Random Rebooting, can't fix it. Please Help =[

[Aolish]

Hello all, okay so I'll try and make this as short as possible. I am in desperate need of some help in trying to fix this problem. Around the beginning of this week my computer just basically restarts randomly whenever it feels like it. The time span of it rebooting can be anywhere from a few seconds to as much as a whole day or two. At times it won't even get past the POST and will just infinitely reboot at the post (ram count). It'll sometimes get into Windows but then randomly reboot a few minutes later. I can go a whole day without a reboot or sometimes it'll reboot after playing a game. I am at a total loss and would greatly appreciate some help. When it comes to random reboots I really don't have a clue on what to do, the following are only a few things I have tried. Any info is appreciated.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Automatic Restart Critical Error disabled in Windows. (*means I'm currently trying out the method)
-I have done a complete ram check using the Windows Memory Diagnostic and successfully made one full pass on Memtest . No errors were found.
-I have changed out the PSU with a brand new PSU.
-CPU and MOBO temps are perfectly normal.
-GPU temp is unreadable according to Hmonitor, however I checked the heatsink fan, and BOTH fans are spinning just fine.
-Scanned the computer for viruses with MSE.
-Reseated both RAM, video card, power and data connectors also rerouted all cables back into the case to rule out lid putting pressure on cables on the back of the mobo.
-Reset CMOS (clearing the CMOS actually actually solved the shutdown problem lol, my PC finally shuts off fully now.)
-Plugged the main power cord directly into the wall socket instead of the PSU to rule out PSU problem
-Ruling out faulty mechanical keyboard. (Thought this was the culprit, its not.)
-BIOS finally updated to v2104.
-Replaced Optical Drive.

[Reboots return 3+ weeks later, USB keyboard wasn't the culrpit. The computer even reboots in the BIOS, Ubuntu and Windows. Back to square one!]

-The computer even reboots in the BIOS, Ubuntu and Windows.
-Tried Front Panel USB ports to rule out USB hub problem (back of the board) on the board.
-*Disabed Fast Boot in the BIOS............. (Culrprit found?)
-*Disconnected Reset lead from the motherboards connector to rule out faulty reset button on the case.................(Culprit found?)
-*Updated video card drivers to latest version.............. I don't think it was this

[REBOOTS HAVE STOPPED!]


Other unresolved problems that I still have with this PC that might relate to the random rebooting(?)
-[SOLVED!]Can NOT access BIOS, every time i try and access the bios a few seconds later it kicks me out and boots into Windows.
-[SOLVED!]Can't fully shutdown. Windows shuts down perfectly, as well as HDDs but all fans and motherboard are still on. The only way to shutdown is to do a manual shutdown of the power button.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is it possible that this might be due to a motherboard problem? Thanks for any help anyone can give.

EDIT: I do have a possible cause but I'm not sure and was hoping someone here would be able to clarify. My cable management is rather poor, infact its just really bad. I have tried my best to route most cables on the back of the board. There are several cables that cross the section of the exposed mobo at the side of the case. I actually do see cable imprints on the panel itself. Is it possible that some of these cables can cause the board to short out if one or more of these cables press against the board when I put the side panel back on??? I am currently running the computer without the back panel on. Will post back for results.

EDIT 2: Just an update, so far leaving the back panel off so the cables don't press against the mobo has worked so far. Not a single reboot the entire day. Played some games, youtube and general surfing. However not enough time has passed to say for sure if the reboots has stopped. I'll continue to leave the back panel off to see if this resolves the problem. I'll update as time passes.

EDIT 3: Okay so unfortunately I had another random reboot. *sigh*, any help is appreciated.

 

[Tweakin]

Hello all, okay so I'll try and makes this as short as possible. I am in desperate need of some help in trying to fix this problem. Around the beginning of this week my computer just basically restarts randomly whenever it feels like it. The time span of it rebooting can be anywhere from a few seconds to as much as a whole day or two. At times it won't even get past the POST and will just infinitely reboot at the post (ram count). It'll sometimes get into Windows but then randomly reboot a few minutes later. I can go a whole day without a reboot or sometimes it'll reboot after playing a game. I am at a total loss and would greatly appreciate some help. When it comes to random reboots I really don't have a clue on what to do, the following are only a few things I have tried. Any info is appreciated.

-Automatic Restart Critical Error disabled in Windows.
-I have done a complete ram check using the Windows Memory Diagnostic. No errors were found.
-I have changed out the PSU with a brand new PSU.

Is it possible that this might be due to a motherboard problem? Thanks for any help anyone can give.

What is the error code you are getting? Are you overclocking anything? We need some system specs to help.

 

[nickbits]

Last computer I had that randomly rebooted like that needed a new motherboard. I don't know if it was a compatibility issue or if it was defective but a new mb fixed it.

 

[Aolish]

What is the error code you are getting? Are you overclocking anything? We need some system specs to help.

There are no codes or errors and the specs are at the bottom. They should be showing.

 

[Aolish]

Last computer I had that randomly rebooted like that needed a new motherboard. I don't know if it was a compatibility issue or if it was defective but a new mb fixed it.

I really hope thats not the case because unfortunately this mobo is no longer being sold at the place I got it.

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

I really hope thats not the case because unfortunately this mobo is no longer being sold at the place I got it.

You got a TUFF motherboard its warrantied for three years(if not more), here's the link for you.
http://rog.asus.com/forum/

 

[Z15CAM]

Programs like SpeedFan that poll the MB Buses can cause conflicts resulting in Reboots or Failed Reboots.

 

[rgallant]

-Reset CMOS (clearing the CMOS actually actually solved the shutdown problem lol, my PC finally shuts off fully now.)

replace the bios would be my first move

 

[ratjacket]

is there a mat of dust on cpu heatsink etc

do you have spacer between mobo and case

try only one ram stick and if it reboots try another

try a better memetest than the windows built in one

24-48 hours of memtest

sometimes faulty periherials can cause this i.e mouse and keyboard

does it reboot when in safe mode?

 

[Aolish]

rgallant: Thanks for the replies everyone, up until now I've been afraid of updating the bios in fear of a random reboot during the middle of updating, I am running an extremely outdated version of the bios and any help is appreciated on how to go about this.

ratjacket: Heatsink is extremely clean and hardly any dust on it at all. The antec 1200 case does a good job in keeping out dust. I'm very surprised at how clean it is frankly. As for the memtest, I have wanted to try out the memtest for quite some time unfortunately I have a busted dvd optical in my drive now. Fortunately I just got in a new dvd optical JUST NOW so I'll try out the memtest and will post results. I'll try out safe mode to, for some reason didn't think of that. Thanks for the reminder.

About the Keyboard, the mechanical keyboard that I have was unable to stay in bios. For some reason whenever I had the mechanical keyboard plugged in, it wouldn't stay inside of the bios. BIOS would just kick me out for some reason. I just now got in a new standard USB keyboard and so far I haven't gotten kicked out of the bios. I wonder if this had anything to do with my mechanical keyboard causing the reboots? I SURE HOPE SO! Will post back results soon. Again, thanks for the replies.

Z15CAM: I don't have speedfan installed. Only hmonitor.

 

[crashtech]

Any BIOS update should be done in a DOS type environment if possible, using a bootable USB stick prepared for that purpose. Has the machine spontaneously rebooted or frozen while in the BIOS screens? Can you spend an indefinite amount of time in the BIOS screens without trouble?

 

[Aolish]

Okay since I went this long so far without a reboot I thought I'd give the bios update a try. Thanks to God that the update went through without a problem. I'm hoping the faulty keyboard was the reason for the random reboots. I'll update as time passes.

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

Hello all, okay so I'll try and make this as short as possible. I am in desperate need of some help in trying to fix this problem. Around the beginning of this week my computer just basically restarts randomly whenever it feels like it. The time span of it rebooting can be anywhere from a few seconds to as much as a whole day or two. At times it won't even get past the POST and will just infinitely reboot at the post (ram count). It'll sometimes get into Windows but then randomly reboot a few minutes later. I can go a whole day without a reboot or sometimes it'll reboot after playing a game. I am at a total loss and would greatly appreciate some help. When it comes to random reboots I really don't have a clue on what to do, the following are only a few things I have tried. Any info is appreciated.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Automatic Restart Critical Error disabled in Windows. (*means I'm currently trying out the method)
-I have done a complete ram check using the Windows Memory Diagnostic. No errors were found.
-I have changed out the PSU with a brand new PSU.
-CPU and MOBO temps are perfectly normal.
-GPU temp is unreadable according to Hmonitor, however I checked the heatsink fan, and BOTH fans are spinning just fine.
-Scanned the computer for viruses with MSE.
-Reseated both RAM, video card, power and data connectors also rerouted all cables back into the case to rule out lid putting pressure on cables on the back of the mobo.
-Reset CMOS (clearing the CMOS actually actually solved the shutdown problem lol, my PC finally shuts off fully now.)
-Plugged the main power cord directly into the wall socket instead of the PSU to rule out PSU problem.
-*Ruling out faulty mechanical keyboard........................
-*BIOS finally updated to v2104.................

Other unresolved problems that I still have with this PC that might relate to the random rebooting(?)
-[SOLVED!]Can NOT access BIOS, every time i try and access the bios a few seconds later it kicks me out and boots into Windows.
-[SOLVED!]Can't fully shutdown. Windows shuts down perfectly, as well as HDDs but all fans and motherboard are still on. The only way to shutdown is to do a manual shutdown of the power button.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is it possible that this might be due to a motherboard problem? Thanks for any help anyone can give.

EDIT: I do have a possible cause but I'm not sure and was hoping someone here would be able to clarify. My cable management is rather poor, infact its just really bad. I have tried my best to route most cables on the back of the board. There are several cables that cross the section of the exposed mobo at the side of the case. I actually do see cable imprints on the panel itself. Is it possible that some of these cables can cause the board to short out if one or more of these cables press against the board when I put the side panel back on??? I am currently running the computer without the back panel on. Will post back for results.

EDIT 2: Just an update, so far leaving the back panel off so the cables don't press against the mobo has worked so far. Not a single reboot the entire day. Played some games, youtube and general surfing. However not enough time has passed to say for sure if the reboots has stopped. I'll continue to leave the back panel off to see if this resolves the problem. I'll update as time passes.

EDIT 3: Okay so unfortunately I had another random reboot. *sigh*, any help is appreciated.

Your using the stock HEAT SINK FAN and playing video games? And you wonder whats wrong?

 

[crashtech]

If it can't do stuff at stock speeds with the stock fan, it's Intel's fault, not his. Besides, I've purposely put CPUs into thermal throttling without freeze-ups.

1728 posts!

 

[Aolish]

Hi all so I just wanted to give an update on whats been going on. Nearly a month has passed without a reboot, it turns out the keyboard was the culrprit of the constant rebooting. A single $12 keyboard stopped the rebooting and I went through more than 3 weeks without a single reboot.

However just today for the first time my computer again went through another series of constant (this time very frequent reboots) reboots, one following after another so fast that the computer would not be able to post. I just hear the CPU fan raving up and down constantly with a blank screen. I did manage to get into the bios to check the voltages but without enough time it just went ahead with another series of constant reboots.

What I did next was surprising. Just to try it. I went ahead and unplugged the NEW keyboard that I had bought, and now the reboots has stopped!!! A brand new keyboard! Is it me or is my motherboard eating up keyboards alive? It can't be a PSU problem since I just replaced it about 2 weeks ago. Could this be a motherboard issue? This is getting really fustrating. =[

EDIT 1: Okay so I plugged the keyboard into the front usb port and so far the computer has not rebooted for a good 20 minutes or so. I just plugged the keyboard back into its original usb port on the back of the motherboard to see if a reboot will happen again. I am totally stumped by this. Never have I seen a system act like this before.

Also, it seems more and more likely this is starting to be a mobo issue I would like to ask if anyone here has done an RMA with ASUS before and what the process is? I have been shopping ASUS boards for more than 10-15 years without a single problem so I don't exactly know how the process goes. Obviously I do know I have to call them but what about the packing? Does every single piece of cable and manuel have to be packed into its original box or can I just send the board back? Thanks for any help.

 

[crashtech]

Maybe you are hard on keyboards for some reason? Hard to say. How about go down to the Salvation Army or local equivalent and find a second-hand keyboard to try. Another possible cause is the USB hardware on your MB going bad, or a wonky driver. Seems confined to the USB subsystem somehow, the challenge is to find the exact problem. Search your event logs for clues.

 

[Aolish]

Maybe you are hard on keyboards for some reason? Hard to say. How about go down to the Salvation Army or local equivalent and find a second-hand keyboard to try. Another possible cause is the USB hardware on your MB going bad, or a wonky driver. Seems confined to the USB subsystem somehow, the challenge is to find the exact problem. Search your event logs for clues.

I can't imagine a 3rd keyboard will solve the problem. If it already did it to a mech keyboard and did it again with the keyboard I'm using now 3 weeks later then for sure it'll probably do it to the third keyboard. Unfortunately (as expected with sudden reboots) other than events saying an en-proper shutdown happened in event log, no event was recorded. Thought did cross my mind also about the USB hub. If this is the case then I have no choice but to do an RMA on the board. Extremely frustrating to say the least. I've heard all kinds of brutal stories of the RMA process, I really don't want to go through that headache. Anybody know the estimated time it takes? I heard it can take weeks!

About the wonky driver, I wish this was the reason but unfortunately its not as the reboots happen in the bios, Ubuntu and Windows itself.

 

[crashtech]

Time for a new board, then.

 

[Aolish]

Okay so I have tried and see if a USB hub on the board was the problem, it turns out it ain't. I tried the front panel USB port and the computer still restarts. Can the front panel USB on the case still be considered as part of the USB hub on the motherboard? Honestly I don't know what else is there to do other than changing out the video card with another (I do have a spare 4870, but can a video card cause a random reboot also? Any more help is appreciated on trying to fix this problem.

I have updated the OP to reflect what I've done so far.

EDIT: Have decided to just return and swap the board at microcenter, it turns out I still have a warranty over there till November.
EDIT2: I haven't been keeping up with boards lately so can anyone recommend a good gaming board?
EDIT3: Decided to try out a few more things (original post) before swapping motherboard for another brand.

 

[crashtech]

I keep a USB add-on card around just for diagnosing problems like this, so that the onboard USB can be disabled if necessary. The funny thing is that you don't mention problems with the mouse, and that should be USB, too. Your mobo lacks a PS2 port, so there is no other way to isolate the problem but with an add-on USB card.

The front panel USB is part of the motherboard USB system, though there are two different controllers in play, the Asmedia ASM1042 for 4 USB 3.0 and your native Z77 for 4 USB 3.0 and 10 (possible) USB 2.0. I would not think the behavior should exhibit on both controllers, perhaps you can correctly isolate which ports feed to which controller and better identify the source of the problem.

 

[Aolish]

Assuming you are correct crash and it turns out the USB hub is faulty. I might be able to get away with just using a USB card and disabling the onboard USB on the board. But wouldn't I have to worry about an impending dying board later in the future? Maybe the board is dying a slow death?

 

[crashtech]

Hard to say. A previous poster did recommend RMAing the board, and I tend to agree with that. If you can't be without your PC for that long, just buy a new board and install it ahead of the RMA and sell the replacement RMA unit when it arrives. This gets done a lot.

 

[1stezekiel]

I had same issue, once upon a time. It was bad ram. Tried mobo, cpu, psu...lol. all but my ram. Bought new ram, voila... problem solved.

 

[Aolish]

Just wanted to post a feedback on whats been happening. Its been well over a month without a single reboot occuring ever since the last 3 options (OP) was applied. I'm not exactly sure which of the three caused the issue. It definetely can't be the video card drivers as I am using Ubuntu without a single reboot. So it has to be either the fast boot or the reset lead that were causing the endless rebooting. I still haven't decided if I'm going to exchange the board though because for all I know I could have a board that is "starting" to die.

I'm just posting back just incase if anyone else might be exping the same problem or might exp the same problem in the future that they might do a search on the internet and bump into this post. Thanks all. =]

 

[Burpo]

It was probably the Reset button..