped motherboard without swapping the standoffs under it, and some of them was in the wrong spot causeing this problem.
• edit: forgot the 4 pin connector to the motherboard by the cpu.
• edit: forgot to connect the cpu fan connector. some old board that required it plugged in to boot.
•  used the wrong DVI output on the graphics card, somehow only one of them worked.
• used a defect dvi cable.
• had a motherboard where the pci-e port was very "used" and I had to press the gpu firmly in place and had to have the pc laying on the side for it to "connect" and give picture on the screen.
• Had to go into bios and "disable" the onboard graphics, or choose that it should "prefer" a gpu if it was inserted. or else the screen only worked using onboad, and not the gpu
• Having this issue i unplugged everything just like you did, then it worked, plugged in item after item to see when/what caused the problem, only to find that it worked totally fine with everything hooked up =P weird stuff man

I will think of more times this has happen to me. And all of those times, I had to search out the error, it was not obvius what was wrong at the time. Bottom line is, there are 100 things that can cause this without having a defect peace of hardware,, there are human error at stake when doing stuffz ^^  BTW I am not sure if your new to building computers and this is your first "build" or if your like building pc's all week and know everything. so dont take this the wrong way if these errors are something you never would have done,, but its personal experience, and not something I just make up...

 

I hope you get your pc running again! - --BTW - If the fans spin all day, it should be gpu/cable/settings/ram/whatever problem,, but IF the fans come on for a few sec and go off and so on its Usually in my experience a Short as in some power connector or wiering, or water for that matter,, or some metal to metal contact that is causing a short slope. alto It may vary from motherboard to motherboard if this is the case. I am not a genius, I just seen both and there is a pattern in cause of the error and if the fans/system turns on for a few secs or if it stays on untill you power it off.

[adman29]

Has anyone considered if it could be a power supply that's just  defective or starting to flat out die? If you can find one, find another sufficient power supply, and then hook it up to the motherboard and other needed parts, and see if that helps your problem. I've also run into similar problems with student and teacher computers at my internship where either the ram slots or the the ram modules themselves. Finally it could be some bad wire or something shorting out as Kimmaz^ said.