Help! PC hangs at motherboard splash screen...

DukeEdwardI

DukeEdwardI

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PC was working fine today when I got a memory dump blue screen mentioning something about the registry. Ok, no big deal, this has happened before, I'll just restart. Restarted and now my PC just hangs at the motherboard splash screen.

Things I've tried so far:
-Unplugging power supply, switching it off, switching it on and plugging it back in (nothing)
-Clearing CMOS, removing battery and putting it back in (nothing)
-Testing RAM sticks by taking one out and putting the remaining one in the main RAM slot (nothing)
-Disconnecting all devices not directly connected to motherboard e.g. hard drives, dvd burner (nothing)
-Cleaning GPU and CPU cooler fans (nothing)

I originally thought my windows installation might be corrupt, but when I booted with no powered hard drives, I got the same thing. So Windows must be ok.

So based on everything I've tried so far it could be one of the following reasons:
1) Bad motherboard
2) Bad power supply
3) Both sticks of RAM are dead
4) Bad CPU

Any thoughts or opinions? I would really like my desktop up and working within the week!
 
Remove both ram sticks to see if you get system beeps, if you do not your motherboard is bad.

If it beeped, put the ram back in and disconnect the hard-drive, the computer should boot and give you a "replace system disk" or something to that effect error message; if you get that message your HDD bit the dust. With luck, and an external enclosure you can try and rescue some important data if needed.
 
[quote name='seen']Remove both ram sticks to see if you get system beeps, if you do not your motherboard is bad.

If it beeped, put the ram back in and disconnect the hard-drive, the computer should boot and give you a "replace system disk" or something to that effect error message; if you get that message your HDD bit the dust. With luck, and an external enclosure you can try and rescue some important data if needed.[/QUOTE]

Well I already cut all the hard drives' power and I didn't get a message like that, but I did have both sticks of memory in.

So basically, if I disconnect the hard drive from the motherboard and it says "replace system disk," the hard drive is busted? That seems like it's just telling me to reconnect the system drive. If it was connected and it gave me that message, it would make more sense, but I'll take your word for it.

Oh, I'm also going to resort to one last software related solution and flash the motherboard bios. Haven't done that since I built the PC in February in 2008. So hopefully that work and I don't have to spend hours figuring out which part is broken, shop for and buy a new part, then wait around for it to show up and HOPE it fixes the problem.

REALLY want to have this fixed before borderlands comes out.
 
[quote name='DukeEdwardI']Well I already cut all the hard drives' power and I didn't get a message like that, but I did have both sticks of memory in.

So basically, if I disconnect the hard drive from the motherboard and it says "replace system disk," the hard drive is busted? That seems like it's just telling me to reconnect the system drive. If it was connected and it gave me that message, it would make more sense, but I'll take your word for it.

[/QUOTE]

You said the computer would not pass the bios screen with the HDD attached, getting the error message would confirm the HDD is the culprit. If the computer wasn't beeping with when you had no ram in, then the board is dead.
 
[quote name='seen']You said the computer would not pass the bios screen with the HDD attached, getting the error message would confirm the HDD is the culprit. If the computer wasn't beeping with when you had no ram in, then the board is dead.[/QUOTE]

Ooooh. Duh. Didn't think that through. Well hopefully that's not the case. I don't want a dead motherboard or hard drive. Oh well, I'll check in the morning when I get done with work. Thanks for the help!

EDIT: Ok, if I end up having to get a new hard drive or motherboard, I'm looking at these:

NewEgg: Western Digital Caviar 80GB 7200RPM
-I have 36GB 10000 RPM drive as my system drive, but they don't sell those anymore and the new 10000 RPM drives have a larger capacity and are EXPENSIVE. I'm willing to sacrifice some RPMs to cut the cost WAY down.

NewEgg: Asus P5N-D LGA775 NVIDIA nForce 750i
-Should get the job done. Wish it had free shipping though :(
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If you need a new HDD, a Western Digital Caviar Black will give you better performance than that old Raptor and be much quieter to boot.
 
Ok, just got home from work and tried a few things out.

Thought I'd try updating the bios from a flash drive. No dice. It was a long shot, but I thought I'd try it anyway.

Removed the RAM sticks, turned the machine on and.....no beeps. The motherboard splash screen wasn't even displayed on my monitor.

So....dead motherboard then? Is there anything else that might be the matter so I can avoid buying a motherboard and having it fix nothing?
 
Amazing developments!

Woke up and tried a few things out. I disconnected the system drive like seen recommended and voila, it went past the splash screen and told me to hook up a system drive. I was relieved as I only had to buy a new hard drive now and not a motherboard. Then I plugged the system drive back in and everything works again!!! No problems, no hang-ups, slowdowns or anything. Just booted right into windows.

I have no idea how it fixed itself, if something I did fixed it, but whatever, it's fixed and I'm happy. Now to backup more data and be on the lookout for something like this to happen again...

Thanks for all the input dudes. Now I won't be so dumbfounded the next time this happens.
 
Sometimes when stuff acts up, re-seating cables(disconnecting all cables then replugging them back in) can sometimes work.
 
Ok I know EXACTLY what the problem was now. Whenever I had the USB hub that is integrated into my monitor plugged into the motherboard, it wouldn't boot (which is weird as I've had that hub plugged in for a year now). When I unplugged the hub, it booted normally and I could plug it back the hub back in without any incident. :whistle2:k

Turns out it wasn't the hard drive or the motherboard (or maybe it is?), but a stupid hub. Oh well, least I got some of the dust out of my case and learned a few things.
 
[quote name='DukeEdwardI']Ok I know EXACTLY what the problem was now. Whenever I had the USB hub that is integrated into my monitor plugged into the motherboard, it wouldn't boot (which is weird as I've had that hub plugged in for a year now). When I unplugged the hub, it booted normally and I could plug it back the hub back in without any incident. :whistle2:k[/QUOTE]

If your monitor is still under warranty, call up the manufacturer. It couldn't hurt, as something is clearly defective. Who knows, you might get a replacement that has better specs.

While I still love PCs and PC gaming, stuff like this is incredibly infuriating. It's always the darndest things that can and do go wrong. At least you didn't have to spend money unnecessarily to reach the ultimate diagnosis.
 
Reminds of a computer I had at my old job. It wouldn't boot when I had my ergonomic keyboard plugged in (USB). It would just hang early on the boot sequence. It was fine if I plugged in the keyboard after it started up however.
 
I had a friend with a computer that did the same thing. Without fail, whenever she inserted a USB device into the headers on the case, the machine would freeze immediately. Never really found out what the problem was. Figured it might've been a short/ bad header.

I'm glad you got your problem figured out, OP. That would've stumped me and I probably would've broken down and got a new motherboard. Your patience prevails!
 
[quote name='saturnotaku']If your monitor is still under warranty, call up the manufacturer. It couldn't hurt, as something is clearly defective. Who knows, you might get a replacement that has better specs.

While I still love PCs and PC gaming, stuff like this is incredibly infuriating. It's always the darndest things that can and do go wrong. At least you didn't have to spend money unnecessarily to reach the ultimate diagnosis.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, the monitor is almost 2 years old. Not under warranty and even if it was, Hanns-G isn't really a company I would trust to take care of things.

To a degree I agree with you about PCs. Most of the time, mine works flawlessly. Every now and then there will be a hiccup. A crash, slowdown, etc. But nothing a good restart won't ever fix. But usually when something goes wrong, it goes WAY wrong and you end up spending a day or more trying just to figure out what the problem is and risk having to buy new parts.

crystalklear, it's basically a logo or picture of some that shows up on the display when you first start up your computer. It'll say the brand of your motherboard in it somewhere. You can disable it and instead you'll get the checkup routine where it displays your hardware information and goes through and checks the hard drives before booting into windows.
 
[quote name='DukeEdwardI']crystalklear, it's basically a logo or picture of some that shows up on the display when you first start up your computer. It'll say the brand of your motherboard in it somewhere. You can disable it and instead you'll get the checkup routine where it displays your hardware information and goes through and checks the hard drives before booting into windows.[/QUOTE]
Ah yes, I know what it is now, have to turn that off as soon as I get a mobo if its on by default.
 
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