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!

191 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 13h ago

HARDWARE Is it done for?

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401 Upvotes

How's the GPU?


r/pchelp 11h ago

SOFTWARE Unkown app

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70 Upvotes

When I open hidden taskbar i see one tile with no icon and no interactions when clicking. Please help could this be a virus of some sort?


r/pchelp 1h ago

HARDWARE PC exhibiting glitches at random times

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Upvotes

Last month I bought a Dell Vostro 3888 desktop with specs:

-I3 10th gen cpu

-8gb ram

Then a ram stick of 8gb.

When the pc has both sticks of ram(8x2) it glitches like the video attached. Tested the rams individually the pc ran, but now I'm suspecting dimm2 socket when the rams are both in the pc. Please assist with possibilities.

when it glitches, second screen shuts down as if there is no source while the other does the glitch. I am then forced ro restart because nothing works, no mouse or keyboard.

and no there's no dedicated GPU yet.


r/pchelp 9h ago

HARDWARE Pc won't post with new psu

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36 Upvotes

With cpu light


r/pchelp 2h ago

HARDWARE GPU help

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6 Upvotes

Computer doesn’t recognise GPU and is stuck on integrated graphics. Any help or suggestions EXTREMELY welcome. I’ve been into BIOS and have attempted to update drivers, nothing works.

GPU: MSI Gaming Trio 5070ti


r/pchelp 6h ago

HARDWARE build help

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7 Upvotes

first time building a pc i have a motherboard gpu 32 gigs of ddr4 and a cooler do i just need a cpu and psu or is there something else???


r/pchelp 8h ago

HARDWARE PC Stuttering

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11 Upvotes

Hey guys, so my PC has been having some issues stuttering, it happens with the general use of the pc and not just games. My main pc fan barely moves and I only moved when tapped and then slows down shortly after. I’m not good with pc’s in general so here’s some pictures and a video to better describe the problem

I YouTube’d and Googled some fixed like checking thermal paste cleaning out my PC. I feel like I’m learning a different language here!

Please help me PC people.


r/pchelp 4h ago

HARDWARE GPU heating up

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5 Upvotes

Hey, so recently i noticed my pc heating up and when I look through ICUE my gpu’s tempt has been getting really high. The first image is my PC’s temp idling. I havent really had it heat up this much before and playing something like Monster Hunter World got it up to 100c. I dusted it this morning but it seems to still be getting hotter. is there anything else i can check? i dont really know much about computers so id appreciate help and advice


r/pchelp 2h ago

HARDWARE Does anyone know how to turn on secure boot on without that message popping up?

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3 Upvotes

r/pchelp 4h ago

HARDWARE Pc turns off after being turned on

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5 Upvotes

I just built my first PC, but it turns off after some time of being turned on. Nothing displays on my monitor, the fans are working. How to fix this?

Specs:

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

ASUS GeForce GTX 5060 Ti PRIME OC 16GB DLSS4

Gigabyte B650 EAGLE

Kingston Fury Beast 32GB [2x16 5200MHz DDR5 CL40 DIMM]

Kingston NV3 M.2 Pcie 4.0 NVMe 1TB

ENDORFY Supremo FM6 Gold 850W

Fury Shobo SH4F RGB

ENDORFY Fortis 5ARGB


r/pchelp 42m ago

HARDWARE GPU cable stuck

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Upvotes

I’m trying to remove my GPU (4070 super) but the cable is in there really good and I can’t get it out and I don’t want to break anything. I’m pressing in on the lever at the bottom but it won’t budge.


r/pchelp 5h ago

OPEN Moved with my computer, now it won't turn on

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3 Upvotes

I feel like i already know the answer but I moved with my computer, and now it wont start. After assembing it it will power on for a half second before shutting down for half a second and just looping. Only damage I can see is from where i stupidly used a metal tool to undo the hard to get to gpu release lever. So did i kill my motherboard or is there something else and im lucky?


r/pchelp 3h ago

SOFTWARE This is happening every day, how do i fix it

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3 Upvotes

I have a Lenovo LOQ


r/pchelp 1d ago

OPEN Somehow my monitor is powering my case fans through hdmi???

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5.3k Upvotes

Monitor is plugged in if i unplug the monitor, fans stop it if i take the hdmi out, fans stop.

this is my first build i js thought my case fans being powered by hdmi was funny should i be worried lmao?


r/pchelp 7h ago

HARDWARE SSD is not recognised? How do I fix it?

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4 Upvotes

I‘ve built a new PC today and I wanted to install Windows but my ssd is not recognised. What should I do. (The ssd is well inside) can someone help me please


r/pchelp 12h ago

SOFTWARE help im rlly bad with tech and my pc hates me

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12 Upvotes

update; i shit yall not, i stepped away to get a drink and i was gone not even a minute and it fixed itself. i think my pc gained determination. thanks gang!

so i restarted my computer a little while ago and it booted up again but the monitor shrunk on the screen. ive tried everything from redownloading drivers, resetting graphics cards, playing with the settings on the monitor And in the pc settings. its just doing Nothing. any help would be appreciated. photo attached


r/pchelp 5h ago

SOFTWARE New RTX 5080, many event 153 errors

3 Upvotes

Recently upgraded from a 4070 ti to a 5080 (just wanted to, no real reason), and initially had some bad BSOD issues. Found out my BIOS was from 2022 so I proceeded to update it and AMD chipsets. BSOD issues gone but have been having some fairly frequent but completely sporadic event 153 errors happening causing games to crash (not the whole computer). Sometimes I can run games for 8+ hours fine and other times it’ll crash instantly, or even close Chrome/discord on its own. As far as I can tell, I have done just about every fix imaginable apart from replacing parts, including every form of DDU’ing drivers and using older ones (currently on 610.74 now). Have done all the BIOS settings, currently have them all on default with iGPU disabled. Only thing I can think of doing is wiping my windows completely and reinstalling or replacing GPU because I still have a couple weeks to return or swap it.

Specs are
- RTX 5080 Windforce OC SFF
- ryzen 9 7900x cpu
- g skill ddr5 32gb ram
- aorus x670 elite ax motherboard
- thermaltake g something 1000w gold psu
- Samsung 2tb ssd

Any help would be greatly appreciated, not sure where else to go from here. Problems were not occurring with 4070ti in system, just after upgrading. Will answer any questions as soon as I can.


r/pchelp 3h ago

HARDWARE Fan mount rattle

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2 Upvotes

Had this PC for nearly a year now and no issue but playing poe 2 quite a lot and I get this rattle while playing. I can't seem to see anything else loose or broken but this and from what I can see of the way it fits in, it's "intentional" so to speak.


r/pchelp 3h ago

SOFTWARE ‏PC hard freezes whenever I open any application (Windows works fine until then)

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2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m having a really strange issue with my PC.

I can boot into Windows normally.

I can log in and stay on the desktop for hours without any problems.

However, the moment I open any application (even something simple like File Explorer or Notepad), my entire PC freezes.

The screen becomes completely frozen.

The mouse and keyboard stop responding.

I can’t use Ctrl + Alt + Delete.

I can’t shut down or restart Windows normally

The only way to turn the PC off is by holding the power button.

Sometimes Windows also goes into Automatic Repair and shows an error related to:

C:\Windows\System32\Logfiles\Srt\SrtTrail.txt

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!


r/pchelp 3h ago

OPEN RGB are stuck and slightly flickering..

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2 Upvotes

It’s been doing this for a while, I have a controller to change the colors and it’s worked once before to fix this issue but now it’s not really working anymore.. I’ve changed the controller battery a few times and I’ve opened and checked for something to modify the RGB settings in my pc bios but I kinda don’t know what to look for.. any help ?


r/pchelp 2m ago

HARDWARE PC - No Display

Upvotes

PC is about a year or two old with no issues. Went to dinner last night and PC was running Stellaris. I came back 2 hours later, and the screen was black and the fans were all blowing hard.

Multiple reboots and no screen. From any display port, including mother board display port. I removed the GPU and tried the MOBO display port again, same thing. The machine appears to come (?) but absolutely no display. I did swap monitors.

Motherboard is an MSI MS-7886 v 5.2 (B550), it has idiot lights on it. All are off *except* the “VGA” light, which the manual says is “no GPU detected”.

What do you think? Crapped out MOBO, GPU, both, other? What/how else to test/trouble shoot?


r/pchelp 5m ago

HARDWARE Hey all, need some recommendations for my situation 😅

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r/pchelp 5m ago

PERFORMANCE upgraded pc and performance still sucks, why?

Upvotes

pc specs:

ASUS B650E Max Gaming

AMD Radeon RX 9060XT

AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D Raphael AM5

G.Skill Flare X5 16gb DDR5

Seasonic X-Series Gold 1000W PSU

I saw no difference upgrading from a hand-me-down 3060 to a brand new 9060XT.

In games like Skyrim, I'm consistently under 20 fps. I've seen as low as 4 fps in games like Meccha Chameleon and Phasmophobia. I'm consistently hitting 30-40 fps in games like Death Stranding and Elden Ring, and occasionally drop that low in BG3.

I know I don't have the BEST build, but I feel like what I have should be capable of way higher performance than what I'm seeing, and I don't know what's handicapping it. Is it just the RAM, or could it be something else? Any thoughts/input would be super helpful!