Fixing boot issues
We’ve all been there: the panic, the tentative push of the On button, the silence of zero boot. Here’s a few quick solutions.
TIP 1 It’s probably memory
The number of times we’ve fixed a boot issue due to memory is staggering. A good way to diagnose these conundrums is via the on-board motherboard debug code display. It typically displays a number, depending on the running state of your motherboard. If nothing appears on your screen, and everything’s plugged in correctly, check the BIOS debug code for your first hint; 90 percent of the time, it will say it can’t detect the memory. Your best bet? Reseat the memory. If that doesn’t work, reseat the processor. And if that doesn’t work, try moving your memory to the additional memory slots. If you’re still not having any luck, it’s time to work out whether your memory is DOA. To do this, you’ll want to try each stick separately. And if you’re still not having any luck, it’s probably time to RMA those suckers.
TIP 2 RMA & returns
There’s a reason we suggest going with named brands: warranty. EVGA’s warranties and customer service are legendary, same goes for Corsair. If you’ve got an issue, raise a ticket with the customer support team and, given the evidence, it will likely exchange your part for a fresh one. So, if common sense, the manual, or Google fails you, RMAing might be the way to go.
TIP 3 Fresh install Windows
We’ve also seen our fair share of OS-related issues, especially when transferring old hard drives to new systems. It can be anything from driver conflicts (always uninstall AMD/Nvidia drivers before swapping to the competitors cards), to corrupt OS files, to program conflicts. Ultimately, we always recommend you do a completely fresh install of Windows on to your SSD — not a refresh, not a reset, but a completely fresh install.
TIP 3 Cables, cables, cables
We’ve all done it — forgotten to plug in the PCIe power, not attached front panel connectors, had a cheap DisplayPort cable…. You can guarantee all of us here have probably built a system and missed plugging a cable in at least once. Display connection cables, in particular, are chronically bad for this — the number of crappy DisplayPort and HDMI cables we’ve handled over the years is horrific. In short, make sure everything’s plugged in where it needs to be and your system hasn’t gone to sleep in the process.