| This document
lists troubleshooting tips if your
computer does not boot up properly.
Contents:
System Does Not Boot up at First
Integration
System Used to Boot up and Now Does
Not
Other Boot Issues
_________________________________________________________________________________________
System Does Not Boot up at First
Integration
2x2 or 2x4 Power
Connector Not Plugged In
If the power supply cable with the 2x2
connector or 2x4 connector (depending on
your desktop board), is not plugged into the
12V processor core voltage connector located
near the processor socket, the system will
not boot up. You will see lights onboard and
on the chassis front panel and the processor
fan will spin, but nothing will appear on
the monitor. See figures below for cable
placement.
or
Processor
Issues
No boot situations can be caused by any of
the following.
If you have installed an incompatible
processor, the system will not boot. Ensure
the selected processor model is correct for
your desktop board. Some processors require
specific desktop board versions and BIOS
revisions. To find the supported processor
list for your board, go to Supported
Processors. If the processor is
compatible, try removing and reinstalling
the processor to ensure it is installed
correctly.
If the processor overheats, the system may
not boot or may shut down shortly after
booting.
- Make sure the fans on the processor
are connected properly and running.
- Make sure that the thermal interface
material or the thermal grease is
applied to the processor properly.
- Make sure that the power supply fan
is running properly and any other
external case fans are running properly.
- Make sure that the air intakes for
the external fans are unobstructed and
have at least several inches away from
walls and other items.
Memory Issues
No boot situations can be caused by any of
the following.
- If you have installed incompatible
memory modules, the system may not
boot. Verify the memory you've
installed has been tested with your
board. To find the tested memory list
for your board, go to Tested Memory. If
the memory is compatible, try removing
and reinstalling the memory modules to
ensure they are installed correctly.
- Some desktop boards require you to
populate the memory sockets starting
with the first socket. The product guide
for your desktop board will indicate
such a requirement.
- If you have defective memory
modules, the system may not boot. One,
two or three beeps at boot indicate
defective memory. To isolate a specific
memory module as defective, boot the
system with just one memory module
installed at a time.
Monitor
Issues
No boot situations can be caused by
monitor configurations. Check the
following:
- Make sure the monitor is plugged in
and turned on.
- Make sure the video cable is
connected properly at the monitor and
the computer.
- Check the brightness and contrast
controls on the monitor. The monitor
may be dimmed where you cannot see
anything on the monitor.
- Most monitors have a light
indicating its current status:
- A green light indicates the
monitor has sufficient power and is
getting a video signal.
- An amber light appears if the
monitor has power but it is not
getting a video signal from the
computer. This indicates the problem
is most likely in the computer.
- If the light does not turn on at
all, it is likely a problem with the
monitor itself. Make sure that the
monitor is connected to a working AC
outlet. If there is an on/off switch
for the outlet, make sure the switch
is on. If the problem still
persists, try replacing the monitor
or try the monitor on different AC
outlet or a different system.
Power
Supply and Chassis Issues
No boot situations can be caused by any of
the following power supply, chassis or fan
issues:
- Verify that your chassis and power
supply is appropriate for the processor
model and frequency and the desktop
board you have.
- An ATX12V or SFX12V with the 2x2
connector is required for all
Pentium® 4 processor based and
higher Intel® Desktop Boards. Power
consumption requirements for
high-end video cards, sound cards,
peripherals, and the Pentium 4
processor will exceed the typical 5A
current capacity of standard ATX &
SPX power supplies.
- Do not use 2x2 power cable adapters
with non-compatible older power
supplies.
- Verify that the power supply has the
capacity to power all the devices used
in your system.
- Ensure the power cord is firmly
connected to the power supply and the AC
outlet.
- If the power supply or the AC outlet
has an on/off switch, make sure that it
is on.
- Determine power supply voltage
selector setting (230 volts vs. 115
volts) is correct.
- Check for foreign objects inside the
chassis such as screws that may ground
the desktop.
- Attach the desktop board correctly
to the chassis base with the
spacers/stand- offs. Make sure not to
tighten the screws too much.
- If possible, use a voltmeter to
verify that each output from the power
supply is correct. If any output is very
low (especially the +5 volt output),
consider replacing the power supply.
- If possible, use a voltmeter to
verify the PowerGood signal is +5 volts.
If the signal is below 1.0 volts, there
may be a short or overload causing a
constant reset. Consider replacing the
power supply.
Cable Issues
No boot situations can be caused by any of
the following cabling issues:
- Make sure the drive ribbon cables
inside the computer are attached
correctly and securely. For IDE
drives, check the orientation of pin 1
of the hard drive
cable. A cable connected backwards may
cause the computer not to power up.
- Check that the cables connecting the
chassis front panel to the desktop board
are plugged in properly to the onboard
headers.
Electrical Short
or Overload
An electrical short or overload may cause a
system not to boot.
Check for shorts and overloads by removing
non-essential items such as extra controller
cards or IDE/ATAPI devices. Keep only the
desktop board, power supply, memory
and processor installed. If the system
boots, it is possible there is a short or
overload with one of the components that
you removed or one of those components is
faulty. Replace each of non-essential
items one at a time until you isolate which
one is causing the problem.
If the problem occurs even after removing
the non-essential components, the problem
has to be with the desktop board, power
supply, memory or processor.
Defective
Components
Defective components, especially
processor and memory, can cause a system not
to boot up properly.
- Swap the memory modules with known
good memory. In addition, test the
suspected memory in another known
working system.
- Swap the processor with a known good
processor. In addition, test the
suspected processor in another known
working system.
System Used to Boot up and Now Does
Not
Changes to your computer's
configuration can cause your system to not
boot properly.
New Processor or
Additional Memory was Installed
If you upgraded the processor or added
memory:
- Some processors require specific
desktop board versions or specific BIOS
revisions.
- Make sure the new processor is
supported for your desktop board. To
find the supported processor list for
your board, go to Supported
Processors.
- Make sure the new memory modules are
supported for your desktop board. To
find the tested memory list for your
board, go to Tested Memory.
New PCI or PCI
Express* Card was Installed
If you installed a new add-in card to a PCI
or PCI Express slot and now the system won't
boot:
- Some PCI Express graphics cards
require
additional power.
- Remove and reinstall the new card to
make sure it is fully seated in the
slot.
- Try the card in a different slot, if
possible.
- Make sure other devices and cables
inside the chassis were not disturbed or
loosened when you installed the new
card.
New Drive was
Installed
If you added a new drive (hard drive,
CD-ROM, DVD) and now the system won't boot:
- Make sure all drive cables are
properly connected.
- Make sure the correct power cable is
connected to the new drive.
- Make sure any drive jumpers (master,
slave) are configured correctly
according to the manufacturer's
documentation.
- Make sure other devices and cables
inside the chassis were not disturbed or
loosened when you added the new drive.
New Software
or Drivers were Installed
If you recently installed new software or
new device drivers:
- Try booting into Safe Mode and
uninstall the new software or
driver. If you can now boot normally,
there may be a compatibility issue
between the new software or driver and
some component in your system. Contact
the software manufacturer for
assistance.
Settings Were
Changed in BIOS
Certain changes in BIOS settings (such as
chipset timing or latency, memory timing
or latency, processor clock frequency, etc.)
can cause a system to no longer boot.
If you are able to enter the BIOS Setup by
pressing F2, reset the BIOS to factory
defaults by pressing F9. Save and exit the
BIOS Setup.
If you cannot enter the BIOS Setup, clear
the CMOS:
- Turn off all peripheral devices
connected to the computer.
- Disconnect the computer’s power cord
from the AC power source (wall outlet or
power adapter).
- Remove the computer cover.
- Locate the battery on the board (see
figure below).
- With a medium flat-bladed
screwdriver, gently pry the battery free
from its connector. Note the orientation
of the “+” and “-” on the battery.
- Wait one hour then replace the
battery.
- Replace the computer cover.
- Plug the computer and all devices
back in.
You may also need to perform a BIOS
Recovery after clearing the CMOS.
Other Boot Issues
Resolving Slow
Boot Times
Check the following tips to speed
up the boot time of your computer.
- Set the hard drive as the first boot
device in the boot order in the BIOS
setup (Boot > Boot Device Priority
menu).
- Enable Intel® Rapid BIOS boot in
the BIOS setup (Boot menu).
- Disable Hard Disk Pre-Delay in the
BIOS Setup (Advanced > Drive
Configuration menu).
- Disable system functions and
features if you do not need them.
Examples include:
- Legacy USB - this must be
enabled if you use a USB keyboard or
USB mouse outside the Windows*
environment (Advanced > USB
Configuration).
- Unused I/O ports, such as
serial, parallel and IEEE-1394 ports
(Advanced > Peripheral Configuration
menu).
- Event logging (Advanced > Event
Log Configuration menu).
To enter BIOS Setup, press the <F2> key
after the Power-On Self-Test (POST) memory
test begins and before the operating system
boot begins.
Warning: If any problems
occur after making BIOS settings changes
(poor performance, intermittent issues,
etc.), reset the desktop board to default
values:
- During boot, enter the BIOS setup by
pressing F2.
- Press F9 to set defaults.
- Press F10 to Save and Exit.
If the system locks or won’t boot after
making BIOS settings changes, perform a BIOS
recovery as described at Instructions for
Recovery BIOS Update.
Optimize Device Boot Order for reducing boot times.
BIOS Beep Codes
Refer to BIOS Beep codes in
motherboard manual. Some
Beep Codes
for Intel desktop
motherboards are explained in this link for
introduction to beep codes. This can
help you in troubleshooting your computer when you hear beep codes and your
desktop board does not boot up
successfully.
Error "PXE-E61
Media Test Failure" at Boot
The error PXE-E61 Media Test Failure can
occur at boot, if all the following are
true:
- Boot to LAN is enabled in BIOS
Setup.
- A network cable/connection is not
present.
- Network Boot is in the boot order
before a present boot device.
To resolve this, remove Boot to LAN from
the list of boot devices in BIOS Setup |
