How do I fix my computer?

[PrimeOfPrunedale]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm posting in this section because I have a problem with my computer and I think the issue is either with my motherboard or with BIOS. FYI, my motherboard is a MSI 970A-G43. Every time I turn on my computer, the computer won't post; the keyboard will light up for two seconds and then turn off, my mouse won't turn on at all, and my monitors also won't display anything.

 

 

I recently bought a Corsair H100i liquid cooler (new, not refurbished), and I just installed it. However, when I tried to boot up my computer, (as mentioned above), both my monitors were blank and my keyboard and mouse didn't work either, even though all the fans on my computer were running, including my graphics card fans. My keyboard would have the backlights on for two seconds, and then it would turn off. However, the cooling system seemed to be working fine; the fans were running, the corsair logo was lit up, and I could hear the coolant running through the tubes. I had my computer running earlier that day, so I'm not sure why it's not working now.

 

I talked to a friend who knows more than I do, and he came over so we could troubleshoot the computer. We tried using only one stick of

RAM, but the computer still wouldn't run properly, even when it was in any of the other four RAM slots on my motherboard. Since the RAM wasn't at fault, we then tried putting the original air cooler back on, but it still wouldn't run properly. Thus, I'm pretty sure that the new cooler isn't the problem. I had an old PSU sitting around that I know works, so I tried that on the computer just to be sure that the problem wasn't the PSU. That also produced the same effect. At this point, we were pretty sure that the problem must be with BIOS, so we tried to reset it. I lost the original cable to reset the BIOS, so we tried using a screwdriver to reset BIOS. The computer still wouldn't work, so just to be sure, we tried removing the battery from the motherboard, disconnecting the PSU, and holding the power button for 10+ seconds to reset the BIOS. However, it still produced the same effect: the computer fans would all turn on, the keyboard would light up for two seconds and then turn off, and the mouse and monitors would remain blank.

 

At this point, it seemed evident that the issue must be with either the CPU, motherboard, or BIOS. I'm very sure that the CPU isn't at fault: I never removed it during the liquid cooler install, and I didn't overtighten the screws that hold it to the motherboard. I also doubt that the mother board is physically damaged. It seems that the issue is with BIOS. My friend said that the BIOS might be corrupted; that happened to him when he installed a new graphics card a few months ago. I've heard that there is a way to download the most recent version of BIOS on a USB drive and then reinstall BIOS on the motherboard, but I'm not sure if this will work or if there is a better way to fix this. My friend also told me that I could try buying a new BIOS chip and using it to replace the old one.

 

So, I'm not sure what I should try next, or if I should just buy a new motherboard. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

 

I built this computer myself a little over a year ago. Here are the specs for reference:

 

Motherboard: MSI 970A-G43

RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR3 16GB (two 8GB sticks)

CPU: AMD FX-8320

GPU: AMD Saphire 7870

PSU: Corsair CX 750M (750 watts)

Hard Drive: Samsung EVO SSD 120GB

CPU cooler: Corsair Hydro series H100i

[gazabi]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm posting in this section because I have a problem with my computer and I think the issue is either with my motherboard or with BIOS. FYI, my motherboard is a MSI 970A-G43. Every time I turn on my computer, the computer won't post; the keyboard will light up for two seconds and then turn off, my mouse won't turn on at all, and my monitors also won't display anything.

 

 

I recently bought a Corsair H100i liquid cooler (new, not refurbished), and I just installed it. However, when I tried to boot up my computer, (as mentioned above), both my monitors were blank and my keyboard and mouse didn't work either, even though all the fans on my computer were running, including my graphics card fans. My keyboard would have the backlights on for two seconds, and then it would turn off. However, the cooling system seemed to be working fine; the fans were running, the corsair logo was lit up, and I could hear the coolant running through the tubes. I had my computer running earlier that day, so I'm not sure why it's not working now.

 

I talked to a friend who knows more than I do, and he came over so we could troubleshoot the computer. We tried using only one stick of

RAM, but the computer still wouldn't run properly, even when it was in any of the other four RAM slots on my motherboard. Since the RAM wasn't at fault, we then tried putting the original air cooler back on, but it still wouldn't run properly. Thus, I'm pretty sure that the new cooler isn't the problem. I had an old PSU sitting around that I know works, so I tried that on the computer just to be sure that the problem wasn't the PSU. That also produced the same effect. At this point, we were pretty sure that the problem must be with BIOS, so we tried to reset it. I lost the original cable to reset the BIOS, so we tried using a screwdriver to reset BIOS. The computer still wouldn't work, so just to be sure, we tried removing the battery from the motherboard, disconnecting the PSU, and holding the power button for 10+ seconds to reset the BIOS. However, it still produced the same effect: the computer fans would all turn on, the keyboard would light up for two seconds and then turn off, and the mouse and monitors would remain blank.

 

At this point, it seemed evident that the issue must be with either the CPU, motherboard, or BIOS. I'm very sure that the CPU isn't at fault: I never removed it during the liquid cooler install, and I didn't overtighten the screws that hold it to the motherboard. I also doubt that the mother board is physically damaged. It seems that the issue is with BIOS. My friend said that the BIOS might be corrupted; that happened to him when he installed a new graphics card a few months ago. I've heard that there is a way to download the most recent version of BIOS on a USB drive and then reinstall BIOS on the motherboard, but I'm not sure if this will work or if there is a better way to fix this. My friend also told me that I could try buying a new BIOS chip and using it to replace the old one.

 

So, I'm not sure what I should try next, or if I should just buy a new motherboard. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

 

I built this computer myself a little over a year ago. Here are the specs for reference:

 

Motherboard: MSI 970A-G43

RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR3 16GB (two 8GB sticks)

CPU: AMD FX-8320

GPU: AMD Saphire 7870

PSU: Corsair CX 750M (750 watts)

Hard Drive: Samsung EVO SSD 120GB

CPU cooler: Corsair Hydro series H100i

So the computer worked before? If it did, what changes to it did you do when the problems started happening.

 

Also try to confirm that all your components work. Maybe ask a friend with similar parts to try each of your parts individually.

[PrimeOfPrunedale]

So the computer worked before? If it did, what changes to it did you do when the problems started happening.

 

Also try to confirm that all your components work. Maybe ask a friend with similar parts to try each of your parts individually.

Hi and thanks for replying,

 

The only change I made since it stopped working was taking off the old stock CPU cooler and installing the new H100i cooler in its place.

 

I was reading some articles about the H100i, and it looks like the cable that plugs into the CPU fan socket on the mobo communicates with BIOS. Since I haven't updated my BIOS since I built the computer, maybe the new cooler corrupted the BIOS? I heard some stuff online about "flashing" the BIOS, maybe that would fix it? I may just buy a new mobo and test it, and if it also doesn't work, I'll return it.

 

I already confirmed that most of my components worked, the only ones I haven't so far are the CPU, GPU (which I'm very sure isn't to blame, since a faulty GPU wouldn't cause the keyboard and mouse to not work), and the motherboard. Since the CPU and mobo haven't been physically damaged, I think it's probably a software/BIOS issue.

[Goat]

Very likely to be a motherboard problem. Try booting it with another processor and graphics card to make sure those are not faulty. I had this problem before, I tried resetting the CMOS but it did not work so I had to replace the board.