PC not booting to BIOS (POSTing?)

[ChrisUlrich]

When the PC doesn't do its startup beep, it means the PC isn't "p.o.s.t.-ing" right?

My cousin is insisting that his harddrives not being setup in the right boot priority would keep his system from POSTing. He can't even get to the bios. Is that even possible?

Second, he's also insisting that the USB port from his mouse kept his PC from getting to his BIOS screen (posting).

Is any of that true or even possible?

 

[Zatharus]

Yes, when the computer does not beep/show any signs of life, it is not POSTing. This is usually due to a CPU or RAM stick that needs re-seating or has failed (most likely CPU). Is this a new build?

 

[ChrisUlrich]

Yes, when the computer does not beep/show any signs of life, it is not POSTing. This is usually due to a CPU or RAM stick that needs re-seating or has failed (most likely CPU). Is this a new build?

It's a new motherboard but everything is the same.

But a harddrive not in the right boot priority could never do this right? I keep trying to tell him that but he refuses to accept this. haha

 

[Zatharus]

No, the hard drive boot order will have no effect on this. In fact, you will have to be able to access the BIOS in the first place to set that boot order.

What kind of hard drives is he using; SATA or IDE?

 

[ChrisUlrich]

No, the hard drive boot order will have no effect on this. In fact, you will have to be able to access the BIOS in the first place to set that boot order.

What kind of hard drives is he using; SATA or IDE?

SATA drives. I'm pretty sure he's using all SATA drives. He has a few drives in there. Would that really matter?

And could your USB cable from the mouse really make a difference on whether or not the motherboard will POST?

 

[Zatharus]

If there were IDE and he had the wrong jumper settings, it could make a difference on the computer booting properly. It would not really have an impact on the computer POSTing though.

As for the USB cable from the mouse, it could have an effect if the cable is damaged and shorting out the port. But, this would usually result in that USB bus shutting down or at worst becoming inoperable, not in the board refusing to POST.

Do you have all your power connectors in the proper places?

 

[ChrisUlrich]

If there were IDE and he had the wrong jumper settings, it could make a difference on the computer booting properly. It would not really have an impact on the computer POSTing though.

As for the USB cable from the mouse, it could have an effect if the cable is damaged and shorting out the port. But, this would usually result in that USB bus shutting down or at worst becoming inoperable, not in the board refusing to POST.

Do you have all your power connectors in the proper places?

I am not by the PC itself. It's in Virginia (im in Jersey). But I was trying to help diagnose the problem. I said it has to be one of three things (very generic/broad answers, I know). Motherboard, processor, power connections. Processor seating right, bad motherboard, or power not properly wired or missing.

My cousin is just insisting that it's the way his harddrives boot sequence is set and that's why it won't POST. I'm thinking that he is confusing POST/BIOS but he says it's not beeping and not showing anything on the monitor, at all. So that's why I assume it's not POSTing. He gets it back today so I guess we'll see for sure. But I wanted to make sure I wasn't giving him bogus answers.

What does POST stand for anyway?

 

[Zatharus]

My cousin is just insisting that it's the way his harddrives boot sequence is set and that's why it won't POST. I'm thinking that he is confusing POST/BIOS but he says it's not beeping and not showing anything on the monitor, at all. So that's why I assume it's not POSTing. He gets it back today so I guess we'll see for sure. But I wanted to make sure I wasn't giving him bogus answers.

What does POST stand for anyway?

POST stands for Power On Self Test. It is a simple health check of the motherboard upon power-on.

You may be right about the POST/BIOS confusion, but the drive boot sequence should not affect either. It sounds like we need more information. Either he is not understanding the issue, or he is not communicating it clearly.

 

[Dystopia]

The order that his hard drives are set up in does not matter in any way, whatsoever. I have had SO many different setup's in my computer, and it always worked (well, the PC maybe didn't work, but it was never the hard drive order )

As for the fact that it is not even beeping, OR showing anything on the screen points to it being a mobo or CPU problem. If it were the RAM, then the motherboard would beep. If it would be the CPU, then like what is happening, it would show nothing, and not beep. Same for the mobo. Now, another possibility (if he has a video card) is that his video card is dead/not hooked up/not powered.

And I'm not sure what POST mean's either

 

[Zatharus]

As for the fact that it is not even beeping, OR showing anything on the screen points to it being a mobo or CPU problem. If it were the RAM, then the motherboard would beep. If it would be the CPU, then like what is happening, it would show nothing, and not beep. Same for the mobo. Now, another possibility (if he has a video card) is that his video card is dead/not hooked up/not powered.

Correct - I would first suspect that the issue is with the CPU if it isn't POSTing at all as I mentioned earlier.

Be careful on the RAM though. I have had some boards that will not even power-up without RAM. Granted they were pretty old. Most modern boards will show an error of some sort without RAM or if there is a problem with it.

 

[ChrisUlrich]

The order that his hard drives are set up in does not matter in any way, whatsoever. I have had SO many different setup's in my computer, and it always worked (well, the PC maybe didn't work, but it was never the hard drive order )

As for the fact that it is not even beeping, OR showing anything on the screen points to it being a mobo or CPU problem. If it were the RAM, then the motherboard would beep. If it would be the CPU, then like what is happening, it would show nothing, and not beep. Same for the mobo. Now, another possibility (if he has a video card) is that his video card is dead/not hooked up/not powered.

And I'm not sure what POST mean's either

I thought you got a continuous beep if you don't have the Video Card hooked up to power? That's what mine did... yea, whoops. haha

But i'll just post up what the problem was when he gets it back today/tonight. My guess is on the wiring.

 

[fmw]

Sometimes I feel like a broken record. Basic trouble shooting. Get down to the basics - Mainboard, process, memory and monitor. If the system will post that way, then add things one at a time until you find the culprit.