GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 wont post.

[Meph]

I just installed this motherboard in a new system this week.  I'm using a i5-2500k processor, 8 GB Gskill 1600 ram, and an EVGA 460 GTX 1G Superclocked.  Also using an OCZ 500w PS.  I installed everything all it all worked fine but Windows 7 was stalling while extracting files.  I tried a whole host of things as per the Windows 7 support forums.  None of their options worked and the last thing I tried, as per their suggestions, was disabling Legacy USB support.  I did that and from that point on the motherboard wouldn't post.  It would turn on, display the logo screen, and then reboot.

I have tried swapping out different memory configurations, removed all drives, even tried a 700w PS thinking I might be too low.  Nothing worked.  This morning I read about booting up the dual bios and it booted right up.  What are my options from here.  I can get into the bios when using the dual bios but as soon as I reboot im back to square one.  So what can I do from here?

Thanks,
Mike

[Meph]

Also forgot to mention that I tried all the suggestions from this thread: http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php?topic=6264.0

I did an extended CMOS clear yesterday for approximately 7 hours.  No change.

[Dark Mantis]

Hi

Well I would check to see what BIOS version it is that boots alright and then synchronise both BIOSes to that version. That way at least if the BIOS reverts to the other one it will be the same.

Are you running the laterst BIOS version available ?

[Meph]

The one that boots alright is only F3.  I can update them to the newest.  How do I synchronize them?

[absic]

Hi there,

To synchronise the two BIOS chips so that they contain the same version  you need to press the "Alt & F12" keys simultaneously in the same manner that you would press the "Del" key to get into BIOS.

It can take a couple of attempts at starting the PC and pressing the two keys before it registers and when it does, you will get a message about flashing the Main BIOS to the Back-up chip. Do not press any buttons or power down the PC until after the flash has completed.

You can check which BIOS versions are being held in both chips by pressing the "F9" key on the BIOS homescreen.

[Meph]

THanks, im going to try that right now.  I can't normally get into my bios with a normal boot.  The only time I can get into the bios is when I boot straight into the secondary.  If this doesn't work from a normal boot what will happen if I do Alt & F12 when booting as I would for the dual bios?

[absic]

Hi again,

not sure to be honest but as I said you might have to try several times before the keys are recognised and the back-up BIOS flash will occur.

[Dark Mantis]

If you manage to synchronise the two BIOSes with the correct version then hopefully you shouldn't have any more trouble with booting any more as they will both be the same as your Backup BIOS.

[Meph]

Well unfortunately I have a new problem this morning.  Now the power just keeps cycling.  It turns on for about 2 seconds, then off for about 5, then on again for 2, etc.  No post, no beeps, no nothing.  I'm about to take everything out of the case to test to make sure something isn't shorting.

[Dark Mantis]

The other thing to check if there is no short is that the cooler is making a good connection to the CPU. Because what you are describing is the same as you will get from an overheating CPU. If you are using the stock cooler it is quite common for it to come loose on one of the stanchions.

[absic]

Hi again,

There is of course the possibility of a short in the system, either from an extra motherboard standoff under the board and also from where the motherboard sits against the backplate.

Any chance of a full list of your components as this could help with further troubleshooting for you?

[Meph]

OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

EVGA 01G-P3-1373-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked EE 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support

COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case

GIGABYTE GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

The Hard Drive is a 1TB Seagate from another system and the DVD Drive also came from that system.

[absic]

If you remove the PC from the case and find you still have the same issue, have you got a different Graphics card that you could try?
I encountered a problem (on a different system) with similar symptoms and found that the higher spec'd GPU was the cause.

[Dark Mantis]

Another thing that is easy to try is remove one stick of memory and try booting. If it fails try the other stick in the first slot preferably.

[Meph]

I removed it from the case to eliminate the issue of a short.  I reseated the CPU cooler and made sure it had plenty of thermal paste which it did.  I tried different ram configurations, different power supply, and put in a Nvidia 6800 GTS card.  None of that had any change.  CPU cycles on for 2 seconds, off for about 5, then repeats.