Restart loop on Z77 Pro3

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   Hello, 
   Could you please advise or give me some hints regarding the issue I encounter? 
   I upgraded my cpu cooler from stock to Scythe Ninja 4. 

 After I put back all my components, the system seems to start booting 
(all vents are spinning, all leds are lid, I can hear all HDDs and the 
ODD to work, the video card has its green led lid) but after exactly 5 
seconds it shuts down by itself, then after exactly 3 seconds it starts 
on (by itself) then after another 5 seconds it shuts down and so on the 
loop goes.
   I have double checked the cables to be properly inserted  the DIMs, but I cannot find any faults.

 Does any one knows what, or if, this behavior is an error code? As I do
 not have any beeps or something to point me in the right way?

Many thanks in advance,  

Edited by miborion - 22 Jul 2015 at 4:15pm

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miborion Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Jul 2015 Location: Bucharest Status: Offline Points: 12	Post Options Post Reply Quote miborion Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Restart loop on Z77 Pro3 Posted: 22 Jul 2015 at 4:08pm
	Hello, Could you please advise or give me some hints regarding the issue I encounter? I upgraded my cpu cooler from stock to Scythe Ninja 4. After I put back all my components, the system seems to start booting (all vents are spinning, all leds are lid, I can hear all HDDs and the ODD to work, the video card has its green led lid) but after exactly 5 seconds it shuts down by itself, then after exactly 3 seconds it starts on (by itself) then after another 5 seconds it shuts down and so on the loop goes. I have double checked the cables to be properly inserted the DIMs, but I cannot find any faults. Does any one knows what, or if, this behavior is an error code? As I do not have any beeps or something to point me in the right way? Many thanks in advance, Edited by miborion - 22 Jul 2015 at 4:15pm

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Online Points: 24653	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 2015 at 4:42pm
	Welcome to the forums Given that the problem started after you installed a new cooler on your CPU we need to look at what could have gone wrong in the process. If I am not mistaken that cooler has a backplate that needs to be installed on the underside of the motherboard so that means you would have had to strip the entire system to install the cooler, am I correct? If this is the case then you need to pull everything out again and check to be sure you have the cooler installed correctly, no pins bent in the CPU socket, no excess thermal compound leaked out onto the motherboard (can be a problem if the paste is conductive) and lastly that your back plate is installed correctly and is not shorting components on the back of the motherboard. Conductive thermal compounds have been the cause of more problems than most people know, applying too much can cause it to ooze out onto the motherboard when the cooler is applied. Be sure you try a minimal config for troubleshooting. Set up the motherboard outside the case with no drives, 1 module of RAM and the CPU only as well as all the power cables for the board itself obviously. Use the onboard video for testing. If you can get the system to post then look at your CPU temps and volatges under HW-monitor. Good luck

miborion Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Jul 2015 Location: Bucharest Status: Offline Points: 12	Post Options Post Reply Quote miborion Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 2015 at 5:09pm
	@xaltar: thanks for the info. I was not aware of the conductive paste. I double checked the cabling, the 12V cable, all but the dent pins, as I did not pulled out of its socket the CPU unit. Is there any place I can find what means from the mother board point of view, so to say, the powering up then to automatically shut down and then to power up and so on? Because when it worked, if I changed some settings in BIOS then after successfully applying them the behavior was somewhat same; it shut down then it started up by itself, but kept running... Many thanks in advance,

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Online Points: 24653	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 2015 at 5:46pm
	Are you getting a post screen when you power on or does the display remain blank?

miborion Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Jul 2015 Location: Bucharest Status: Offline Points: 12	Post Options Post Reply Quote miborion Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 2015 at 6:31pm
	@xaltar: no, no post. No video is initialized (both dedicated, or Intel HD4000)

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Online Points: 24653	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 2015 at 6:38pm
	Typically the restart cycles as you described occur when there is some sort of voltage problem to either the CPU or the chipset. I have seen the same behavior when I set my voltages too low when overclocking, the system continues in an endless loop of power up then down. Try the Clear CMOS jumper on your board: Power off the system Disconnect the power cord from the PSU Press and hold the power button until all LEDs on the board go off Use the jumper to bridge pins 2 and 3 on the clear CMOS header for about 5 - 10 seconds Replace the jumper in its original location (pins 1 and 2) Connect the power cord again Try and power on If this does not work then you need to do everything I initially posted again and check thoroughly for any shorts, spilled thermal paste or any other potential problems the cooler installation could have caused. Good luck

miborion Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Jul 2015 Location: Bucharest Status: Offline Points: 12	Post Options Post Reply Quote miborion Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 Jul 2015 at 1:53pm
	@xaltar: thank you very much for the hints. I finally found the issue. Turns out, when I installed the cooler, its backplate, was touching some components, I had to put some rubber shielding between the backplate and the mother board. I found this out when testing the memory slots, because from 4 only the last two (A2 and B2) were running, with one DIMM module inserted on. The first one gave me the error (the restarting loop). And, more, there were another issue (I still blame Scythe for not putting into the cooler's package the needed insulated materials) was that when fixing the screws into the motherboard, around the CPU socket, those screws had not any insulated material therefore when I screwed the screws I damaged some of the circuit which were annotated as DDRAM something. I had to put some insulated material between the screw and the mother board and to rebuild the "scratched" circuit. Now it seems to work fine with no more issues. Thanks again for the support. Regards,

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Online Points: 24653	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 Jul 2015 at 2:24pm
	Great to hear, I am glad you got it sorted. A lot of these aftermarket coolers can be tricky to install.