[drwho]

Since I put together my latest computer I've been having problems with starting it after it has sat idle for long periods of time such as overnight or while I'm away at work during the course of the day. Most times after pushing the power button I'm greeted with a black screen because the monitor does not turn on, I then hold the power button in till the computer stops running then restart again. Then I get the message asking me if I want to start windows normally, I press enter and the computer boots up into windows, but I must restart again because the wireless adapter for my internet has failed to start. Usually it takes about two or three reboots to get everything working correctly. Is this what they call a cold boot problem? Upon the advice from another computer forum where I've posted similar question I was told that my PSU was not adequate to start my computer (my old PSU was a Silverstone 850w Strider). I purchased a Silverstone Decathlon 1000w and the problem still persists. What are my options, if any? Is replacing the motherboard my only viable option? My computer specs are below with the only difference being now I have a HIS HD 4870 X2 replacing the two 3780 cards.

[Judas]

a 850watt would be plenty for that system... actually could probably get away with 700watts provided with a good psu.

Definitely sounds like a hardware issue... something not agree with the system..... could be any number of things, i could list off a dozen things that might have nothing to do with the real problem.... it's to inspecific without actually looking at it... Trial and error is a good method, just don't go out and start buying replacement parts that might not be the problem.

Memtest86+ .... try and boot straight away from the memtest CD (you'll need to burn a cd) Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

Let er rip from a cold boot (make sure CD is default)...... and then burn through the test for a GOOD number of hours...

bios could be trying to set something that isn't agreeing...... cold boot issues could be related to contacts that aren't good.... needing them to heat up to connect properly which is obviously a bad thing.

[Tipstaff]

I'm inclined to think it's a memory issue too. I've seen this happen with Intel boards running both a 975 and a P45 chipset. With the 975 they were really particular about 800mhz RAM, and in the case of the P45 chipset these were even more particular about the voltage and timings of DDR3 (had to be 1.5v or else).

Point of fact, Intel recommends you buy the RAM they have tested to work (which is stupid because I've never heard of some of the companies they mention), as does other manufacturers, and funny enough Biostar even has a page on their site of RAM they've tested with that board. Along with this, if you Google around you will find other people that have issues with RAM on certain boards, and in a lot of cases find people that say what's worked for them, or companies selling specific combo deals for boards and "known working" RAM together.

Oh, something else to note about that board. Be sure to update the bios (latest is version 304). I'm not sure if anything has changed, but I remember a lot of people complaining about that board nerfing DDR3 down to 1067mhz. For some it was stable, for others not so stable. I remember people specifically complaining about this issue in conjunction with G.Skill DDR3 as a matter of fact.

[drwho]

Hey guys

Thanks for jumping and offering some suggestions. I'm currently running this bios which has memtest v2.11 built into it. Should I go ahead and run memtest and see what happens?

[Judas]

i'd still suggest the cd iso so that you can see if it has issues booting straight away from cd

[drwho]

Judas, would you be so kind to help poor old stupid me with directions on how to make a bootable CD. I'm having trouble trying to make one.


Never mind, I figured it out. Just for the heck of it I ran tonight and after an hour and forty-four minutes my memory passed with no errors. Will try running it again in the morning from a cold boot.

[drwho]

OK, I booted right into memetest this morning after my computer had been off for over 8 hours. Just got home from mass and went shut memtest off and booted into windows. Memtest made four passes and no errors were found.

Does this mean that the memory is not the issue now? What's next to try? Would replacing the motherboard be of any help?

[Judas]

considering that it's able to boot straight away into the memtest program with no issue.. i might try a hardrive diagnostics program.... get the bootable cd version of the diagnostics tool for your hardrive and see if you can run some short and thorough tests.... as i've SEEN some hardrives for whatever reason, BSOD or cause issues at bootup but then work fine next time.


it may be worthwhile to even try changing the SATA or IDE cables you are using for the hardrive...... sometimes you get a faulty one

[drwho]

Ok, last night when I got home I spent some time moving things around in my computer. I switched out the existing sata cables and replaced them with brand new cables. I also moved my Creative X-Fi sound card to the second pci slot from the first slot. I also changed the USB cable out that I had my Linksys wireless adapter connected to and used a new one. I also ran a hard drive diagnostic tool on my hard drives and no errors were found. Anyway, after I got home from work tonight and started my computer, it booted right into windows with everthing working. I realize it's only one time so we'll see what happens over the next few days. But it is promising.

[Judas]

that sounds promising... good luck!

[drwho]

Well, things were promising for two and a half days. Got up this morning went to turn the computer on and the same old problems happened again. 1st boot, black monitor, 2nd boot into windows, third boot to restart my internet. Back to square one. I'm at a loss as to what to try next? I'm about ready to replace the motherboard and start from scratch again.

[Mac Daddy]

On that progression inet being last is a chipset driver issue. So either it is the drivers for your motherboard or the motherboard itself.

[Judas]

try leaving the non-essential things unplugged.. like the dvd drive and whatnot..... see the more you can narrow the down.. the better of you'll be..

it could even be a video card issue....