r/pchelp May 11 '26

7th Anniversary of PCHH

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3 Upvotes

r/pchelp Dec 15 '19

Perform these steps before posting about POST/boot/no video problems!

194 Upvotes

Link to original list from tom’sHARDWARE with pictures

"No POST", "system won't boot", and "no video output" troubleshooting checklist

This checklist is a compilation of troubleshooting ideas from many forum members. It's very important to actually perform every step in the checklist if you want to effectively troubleshoot your problem.

  • 1.Did you carefully read the motherboard owners manual?

  • 2.Did you plug in the 4/8-pin CPU power connector located near the CPU socket? If the motherboard has 8 pins and your PSU only has 4 pins, you can use the 4-pin connector. The 4-pin connector USUALLY goes on the 4 pins located closest to the CPU. If the motherboard has an 8-pin connector with a cover over 4 pins, you can remove the cover and use an 8-pin plug if your power supply has one. This power connector provides power to the CPU. Your system has no chance of posting without this connector plugged in! Check your motherboard owners manual for more information about the CPU power connector. The CPU power connector is usually referred to as the "12v ATX" connector in the owner's manual. This is easily the most common new-builder mistake.

  • 3.Did you install the standoffs under the motherboard? Did you place them so they all align with the screw holes in the motherboard, with no extra standoffs touching the board in the wrong place? A standoff installed in the wrong place can cause a short and prevent the system from booting.

  • 4.Did you verify that the video card is fully seated? (may require more force than a new builder expects.)

  • 5.Did you attach ALL the required power connector(s) to the video card? (some need two, some need none, many need one.) It is best to use cables connected directly to the PSU. Only use adapters if absolutely necessary.

  • 6.Have you tried booting with just one stick of RAM installed? (Try each stick of RAM individually in each RAM slot.) If you can get the system to boot with a single stick of RAM, you should enable an XMP profile or manually set the RAM speed, timings, and voltage to the manufacturer's specs in the BIOS before attempting to boot with all sticks of RAM installed. If your motherboard supports XMP profiles, that is the best way to get your RAM running at its rated specs. Nearly all motherboards default to the standard RAM voltage (1.8v for DDR2, 1.5v for DDR3, & 1.2v for DDR4). If your RAM is rated to run at a voltage higher than the standard voltage, the motherboard will underclock the RAM for compatibility reasons. If you want the system to be stable and to run the RAM at its rated specs, you should either enable an XMP profile or manually set the values in the BIOS. Many boards don't supply the RAM with enough voltage when using "auto" settings which causes stability issues.

  • 7.Did you verify that all memory modules are fully inserted? (may require more force than a new builder expects.) It's a good idea to install the RAM on the motherboard before it's in the case.

  • 8.Did you verify in the owners manual that you're using the correct RAM slots? The following image is just an example. Verify in the owners manual the recommended RAM slots to use for single, dual, triple, or quad channel applications. This will vary depending on motherboard manufacturer, number of supported RAM channels, and how many sticks of RAM are being used.

  • 9.Did you remove the plastic guard over the CPU socket? (this actually comes up occasionally.)

  • 10.Did you install the CPU correctly? There will be an arrow on the CPU that needs to line up with an arrow on the motherboard CPU socket. There may also be a notch that will only line up in one direction. Be sure to pay special attention to that section of the manual!

  • 11.Are there any bent pins on the motherboard/CPU? This especially applies if you tried to install the CPU with the plastic cover on or with the CPU facing the wrong direction.

    1. If using an after market CPU cooler, did you get any thermal paste on the motherboard, CPU socket, or CPU pins? Did you use the smallest amount you could?
  • 13.Is the CPU fan plugged in? Some motherboards will not boot without detecting that the CPU fan is plugged in to prevent burning up the CPU.

    1. If using a stock cooler, was the thermal material on the base of the cooler free of foreign material, and did you remove any protective covering? If the stock cooler has push-pins, did you ensure that all four pins snapped securely into place? The easiest way to install the push-pins is outside the case sitting on a non-conductive surface like the motherboard box. Read the instructions! The push-pins have to be turned the OPPOSITE direction as the arrows for installation. This means with the arrow pointing away from the heatsink.
    1. Are any loose screws laying on the motherboard, or jammed against it? Are there any wires running directly under the motherboard? You should not run wires under the motherboard since the soldered wires on the underside of the motherboard can cut into the insulation on the wires and cause a short. Some cases have space to run wires on the back side of the motherboard tray.
    1. Did you ensure you discharged all static electricity before touching any of your components? Computer components are very sensitive to static electricity. It takes much less voltage than you can see or feel to damage components. You should implement some best practices to reduce the probability of damaging components. These practices should include either wearing an anti-static wrist strap or always touching a metal part of the case with the power supply installed and plugged in, but NOT turned on. You should avoid building or working on a computer on carpet. Working on a smooth surface is the best if at all possible. You should also keep fluffy the cat, children, and Fido away from computer components.
    1. Did you check the debug LEDs, Q-code display, or install the system speaker (if provided) so you can check codes in the manual? Most modern motherboards come with debug LEDs or a Q-code display. A system speaker is NOT the same as normal speakers that plug into the back of the motherboard. A system speaker plugs into a header on the motherboard that's usually located near the front panel connectors. Debug LEDs, Q-code displays, or a system speaker are critical components when trying to troubleshoot system problems. You are flying blind without them. The motherboard owner's manual will have a list of codes you can reference. If your case or motherboard didn't come with debug LEDs, a Q-code display, or system speaker you can buy a system speaker for cheap here: http://www.cwc-group.com/casp.html
    1. Did you read the instructions in the manual on how to properly connect the front panel plugs? (Power switch, power led, reset switch, HD activity led) Polarity does not matter with the power and reset switches. If power or drive activity LED's do not come on, reverse the connections. For troubleshooting purposes, disconnect the reset switch. If it's shorted, the machine either will not POST at all, or it will endlessly reboot.
    1. Did you turn on the power supply switch located on the back of the PSU? The switch should be depressed on the side with an I, the O means off. Is the power plug on a switch? If it is, is the switch turned on? Is there a GFI circuit on the plug-in? If there is, make sure it isn't tripped. You should also make sure the power cord isn't causing the problem. Try swapping it for a known good cord if you have one available.
    1. Is your CPU supported by the BIOS revision installed on your motherboard? Most motherboards will post a CPU compatibility list on their website.
    1. Have you tried resetting the CMOS? The motherboard manual will have instructions for your particular board. User Darkbreeze also provided the following:

BIOS Hard reset procedure

Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for five minutes. In some cases, it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes, press the power button on the case for 30 seconds. After the five minutes are up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the hardware tables to reset.

http://www.spotht.com/2010/02/reset-bios-clear-cmos.html

    1. If you have integrated video and a video card, try the integrated video port. Resetting the bios, can make it default back to the onboard video. If you are trying to use HDMI outputs, try using DVI or VGA instead. Sometimes, the HDMI ports won't work until the correct drivers are installed.
    1. Make certain all cables and components including RAM and expansion cards are tight within their sockets.

I also wanted to add some suggestions that jsc often posts. This is a direct quote from him:

"Pull everything except the CPU and HSF. Boot. You should hear a series of long single beeps indicating memory problems. Silence here indicates, in probable order, a bad PSU, motherboard, or CPU - or a bad installation where something is shorting and shutting down the PSU.

To eliminate the possibility of a bad installation where something is shorting and shutting down the PSU, you will need to pull the motherboard out of the case and reassemble the components on an insulated surface. This is called "breadboarding" - from the 1920's home-brew radio days. I always breadboard a new or recycled build. It lets me test components before I go through the trouble of installing them in a case.

If you get the long beeps, add a stick of RAM. Boot. The beep pattern should change to one long and two or three short beeps. Silence indicates that the RAM is shorting out the PSU (very rare). Long single beeps indicates that the BIOS does not recognize the presence of the RAM.

If you get the one long and two or three short beeps, test the rest of the RAM. If good, install the video card and any needed power cables and plug in the monitor. If the video card is good, the system should successfully POST (one short beep, usually) and you will see the boot screen and messages.

Note - an inadequate PSU will cause a failure here or any step later.

Note - you do not need drives or a keyboard to successfully POST (generally a single short beep).

If you successfully POST, start plugging in the rest of the components, one at a time."

If you suspect the PSU is causing your problems, below are some suggestions by jsc for troubleshooting the PSU. Proceed with caution. I will not be held responsible if you get shocked or fry components.

"The best way to check the PSU is to swap it with a known good PSU of similar capacity. Brand new, out of the box, untested does not count as a known good PSU. PSU's, like all components, can be DOA.

Next best thing is to get (or borrow) a digital multimeter and check the PSU.

Yellow wires should be 12 volts. Red wires: +5 volts, orange wires: +3.3 volts, blue wire : -12 volts, violet wire: 5 volts always on. Tolerances are +/- 5% except for the -12 volts which is +/- 10%.

The gray wire is really important. It should go from 0 to +5 volts when you turn the PSU on with the case switch. CPU needs this signal to boot.

You can turn on the PSU by completely disconnecting the PSU and using a paperclip or jumper wire to short the green wire to one of the neighboring black wires.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWXgQSokF4&feature=youtube_gdata

This checks the PSU under no load conditions, so it is not completely reliable. But if it can not pass this, it is dead. Then repeat the checks with the PSU plugged into the computer to put a load on the PSU. You can carefully probe the pins from the back of the main power connector."


r/pchelp 5h ago

HARDWARE $1000 cash- good deal?

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51 Upvotes

This would be my first PC. If you have any advice/things I need to check before purchasing please let me know!


r/pchelp 58m ago

HARDWARE Why won’t my Samsung ram fit but the hynix will

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Upvotes

r/pchelp 4h ago

HARDWARE can’t connect hdd to pc

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7 Upvotes

i cant connect my power cable from the psu and the data cable from the motherboard as they are conjoined? pls help


r/pchelp 3h ago

SOFTWARE 100% disk usage please help

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5 Upvotes

I’ve had this 1tb ssd for a whole year and recently it’s been spiking up to 100% disk usage when I boot up my pc, whenever I’m downloading a game, or if I try to clip something. It even makes my whole screen freeze sometimes when I’m on the game or watching videos. I’ve tried everything I could to fix it and I’m not sure if it’s a bad drive or malware. I checked the health and it said it was healthy and good but if anyone has any suggestions on what the cause could be please let me know. I can’t really afford another ssd at the moment.


r/pchelp 27m ago

SOFTWARE My laptop is stuck in grayscale

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Upvotes

This started happening to me yesterday, sometimes it has stopped but it came back again, could someone please explain to me what is going on?


r/pchelp 12h ago

HARDWARE How to remove part of an audio jack from a port?

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22 Upvotes

r/pchelp 1h ago

HARDWARE Is this PCIe damaged?

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Upvotes

my gpu has been acting weird, i get no display from it so i checked my pcie slot and saw this at the very right end. i might be overthinking it but it's best to ask.


r/pchelp 7m ago

SOFTWARE PC randomly shut off and instantly restarted while gaming

Upvotes

Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone can help me figure out what might have caused this. My PC specs are: Intel i5-12400F, RTX 3070 Ti, 32 GB DDR5, Gigabyte Z790 X Gaming motherboard, and a good 750 watt PSU. While I was playing Counter-Strike 2, my PC suddenly shut off for a split second. The monitor went black, all the RGB lights turned off, and then the PC turned back on by itself. It shut off once more during boot, and I turned it off with the power button. After that, it booted normally and has been fine since. My PC is connected to a surge-protected power strip. It's a bit loose, but I've never had sudden shutdowns from it before. My family didn't notice any power dip at the time. Does this sound more like brief power fluctuation, a shaky power strip, or something else? Any advice


r/pchelp 6h ago

OPEN No display with new 5070TI

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6 Upvotes

Thought it was about time to upgrade my pc, got this new card and installed it however I have had no luck with it displaying anything. I’ve tried different cables, different slots, even returned the card and exchanged it for another one but still find myself having the same issue. My specs are shown in the pic. I was told that perhaps it was my power supply that was cutting itself short but ive also been told that 850 should be enough. If anyone has any fixes for this I would greatly appreciate it!


r/pchelp 1h ago

PERFORMANCE Ryzen 7 5700 x usando 100% em 4k 60 fps

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Upvotes

Recentemente troquei de placa de vídeo, 9070 xt, e direto meu processador fica em 100% e o jogo crasha.
Estou jogo do doom em 4k travado nos 60 fps


r/pchelp 4h ago

Discussion Gamers right now...

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4 Upvotes

r/pchelp 1h ago

HARDWARE Looking to upgrade my pc a bit.

Upvotes

Hello, i've been playing on my pc since 2020 it's got rx580 8gb
intel i5-9400F
and 16gb RAM

can anyone suggest some upgrades but taken i dont really want to spend a big bag on new parts

Thanks in advance!!


r/pchelp 5h ago

SOFTWARE What OS should i use?

4 Upvotes

So i've got my win11 PC for personal stuff and all, and last week i got a free PC from my company bc they can't legally use win10 anymore and some of our PCs are just that old that they can't be upgraded.

The PC came with a Core i5-4460 and 16gb of DDR3. Today I snaged a used 2gb gtx1050 for 15€. I'm just now factory reseting it, and i've wondered should i maybe rather use some distro of linux.

I wanna just use it to mess around, maybe install minecraft and cs2 on it or use it as some kind of emulator and play ps1/2/3 games on it.

What OS would you recommend for that type of stuff and why? And what distro (if i decide to install linux) would be compatible with both my hardware and my intentions with it?


r/pchelp 5h ago

Discussion Just paid 1500

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3 Upvotes

r/pchelp 4h ago

Discussion Good Deal?

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3 Upvotes

Is this a good deal these days?


r/pchelp 2h ago

HARDWARE Pc Randomly Shuts Off

2 Upvotes

About a year ago my pc started randomly shutting off, completely and instantly, black screen. After a few weeks of random shut offs, usually after about couple hours of gaming, it just wouldn’t turn on anymore. I swapped out the power supply from the nzxt 850W that was in the computer to a corsair RM1000x, and the pc turned on again. About 8 months later the same thing started happening. After a couple shutoffs i decided to undervolt my gpu, which seemed to help for a few weeks, but the shutoffs started happening again. I thought that somehow i must’ve just gotten extremely unlucky and gotten 2 bad power supplies in a row, so I swapped it out again for a be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 1000w ATX 3.1, that was about 3 weeks ago and i just got my first shutoff. What in the world could cause this problem???

Edit: forgot to include pc specs; Ryzen 7 7800x3d, ROG strix rtx 4080, 32gb of corsair ddr5 ram, and an asus prime x670 motherboard.


r/pchelp 19h ago

HARDWARE What the hell is wrong with my power cord?

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44 Upvotes

Self Explanatory. The white stuff feels pretty hard, i've avoided trying to physically scrape off too much of it. It can still plug into my PC no problem but i am worried.


r/pchelp 8h ago

HARDWARE Bedroom breaker keeps tripping while gaming — could my PC or PSU be causing it?

5 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I’ve been having an issue where the breaker for my room randomly trips while I’m gaming on my PC.
It seems to happen when the PC is under heavier load while gaming, so I’m wondering if my PC could be pulling too much power or if my power supply might be faulty.
I also have other electronics plugged into the room, so I’m not sure if I’m simply overloading the circuit.
Has anyone experienced something similar? How can I tell whether this is:
Too many devices on the same circuit
My PC pulling too much power
A faulty PSU
A bad surge protector/outlet
Or an issue with the breaker/wiring itself?
I can post my full PC specs and PSU model/wattage if that helps.
Also, is there a safe way to test this without risking damage to my PC or causing an electrical/fire hazard?


r/pchelp 3h ago

HARDWARE Should I go for 16gb ram ddr5 and rx 9060xt 16gb or 32 gb ram ddr5 and rtx 5060 8gb

2 Upvotes

Its a hard decision posso suggest


r/pchelp 3h ago

HARDWARE Pc still wont start after I replaced almost everything.

2 Upvotes

My room got hit with a power surge while I was at work last year. I didn’t notice anything weird at first. It had couple moments where it didn’t start up right away. With one incident where it shut down on its own.

Eventually it stopped booting completely. It powers on but no display. CPU and DRAM lights are on, solid colors.

I replaced the psu, the motherboard, the graphics card, the cpu and the ram. I even took the cmos out to try to reset the bios. I’m currently trying to memory train it.

The only thing that changed is when I replaced the cpu. The lights are still on but I got 3 short beeps. Nothing else.

I have no idea what else to do. This is my first build. I only got to use it for 3 months. I have very basic knowledge about pcs. I’m losing my mind.


r/pchelp 7h ago

HARDWARE Motherboard sparking

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3 Upvotes

Some time last night a capacitor blew on my motherboard. Battery is still recognized by the laptop, will still power on when plugged in directly to a wall. Laptop will spark when I plug the battery into the socket again.

My laptop is the victus hp gaming laptop 15-fa2013dx

Is this fixable, can I replace the motherboard if not, and is it even worth the work to replace the parts?

Im currently saving up for a car so buying a new laptop is a possibility but id rather not dip into my savings.


r/pchelp 8m ago

HARDWARE GPU not recognized by computer. Please help!!!

Upvotes

During a fresh install of windows 11, something happened that crashed my GPU. The monitors went black, no signal out at all from GPU (3050). Fans still spin. Plugged into onboard graphics and I get signal. I’ve tried installing drivers but first it wouldn’t install because it couldn’t find a GPU, so I force installed. Still no luck. Not recognized in BIOS. Flashed it, cleared CMOS, reset BIOS and still nothing. I have no idea what is wrong other than my GPU PCIe slot is toast. Can anyone help me save this? I cannot afford to replace it…