# Computer shuts down as soon as it starts (P5N-E SLI)...



## Nick259 (Apr 15, 2012)

Hello everyone, I suspect this motherboard is faulty but i'm just posting here in case i've missed anything obvious. My friend bought a P5N-E SLI mobo second hand a while back to upgrade his sisters pc but it had the issue whereby it would shut down almost instantaneously after it was started up. This happens with both an E6600 and a celeron d cpu. I thought I would have a look at it again but it's doing the same thing. I've tested it with components that are confirmed working - a stick of corsair DDR2, a corsair HX 520w psu, a 5770 gpu and of course the celeron d cpu.

Any idea's or is it just dead? Not all of the pins look uniform however they all look as if they should make contact with the cpu. I'll try and get a pic of it.

Here are some pics:

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u224/synixx/IMG_20120415_154045.jpg

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u224/synixx/IMG_20120415_154056.jpg

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u224/synixx/IMG_20120415_154138.jpg

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u224/synixx/IMG_20120415_154226.jpg

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u224/synixx/IMG_20120415_154335.jpg

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u224/synixx/IMG_20120415_154404.jpg


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## jsfitz54 (Apr 15, 2012)

Are there any capacitors that look bad. The ones that look like: http://www.capacitorlab.com/capacitor-types-electrolytic/

It could be lots of things but trying to rule out something visual.

Second to last photo: cap under southbridge (AI Life) ?  Image is shaky can't view well.

Pins don't look bad.

Do any of the metal caps look like they are pushing up off the motherboard from the bottom.


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## Nick259 (Apr 15, 2012)

Thanks for the post. The caps look fine. There is no visual bulging of the sort, they just look normal.

EDIT: I also got the model number of the board wrong it's a P5N32-SLI Premium.


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## TC-man (Apr 15, 2012)

Hi,

For the time-being, try to clear cmos/bios (see the jumper setting for that in the manual) and detach and/or replace the cmos battery with a new one if needed. Also make sure the cpu cooler is already attached to the motherboard header for the cpu fan; also, some motherboards don't like fan with a low rpm, perhaps try out with a fan with higher rpm to rule out this issue. 

By the way, can you go into bios or the motherboard just kinda hangs? And are there any error codes/beeps?


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## Mussels (Apr 15, 2012)

does it start up, shut down, wait 3-5 seconds and start up again? if so its a BIOS 'safety' feature on those boards. seen it a lot, and its thrown a lot of new users out for a loop.


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## Nick259 (Apr 15, 2012)

TC-man said:


> Hi,
> 
> For the time-being, try to clear cmos/bios (see the jumper setting for that in the manual) and detach and/or replace the cmos battery with a new one if needed. Also make sure the cpu cooler is already attached to the motherboard header for the cpu fan; also, some motherboards don't like fan with a low rpm, perhaps try out with a fan with higher rpm to rule out this issue.
> 
> By the way, can you go into bios or the motherboard just kinda hangs? And are there any error codes/beeps?



Hi, I will try taking the cmos battery from my pc and putting it in this mobo. I was just testing it quickly so I didn't even connect the heatsink as it only starts up for 1 second and then shuts off completely.

No error beeps, the fans just start for 1 sec then it shuts down. There is a green LED on the mobo that lights up when it is hooked up to the PSU though.


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## jsfitz54 (Apr 15, 2012)

Mussels said:


> does it start up, shut down, wait 3-5 seconds and start up again? if so its a BIOS 'safety' feature on those boards. seen it a lot, and its thrown a lot of new users out for a loop.



Would you please elaborate on how to correct this?


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## Nick259 (Apr 15, 2012)

Mussels said:


> does it start up, shut down, wait 3-5 seconds and start up again? if so its a BIOS 'safety' feature on those boards. seen it a lot, and its thrown a lot of new users out for a loop.



No it just shuts down and stays shut off. Can you explain that in more detail though as that has happened to me with another asus board and a gigabyte board.


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## Mussels (Apr 15, 2012)

jsfitz54 said:


> Would you please elaborate on how to correct this?



you cant, its literally a feature. it boots at BIOS defaults, then your custom settings so that if the custom fails, it can go into a recovery mode and let you set stable settings.

an overclocking protection feature, as it were, extremely common on DDR2 775 boards from asus and gigabyte.


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## Mike0409 (Apr 15, 2012)

What fan are you using?  The OEM fan that comes with the intel chip?  If so, make sure that's properly seated down. Those Intel OEM fan's are crap and if there is any play and not a firm fit it will cause the CPU to shut down from heat, and the board will go into this protected mode where the board won't power up for 3-5 minutes to let the CPU cool down. 

Same thing happened to me with my i5 and my Asus Gene III about 6 months back. System would power up, i'd have a black screen for 3 seconds then the PC would power off and I couldn't turn it back on for about 2-3 minutes. I thought I had faulty memory, or fried my CPU.  Found that one of the clips wasn't as secure as it should have been. I swapped that fan out, new thermal paste, and it's been running fine ever since.

Pull the fan, re-apply thermal paste, and put it back on.  I'd test with an aftermarket fan, something that can clip down versus those twist screw locks.


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## NinkobEi (Apr 15, 2012)

TC-man said:


> Hi,
> 
> For the time-being, try to clear cmos/bios



I know its completely obvious, but you did this step, right?


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## stinger608 (Apr 15, 2012)

Nick259 said:


> I was just testing it quickly so I didn't even connect the heatsink as it only starts up for 1 second and then shuts off completely.



I am to assume your referring to the fan on the heat sink? If so, plug that into the CPU fan header on the motherboard. Some of them will not start if it doesn't sense a fan plugged into that header.


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## Nick259 (Apr 15, 2012)

Ok i've fitted a new CMOS battery but i've still got the same problem.



Mike0409 said:


> What fan are you using?  The OEM fan that comes with the intel chip?  If so, make sure that's properly seated down. Those Intel OEM fan's are crap and if there is any play and not a firm fit it will cause the CPU to shut down from heat, and the board will go into this protected mode where the board won't power up for 3-5 minutes to let the CPU cool down.
> 
> Same thing happened to me with my i5 and my Asus Gene III about 6 months back. System would power up, i'd have a black screen for 3 seconds then the PC would power off and I couldn't turn it back on for about 2-3 minutes. I thought I had faulty memory, or fried my CPU.  Found that one of the clips wasn't as secure as it should have been. I swapped that fan out, new thermal paste, and it's been running fine ever since.
> 
> Pull the fan, re-apply thermal paste, and put it back on.  I'd test with an aftermarket fan, something that can clip down versus those twist screw locks.



To be honest I haven't even fitted the heatsink because the pc only powers up for literally one second before shutting down and I doubt that's enough time for the cpu to overheat. Do you think that fitting the heatsink will be of any benefit at all? The cpu is still cold to touch after it shuts down.



NinkobEi said:


> I know its completely obvious, but you did this step, right?



Yes 



stinger608 said:


> I am to assume your referring to the fan on the heat sink? If so, plug that into the CPU fan header on the motherboard. Some of them will not start if it doesn't sense a fan plugged into that header.



I've just done that there and unfortunately it doesn;t make a difference


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## Nick259 (Apr 15, 2012)

Oh I should also mention that there was a backplate on the board which prevented the stock heatsink being fitted so my friend took it to the local pc shop to get it removed. They used a heat gun to soften the glue. These guys were professionals so I doubt they fucked it up but is there a chance that they could have damaged the cpu socket?


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## Mike0409 (Apr 15, 2012)

Nick259 said:


> To be honest I haven't even fitted the heatsink because the pc only powers up for literally one second before shutting down and I doubt that's enough time for the cpu to overheat. Do you think that fitting the heatsink will be of any benefit at all? The cpu is still cold to touch after it shuts down.



I would just to eliminate that factor.


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## OneMoar (Apr 15, 2012)

Nick259 said:


> Oh I should also mention that there was a backplate on the board which prevented the stock heatsink being fitted so my friend took it to the local pc shop to get it removed. They used a heat gun to soften the glue. These guys were professionals so I doubt they fucked it up but is there a chance that they could have damaged the cpu socket?



they might have ruined the PCB traces >_>
also the cooler is not just there to keep the cpu cool its `weight` to help ensure the cpu PADS make good contact


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## NinkobEi (Apr 15, 2012)

If clearing the cmos doesn't at least allow it to boot, I think there is a serious hardware problem on the line somewhere. And since everything else works in other machines it sounds like the motherboard is indeed at fault. Assuming everything is plugged in correctly (I'm looking at You, PSU - seems to be a popular culprit), anyway.


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## mjkmike (Apr 15, 2012)

the first photo shows six or more bad pins. I thnk the board is toast and you should not put any good cpu in that.

You posted great photo's,  so you already new the harm dun.  It just sucks when it happens to you.


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## stinger608 (Apr 15, 2012)

mjkmike said:


> the first photo shows six or more bad pins. I thnk the board is toast and you should not put any good cpu in that.
> 
> You posted great photo's,  so you already new the harm dun.  It just sucks when it happens to you.



I thought it looked like there were several bent or bad pins as well.


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## Nick259 (Apr 15, 2012)

mjkmike said:


> the first photo shows six or more bad pins. I thnk the board is toast and you should not put any good cpu in that.
> 
> You posted great photo's,  so you already new the harm dun.  It just sucks when it happens to you.



When you say the CPU pins are bad, what indicated this to you? Is it because they are slightly bent or something else? I've tried aligning the pins to the best of my ability, they didn't seem very severely offset.


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## GSquadron (Apr 15, 2012)

Check if you put in the cooler well.
That happened to a friends of mine pc long time ago


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## mjkmike (Apr 15, 2012)

Nick259 said:


> When you say the CPU pins are bad, what indicated this to you? Is it because they are slightly bent or something else? I've tried aligning the pins to the best of my ability, they didn't seem very severely offset.



They look cooked to me.  The pin will stay in good form from time to time but the traces will be bad.  Don't know the pin map for that socket but it looks like mem volts.


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## OneMoar (Apr 15, 2012)

the one 2 rows down from the bottem of the socket and 3 over from the corner in the first pick would be the one thats in the worst shape the rest of them don't look good but they should be functional


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## de.das.dude (Apr 15, 2012)

i think the PSU may be getting old nad the 5850 is getting too much to handle. i mean its 520W right?


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## OneMoar (Apr 15, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> i think the PSU may be getting old nad the 5850 is getting too much to handle. i mean its 520W right?



wrong thread ?


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## OneMoar (Apr 15, 2012)

bentpin ^^


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## de.das.dude (Apr 15, 2012)

OneMoar said:


> wrong thread ?



i should probably sleep.


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## Nick259 (Apr 15, 2012)

OneMoar said:


> the one 2 rows down from the bottem of the socket and 3 over from the corner in the first pick would be the one thats in the worst shape the rest of them don't look good but they should be functional





OneMoar said:


> http://f.cl.ly/items/3k2w1T3i07473725321V/IMG_20120415_154045.jpg
> bentpin ^^



Sorry I can't see the one you're talking about. Would it be too much hastle to download the pic and circle it in paint?

EDIT: sorry i'm a dumbass I see it marked now. I'll try and fiddle with it now.


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## OneMoar (Apr 15, 2012)

Nick259 said:


> Sorry I can't see the one you're talking about. Would it be too much hastle to download the pic and circle it in paint?



I did LOL  look athe the pic again lol
http://f.cl.ly/items/3k2w1T3i07473725321V/IMG_20120415_154045.jpg


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## Nick259 (Apr 15, 2012)

OneMoar said:


> I did LOL  look athe the pic again lol
> http://f.cl.ly/items/3k2w1T3i07473725321V/IMG_20120415_154045.jpg



Yeah sorry see my edit


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## user21 (Apr 15, 2012)

try bending a bit fixing this pin to align the grid properly may be its messing around.


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## OneMoar (Apr 15, 2012)

better >
they don't need to be perfect but you don't want them to overlap when in the DOWN position
Don't push down on END OF THE PIN  them and don't pry up on the END OF THE PIN if you can help it they break ever so easily


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## Vendor (Apr 15, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> i think the PSU may be getting old nad the 5850 is getting too much to handle. i mean its 520W right?



msi overclocked hd 6850 (power edition), works fine on my low end 450w ordinary psu by Intex then why the heck would be 520w not enough to run 5850.


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## Nick259 (Apr 15, 2012)

I had it connected it up to my corsair HX 520W power supply (spare psu just upgraded to an antec HCG 750w) and when I switched it on after fiddling with that pin it just sparked and there was a sort of burning smell. Then I plugged it into my pc and it booted it up fine, just came back after dinner to test it again and there was another spark. I'm pretty sure the power supply is fucked, i'm not testing it out on my pc again as I don't want to destroy it. Shit...

A PSU that I was about to sell for £40 blown testing a shitty faulty motherboard worth nothing. Dammit. What are the chances that the PSU is still ok? 

Sorry guys just venting here i'm a bit pissed off atm.

EDIT: There wasn't any smoke if that makes a difference?


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## TC-man (Apr 15, 2012)

Nick259 said:


> I had it connected it up to my corsair HX 520W power supply (spare psu just upgraded to an antec HCG 750w) and when I switched it on after fiddling with that pin it just sparked and there was a sort of burning smell. Then I plugged it into my pc and it booted it up fine, just came back after dinner to test it again and there was another spark. I'm pretty sure the power supply is fucked, i'm not testing it out on my pc again as I don't want to destroy it. Shit...
> 
> A PSU that I was about to sell for £40 blown testing a shitty faulty motherboard worth nothing. Dammit. What are the chances that the PSU is still ok?
> 
> ...




Try to test the PSU with the paperclip trick. Don't put the paperclip in while the PSU is on! See whether the PSU turns on or not.

And if you still want to test the motherboard, this may be handy for testing the pins. But I guess it's time to buy an other socket 775 motherboard, it's much safer this way. How much did your friend pay for that nForce 590 SLI motherboard? Anyway, try to find a used Intel 965P, P35 or P45 chipset based socket 775 motherboard, e.g. this Asrock P5B-DE.


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## Nick259 (Apr 15, 2012)

TC-man said:


> Try to test the PSU with the paperclip trick. Don't put the paperclip in while the PSU is on! See whether the PSU turns on or not.
> 
> And if you still want to test the motherboard, this may be handy for testing the pins. But I guess it's time to buy an other socket 775 motherboard, it's much safer this way. How much did your friend pay for that nForce 590 SLI motherboard? Anyway, try to find a used Intel 965P, P35 or P45 chipset based socket 775 motherboard, e.g. this Asrock P5B-DE.



Ok using the paperclip test it sparks and then the fan begins to spin. I switched it off as soon as it sparked so i'm not sure what would happen after that.

Currently i'm looking at the G41 motherboards as they seem to be ~£30 and have DDR3 support.


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## OneMoar (Apr 15, 2012)

mmm once the mystery smoke escapes theres no putting it back in


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## Nick259 (Apr 16, 2012)

OneMoar said:


> mmm once the mystery smoke escapes theres no putting it back in



There's no smoke but I think you're right


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## brandonwh64 (Apr 16, 2012)

I don't think just that one pin could kill a PSU unless is a no name psu without any circuit protection. I have grounded Molex 12V before by mistake and it just shuts the PSU off.


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## OneMoar (Apr 16, 2012)

brandonwh64 said:


> I don't think just that one pin could kill a PSU unless is a no name psu without any circuit protection. I have grounded Molex 12V before by mistake and it just shuts the PSU off.



if it was a power pin and it shorted the VRM out it could have 
if that happened he has a dead board AND A dead psu


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