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Computer Shuts Down, but Won't Power Off

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AnonymouseUser said:
Boot into Linux, poke around for a couple of minutes, shut it down, boot up, reboot, put to sleep, wake it up. If it can do all of that properly with Linux then it is a Windows issue, otherwise it's a hardware/BIOS issue.
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The system functions in question (shutdown; wake up) did not function properly in Ubuntu. Between this and Safe Mode dysfunctionality it seems pretty compelling that BIOS is my last stand.
VirtualLarry said:
Did some of the ACPI settings get reset in the BIOS/UEFI? (I know that in some traditional BIOSes, there are selections for which version of ACPI the BIOS should support with its tables). I am unaware if UEFI BIOSes offer the same choices.
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Initially I installed Windows 7 cleanly, installed the Drivers + Utilities from the update CD, and then installed all Critical Windows Updates and installed the latest NET framework. In the OP I mentioned that one of my earliest troubleshoots after rewiring was attempting to reset all the motherboard settings to default. This didn't work. So I reinstalled Windows 7 fully (moving the initial install to the Windows.old) and resinstalled the Drivers + Utilities, but the problem remained. So I even tried a third full reinstall of Windows 7 and tried installing only the Drivers- not the Utilities. Still no good.

Since the motherboard defaults are set during the OS/Driver installation process, then if something went wrong and I I somehow haven't corrected it shouldn't it makes sense that resetting to defaults didn't work?
(1) How am I able to diagnose a BIOS problem if resetting to UEFI defaults doesn't work? I've combed through every page of the MoBo User Manual. The default setting is always "Auto". I can't find a setting that I suspect might be causing this.
(2) Uninstall the Drivers + Utilities completely? The ASRock CD doesn't offer a full uninstall- just an "Install All" button to install over. So I'm not sure how to do this without reformatting, or if reformatting is potentially hazardous in this situation. I would like to start from total scratch as if I hadn't done the first install before re-wiring. I suppose this would call for a CMOS jump? I've never done one, but there's a first time for everything.

Weirdly, though, when I enter the boot menu, there is both an AHCI format and UEFI format for the optical drive. There is only the AHCI format for the SSD. If I want to boot a CD from the optical drive (such as the Ubuntu Live CD), then UEFI is the one that functions properly. Yet AHCI has boot priority, and when I went to change the boot priority from the BIOS menu, only the AHCI format for the optical drive is there.
 
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Clear CMOS.restart using just the motherboard.(with onboard video)the ssd set to AHCI.don't put nothing else in.
 
If you have a spare drive, install 7 on it. No updates. Not even drivers. Does it shut down properly? If not, it's hardware.
 
denis280 said:
Clear CMOS.restart using just the motherboard.(with onboard video)the ssd set to AHCI.don't put nothing else in.
Click to expand...
Okay, so by "nothing" you mean what?
*Disconnect Optical Drive?
*Pull the RAM out? (btw, I've ran Memtest, and the memory is solid)
*Disconnect the USB cable?

Y/N?
 
no no what i mean is just basic.1 hdd or ssd.and like ketchup say above if you have a spare drive try it.
 
denis280 said:
no no what i mean is just basic.1 hdd or ssd.and like ketchup say above if you have a spare drive try it.
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Gotcha. I do have a spare drive. I'll try it.
ketchup79 said:
If you have a spare drive, install 7 on it. No updates. Not even drivers. Does it shut down properly? If not, it's hardware.
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The User Manual notes:
"CLRCMOS1 allows you clear the data in CMOS....please note that the password, date, time, user default profile, 1394 GUID and Mac Profile will only be cleared if the CMOS battery is removed."

Except that it doesn't diagram how to perform this procedure. It only diagrams the jumper clear. Do you deem removing the battery necessary? I found some YouTube videos, but I thought I'd ask if you thought this was essential because I'd prefer taking as few risks with delicate, unfamiliar hardware work as possible.
 
Well, I got ancy, so I reset CMOS by both unseating the battery and jumping the pins. Installed Windows 7, didn't install updates or drivers. It shut down like a champ. So it isn't hardware. Phew. Awesome.

What's my next step? It seems simplest that I should try reconnecting the original SSD and see if it powers down because assuming the MoBo was the problem and the CMOS reset was the fix, then logically it should power off with the original SSD.

If that doesn't work, then I should reformat the original SSD to NTFS and do a fresh install of Windows 7 like I did with this virgin SSD, correct?
 
SOLVED!!!

Switched back in the original SSD, and it powers down fine. The CMOS clear was the fix. Original motherboard driver/utility settings were the problem. Holy troubleshoot, Batman, that one wasn't fun.

Thanks Ketchup, and thanks for staying with me Denis. You guys are awesome.
 
Meh, don't hold back. Plug it all up how it should be. The BIOS is unrelated to all other components, and if resetting that cured the problem then you should be all set.

Edit: Blah, was reading and replied before you wrote your solved reply. 😛

Edit #2: FYI (for those in this thread that suggested so), switching the power/reset button pins has zero to do with how the shut down sequence in Windows functions.
 
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So I'm getting the software up to speed, now, and of course the first program I typically download on a fresh Windows install is Chrome (in order to continue downloading the other programs).

No matter what I do, I can't download Google Chrome from the Chrome homepage. I'm using the un-updated version of IE, and it keeps trying to tell me that Chrome's security certificate has expired 🙄 I try ignoring the prompts and the download still fails. It tries to say it's a network problem which skipped my heart a beat for a moment, but then I realized I'm surfing fine on the internet. So I go to CNET to download Chrome and it pipes right through.

LOL, wow. M$haft never ceases to disappoint me.
 
pandemonium said:
Software Firewall enabled?

Everyone always complains about IE, but it's always worked fine for me. /shrug
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Nah, it turned out to be I hadn't re-synced my clock, and apparently the Google server distrusted that so greatly that it wouldn't distribute to me. So it was Google's server, not the browser. I jumped the gun on old Microsoft/IE.
 
Madmick said:
Nah, it turned out to be I hadn't re-synced my clock, and apparently the Google server distrusted that so greatly that it wouldn't distribute to me. So it was Google's server, not the browser. I jumped the gun on old Microsoft/IE.
Click to expand...

yep. https certs have valid date ranges, and if your clock isn't set correctly, the connection will fail.
 
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