Help! ASUS P8Z68-V/Gen 3 will not start! Unresponsive

MinPins

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
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368
ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe/Gen3

Yesterday morning I used this PC for a couple of hours then shut it down using Start>Shutdown as I always do, it was working perfectly. About 2 weeks ago I installed a new CR2032 MOBO battery. This PC has been totally reliable since I built it years ago. Intel i2600K, Samsung SSDs, 16GB RAM, Seasonic PSU, Corsair H100i Pro cooling.

Last night I needed to use it and it would not start.
Pushing the power button literally nothing happens.
It is plugged into a Cyber Power UPS.
I switched the Seasonic PSU off, unplugged it from the UPS, waited a while, plugged it back in, switched the PSU on, and again no response to pushing the PC power button. I removed the case cover, pushing the MOBO power button also does nothing. The power button and the reset button next to it are illuminated.

Am I out of luck or is there anything I can do to get this PC to start?
As of now it appears totally dead except for the MOBO LEDs which are illuminated.

There were no power surges at my house and no one else uses this PC.
I'm desperate.
 
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Update: I performed the PSU green wire test, the case fans and Corsair cooler started normally.
Is the MOBO dead?
 
Remove all extra parts and try again. My direction with previous computers with the same fault have been the motherboard, but there are some things to check beforehand.
 
Still could be the power supply. Try another supply or try jumping it on while connected to the mobo and see if it boots (I wouldn't run it long term like this, but if it boots, the MB is likely fine). The reason is your wire to ground in the green wire test has a lot more current capability than the MB has so the green wire test may not be definitive.

I had several MythTV boxes that used Antec Earthwatts PSUs and eventually all the soft power interfaces on the PSUs died. These boxes were powered on 24/7 and the way each one of them crapped out was after being powered off for maintenance or a power failure they wouldn't turn back on. Replacing the PSU always fixed it.

-Mike
 
Remove all extra parts and try again. My direction with previous computers with the same fault have been the motherboard, but there are some things to check beforehand.

This is a good thing to try as well. Plug in only the MB power connectors and a monitor and see if the bios screen comes up. Don't forget the small 12V ATX (4 pin or 8 pin) connector as well as the big one.

-Mike
 
Still could be the power supply. Try another supply or try jumping it on while connected to the mobo and see if it boots (I wouldn't run it long term like this, but if it boots, the MB is likely fine). The reason is your wire to ground in the green wire test has a lot more current capability than the MB has so the green wire test may not be definitive.
-Mike

Not 100% certain how to do this. Do you add a jumper (green wire to ground) on the back side of the MOBO power connector?
 
Not 100% certain how to do this. Do you add a jumper (green wire to ground) on the back side of the MOBO power connector?
With the right size wire you should be able to jumper it from the wire side of the connector by jamming the wire in there. Try this without it plugged into the MB and ensure you can get the PS to power up. Once you've done that, pull the AC power, plug the ATX power connectors into the MB and reconnect the AC power and see if it boots. Note that the MB booting simply indicates that some of the MB works, it could still boot but have a bad PS_ON# output. The PS_ON# output from the MB is what signals the PS to turn on. If the MB does not come up with jumped power it is likely bad.

It may be faster to source an easily returnable PSU and just try that by simply connecting the ATX power connectors to the MB and seeing if the case power switch will bring it up.

-Mike
 
With the right size wire you should be able to jumper it from the wire side of the connector by jamming the wire in there. Try this without it plugged into the MB and ensure you can get the PS to power up. Once you've done that, pull the AC power, plug the ATX power connectors into the MB and reconnect the AC power and see if it boots. Note that the MB booting simply indicates that some of the MB works, it could still boot but have a bad PS_ON# output. The PS_ON# output from the MB is what signals the PS to turn on. If the MB does not come up with jumped power it is likely bad.

It may be faster to source an easily returnable PSU and just try that by simply connecting the ATX power connectors to the MB and seeing if the case power switch will bring it up.

-Mike

OK, did this exact thing. Jumpered from the backside of the connector while not plugged into MOBO, PSU and fans start. Shut off PSU, plugged into MOBO, powered PSU on, hit power switch, nothing. Pretty certain the MOBO is dead at this point.
Also, I performed this test with nothing but the MOBO connector plugged into the modular PSU.
Thoughts?
 
At least the final time this PC ran it had a normal shutdown, fairly certain my data will be intact. Fingers crossed, now I need to order some new PC parts.
With my overly busy schedule this is about the last thing I have time for right now...
 
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