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Computer turns on but the bios does not start

L

LionBlack88

n00b
Joined
Jul 8, 2021
Messages
13
Hi, I have this Computer in use for a few years ago, I would like to bring it back to life but apparently I can't.

-AMD FX (tm) -4300 Quad-Core 3.8GHz Processor
-NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 4 GB dedicated
- 8.0 GB RAM
-MSI 970A-G43 (MS-7693)

When it is turned on, the fans all spin (CPU, GPU, Power Supply) even if after a few minutes that of the GPU stops and the others continue to spin.
The power supply is to be excluded because I tried it on another pc, I also reset the CMOS by removing the battery.
Do you have any other advice to understand where the problem is? I also connected a speaker (hoping for the right place) but it does not emit any sound.
 
yank the ram and see if it gives the no ram beep.
due to the age, i would also try replacing the battery; remove the old, turn psu off and hit the power button a few time to clear the cmos and then install the new one.
 
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Dead starts like this are usually related to hard drives or CD roms. Remove them and try to start. Otherwise the Power On Self Test or POST polls every connected device before posting if any device is not working properly it will stop. If you have a post test debug analyzer it will display a 2-4 digit code which will typically point to the source of the offending component. If your board doesn't have one they can be bought for not much money and help you find the problem. The fact that it boots up and fans fly is a good sign though so hang in there. Hope this helps GL
 
pendragon1 said:
yank the ram and see if it gives the no ram beep.
due to the age, i would also try replacing the battery; remove the old, turn psu off and hit the power button a few time to clear the cmos and then install the new one.
Click to expand...
I just bought a new battery, replaced it and it behaves the same way
 
owcraftsman said:
Dead starts like this are usually related to hard drives or CD roms. Remove them and try to start. Otherwise the Power On Self Test or POST polls every connected device before posting if any device is not working properly it will stop. If you have a post test debug analyzer it will display a 2-4 digit code which will typically point to the source of the offending component. If your board doesn't have one they can be bought for not much money and help you find the problem. The fact that it boots up and fans fly is a good sign though so hang in there. Hope this helps GL
Click to expand...
I had removed the Hdd and DVD player.
I've never used a post-test debug analyzer. Could you recommend one on amazon Italy? Hoping to know how to use it ....
Thank you
 
tear it apart(completely, out of case, cpu out even) and start bench testing. leave the speaker connected so you can hear post codes.
 
LionBlack88 said:
I had removed the Hdd and DVD player.
I've never used a post-test debug analyzer. Could you recommend one on amazon Italy? Hoping to know how to use it ....
Thank you
Click to expand...
I always buy a motherboard with post code on it for just such a scenario. I have no recommendation I just know they are available. Something else that has worked for me is removing everything from the case and setting it up on the desktop remove everything and start from scratch. Dust clean all PCI slots Cpu Socket remount everything and clean all contacts including memory sticks. Re paste CPU etc etc If you don't have something more suitable use the motherboard box and a platform for the motherboard.
 
My experience with things like this have usually been a RAM issue. Start with one stick, swap out with other ram if possible.
 
Was it overclocked? Most am3 motherboards had substandard cpu power transistors. Overclocking them would cause them to burn out with time.

But all previous advice has been spot on. Get your MOBO manual out and figure out the how POST troubleshooting is done (almost all motherboards do this differently). Disconnect everything except cpu, hsf, 1 ram stick,(*edit don't forget GPU) and boot drive. See what happens and follow the manuals troubleshooting advice. It is possible however that your gear is worn out, it is like 65 in electronics years.
 
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LionBlack88 said:
Nothing to do with the ram, nothing happens.

It has never been overclocked.
Click to expand...
what do you mean nothing happens?
did you take everything out except the minimum?
the ram has everything to do with everything.....
 
LionBlack88 said:
Nothing to do with the ram, nothing happens.

It has never been overclocked.
Click to expand...
I don’t get what you mean by nothing happens so you know it’s not the ram.

for poops and giggles I removed all the ram from my system and hit the power button. Things light up, fans spin up, nothing else happens. And it stays this way.

So, in your case it may very well be the ram. It sounds like what you are describing…
 
I mean it doesn't emit any beeps when I take out the ram whereas it should. The fans always behaved the same way.
 
LionBlack88 said:
I mean it doesn't emit any beeps when I take out the ram whereas it should. The fans always behaved the same way.
Click to expand...
Not all boards beep without the ram. Mine does not beep at all. It actually does exactly what you are describing in your first post.

generally the beeps occur when the ram is IN the slot, but there is an issue with timing or voltage. It’s recognized but not working correctly and beeps. Depends on the brand board and bios, but this certainly has been the case for me in the past. I’d suspect faulty ram before I suspected a faulty board.
 
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because they dont have built in speakers anymore, you need to connect one and theyll beep. unless there is no speaker header...
 
LionBlack88 said:
I'm going to buy a mobo + cpu https://www.ebay.com/itm/224534196996 what do you think?
Click to expand...
I think I wouldn’t buy used anything on eBay for PC stuff. I also think that’s not going to perform well. If you are having that much issue and do not want to trouble shoot, maybe you should look for a sub $300 brand new pre built.
 
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travm said:
Take it to a shop, have it properly troubleshot.
Click to expand...

As someone that has to rescue people from "PC Shops", I'd recommend not doing that. Best case, you'll pay several times the value of the computer to get it fixed. Worst case, you still get charged several times the value of the computer and end up with a trashed machine, or a no-fix.

I've got horror stories for days on people's machines being destroyed and being out hundreds of dollars because they got charged for incompetent people that have no business being near tech breaking their stuff, and having to buy a new machine to replace the trashed one.

Couple of weeks ago, I saved a lady that took her laptop to Ubreakifix and was told her machine was unfixable because of "a damaged motherboard" and "you should just buy a new laptop". The actual problem was Windows 10 bricked itself with a failed update and just needed to be rolled back to a previous system restore point. Took less than an hour to fix the problem, and most of that was just waiting while windows fixed itself.

As for the OPs machine, I can think of a few things that'd cause a no-boot

1) Bad RAM and/or oxidized pins on the memory module/motherboard socket.
2) Bad video card and/or oxidized pins on the video card PCIe connector and/or the PCIe slot itself.
3) Corrupt BIOS from cosmic rays bit flipping the EEPROM and/or stuck bits from manufacturing defects.
4) Possible CPU failure, or oxidation on the pins on the CPU.

For the first two problems, I'd recommend hosing down both the contacts on the video card/RAM and the PCIe slot/RAM slots with Deoxit Gold G5, or a similar non-corrosive, non-conductive contact cleaner.

For the third problem, I'd recommend getting a clip-on SPI ROM flasher like this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/304034336758 and dumping the BIOS from the motherboard. Then using a hex editor, compare the dump with a known good ROM image of the same version. If you don't know or can't get the ROM version you have, just find the latest ROM for the motherboard and flash it with the programmer. If you can't read the EEPROM with the clip-on adapter, you'll have to desolder the chip and flash it off the board.

For the last problem, try removing and reinstalling the CPU without bending the pins. If that doesn't work, try another AM3+ CPU. If swapping the CPU and all of the above doesn't work, there's some other more serious fault on the board, and at that point, you'll be better off just replacing the board.
 
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Yeah those cosmic rays are a bitch.

Also who the hell names their repair shop Ubreakifix? I wouldn't take a broken cheese grater there. Not all professional techs are incompetent.
 
jmilcher said:
Penso che non comprerei nulla di usato su eBay per cose per PC. Penso anche che non funzionerà bene. Se hai così tanti problemi e non vuoi risolvere i problemi, forse dovresti cercare un pre-costruito nuovo di zecca da $ 300.
Click to expand...
Reviews are positive. I don't want to buy a new PC. I already have a computer. I just want to get this back
 
travm said:
Portalo in un negozio, fallo risolvere adeguatamente. Se non sei disposto a capirlo, lascia che lo faccia qualcuno che lo sa.

Non consiglierei di acquistarlo... La CPU è molto molto lenta.

Forse hai un amico che sa parlare computer?
Click to expand...
You mean, slower than my CPU?

I have no friends who can help me.
 
travm said:
Non sarebbe più veloce. Potrebbe essere più lento, dipende dall'applicazione.

Hai provato a disconnettere tutti i dispositivi tranne CPU, GPU e un singolo stick di RAM?
Click to expand...
Yes, I had already tried and it behaved the same way. Tonight, Italian hours I try again
 
GiGaBiTe said:
As someone that has to rescue people from "PC Shops", I'd recommend not doing that. Best case, you'll pay several times the value of the computer to get it fixed. Worst case, you still get charged several times the value of the computer and end up with a trashed machine, or a no-fix.

I've got horror stories for days on people's machines being destroyed and being out hundreds of dollars because they got charged for incompetent people that have no business being near tech breaking their stuff, and having to buy a new machine to replace the trashed one.

Couple of weeks ago, I saved a lady that took her laptop to Ubreakifix and was told her machine was unfixable because of "a damaged motherboard" and "you should just buy a new laptop". The actual problem was Windows 10 bricked itself with a failed update and just needed to be rolled back to a previous system restore point. Took less than an hour to fix the problem, and most of that was just waiting while windows fixed itself.

As for the OPs machine, I can think of a few things that'd cause a no-boot

1) Bad RAM and/or oxidized pins on the memory module/motherboard socket.
2) Bad video card and/or oxidized pins on the video card PCIe connector and/or the PCIe slot itself.
3) Corrupt BIOS from cosmic rays bit flipping the EEPROM and/or stuck bits from manufacturing defects.
4) Possible CPU failure, or oxidation on the pins on the CPU.

For the first two problems, I'd recommend hosing down both the contacts on the video card/RAM and the PCIe slot/RAM slots with Deoxit Gold G5, or a similar non-corrosive, non-conductive contact cleaner.

For the third problem, I'd recommend getting a clip-on SPI ROM flasher like this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/304034336758 and dumping the BIOS from the motherboard. Then using a hex editor, compare the dump with a known good ROM image of the same version. If you don't know or can't get the ROM version you have, just find the latest ROM for the motherboard and flash it with the programmer. If you can't read the EEPROM with the clip-on adapter, you'll have to desolder the chip and flash it off the board.

For the last problem, try removing and reinstalling the CPU without bending the pins. If that doesn't work, try another AM3+ CPU. If swapping the CPU and all of the above doesn't work, there's some other more serious fault on the board, and at that point, you'll be better off just replacing the board.
Click to expand...
Yeah lots of these shops are wildly incompetent. Had a person on another forum take his PC to one and they basically RMA'd the entire thing. Eventually he told him he needs a new mobo because his CPU is not supported. Well it was, he just needed to update the bios. I told him the page on the manual where it instructs you how to do it w/o a CPU installed.

So sad when the idiot doesn't even consult the manual for basic info. No idea how much money he wasted on that clown but the time alone was months.
 
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LionBlack88 said:
I have tried on each slot with both ram cards, the result is this
Click to expand...

Without other ram to test it could be the cpu, ram, or MOBO.
At this point the stuff is so old, it's not really worth trying to fix. The only advantage a shop has is they may have other components on hand to test with.

If you really must be extremely cheap that little Pentium could work ... I would recommend a new MOBO cpu and Ram though, even a used first gen ryzen.
 
travm said:
Without other ram to test it could be the cpu, ram, or MOBO.
At this point the stuff is so old, it's not really worth trying to fix. The only advantage a shop has is they may have other components on hand to test with.

If you really must be extremely cheap that little Pentium could work ... I would recommend a new MOBO cpu and Ram though, even a used first gen ryzen.
Click to expand...
Yup I agree. Either have components to swap and test with, or just invest in something low end and new.

a prebuilt can be had with decent specs for under $300 on sale at least in the US on the regular. At least that performs considerably better than that hardware. That would be my approach.

Or even a used prebuilt. Lots of people are dumping prebuilts after taking out video cards right now.
 
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I did as you advised, I took the computer to a professional technician. He just contacted me and told me it is not repairable. He confirmed that the problem is the motherboard and the other components appear to be working.

Now I just have to find a new motherboard at a reasonable price or sell each piece on eBay

Advice?
 
Putting money into such an old system really isn't worth it unless you can find a very cheap AM3+ motherboard.
 
LionBlack88 said:
I did as you advised, I took the computer to a professional technician. He just contacted me and told me it is not repairable. He confirmed that the problem is the motherboard and the other components appear to be working.

Now I just have to find a new motherboard at a reasonable price or sell each piece on eBay

Advice?
Click to expand...
you could likely pick-up an AM3+ mobo on ebay somewhere for a reasonable price... That would be your lowest cost option, provided you have the ability to install the components without breaking anything.

but still, dont expect it to last forever. These components were run hard from the factory and wont last forever. I still have an AM3+ system chugging away here, but its well maintained. Biostar motherboard even, but with good aftermarket cooling.

You are far less likely to be disappointed by purchasing newer kit.
 
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Never give up.
I just found the same used motherboard as new at a ridiculous price, € 35.00 including shipping costs.
 
LionBlack88 said:
Never give up.
I just found the same used motherboard as new at a ridiculous price, € 35.00 including shipping costs.
Click to expand...
Don't be surprised if it doesn't last long either. The platform was designed to be a high powered speed machine. Failed, and was last minute redesigned to be extra cheap. The result is, high powered under performing unit with low quality components.
 
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