"Cold Start" issue

[dep3kuj]

Hello guys,

So I've experienced strange issue with my PC. It just wont start right away. I've heard somewhere, that it's called ColdStart syndrome.

So after a night, while my pc was shutted down, I press my pc start button it just starts to start itself over and over again (for like 30-40 seconds maybe) with just black screen. Then I get a message, that because my pc couldn't start it will reboot with standard bios setting hmmmm.... After that pc starts and runs perfectly. Even if shut it down again, then it starts normaly, if I send it to sleep mode it starts perfectly.

But when I shut it down for a night I have the same problem. If I send my pc to sleep mode for a night, then pc starts, but I just have black screen and I have to press reset button.

All of this started after I got new gpu (280x) and my pc was staying it my closet for a month with no power at all.

Before that I had 280 (with no x) and pc was starting perfectly.

 

I have slight overclock on my cpu, I tried to set it back to default, but problem remained.

I dont really think, that my psu is broken, cuz it was running fine before gpu replacement (600w cooler master b600 v2). Plus it runs perfectly after cold start even if I throw some gpu overclock (but normally I dont use gpu overclock, it runs on stock settings).

 

I tried to reinstall Win10, reinstalling drivers, nothing worked.

Any suggestions?

[JefferyD90]

dep3kuj, on 19 Oct 2015 - 05:49 AM, said:

Hello guys,

So I've experienced strange issue with my PC. It just wont start right away. I've heard somewhere, that it's called ColdStart syndrome.

So after a night, while my pc was shutted down, I press my pc start button it just starts to start itself over and over again (for like 30-40 seconds maybe) with just black screen. Then I get a message, that because my pc couldn't start it will reboot with standard bios setting hmmmm.... After that pc starts and runs perfectly. Even if shut it down again, then it starts normaly, if I send it to sleep mode it starts perfectly.

But when I shut it down for a night I have the same problem. If I send my pc to sleep mode for a night, then pc starts, but I just have black screen and I have to press reset button.

All of this started after I got new gpu (280x) and my pc was staying it my closet for a month with no power at all.

Before that I had 280 (with no x) and pc was starting perfectly.

 

I have slight overclock on my cpu, I tried to set it back to default, but problem remained.

I dont really think, that my psu is broken, cuz it was running fine before gpu replacement (600w cooler master b600 v2). Plus it runs perfectly after cold start even if I throw some gpu overclock (but normally I dont use gpu overclock, it runs on stock settings).

 

I tried to reinstall Win10, reinstalling drivers, nothing worked.

Any suggestions?

This is either:

 

1) overclock is bad

2) RAM isn't compatible

3) failed hardware.

[Coaxialgamer]

Either your overclock is bad or you have some kind of problem with your motherboard.

Try flashing your mobo with the latest bios. Helped me a lot when my pc was acting weird .

[Shh]

I'd test the CMOS battery too.

[Avcoor]

It somewhat looks like what's happening to my PC. To diagnose the PC try a cold start with only one stick of ram and no graphics card. Post here the results for the next instructions.

[dep3kuj]

so I tried to switch that CMOS (reset it), bios settings reseted, but cold start problem remains. Did not try to replace cmos battery, but I think I should try it...
 

I tried to start pc with only 1 ram stick and no gpu. Nothing happened, same "cold start" syndrome.

[Avcoor]

If you have access to a friends system, test his RAM and PSU on your PC.

Just to be sure, test each stick in each slot just to make sure that the problem is not the RAM stick or the slot.

If your PC starts fine with both RAM and GPU but after some restarts, test each module separately with memtest64.

Download furmark64 and Intel burn test and stress test the GPU and CPU so you can see if the problem is one of them or if the PSU gives out on a high load.

If everything goes OK, the problem is most likely the motherboard.

If you can, check if something is shorting out between the MoBo and the MoBo tray.

[dep3kuj]

So after I tried a few things, I came to a conclusion, that my MoBo and maybe OS are the problems. At some point I realized, that my PC started to show 4 gb of ram instead of 8 (only in windows, bios was showing 8 gb). So I placed my 2 ram 4gb sticks into another ram slots and got my 8 gb back again. Then I tried to place them back to previous slots and PC didnt start at all, only fans were spinning, no post signal, nothing on the monitor. So I placed them back to working slots, at least PC starts, but still with cold start.

I dont have a chance to check my gpu nor psu, but I strongly believe they are not the problem. RAM sticks are also working as far as I can see.

Plus I was getting some blue screen error messages from my Windows 10, but I am not the only one, who has those errors, so it's probably microsoft gilt, not my hardware one).

 

I also noticed 1 strange thing. After cold start my PC works fine, but after turning it on again after SleepMode, it starts perfectly, BUT it freezes after a few seconds in some game, IF skype was turned on. If skype was turned off before sending PC to sleep mode, then PC works... or at least it did work once I'll try this one more time today.

[dep3kuj]

Confirmed. If skype was turned off before sleep mode, PC start and work without any freez. IF I plug in my gamepad into mobo before turning pc on from sleepmode - it doesnt even start, just fans are spinning and nothing on the monitor.

So I am using sleepmode for now, I will see what hapens if I put it into sleep mode for a few days...

Starting normaly I still get ColdStart syndrome. What the f...

[Shh]

You wrote that the problems started when you got the 280X ... and that it was OK with the regular 280?

From what I read the 280X has a power consuption level of 350 W at full load, whereas the 280 is at 300W at full load so you may be right about that PSU.

Or... it could be that the mobo is having problems with power distribution or something... just guessing now.

Could you post your full system specs?

You don't have a spare hdd on your hand to test out a different OS, do you? A ilve USB would probably not work as what you want to test is hibernation

[dep3kuj]

no, sadly I have no extra HDD
full specs:

Athlon 860k

2x4gb crusial 1600 mhz

Asus R9 280x

Asrock fm2a88x extreme 4+

coolermaster b600 v2

WD blue 1 tb

 

I also had an idea, that psu may not be powerful enough for this system, but I looked 280x manual and 600w or higher psu is recomended. And system works just fine after cold start with cpu overclock.
And it start ok from sleepmode, if skype was disabled before sleepmode and turned on again after sleep mode and launching some game. If I launch skype before the game - pc freezes, otherwise works fine.

 

Plus I noticed one more thing. If my pc is in sleep mode for a longer period, than 1 day, it will start itself. but I wont get anything on the screen, no posts, just fans spinning.

I believe, that my mobo is DOA, cuz 2 ram slots died. Or aliens are controlling my pc from deep space...

[dep3kuj]

ok now my pc freezes after a few minutes after sleep mode no matter what...

[Shh]

I'm afraid that this issue is going to be near impossible to diagnose without having some parts to replace your current setup... My advice - take the whole thing to a PC shop and have it done by somebody with the tools for the job. The diagnosis itself shouldn't be that expensive.