No post after Win 7 update

[Lil'John]

I've got a HTPC with the following:
CPU: i5-2570S
MB: ASRock B85M-ITX
Power: SeaSonic SS-300SFD (300W)
MEM: GSkill 8 GB(2x4G) DDR3 1333
SSD : Intel 510 180G
HD : 3x HGST Tavelstar 1TB
OS: Win 7 with latest service packs/updates

It has been fairly rock solid since I built it in Nov 2013. It has been pretty much running 24/7 except for Windows updates forcing restarts.

Last night I did a Windows update that asked me to reboot. I closed all running applications down then rebooted. It did not post. No beeps.

Power shows on for the case. Fans spin up fine. The monitor shows no input signal.

The monitor was using a DVI cable. I swapped to a VGA cable and it still has no input signal.

When this happened, I smelt no magic smoke being released :$

Before I start taking time tonight for regular debugging(CPU reset, boot from DVD, pulling memory out, etc), is it possible on of the items in the update just killed the MB?

One of the updates was related to the Intel GPU.

As a side note, this is the first build I've done not using an ASUS MB since the P4 days(P4B-DS :whiste So to say I'm a bit disappointed is an understatement. OTOH, I bricked the ASUS RIVE of my other computer in a month but was handled quickly by ASUS support.

 

[ShintaiDK]

The update didnt kill anything. It would have happend at the next reboot it seems if you dont see any BIOS init.

No other way than just start to search for the issue. If lucky its just some lose connector.

 

[Lil'John]

Unfortunately, I have seen an update kill something: Lenovo T430 bios update causing "sleep of death"... going into a sleep state caused it to do a "hard" power down

But not to the level of no posting.

The only reason the update concerns me is I'm not sure what the Intel GPU update did. My pessimist side sees a possibility of somehow shutting down the Intel GPU completely thus I'm not seeing any post results on either DVI or VGA.

Unfortunately, plugging in an old 8800 GTS didn't work... I got a LONG beep at me.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Windows update dont contain BIOS updates. Also the driver update dont contain any VGA BIOS either. Thats via the regular BIOS update.

Look up your manual for that beep. That may give a clue. Usually 1 beep is memory issue.

 

[Lil'John]

Windows update dont contain BIOS updates. Also the driver update dont contain any VGA BIOS either. Thats via the regular BIOS update.

Look up your manual for that beep. That may give a clue. Usually 1 beep is memory issue.

The "beep" was a long beep with no stop until I turned the power supply off.

 

[Scarpozzi]

If you're getting no POST, it's because there's something wrong with the motherboard, video output, or power. Blaming the OS for hardware problems before it boots is crazy talk.

I'd start by visually inspecting the video card. Capacitors are little cylinders that come up off the board. They usually have little triangle shapes on top that look like a sliced pizza....if they overheat, these expand and can be seen without too much testing. They should be extremely flat on top and not like this:

Honestly, if you're only using a 300watt power supply, that could be a factor. I know it may have worked previously, but you might want to look into investing there first. Use this tool to help properly size your power.

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

If you've been overtaxing your PSU and don't reboot often, that could be a big deal. Power consumption spikes at boot (as well as when doing lots of processing). An underpowered PSU can cause damange to the PSU itself and anything that plugs into it. So, run the numbers and see where you stand...then visually inspect your video card. You could do the same to your PSU, but it's difficult to see the capacitors in there without cracking the case on your PSU and I don't recommend that (voids warranty and could be dangerous if not unplugged)

 

[Lil'John]

Scarpozzi,
Thank you for the feedback. I didn't blame the OS for not posting... the OS isn't even considered during the post process. I claimed I don't know if the OS patched something that could cause a no-post issue.

There is no video card in this system. It is relying upon the iGPU of the Intel processor. I pulled out an older video card to see if there was an issue there(EVGA version of 8800 GTS)

Using your calculator:
http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine
I calculated that I need ~186W so I think the 300W is sufficient. (Not shown in above list are 1 usb wireless dongle, 1 usb wireless mouse, and one 120mm fan)

When I add the 8800 GTS to the equation, it does come close to 300W (291@)

 

[sm625]

I cant verify this, but I swear I saw a bios update appear in windows optional updates on some computer somewhere. At any rate, unplug your drives and see if it will POST.

 

[Lil'John]

Got to tinker a little bit with it and it has gotten odder

I pulled the MB out of the case.
I unplugged power from all the regular HDs.
I unplugged all the regular HDs at the MB.
I unplugged the case fan.
I pulled one of two sticks of memory.
I plugged in another monitor using the DVI port.

When I power it on, the CPU fan turns up like it is going to post up. Then stops and repeats(power light at front of case cycles with the fan).

Fan on, fan off, fan on, etc.

At no point does the monitor show anything post related.

Does any of this sound familiar?

My next step is to use my 1200W power supply that is currently running my game system.

 

[Burpo]

That's the first thing to look at is PS.. If that doesn't work, you've prolly got mobo problems.

 

[Lil'John]

Different PS and third monitor made no difference. CPU fan power up cycling.

Would a bad CPU cause no post? My memory says it should at least show a nasty message on the screen.

 

[John Connor]

I never install stupid updates and only service packs. https://www.google.com/search?q=win...utf-8&aq=t&rls=Palemoon:en-US&client=palemoon

 

[Ketchup]

Have you tested both pieces of RAM yet? Are you getting consistent beep codes?

 

[Lil'John]

Have you tested both pieces of RAM yet? Are you getting consistent beep codes?

I was getting the "beep" code from when I installed an old EVGA graphics card. Without the graphics card in it, no beeping. Just cycling the CPU fan as if getting ready to power on.

 

[denis280]

Did you clear the CMOS

 

[bradly1101]

As a side note, this is the first build I've done not using an ASUS MB since the P4 days(P4B-DS :whiste So to say I'm a bit disappointed is an understatement. OTOH, I bricked the ASUS RIVE of my other computer in a month but was handled quickly by ASUS support.

I know they are popular but of all the boards I've had in PC's only two died, and they were both Asus.

 

[Tech_Greek]

Would a bad CPU cause no post? My memory says it should at least show a nasty message on the screen.

Yes, it can cause a no post. Only video card updates come down Windows Update which will cause issues but not a no post issue.

 

[Lil'John]

I know they are popular but of all the boards I've had in PC's only two died, and they were both Asus.

Very true... my small sample size isn't a true indication of ASUS quality.

OTOH, a superstitious person would have kept using ASUS after a good string of luck^_^

Yes, it can cause a no post. Only video card updates come down Windows Update which will cause issues but not a no post issue.

This is what I'm afraid of since I don't have another 1150 board hanging around to test the CPU.

I'll see if I can at least figure out the stepping of the CPU to see if there are any issues with it.

Did you clear the CMOS

As it turns out, I did. I pulled power to the board, pulled the CMOS battery, and then jumpered for ~minute.

 

[Lil'John]

Quick update.

I sent an email to ASRock for support. They emailed me back within 12 hours and the board had an RMA number within another 6 hours.

While it is disappointing to lose the board, so far customer service seems to be top notch.

 

[coolpurplefan]

Have you tried a similar board with the Win 7 updates?

 

[Lil'John]

Have you tried a similar board with the Win 7 updates?

Not sure what you are asking.

If it is "do I have another ASRock B85M-ITX motherboard and tried Win 7 update?", then the answer is no, I have no other ASRock motherboard.

If it is "do I have another Haswell 1150 motherboard and tried Win 7 update?", then the answer is still no. This was my only Haswell based build.

If it is "do I have another computer with Win7 and tried the Win 7 update?", then the answer is no. I DO have another system with Win 7 but I haven't updated since this computer crashed.

I have continued to update my Win8.1 machine on my Sandy-E machine with no problems other than hating Win8:thumbsdown:

 

[Morbus]

Unfortunately, plugging in an old 8800 GTS didn't work... I got a LONG beep at me.

The long beep is usually VGA failure, so that's understandable. Did you connect the auxiliary power cables to the card? Cause if you didn't, you'd get the long beep for sure, BIOS problem or not.

 

[Lil'John]

The long beep is usually VGA failure, so that's understandable. Did you connect the auxiliary power cables to the card? Cause if you didn't, you'd get the long beep for sure, BIOS problem or not.

What you stated is my understanding. And I don't recall this card having an auxiliary power cable to it.

Slight update, ASRock got my board and notified me they have "checked it in".

So far, I have to agree with the claim that ASRock support is pretty nice. At least they have kept me updated on what is going on.

 

[Lil'John]

Quick "final" update. The motherboard was bad and they shipped me a new one.

Technically, they shipped two new ones. The first one they shipped to another Los Angles suburb instead of to me The second one arrived ~5 days after the other one was supposed to have arrived to me.

After plugging it in, it works fine.

Overall, I'm impressed with the service I got ASRock even with the mistake. They kept me informed during every step of the process and quickly replied to any questions I had.

As part of the process, they flashed it to the latest bios.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them as for a board at least based upon customer service.