Odd Startup Sequence

I built a computer about a year ago and a few months ago it started don't something odd during the startup process. Basically it seems like the machine gets power 3 separate times before actually running. It will be easiest to explain this point by point:

1. Restart the machine
2. Everything turns off, screens go black
3. System powers on, fans run, lights go on
4. System turns off for a second
5. Step 3 repeats followed by loss of power again
6. System turns on a third time but this time everything stays on and system boots normally

I never really thought anything of it when it started happening but now I'm thinking maybe I should fix it...it's annoying and I also wonder if it is damaging my hardware in any way. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

System Specs:
ASUS GeForce 7600 GT
AMD 64 x2 Dual Core 4600+
2.4 GHz
2 x 1 Gig Mushkin RAM
WD 250 GB HDD
XP sp2

 

I would start by checking the power supply connection to the motherboard and then the power supply itself.

 

I am just wondering about if the BIOS may be having problems allocating resources. Try removing any add-in cards. If this turns out to be the source, return them into different slots. Also check in the BIOS settings if there may be onboard hardware that you can disable (one of my motherboards had a modem enabled, but I could not see that it had one Edit: Ah, now I realise that the modem was probably an "optional" add-in feature).

Matt

 

Alright I guess what I said in the first post wasn't exactly true...the lights stay on in the case the entire time but the CD ROM, fans, ect all turn off the first two times it tries to start. Dunno if that makes a difference.

Anyway unfortunately I don't have a DMM to directly check the voltage rails from the PSU but I have used several programs and I think the temps are alright. I just kept using different programs until I got readings that were normal and that matched the BIOS. As for extra cards, I don't have any so there is no problem there. I'm not %100 sure what you meant by disabling on-board hardware...my MoBo is an Abit KN9S so if that means anything to you...

 

I have the same motherboard in SLI.

In the BIOS, where you read the temperatures, there are voltage readouts (PC Health Status). If I suspect the PSU though, I just usually borrow one from another computer (standard type with reasonable output).

It may possibly be due to a loose connection, so pull out all the drive connectors and reseat them (SATA connections are not very tight).

Under the heading Integrated Peripherals is where you can disable onboard hardware. The m/b has 2 LAN controllers, so if you do not use one you can disable it as a test. If you, say, do not use Firewire (1394 Controller) try disabling that.

The RAM modules need to be in DIMM (slots) of the same colour. Try reversing the modules or putting them in the other coloured slots.

In the BIOS are the settings Load Fail-Safe Defaults and Load Optimized Defaults. Try Fail-Safe as a test.

Matt

 

I've reseated all of the connections in the case, made sure the memory was seated in slots of the same color, disabled the extra onboard hardware and tried loading fail-safe defaults. Nothing has helped unfortunately...I have also been having problems running certain applications on my PC recently (ie old games, YouTube videos freeze when I move the scroll bar in Firefox, folders take longer to open than I remember). Do these things sound related? Could my video card be causing problems?

 

You have been able to do a lot of the basic checks. One or two more "quick" checks will be to test the drives. You can disconnect the cables to the drives and startup without them. If you find it starts normally without the HDD attached, you will get a message that no hard disk drive was found. I had problems with the CD/DVD drive when setting up my machine and the nVidia IDE controller system has been a contentious issue at the nVidia forums. Tips I might have are:
Use an 80 lead cable for the the connection.
If you have the CD/DVD drive set to the CS jumper, try changing to the second connector on the cable or using the master/slave jumper settings. (Disconnecting drives should tell you immediately.)

Were you able to check the voltage readouts? The 12 Volt and 5 Volt rails will probably be the important ones. If they are getting to around 10% out you will need to test it (get it tested). Power connections are tight? There are several additional power connectors to the m/b and graphics card.

Graphics card possibly, usually you have any problems from the first time you
start up the computer. More testing will involve borrowing another PCI-e based computer to switch out the graphics card and power supplies. [Avoid letting the computer boot through to Windows with a different graphics card installed, it could "upset" the drivers, boot to, say, the Windows CD or a floppy.]

BIOS upgrade? I would not attempt it if the system seemed unstable.

You might find information or could ask here:
http://www.motherboards.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=3

Matt
PS I would expect that the Muskin RAM is compatible, but check the listing at Abit and see if there is a compatibility list at Muskin.

 

First of all, thanks for the continuing help. I have been tinkering around with my PC and finally decided to basically rebuild it to make sure connections weren't the problem. I am fairly sure that the voltages are good and neither my RAM or GPU have ever had problems so I don't suspect they are the culprits. I am wondering a bit about the IDE controller system you mentioned as well as the disk drive issues. I'm not all that familiar with these things...could you dumb it down or give me a walk-through way to test this?

 

Consider taking the motherboard out of the case, putting it onto a sheet of cardboard or anti-static bag (that the m/b came in) and starting it there. See the "stickies" at the website I linked to. That will rule out the possibility of a short or that the m/b is not located squarely in the case.

The basic test is just to disconnect the power and data cables to the drives and try starting without them. If you get "normal" startup you can investigate further.

You say it is "restarting" several times before, I take it, you see the Abit splash screen. If you disconnect the drives and it starts correctly, you will need to work out why the drive/s are causing the problem.

Is the hard disk drive [E]IDE (PATA) or SATA? If it is IDE and the CD/DVD drive is also IDE, you will need to investigate jumper settings on the drives. IDE drives can be set as a combination of master/slave jumper settings or CS (cable select) jumper settings.
http://www.objectssearch.com/howto/index.php?cmd=4&id=14
http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...toid=559e5b1142aec010VgnVCM100000dd04090aRCRD
http://www.wdc.com/en/library/eide/2779-001001.pdf

I will try not to confuse you with the different settings you can try until we establish the configuration.

Check the IDE cable is 80 lead (Seagate calls it Ultra ATA 66/100), not one of the older 40 lead (ATA 33) cables.

Let us know if the HDD is PATA or SATA. I assume the CD/DVD drive is PATA.

Matt

 

My HDD is SATA and both my CD drives are IDE (and they are hooked up correctly as one being slave and other master on the jumpers). The IDE cable is *edit see below*. I have tried starting up with no CD drives attached and I also tried a new PSU with no change in results.

 

Actually after looking at the specs on this cable, I guess I'm not positive what it is because it doesn't really say what ATA it is. This is what it says off of Newegg:


Brand Link Depot
Model ELATA-18-BLUE-3
Type IDE Round Cable

Connectors 3
Specifications IDE Cable

For IDE Hard Drives, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or CDRW
ATA-40P 3 Connectors, 18 Inches long Blue Cable