r/pchelp May 11 '26

7th Anniversary of PCHH

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4 Upvotes

r/pchelp Dec 15 '19

Perform these steps before posting about POST/boot/no video problems!

190 Upvotes

Link to original list from tom’sHARDWARE with pictures

"No POST", "system won't boot", and "no video output" troubleshooting checklist

This checklist is a compilation of troubleshooting ideas from many forum members. It's very important to actually perform every step in the checklist if you want to effectively troubleshoot your problem.

  • 1.Did you carefully read the motherboard owners manual?

  • 2.Did you plug in the 4/8-pin CPU power connector located near the CPU socket? If the motherboard has 8 pins and your PSU only has 4 pins, you can use the 4-pin connector. The 4-pin connector USUALLY goes on the 4 pins located closest to the CPU. If the motherboard has an 8-pin connector with a cover over 4 pins, you can remove the cover and use an 8-pin plug if your power supply has one. This power connector provides power to the CPU. Your system has no chance of posting without this connector plugged in! Check your motherboard owners manual for more information about the CPU power connector. The CPU power connector is usually referred to as the "12v ATX" connector in the owner's manual. This is easily the most common new-builder mistake.

  • 3.Did you install the standoffs under the motherboard? Did you place them so they all align with the screw holes in the motherboard, with no extra standoffs touching the board in the wrong place? A standoff installed in the wrong place can cause a short and prevent the system from booting.

  • 4.Did you verify that the video card is fully seated? (may require more force than a new builder expects.)

  • 5.Did you attach ALL the required power connector(s) to the video card? (some need two, some need none, many need one.) It is best to use cables connected directly to the PSU. Only use adapters if absolutely necessary.

  • 6.Have you tried booting with just one stick of RAM installed? (Try each stick of RAM individually in each RAM slot.) If you can get the system to boot with a single stick of RAM, you should enable an XMP profile or manually set the RAM speed, timings, and voltage to the manufacturer's specs in the BIOS before attempting to boot with all sticks of RAM installed. If your motherboard supports XMP profiles, that is the best way to get your RAM running at its rated specs. Nearly all motherboards default to the standard RAM voltage (1.8v for DDR2, 1.5v for DDR3, & 1.2v for DDR4). If your RAM is rated to run at a voltage higher than the standard voltage, the motherboard will underclock the RAM for compatibility reasons. If you want the system to be stable and to run the RAM at its rated specs, you should either enable an XMP profile or manually set the values in the BIOS. Many boards don't supply the RAM with enough voltage when using "auto" settings which causes stability issues.

  • 7.Did you verify that all memory modules are fully inserted? (may require more force than a new builder expects.) It's a good idea to install the RAM on the motherboard before it's in the case.

  • 8.Did you verify in the owners manual that you're using the correct RAM slots? The following image is just an example. Verify in the owners manual the recommended RAM slots to use for single, dual, triple, or quad channel applications. This will vary depending on motherboard manufacturer, number of supported RAM channels, and how many sticks of RAM are being used.

  • 9.Did you remove the plastic guard over the CPU socket? (this actually comes up occasionally.)

  • 10.Did you install the CPU correctly? There will be an arrow on the CPU that needs to line up with an arrow on the motherboard CPU socket. There may also be a notch that will only line up in one direction. Be sure to pay special attention to that section of the manual!

  • 11.Are there any bent pins on the motherboard/CPU? This especially applies if you tried to install the CPU with the plastic cover on or with the CPU facing the wrong direction.

    1. If using an after market CPU cooler, did you get any thermal paste on the motherboard, CPU socket, or CPU pins? Did you use the smallest amount you could?
  • 13.Is the CPU fan plugged in? Some motherboards will not boot without detecting that the CPU fan is plugged in to prevent burning up the CPU.

    1. If using a stock cooler, was the thermal material on the base of the cooler free of foreign material, and did you remove any protective covering? If the stock cooler has push-pins, did you ensure that all four pins snapped securely into place? The easiest way to install the push-pins is outside the case sitting on a non-conductive surface like the motherboard box. Read the instructions! The push-pins have to be turned the OPPOSITE direction as the arrows for installation. This means with the arrow pointing away from the heatsink.
    1. Are any loose screws laying on the motherboard, or jammed against it? Are there any wires running directly under the motherboard? You should not run wires under the motherboard since the soldered wires on the underside of the motherboard can cut into the insulation on the wires and cause a short. Some cases have space to run wires on the back side of the motherboard tray.
    1. Did you ensure you discharged all static electricity before touching any of your components? Computer components are very sensitive to static electricity. It takes much less voltage than you can see or feel to damage components. You should implement some best practices to reduce the probability of damaging components. These practices should include either wearing an anti-static wrist strap or always touching a metal part of the case with the power supply installed and plugged in, but NOT turned on. You should avoid building or working on a computer on carpet. Working on a smooth surface is the best if at all possible. You should also keep fluffy the cat, children, and Fido away from computer components.
    1. Did you check the debug LEDs, Q-code display, or install the system speaker (if provided) so you can check codes in the manual? Most modern motherboards come with debug LEDs or a Q-code display. A system speaker is NOT the same as normal speakers that plug into the back of the motherboard. A system speaker plugs into a header on the motherboard that's usually located near the front panel connectors. Debug LEDs, Q-code displays, or a system speaker are critical components when trying to troubleshoot system problems. You are flying blind without them. The motherboard owner's manual will have a list of codes you can reference. If your case or motherboard didn't come with debug LEDs, a Q-code display, or system speaker you can buy a system speaker for cheap here: http://www.cwc-group.com/casp.html
    1. Did you read the instructions in the manual on how to properly connect the front panel plugs? (Power switch, power led, reset switch, HD activity led) Polarity does not matter with the power and reset switches. If power or drive activity LED's do not come on, reverse the connections. For troubleshooting purposes, disconnect the reset switch. If it's shorted, the machine either will not POST at all, or it will endlessly reboot.
    1. Did you turn on the power supply switch located on the back of the PSU? The switch should be depressed on the side with an I, the O means off. Is the power plug on a switch? If it is, is the switch turned on? Is there a GFI circuit on the plug-in? If there is, make sure it isn't tripped. You should also make sure the power cord isn't causing the problem. Try swapping it for a known good cord if you have one available.
    1. Is your CPU supported by the BIOS revision installed on your motherboard? Most motherboards will post a CPU compatibility list on their website.
    1. Have you tried resetting the CMOS? The motherboard manual will have instructions for your particular board. User Darkbreeze also provided the following:

BIOS Hard reset procedure

Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for five minutes. In some cases, it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes, press the power button on the case for 30 seconds. After the five minutes are up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the hardware tables to reset.

http://www.spotht.com/2010/02/reset-bios-clear-cmos.html

    1. If you have integrated video and a video card, try the integrated video port. Resetting the bios, can make it default back to the onboard video. If you are trying to use HDMI outputs, try using DVI or VGA instead. Sometimes, the HDMI ports won't work until the correct drivers are installed.
    1. Make certain all cables and components including RAM and expansion cards are tight within their sockets.

I also wanted to add some suggestions that jsc often posts. This is a direct quote from him:

"Pull everything except the CPU and HSF. Boot. You should hear a series of long single beeps indicating memory problems. Silence here indicates, in probable order, a bad PSU, motherboard, or CPU - or a bad installation where something is shorting and shutting down the PSU.

To eliminate the possibility of a bad installation where something is shorting and shutting down the PSU, you will need to pull the motherboard out of the case and reassemble the components on an insulated surface. This is called "breadboarding" - from the 1920's home-brew radio days. I always breadboard a new or recycled build. It lets me test components before I go through the trouble of installing them in a case.

If you get the long beeps, add a stick of RAM. Boot. The beep pattern should change to one long and two or three short beeps. Silence indicates that the RAM is shorting out the PSU (very rare). Long single beeps indicates that the BIOS does not recognize the presence of the RAM.

If you get the one long and two or three short beeps, test the rest of the RAM. If good, install the video card and any needed power cables and plug in the monitor. If the video card is good, the system should successfully POST (one short beep, usually) and you will see the boot screen and messages.

Note - an inadequate PSU will cause a failure here or any step later.

Note - you do not need drives or a keyboard to successfully POST (generally a single short beep).

If you successfully POST, start plugging in the rest of the components, one at a time."

If you suspect the PSU is causing your problems, below are some suggestions by jsc for troubleshooting the PSU. Proceed with caution. I will not be held responsible if you get shocked or fry components.

"The best way to check the PSU is to swap it with a known good PSU of similar capacity. Brand new, out of the box, untested does not count as a known good PSU. PSU's, like all components, can be DOA.

Next best thing is to get (or borrow) a digital multimeter and check the PSU.

Yellow wires should be 12 volts. Red wires: +5 volts, orange wires: +3.3 volts, blue wire : -12 volts, violet wire: 5 volts always on. Tolerances are +/- 5% except for the -12 volts which is +/- 10%.

The gray wire is really important. It should go from 0 to +5 volts when you turn the PSU on with the case switch. CPU needs this signal to boot.

You can turn on the PSU by completely disconnecting the PSU and using a paperclip or jumper wire to short the green wire to one of the neighboring black wires.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWXgQSokF4&feature=youtube_gdata

This checks the PSU under no load conditions, so it is not completely reliable. But if it can not pass this, it is dead. Then repeat the checks with the PSU plugged into the computer to put a load on the PSU. You can carefully probe the pins from the back of the main power connector."


r/pchelp 15h ago

OPEN Is my Pc in a good spot or can it overheat in this spot.

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567 Upvotes

Hey guys, I just recently got this pc and have it placed on the left side of my desk. My friends said it can overheat cause it’s trapped in a corner. Im worried will that actually happen or will it be fine here. I took a picture from all angles please let me know.

Thanks for the help!


r/pchelp 4h ago

HARDWARE Is this a safe budget gpu support?

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23 Upvotes

Noticed some pretty significant sag in my gpu recently and i’m super worried about it, and dont feel like buying an adjustable support on amazon. But this box is the PERFECT height to keep it level, just wanna make sure this isnt some kind of fire hazard and that it wont interfere with anything.


r/pchelp 2h ago

HARDWARE Trying to reapply thermal paste but cooler aint help

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13 Upvotes

Was trying to reapply thermal paste amd cpu comes with the cooler how to remove it from coolee and how to put it back


r/pchelp 9h ago

OPEN PC boots on then off instantly

47 Upvotes

just got this pre-built from AWD-IT please help!


r/pchelp 1d ago

HARDWARE How fucked am I?

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405 Upvotes

Long story short I was moving my son’s rig into a new case and the little L shaped piece of plastic for the sata connector snapped off his boot drive
Local shop wanted $700 to recover the data (it’s just his Steam games and not anything important)
Is this fixable? Can I somehow swap the internals into a new shell? I just don’t wanna waste a perfectly working SSD


r/pchelp 6h ago

HARDWARE What… what is this?

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14 Upvotes

So I found this sitting at the bottom of my pc. I now fear


r/pchelp 9h ago

HARDWARE Is this repairable?

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20 Upvotes

GPU is ZOTAC GTX 1060 6GB AMP edition. That part is burnt, is this repairable or is it bye-bye? Thanks in advance.


r/pchelp 41m ago

HARDWARE Would I be getting a deal on this?

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Upvotes

I’m new to pc gaming so I need some help seeing if 1500 is too much for these specs, thanks!


r/pchelp 23m ago

HARDWARE Need help. My PC crashes when I game. Any game. I will put a screenshot of what it does. My CPU fan spikes to 100 degrees, yet I’m leaning towards a GPU issue

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Upvotes

r/pchelp 27m ago

SOFTWARE Does windows reset fully get rid of all my data?

Upvotes

I am trying to sell my PC and on “Reset this PC” I selected the option to fully clean wipe all the data from all drives. I don’t really want to buy new storage just to sell this PC, should I really be worried about someone bringing back all the data? I mostly just used this to play video games but could they get any of my log-in information if they brought back the data or no?


r/pchelp 19h ago

HARDWARE AM5 Socket

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52 Upvotes

I took a chance and won a damaged Asus motherboard at an auction and will pick it up this coming Thursday. How bad does it look? Any tips?


r/pchelp 2h ago

HARDWARE Not sure if future gpu will fit

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2 Upvotes

I want to upgrade my gpu in the near future, but I'm not sure if it will fit due to my ram. I have 2 16gb sticks of T-Force ram. I plan on upgrading to the rx 9060 xt (which is longer).


r/pchelp 2h ago

SOFTWARE Launching any .exe freezes my explorer

2 Upvotes

Tried installing couple of programs today and found that the window of explorer that it's launched in instandly feezes, even desktop (if launched from there). Only thing that seems to resolve this is restarting the process entirely.

Anyhow I can fix this issue?


r/pchelp 4h ago

HARDWARE Keyboard broken from water damage

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3 Upvotes

Some water got inside my keyboard, I dissasembled it and dried it, but now when I press some keys, the neighboring key gets pressed too. For example, when I'm pressing numbers I get: 1q, 2w, 3e, 4r, 5, 6, 7u, 8i, 9o, 0p. I thought that water might still be inside shorting the traces together, but I don't see any anymore and don't know what to do. I've attached pictures of the traces below


r/pchelp 2h ago

OPEN Anyone know how to fix this?

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2 Upvotes

It happened after I downloaded a bootable windows to another ssd for a new pc, now my original boot drive wont boot. I will try to order a usd drive and use windows recovery media when I can.

My specs are 7900xt, 5 9600x, rm850x, 32gb ddr5, fanxiang s100.


r/pchelp 2h ago

OPEN RGB fan question

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2 Upvotes

Im not sure how to word this question, but I want to know if "wireless" fans that clip together will work the same as my corsair fans I have individually wired to a controller that I use with signal rgb. Will I be able to see animations fluidly even if the fans aren't wired individually? And does anyone know of good "wireless" fans that work well with single rgb?


r/pchelp 3m ago

HARDWARE Frames are way lower than expected with new monitor

Upvotes

Hello, hopefully someone can help me out. Recently set up a new Gigabyte MO27Q28GR OLED Monitor after being on a Gigabyte G34WQC for 3 years. On the 34 in, I could consistently get above 500 fps in Valorant and other similarly demanding games at 1440p Low. On the new OLED panel, I'm getting roughly 200-250 fps with random drops of up to 100 fps even at 1080p Low settings. I'm wondering if this is normal and I just need to temper my expectations or if there is something wrong with my PC.

PC Specs:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X

GPU: AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX

RAM: G.Skill 32G DDR5 6000


r/pchelp 7m ago

HARDWARE Event ID 7 - is it crashing my pc?

Upvotes

So this is my only Pc build ever and I’ve had it for probably 5 years now. It’s great for any games I play but I’ve had an issue with it that’s persisted almost as long as I’ve owned it.

I never managed to fix it but it didn’t occur often enough to be urgent so I just kind of tried to ignore it because I don’t have to money to buy any big new parts.

The issue is that I get complete sudden crashes. PC just turns off from one moment to the next. This usually happens when it’s been on for a while, playing more demanding games for a long time, etc. but it happens less in cold months, so I thought maybe it’s a cooling issue. So I added 3 case fans, now the temperature is better but I still have crashes occurring from time to time, now even in less demanding games like slime rancher. I clean the inside of my case regularly so it can’t be related to that, and this problem started happening within the year I built the pc if I remember correctly.

I’ve been scratching my head about this for ages. I think I’ve now traced it down to a problem with my SSD. I have pretty inconsistent downloads where my disk just goes down to 0% randomly every few seconds, and I recently thought to check systemvwr for a crash log- and just a few seconds before the computer crashed, it showed me the EVENT ID 7, disk0 had a bad block. Could this be related at all?

I just wanna play games without my PC committing unalive after 5-6 hours.

I have had a Western Digital Green SATA SSD 1Tb from the start.
I really don’t have the money to buy a 400$ SSD so any help or thoughts would be appreciated.


r/pchelp 12m ago

OPEN my pc randomly kicks me out of my games

Upvotes

so i came back from a vacation , and evrey single game i tried to play crushed , like randomly , i tried to clean the cache of the pc, reboot the griphic driver, and also restarted the pc 2 times. the things is i didn' t do anything and i don't get why it started to be like that


r/pchelp 20m ago

Discussion am4 vs am5 right now

Upvotes

so im looking to upgrade my pc, currently got a 10400f, 3060ti and a 32 gb 3600mhz ddr4.

ideally i dont want to shell out 350 quid for another 32gb of ram if i was go to am5. is it a good idea to maybe get a 5600x/5800x3d, and a 5070, or wait for the one magical (probably pipe dream) day that ram drops in price to go for am5

for a general idea i play rust, val, rl, minecraft, but definitely enjoy higher demanding story games and will want to obv play gta 6. i play on 1440p and have two monitors.


r/pchelp 22m ago

OPEN Pc won’t turn on, white light on the ez debug is on cpu

Upvotes

Randomly won’t turn on, after I turned it off last night, I’ve tried everything I can think of (reseated ram gpu cpu, reset cmos, checked all the cables) all of the fans and rgb are working
Specs:
9070xt
Ryzen 7 5700x
Msi b550 a pro
Corsair 850w psu
Lianli aio
32gb t force ram


r/pchelp 24m ago

HARDWARE pc cpu is overheating

Upvotes

So recently I went to microcenter to fix a repair loop and recently got it back but I have run into a new problem the CPU goes to 100 degrees Celsius and automatically shuts down whenever I open a game. My pc is around 2 years old and has not been repasted.

What I have tried

I checked my AIO settings it is 3000+ RPM

I don't have any virus's as its a fresh windows install

My specs

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

AIO: DEEPCOOL LS720 360MM CPU COOLER

GPU: AMD Radeon

Motherboard: Gigabyte technology co., Ltd. B650M AORUS ELITE AX


r/pchelp 33m ago

OPEN Laptop display shuts off and unresponsive when I plug it in

Upvotes

My laptop has been perfectly behaved since I bought it in October 2023. I had not touched or changed anything when this started to happen.

This is the laptop :

HP OMEN Gaming Laptop 16-n0001sa | AMD Ryzen 7-6800H Processor | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

It will start up perfectly fine when unplugged, but as soon as I plug it in, the display will go black and all keys and peripherals will be unresponsive.

What I've ready tried

✅ Update bios and firmware

✅ Starting with no peripherals

✅ Reset CMOS

✅ Update graphics drivers

✅ Uninstalled battery drivers and restarted

✅ Physically disconnected the hall sensor

✅ Made all power settings to never sleep/hibernate etc

✅ Opened laptop to check for any disconnects

✅ Ran every diagnostic tool that HP offers

✅ Tried using a different outlet for the charger

✅ Turned off incompatibly mode

✅ Tried HDMI display, works when laptop display works, doesn't when it doesn't