# Computer Won't Boot Unless RAM Stick is Removed After Power Outage



## Alion (Oct 22, 2014)

So I just recently built my PC, and have been using it for 2 months with no issues. The other night I had left it running over night, and woke up to flashing clocks all over the house (assumed to be a power outage). When I tried to power the computer back on, the LEDs came on, and some fans (the CPU fan spun briefly and then quit), but no signal was going to the monitor. I tried turning on and off a few times, and the computer would sometimes stay stuck in this state, or try to restart on it's own (to no prevail). 

The first thing I tried was unplugging the power cord and pressing the power button for ~1 min to reset the motherboard. This didn't work. 

I then unplugged everything from the PSU and plugged it back in - again, this didn't fix my problem. 

Next I pulled out 1 stick of RAM, and tried booting up and it did work - everything powered on just fine. I then shut down, installed the other stick of RAM, and it booted up, and recognized all 16GB of RAM! I used the computer for ~8 hours (thinking the problem was fixed), but at the end of the day I shut it down and tried to power back on, and again it got stuck with the LEDs on but no full boot up. 

I'm wondering if anyone has encountered something like this before? I have yet to do a full re-seatting of all components, which I do plan on doing. I'm able to get the computer to boot up by pulling and replacing one stick of RAM every time (not sure if this is really that safe). 

I should mention that I did have the computer plugged into a surge protector when the power went out, and I've tried plugging it into various different plugs around the house.

Thanks for your help!

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PC Part List


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Try using one stick of RAM at a time and try it in each of the the two slots that you are using for the 2x8GB.
Note: any RAM over 1600MHz requires OC'ing to reach it's rated speed with the GA-Z97X- Mobo.


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## Alion (Oct 22, 2014)

Thanks for the reply - I'll try using each stick individually once I get home.

I see what you're saying about the clock speeds for the RAM - I never manually set the RAM speed to 2133, so there's a good chance the BIOS is at 1600. I've used the computer for a couple months now with no startup issues - would it be possible for clock speed to be the culprit but not manifest until now?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Default for that Mobo "might" be 1333MHz. Anything above 1600MHz will rarely show any performance increase.


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## Alion (Oct 22, 2014)

So I tried each RAM stick individually, and the computer booted up each time fine. I tried both together and it booted.

I went into the BIOS and change the RAM clocks to 2133 - restarted and everything booted fine. 

Shut down and moved my computer back into place, plugged everything in, and now it attempts to power on, and immediatly shuts down and keep cycling like this. Not sure what the heck happened.. Any suggestions would be great.


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## oJosh732o (Oct 22, 2014)

Did you try the RAM sticks in each individual slot?

Such as:
Stick 1 - Slot 1
Then boot

Stick 2 - Slot 1
Then boot

Stick 1 - Slot 2
Then boot

Stick 2 - Slot 2
Then Boot

You could have gotten a bad ram slot


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## Alion (Oct 22, 2014)

oJosh732o said:


> Such as:
> Stick 1 - Slot 1
> Then boot
> 
> ...


Just tried this but still all the computer is doing is cycling power on and off.

I think I'm going to take it apart and reseat everything.


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## Alion (Oct 22, 2014)

So I just re-seated the whole computer. Noticed I was missing a standoff on the motherboard, and thought that was the problem.

I've reconnected everything, tightened it all and I still had the same problem when I booted. LEDs and fans (except CPU fan) come on, but no screen, and then pulling one stick of RAM, rebooting, powering down, replacing RAM, and rebooting again did the trick. 

So I guess I'm back at square one. Ideas?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Can you boot to the Bios and will the PC continue to run in the Bios?
Same for Safe Mode.
Try removing the GPU and connect to the Onboard Graphics to lighten the load on the PSU.
EVGA PSU's are made supplied by lower quality manufacture's and the power issue may have damaged it.


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## Alion (Oct 22, 2014)

So I tried removing the GPU and the computer booted fine - so this led me to believe it had to be the power supply. I went out and bought a new PSU (better than the one I had) and hooked that up annnnd the same thing happened. LEDs and fans come on, but no screen and no CPU cooler. 

So what now - motherboard?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Brand & Model of the PSU you purchased?

With the GPU installed......


Tyree said:


> Can you boot to the Bios and will the PC continue to run in the Bios?
> Same for Safe Mode.


If all is well with no dedicated GPU installed, the problem might be the GPU. Try it in another PC.


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