# Upgraded my build, now stuck in a bootloop without video output



## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

Hey everyone, I'm here today to try to explain the ****** problem I have atm.

Alright, let's start from the beginning.
So I recently wanted to upgrade my PC and ordered a GTX970 to replace the 280X I had at the time. I wanted to switch from AMD to Nvidia and upgrade at the same time.

Card arrives, I unplug my computer and open it up to remove the old card. Should be no biggie, right? Right, except I'm a retard and I didn't realize I hadn't properly unhooked the card from PCI slot and rip out the whole slot leaving only the pins standing on the motherboard(MSI Z87-G45). There is no escaping the fact that it was a retarded move, but thats what happened anyway.

"Well ****", I thought to myself. I still had two more PCI slots I could use so I inserted the card in one of those instead, hoping that even though one slot was ruined I could still use the other ones. (Which I've later read, you _usually_ can) I plug the 970GTX in one of the two other remaining PCI slots and boot up my PC. Sadly, the HDMI, DVI and DP ports show no signs of hope. My monitors are showing up blank and basically no slot or cable I use show signs of outputting video.

I then try to plug it into the onboard graphics with the same result. At this point I figure the motherboard sustained enough damage from the ripped out PCI slot that I ruined it somehow. I order a new motherboard (MSI Z97 Gaming 5) 

It arrives and I plug in everything as carefully as I ever do (pretty much expecting everything to work) with more or less the same results. No video output, no matter what card I use (280X/the new GTX970 or onboard). At this point I'm really worried, not only because I might have wasted money on a new motherboard but the fact that I'm starting to think it might be the CPU that died somehow. 

Just so we can rule out all the silly stuff - I have tried switching RAM slots and sticks. I have reset BIOS several times. I have done a minimal setup with 1 ram stick on a non-conductive surface and I have tested both the old and the new GPU and onboard graphics. I couldn't find a single bent CPU pin in the socket after careful examination.

So basically what I am afraid of is the fact that after ripping out the PCI slot on the old motherboard some of the pins sticking out were bent and some of the pins had actual physical contact. Is there any way that powering up a system with PCI pins from a broken PCI slot in touch with each other can ruin other parts of the system, and specifically the CPU? I am at a loss here, I sincerely thought it was my old motherboard that was done, but now I'm not so sure anymore. The CPU in question is a 4770K. 

If its any help, my new motherboard has a LED debug screen that seems to loop around with the same numbers:
00 10 15 19 55
Apparently those debug codes means something like this: 
Early CPU init
Early North bridge init
Early South bridge init
Here is a video my system when everything is connected (except the fans in my nodua heatsink):
Cool - YouTube

Memory sticks I'm using: Kingston NaVi Limited Edition DDR3 1600MHz 8GB x2
PSU: CX750M Corsair

If there is any information I can give you that might help you help me, please feel free to request it. 
Thanks for reading, Cronien.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

What are the rest of the system specs, CPU , cooler and any other cards installed?

Are you bench testing or is the motherboard installed in the case?

Do you have a 2 wire motherboard speaker? If yes any beep codes?


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## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

Wrench97 said:


> What are the rest of the system specs, CPU , cooler and any other cards installed?
> 
> Are you bench testing or is the motherboard installed in the case?
> 
> Do you have a 2 wire motherboard speaker? If yes any beep codes?


i7 4770k Haswell, Noctua NH-D15 cooler and no other cards installed at this moment. I did have an HDMI capture card installed the moment I tried to boot up the old motherboard after breaking the PCI slot, though. (Avermedia Livegamer HD985) 

I've been testing both inside and outside the case. No speakers and/or beep codes.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Where are you getting the LED debug codes from, the info I have is a bit different.









The codes usually mean the step that was last completed so going by the codes you have it appears to be hanging on _Early Memory Initialization _.

Try using 1 stick only, if you can try a different stick of ram.


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## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

Wrench97 said:


> Where are you getting the LED debug codes from, the info I have is a bit different.
> 
> View attachment 201194
> 
> ...


Yeah, sorry, I was abit vague as far as the debug codes goes. Your chart is correct. 

I think I stated in my OP that I already did that? Anyway, I have done that and it yields the same results, sadly.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Only other thing I know to check is that the CPU is installed correctly, if it is return the board as a dud.


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## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

Yeah, reseated it several times just to be sure. Sigh, thats annoying.
There is no way that the metal pins from the broken PCI slot being in contact with each other could ruin other components on power up?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

is the cpu power connector fully inserted and stable?

if the cpu power connector becomes loose you can get restarts, if it isn't connected properly then you get a boot loop.


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## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

greenbrucelee said:


> is the cpu power connector fully inserted and stable?
> 
> if the cpu power connector becomes loose you can get restarts, if it isn't connected properly then you get a boot loop.


http://i.imgur.com/gdT3eIM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lqHPS6q.jpg

Took the picture just now, so it was in-case and abit hard to reach but I think it shows that its as plugged in as its gonna get.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Components like the CPU usually are not damaged when that happens, but the only way to test it would be to try it in a known working setup or to try a known working CPU in this set up.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

I agree with wrench you need to test in a known good set up.

also as something to dismiss, what are your temperatures and voltages?

and is your RAM on the qvl list for that motherboard?


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## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

I suppose I have to get another CPU to test with, I just don't have any other 1150-socket CPUs lying around and I live in the middle of nowhere, which sucks when stuff like this happens.

Apparently after checking my board's compatability list on MSI's own website, neither my old (Z87 G45) nor my new (Z97 Gaming 5) motherboard supports the exact memory stick I am using, yet the old one did work perfectly fine with those inserted. I'm assuming these have a slightly different ID due to the limited edition or something?









As far as temperatures go, everything seems to be normal. I have no idea how to check voltages without having any video output whatsoever, so I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. Is there any way to check this?


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

As much as I am not a fan of Kingston Hyper-X ram, if it worked in the old board I would doubt it is the problem in the new one. I do have the worry that the ripped slot could have shorted out the cpu or in fact any components on the board attached at the time and agree somehow you need to check the cpu and the ram as well as the gpus. I think the easiest way to do that is go to a shop and have them test them, that has to cost less then buying a cpu you won't use again and while 30 miles is a pain, I live in the same situation and would do that where there are so many components ion question..


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## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

Rich-M said:


> As much as I am not a fan of Kingston Hyper-X ram, if it worked in the old board I would doubt it is the problem in the new one. I do have the worry that the ripped slot could have shorted out the cpu or in fact any components on the board attached at the time and agree somehow you need to check the cpu and the ram as well as the gpus. I think the easiest way to do that is go to a shop and have them test them, that has to cost less then buying a cpu you won't use again and while 30 miles is a pain, I live in the same situation and would do that where there are so many components ion question..


I guess I will have to go on a road trip with my components, then. Better to be safe than sorry.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

I think so...


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## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

Well I'm gonna head into the city today to have my parts checked, I found a shop that would be willing to help. I'll post an update I suppose.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

We will look forward to that.


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## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

Well, driving all that way did not help at all. Luckily, I phoned in a friend very willing to help.

We have tested all my components in his computer part by part. GPU works, memory sticks work and CPU works. However when we try to fit all the parts on my motherboard I get the same results. I have googled around and found that someone else had more or less the same problem as me, and after calling MSI they got told that the bios installed depended on manufacturing date, so if you got an early one your bios version didn't cooperate with the CPU. 

Do you think this is possible? That a (relatively) modern motherboard such as Z97 Gaming 5 comes packaged with a bios that doesn't support the 4770K haswell? If that is the case I have no older CPUs to stick in and update the bios with either, so I'd have to send it in to get it flashed/updated to a newer version.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

No the 4770K was released in the spring of 2013, it's older then the Z97 chipset.

I think you just got a DOA motherboard, return it for a exchange.


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## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

Wrench97 said:


> No the 4770K was released in the spring of 2013, it's older then the Z97 chipset.
> 
> I think you just got a DOA motherboard, return it for a exchange.


Well if that is the case I have had two errors (one with a broken PCI slot causing no video output and one which is a faulty motherboard causing no video output/boot) and both caused the same result.

I mean when two different causes lead to the same error its very easy to be led on a wild goose chase and the possibilities for that happening is ridicolous. Anyway, I will have to contact the retailer I suppose. Thanks.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The end result(no video) may be the same but it's ust because the system is not booting and actually both are motherboard problems.


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## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

Thank the heavens above!


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

So what was the solution?


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## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

Well, no solution with the new motherboard really. But somehow I got the old one working by making sure no pins were in contact with each other and reset the BIOS on it. I still have to get my money back for the new one, though. Seeing as the it is most definitely DOA. For now everything works, but thanks alot for all the help and tips you've been giving me, I definitely feel more experienced and able to handle stuff like this in the future now.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Good to hear you got the old one working


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## VividProfessional (Apr 29, 2009)

the new board wasnt shorting out somewhere was it?


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## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

No idea, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't. I did a minimal setup on a non-conductive surface and in several two different cases so I'm fairly sure if it IS shorting out, its not my fault.


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## Superion (Oct 3, 2014)

Pretty sure you do, but just to make sure, make sure you have a side cover closing that side of the computer.


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## Cronien (Oct 25, 2014)

Might be, but atleast theres no way its my fault the new board was shorting out, considering all the testing that was done.

Also yes ofcourse, this was just right after managing to get video and I had to take a picture cause I was excited.


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