YSK if you've built a computer and it won't boot, sometimes the issue can be resolved by taking the memory out and putting it back.

Or by only putting one stick of memory in, or changing the slot you're using.

I was assembling a computer and everything seemed to be correct, the fan would spin up, I'd get some lights, but there was no image on the screen, not even the BIOS. I saw someone else make this suggestion and didn't think it was likely to work, but it did. First I just tried one stick, and it booted. Then I tried both sticks and it didn't work, but I reseated and then it did.

(Also worth pointing out that your motherboard should have diagnostic lights which if you check the documentation may point out which component has an issue)

Thinking about Lemmy's demographics many here may have heard of something like this, or have more helpful suggestions about troubleshooting which would be welcome. But thought I'd write out a little post about my experience to contribute to Lemmy SEO supremacy.

jeffw ,

There’s probably a hundred reasons it might not post. One time, my CPU wasn’t seated properly. I have heard RAM is a common way. If you’re using only one stick, be sure it’s in the right slot. Edit: or even with two, make sure it’s the right slots, read that manual!

topnomi ,

It's almost always labeled on the mb which slots to use first. And for some reason it's usually the #2 slots

aeronmelon ,

Multiple times I had issues with two identical DIMMs in a two-slot board, and simply switching both sticks to the opposing slot fixed everything.

Maybe it was a seating issue, maybe it was ghosts. Who knows?

edgemaster72 ,
@edgemaster72@lemmy.world avatar

As long as we're going for general tips, sometimes it's as simple as remembering to turn on the switch on the power supply and surge protector/UPS if plugged into such things (hopefully it is)

Captnkrk69 ,

Indeed. Every motherboard has a small speaker that will beep if a error is found. Usually you can find the beep error codes for a particular board online or in its manual. I think for mine its 4 fast beeps to let me know my ram is not seated properly.

ada ,
@ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Unless you haven't attached the CPU power cables, only the motherboard ones. In which case it will boot, the fans will spin up, the SSD will activate, but it won't boot and it won't beep.

That was a fun one to diagnose :)

Captnkrk69 ,

Memories... thats def a fun one

yokonzo ,

Every board does not have this feature, some newer ones do and for older ones you can buy a post beeper that inserts into a speaker slot. Your manual will tell you if you have one

youngalfred ,

Well older to a point. Go back to to anytime before late 2000s and every board had a speaker!

Tippon ,

Nope. A lot of them back then either had a small speaker in the box that you had to connect, or relied on the case speaker, and they just had the motherboard headers.

I used to have a small collection of the speakers, because you could guarantee that the friend's computer that you were repairing didn't have a way for you to listen to the BIOS beeps :)

youngalfred ,

Stand corrected, every motherboard I'd had experience with had it connected to a post buzzer.
Never thought there be a case where it wouldn't be included, as it was essential back then (I'm of the mind they still should, as well as power and activity leds, which seem to have disappeared from laptops)

Tippon ,

Yeah, it's one of those stupid things that hardly any manufacturers thought of. It probably saved them a few pennies per board though 🙄

Considering how the BIOS beeps were the only way to know what had gone wrong, short of pulling components and testing, it was very shortsighted.

Captnkrk69 ,

I stand corrected... i wasn't aware of that. Thanks for the info.

emb ,

I had similar happen to me. Put all of it together, turned it on, then panicked a little when it wouldn't boot up.

Turns out one stick of RAM was not fully slotted in, so obviously that's not OK. Was easy to spot once I double checked components. Popped it back out and in, then it was good to go.

alekwithak ,

One time for me it was the DVD drive. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

spicytuna62 ,
@spicytuna62@lemmy.world avatar

One time, my brother and I were building a new rig for him. After spending an hour putting the thing together, it wouldn't boot. Like, push the power switch and NOTHING happened. We called his buddy who's a real wizard with computers. His first question was, "Did you try reseating all the power connectors on the board?" And that's right when we discovered we didn't connect the power for the CPU.

Montagge ,
@Montagge@lemmy.zip avatar

I swear every time I build one it's the process of put it together, it doesn't boot, swap the memory stick positions, and now it magically boots!

Drusas ,

Lucky. I've only had that happen once, but I've got shipped a bad motherboard twice over the years.

Montagge ,
@Montagge@lemmy.zip avatar

Ugh, luckily I've only been shipped a bad GPU once as the only DOA part I've dealt with

Passerby6497 ,

I've also fixed them by just unplugging them, holding the power button for like 30s, then plugging it back in.

It really shouldn't work, but hey, we tricked rocks into doing math for us with electricity, so what do you really expect?

pearsaltchocolatebar ,

It should work. Doing that discharges any electricity still in the mobo. A build up of static electricity can cause a computer to not post.

If you have to do this regularly, get a humidifier for the room your computer is in, and verify your outlet is properly grounded.

piecat ,

Pushing the power switch shouldn't do anything to static electricity.

Ghoelian ,

Yeah iirc all that does is make sure all of the capacitors on the motherboard and in the PSU are discharged. Still a good thing do do before working in a pc, to reduce the chance of accidentally shorting a still charged cap with a screw or something.

kadu ,
@kadu@lemmy.world avatar

Many modern motherboards will also do memory training the first time you boot with new RAM sticks, and sometimes this is very slow. Your PC will boot to a black screen and behave exactly like it would with a dead CPU or RAM... there's no visual feedback.

This once caught me off guard and I spent a good hour panicking trying to diagnose a non-existing issue. Sometimes, you just literally have to wait in a black screen for a while.

Shirasho ,

This seriously stressed me out when I put my last computer together. I was patient and waited hoping it would fix itself (which it did), but my heart sank when I didn't see anything on the monitor.

Good to know this is what is happening. Some visual feedback would be nice.

halcyoncmdr ,
@halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world avatar

This 100%. Had a buddy recently that went as far as buying an entirely new PSU and memory kit trying to troubleshoot over 3 days. He just needed to let it sit for about 15 minutes to memory train the first time.

BassTurd ,

I have never run into this with any builds, at least in the last 15 or so years. Is this a more recent thing, or am I now finding out that my first build, circa 2007 on my new DFI lanparty mobo, may have not been a defect and I'm just impatient? That was DDR2 and PATA for a time frame.

kautau ,

Yup, I put new RAM in a brand new laptop after booting it up only once previously. Boot it up, black screen. I got insanely scared I messed up the display to mobo ribbon or something. Nope, just was doing its RAM thing and sat on a black screen for like a minute before actually booting to bios

JATtho ,

I put too way too much effort in this reply... Yes.. it's nerve racking, especially if you are resorting to BIOS flashback to boot the CPU on an older (new) board.

Can't get visuals (except maybe leds/indicators on the motherboard itself) when your CPU is incapable of accessing the ram or the devices yet. All external devices normally communicate through the RAM. (And by external, I mean not on the CPU package)
Yet, the CPU has to solve out this chicken-and-egg problem of how to progress from the cold-boot without knowing what external RAM is installed. There are plethora of timing/clock-cycle/voltage settings for one stick of ram, which are tested on POST. Establishing sane DDR5/4 parameters is non-trivial. (I think it is order of +20!, twenty factorial: 2432902008176640000, if there were no starting point of XMP, JEDEC etc.)

I use hand tuned settings for DDR4, and on cold boot, the BIOS adjust the settings which I didn't forbid it to do. Unless I unplug the PSU from the wall, the BIOS won't retrain the memory again. I suspect my settings still aren't 100% stable. (over period of years) Non-cold-boot assumes the ram works 100% same on each power up. If some OC setting drifts past a threshold once the system is heat soaked or receives more EMI interference, this could provoke a crash/BSOD etc. in absurd theory having a busy wifi router next the ram could cause the bios to select more robust/conservative settings to counter the EMI interference. Would be fun to know, if this would be true.

snf ,

Didn't know about this. How long are we talking, minutes, hours?

kadu ,
@kadu@lemmy.world avatar

Anything from 30 seconds to 10 minutes, depending on your specific combination of RAM, CPU and chipset.

NuXCOM_90Percent ,

I would go so far as to say that 99.999999% of all issues where a new build won't boot is to just push harder on the RAM.

Been building computers for almost 3 decades now and I STILL am a little bitch when it comes to seating RAM. It is the least expensive component in the case and mobos are literally designed to let you know when you push hard enough but I still will never push hard enough (for all the sticks) on the first try.

Norodix ,

All mobos are a bit different. Best tip: RTFM

yemmly ,

Blowing on it helps. The humidity in your breath reinvigorates the silicon.

pearsaltchocolatebar ,

This isn't just for new computers. After a few hundred heat/cool cycles, the ram can become unseated enough to cause issues. Although it's definitely not as big of an issue as it was a decade or so ago.

Hildegarde ,

First check its plugged in. Then check the power supply is turned on. Then check that the power button is connected to the motherboard.

It's probably something dumb keeping your PC from working. You probably were worried about the memory or CPU so you paid attention. It's the trivial things that are missed.

The first paragraph is autobiographical. I messed all those up on my first attempt. :-/

entropicdrift ,
@entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

The first time I built a computer, it didn't boot on the first several tries. Turned out I had the motherboard screwed onto the chassis too tightly, causing a short.

The list in your comment is a good one. There's just so many little basic electrical things that can potentially go wrong.

Scrof ,

I bought a pre-build PC once, and it refused to boot. And you know what was missing? A fucking SATA data cable god have mercy. That's some advanced assembling. I even had to go and buy one as I hadn't a spare one at hand.

Although yeah I definitely had some screw ups with not inserting RAM sticks all the way or messing some other stuff like not connecting the video card to power supply.

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