My desktop, assembled back in December 2011, specs are:
Gigabyte H61M-S2P-B3 rev1.0
Intel i7 2600 3.4GHz
Kingston DDR3 4GB 1333MHz
Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM
Windows 10 x64 Pro updated to latest service pack and other updates
iBall JSW 250W PSU with the i7272 cabinet
2.1 Stereo on VIA 1708S
Dell S2240L 21.4" Full HD display
The problem: Over the past week the computer had gone through these stages.
1.Some lag and frame drops while playing videos then audio video hangs and PC crashes then,
2.I disconnected the HDD and restarted but the computer boots to bios and crashes within seconds, restarting again crashes then,
3.After a few attempts when I start it again there is no display and PC is stuck in boot loop i.e. CPU fan starts-no display-crashes and again CPU starts-no display-crashes.
I have tried cleaning the RAM and reinserting but step-3 occurs, tried resetting bios no effect again step-3
Oddly enough, when I disconnect the power and leave it idle for a couple of days then the problem starts with step-2. Also, I don't know how but back panel 2 USB ports out of 4 stopped functioning despite limited usage, same with the 2 front panel ports.
What could be the problem and what could be the failing component?
Kindly guide me to pinpoint the problem.
Also if the motherboard is failing I'd preferably go with H77 or Z77 chipset instead of H61 as an upgrade, so will it be a good idea to do so?
Thank you.
Update 1.0: After trying the method mentioned by konstantin, to me the problem seems to be with the BIOS and I'm able to sustain the boot for over 1 minute, but can't be sure, as seemingly there is no damage or burns to any component whatsoever. Lastly, is it advisable to try the Q flash utility for reflashing the BIOS?
Supplementary question: What generally happens if one powers up the system with ONLY power supply, CPU and fans in place, no ram no HDD in place, only CPU and PSU?
In my case what happens is that the CPU powers up for about 10 seconds with no display on monitor and then shuts down and then again restarts as in step3 above. Also the same thing is occurring with the RAM in place. Any ideas or advice?
63 Answers
Sorry to hear that. I've just experienced a similar issues with a boot loop with my Gigabyte motherboard, Z77 DS3H. Have a look at my first question.
Hard drive corruption on a dual-boot system
Anyway, it seems to me that my motherboard mysterioustly corrupts its BIOS whenever I play around with my hard drive configuration. Luckily newer Gigabyte boards have a backup BIOS chip which can restore the main BIOS. If your's has this functionality (which it seems to looking at the specs on Gigabyte's page), you could try fixing your main BIOS similar to what's described on this webpage, which involves several times unexpectidly shutting off power while you start your motherboard. Took me absolutely ages to achieve the recovery screen though, so after that I did not want to mess with my system any more.
2One thing to check would be any separate USB card, if there is one. The computer should still function if it were to be removed (albeit without mouse and keyboard). If it gets past BIOS, then it's the USB card, easily replaced.
Another thing to check would be electrolytic capacitors on the motherboard and in the power supply...
Electrolytics are more prone to failure than other most parts, and their failure can cause noise and AC hum on the power bus. Look for obviously bulging (or even "exploded") cans. If you have access to a spare power supply, try swapping it with the existing one. These capacitors are easy to remove and to replace.
Another possibility is a bad CPU or GPU connection. Though it is possible to resolder the ball-grid array, this is not a trivial task.
Finally, electrostatic discharge, heat or other hazard could have damaged one of the major semiconductors. If so, this would require technical expertise and equipment to find and to fix.
3My laptop has been doing this for a while. Just disconnect the power and hold the power button for 10 seconds to discharge the BIOS. Plug it back in and it should start.
