# ASUS X99-DELUXE A-II Failed



## McMack (Dec 31, 2019)

I bought a system in 2016 for my son that had this particular MB. It worked fine until last month when it wouldn't boot. I had a 3 year warranty and it died at 3 and a half years...go figure ). I see that there literally is no Q Code indicator. The Q Code digital read out on the MB is not lit at all...not working.  Because my son needed the system ASAP, I bought and installed a new MSI X99A SLI Krait Edition MB yesterday using ALL of the parts from the broken-down ASUS: (32g DDR4 ram, Core i7-5820K Haswell CPU, GeForce GTX 970, etc., and a Samsung m.2 SSD with original Win10  OS install.  I was told to expect problems trying to simply boot with original Win10 config install hard drive on a completely different brand of MB but it booted and adjusted on the fly with absolutely no issues! Device Manager = no conflicts...it is running like a champ. I was amazed!

So apparently none of the components from the failed ASUS system are the culprit. Before I dispose of the ASUS X99, I wanted to ask anyone here if they had any suggestions regarding the Q Code issue...are there other things I can check or does that signal the end of the MB?  The board itself looks great. I don't see any obvious fried/damaged VRMs. Somebody mentioned a possible failure with a BIOS chip?

Thanks for any insight you can lend!


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## Bobmitmen (Dec 31, 2019)

I had the same board go belly up on me a few years ago.  It was the bios chip, and Asus replaced the whole board.  By that time, I had purchased an EVGA X99 FTW K to replace it.  Seems that the bios chip went bad the Asus board became unbootable.  I had always kept the bios up to date on the board...perhaps it had to do with bios updates?  Not sure.  Sold the replacement board...


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## McMack (Dec 31, 2019)

Bobmitmen said:


> I had the same board go belly up on me a few years ago.  It was the bios chip, and Asus replaced the whole board.  By that time, I had purchased an EVGA X99 FTW K to replace it.  Seems that the bios chip went bad the Asus board became unbootable.  I had always kept the bios up to date on the board...perhaps it had to do with bios updates?  Not sure.  Sold the replacement board...


Thanks for replying. So I take it that there's nothing I can do regarding BIOS chip replacement as another attempt to fix?


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## Bobmitmen (Dec 31, 2019)

I wouldn't expect anything from Asus, since the board is out of warranty.   I don't recall if the chip was replaceable or not.  Have you tried to re-flash the bios using bios flashback?  Doesn't require you to boot the board, just turn on the power to the board...insert flash drive with new bios and push the flashback button...

BTW...I still have an X99 system as the backup to my main.  I also have the MSI X99A SLI Krait Edition  and love the board.  So easy to work with.


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## HUSKIE (Dec 31, 2019)

Try to power on without Cpu, let see if the q code give you an error '00'

Edit:

Does the system power on at all or just nothing?


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## xkm1948 (Dec 31, 2019)

X99 platform is cursed. If you can RMA then do it. Otherwise just move on


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## McMack (Dec 31, 2019)

Bobmitmen said:


> ...Have you tried to re-flash the bios using bios flashback?  Doesn't require you to boot the board, just turn on the power to the board...insert flash drive with new bios and push the flashback button...
> 
> BTW...I still have an X99 system as the backup to my main.  I also have the MSI X99A SLI Krait Edition  and love the board.  So easy to work with.



No, I did not. Right now, the board is sitting on cardboard. After rebuilding my son's system, all I have left is an identical CPU, identical PS and some spare SATA drives. What is the minimum I need to continue to test...1 stick of RAM? I have the CPU installed. Thanks again.



HUSKIE said:


> Try to power on without Cpu, let see if the q code give you an error '00'
> 
> Edit:
> 
> Does the system power on at all or just nothing?



I can do that but do I need at least 1 stick of RAM as well or can it be just power to a completely bare motherboard?



xkm1948 said:


> X99 platform is cursed. If you can RMA then do it. Otherwise just move on


I hear you. Geez, it feels like such a well-made board and great name. I'm thrilled at the success I had yesterday in moving everything over to the MSI board and I experienced absolutely no issues. Probably be getting a second MSI based on that, though I just wanted to exhaust all possibilities before I place the X99 in the cylindrical file.


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## HUSKIE (Dec 31, 2019)

No need ram or Cpu just mobo and EPS and 24 pin


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## McMack (Dec 31, 2019)

OK, thanks for the helpful replies.  I'll be trying the suggestions given to me here a little later in the day. I'll post what happens (or doesn't).


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## bobbybluz (Dec 31, 2019)

You can get the BIOS chip on eBay for $14-15. I've brought a few dead mobos back to life by replacing the BIOS chip.


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## McMack (Dec 31, 2019)

bobbybluz said:


> You can get the BIOS chip on eBay for $14-15. I've brought a few dead mobos back to life by replacing the BIOS chip.


Probably worth a shot at that price.


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## HUSKIE (Dec 31, 2019)

Please update..


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## McMack (Dec 31, 2019)

HUSKIE said:


> Please update..


Will do!


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## xkm1948 (Dec 31, 2019)

McMack said:


> Probably worth a shot at that price.



Would not bother if it is Qcode 00.

Did you overclock your cache? What was your voltage like? Search “ASUS qcode 00” you will see a crap ton of similar problems. It is a well known problem of ASUS X99 platform—-sudden death.

I would not waste any time or energy trying to repair yourself. Still in warranty then RMA, otherwise just recycle


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## McMack (Dec 31, 2019)

xkm1948 said:


> Would not bother if it is Qcode 00.
> 
> Did you overclock your cache? What was your voltage like? Search “ASUS qcode 00” you will see a crap ton of similar problems. It is a well known problem of ASUS X99 platform—-sudden death.
> 
> I would not waste any time or energy trying to repair yourself. Still in warranty then RMA, otherwise just recycle


No overclocking whatsoever. Don't know how to check voltage.  Maybe we're talking about the same thing but it doesn't show ANY code...there are no lights in the QCode display. Not sure if you mean an actual code value of "00" but there is no read out of any number.


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## steen (Dec 31, 2019)

Corrupt/bad EEPROM is a typical failure mode for ASUS. You can try an SPI programmer, hot flash, or attempt a USB BIOS flashback. I managed to recover a Z77 recently that would not POST, but powered on/off OK & voltages, mosfets tested fine.


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## xkm1948 (Dec 31, 2019)

__





						We'll be back.
					





					rog.asus.com
				




Overclocking does not always cause this, most of the time auto voltage does the killing


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## McMack (Dec 31, 2019)

HUSKIE said:


> No need ram or Cpu just mobo and EPS and 24 pin


Just pulled CPU and hit power. No joy - Q Code not lit.



Bobmitmen said:


> I wouldn't expect anything from Asus, since the board is out of warranty.   I don't recall if the chip was replaceable or not.  Have you tried to re-flash the bios using bios flashback?  Doesn't require you to boot the board, just turn on the power to the board...insert flash drive with new bios and push the flashback button...
> 
> BTW...I still have an X99 system as the backup to my main.  I also have the MSI X99A SLI Krait Edition  and love the board.  So easy to work with.


OK, downloaded latest BIOS from ASUS and renamed it X99d.cap on USB Flash drive. Inserted flash drive into proper usb flash port on mb. powered board, held flash bios button down until it blinked. Let go of button and it blinked 2 or 3 times and immediately went to all blue (no blink)  I saw the USB light activity for a brief second but it doesn't look like anything worked. From what I can gather, the BIOS light is supposed to blink for a lot longer and then go out when BIOS is flashed. This stayed solidly lit with no activity from flash drive.

I pulled the BIOS chip and got the number. Found new one for $12 shipped so I'll try this too. Probably heading down a dead end but the BIOS chip will be my last expense/try.


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## ERazer (Dec 31, 2019)

McMack said:


> Just pulled CPU and hit power. No joy - Q Code not lit.
> 
> 
> OK, downloaded latest BIOS from ASUS and renamed it X99d.cap on USB Flash drive. Inserted flash drive into proper usb flash port on mb. powered board, held flash bios button down until it blinked. Let go of button and it blinked 2 or 3 times and immediately went to all blue (no blink)  I saw the USB light activity for a brief second but it doesn't look like anything worked. From what I can gather, the BIOS light is supposed to blink for a lot longer and then go out when BIOS is flashed. This stayed solidly lit with no activity from flash drive.
> ...


keep us updated, I have a x99 mobo as well that I'm having issues with code 99


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## sneekypeet (Dec 31, 2019)

McMack said:


> From what I can gather, the BIOS light is supposed to blink for a lot longer and then go out when BIOS is flashed. This stayed solidly lit with no activity from flash drive.



All of my Asus boards blink till the drive is used, then the light is solid while flashing the BIOS. Goes out when done. Can take a while, especially if you have something funky going on in the first place. My asus X99 test board was stupidly slow when using BIOS Flashback.

Maybe try again and wait it out.


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## McMack (Dec 31, 2019)

ERazer said:


> keep us updated, I have a x99 mobo as well that I'm having issues with code 99


I certainly will.



sneekypeet said:


> All of my Asus boards blink till the drive is used, then the light is solid while flashing the BIOS. Goes out when done. Can take a while, especially if you have something funky going on in the first place. My asus X99 test board was stupidly slow when using BIOS Flashback.
> 
> Maybe try again and wait it out.


Ok, thanks for that. YouTube helped a bit but still, it’s hard to know what to look for when you haven’t done this before. I will try again and let you know how it goes.



sneekypeet said:


> All of my Asus boards blink till the drive is used, then the light is solid while flashing the BIOS. Goes out when done. Can take a while, especially if you have something funky going on in the first place. My asus X99 test board was stupidly slow when using BIOS Flashback.
> 
> Maybe try again and wait it out.


OK apparently I wasn't using the correct name for the BIOS cap file for my ASUS board. Once I renamed it properly, there seemed to be activity with the BIOS light and the actual drive light. They flickered for an extended time this go-round. Now, the BIOS light is solid blue and no activity with the flash drive. Been that way for some time but I'll leave it alone I guess.


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## sneekypeet (Dec 31, 2019)

McMack said:


> I'll leave it alone I guess.



Shouldn't be more than maybe 10 minutes tops. I have had them be slow, but its not something that should take an hour to complete.


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## McMack (Dec 31, 2019)

sneekypeet said:


> Shouldn't be more than maybe 10 minutes tops. I have had them be slow, but its not something that should take an hour to complete.


It's been longer than that. I guess I'll pop the new BIOS chip in when it arrives and see what happens. If no-go, I definitely will move on! Just hated throwing out an expensive item like this without trying everything I could.


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## sneekypeet (Dec 31, 2019)

McMack said:


> It's been longer than that. I guess I'll pop the new BIOS chip in when it arrives and see what happens. If no-go, I definitely will move on! Just hated throwing out an expensive item like this without trying everything I could.



So after removing the USB, you tried booting with no joy?

I say yank the drive and  boot to see if anything happened.

EDIT: Not sure about your specific board, but if you can get into BIOS level access, my Asus boards had built in flash tools too, which means you can watch the bar progress while flashing to see if anything is honestly happening.


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## McMack (Dec 31, 2019)

sneekypeet said:


> Shouldn't be more than maybe 10 minutes tops. I have had them be slow, but its not something that should take an hour to complete.


OK, file this under me being a dunce. Turns out I was using the wrong BIOS cap file, for crying out loud. So I downloaded the correct one and the flash process went through all the way. MB BIOS light blinking - flash drive light showing constant activity for 8-10 minutes. It finished and sure enough, the BIOS light went out upon completion. So I successfully flashed the BIOS but the Q-code indicator is still dark. Wondering if I need ram, etc for that to come on.


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## sneekypeet (Dec 31, 2019)

Cannot help you there. Any time I have flashed, it was with gear to boot afterwards already installed.


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## McMack (Dec 31, 2019)

No problem. I'll swap some parts in later. Wish I had never gone X99 route. I'm only seeing now that there's along history of fails!  Thanks for your help - this is a terrific forum.


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## Bobmitmen (Jan 1, 2020)

Mc...sorry you are having so many issues.  I owned Three X99 boards total.  The Asus, the MSI that I mentioned in my first post (which you now have) and an EVGA X99 FTW K.  The latter two were bulletproof.  I only had issues with the Asus.  The reason I purchased the EVGA X99 FTW K was to replace the Asus at the time. since the Asus tech estimated turnaround on Asus RMA ran about a month and the board was in my main system.  The EVGA served me well, until I upgraded to X299.  I learned my Asus lesson (and I owned Asus for many generations of motherboards).  The person who bought my EVGA X99 FTW K still has it running with a 5960X to this day.  The MSI is still kicking in great shape, on my secondary rig with a 5820X.  I don't know about the X99 being cursed, as much as I have lost faith in Asus because of their failures with the platform..  When I upgraded to X299 it was between the Asus Mach1 and EVGA X299 FTW K.  I had a keen understanding about installing Windows on the m.2 in the EVGA board, because of the X99, but when I called Asus about how to enable the m.2 slot and make it ready for Windows...they had no idea...pretty scary!  Are you having issues with the MSI Krait?  Bet not...

In order to see if the Asus will post...you will now need CPU, at least one memory stick, PSU conected to 24 pin and 8 pin CPU and a video card.  That should be enough to see if the board will come to life.  You will end up with an error about no bootable media present...but if the board lives...you will know


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## McMack (Jan 1, 2020)

Bobmitmen said:


> Mc...sorry you are having so many issues.  I owned Three X99 boards total.  The Asus, the MSI that I mentioned in my first post (which you now have) and an EVGA X99 FTW K.  The latter two were bulletproof.  I only had issues with the Asus.  The reason I purchased the EVGA X99 FTW K was to replace the Asus at the time. since the Asus tech estimated turnaround on Asus RMA ran about a month and the board was in my main system.  The EVGA served me well, until I upgraded to X299.  I learned my Asus lesson (and I owned Asus for many generations of motherboards).  The person who bought my EVGA X99 FTW K still has it running with a 5960X to this day.  The MSI is still kicking in great shape, on my secondary rig with a 5820X.  I don't know about the X99 being cursed, as much as I have lost faith in Asus because of their failures with the platform..  When I upgraded to X299 it was between the Asus Mach1 and EVGA X299 FTW K.  I had a keen understanding about installing Windows on the m.2 in the EVGA board, because of the X99, but when I called Asus about how to enable the m.2 slot and make it ready for Windows...they had no idea...pretty scary!  Are you having issues with the MSI Krait?  Bet not...
> 
> In order to see if the Asus will post...you will now need CPU, at least one memory stick, PSU conected to 24 pin and 8 pin CPU and a video card.  That should be enough to see if the board will come to life.  You will end up with an error about no bootable media present...but if the board lives...you will know


I had started to build my son's X99 system in 2016. I didn't finish it (long story) so from that incomplete build, I had the following components left over in my garage: mid tower case, core i7-5820K LGA 2011-3 cpu, SuperNOVA Series 650 650W 80 PLUS Gold power supply and CPU cooler. In the interest of time, I simply purchased an X99 system from AVA Direct Custom Computers. The original mb in my order was a Gigabyte board but they had some issues in getting it and substituted the ASUS X99a-II. 

My sons have used the system with no issues for 3.5 years. When it died 3 weeks ago, I decided to swap power supplies and CPUs (which were identical to those of my original build) to troubleshoot those. When it didn't fix the problem, I researched and bought the affordable MSI and plugged in everything from the AVA system to it and, as I had said, was pleasantly surprised as I didn't need to do a thing. The boys got their exact old system back! So with substantial $$ invested in the orginal build, I have to keep with X99 and will probably just get a second MSI board although the one I bought from New Egg came from China and it was literally just the board. No docs, cd's...nothing. Almost wondering if it was a knock off. I went online and found docs and as I said, got it going in one day.

Soooo - would have been wonderful getting ASUS to come to life but even if I did, I don't know if I can trust it! We'll see but one way or another, I'll be X99-ing it shortly!  Hey, thank you for all of your help. It has been extremely helpful to hear of your experiences!


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## Bobmitmen (Jan 1, 2020)

Glad to share my experience.  Odd that we had the same issue with exactly the same board....oh well...live and learn.  You will like the MSI board...

Happy New Year!


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## McMack (Jan 1, 2020)

Bobmitmen said:


> Glad to share my experience.  Odd that we had the same issue with exactly the same board....oh well...live and learn.  You will like the MSI board...
> 
> Happy New Year!


Thanks and Happy New Year to you as well!


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## steen (Jan 1, 2020)

McMack said:


> OK, file this under me being a dunce. Turns out I was using the wrong BIOS cap file, for crying out loud. So I downloaded the correct one and the flash process went through all the way. MB BIOS light blinking - flash drive light showing constant activity for 8-10 minutes. It finished and sure enough, the BIOS light went out upon completion. So I successfully flashed the BIOS but the Q-code indicator is still dark. Wondering if I need ram, etc for that to come on.


The problem with ASUS USB flashback is that it appears to not always flash the boot block nor IME areas. I coaxed to POST via the memOK button & one stick of RAM, flashed via ezflash that allowed consistent POST, then used AMI Winflash & flash entire BIOS option to reflash boot block & IME. With IME/FITC versions matching, no more probs. Much easier with SPI flasher or replacement flash ROM. Good luck.


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## McMack (Jan 1, 2020)

sneekypeet said:


> So after removing the USB, you tried booting with no joy?
> 
> I say yank the drive and  boot to see if anything happened.
> 
> EDIT: Not sure about your specific board, but if you can get into BIOS level access, my Asus boards had built in flash tools too, which means you can watch the bar progress while flashing to see if anything is honestly happening.


I actually had nothing attached to the mb except the flash drive with the latest BIOS and the cpu. I just wanted to see if the q-code LED would come back on the powered mb (it hasn't) after flashing BIOS. Awaiting delivery of the new BIOS chip.



steen said:


> The problem with ASUS USB flashback is that it appears to not always flash the boot block nor IME areas. I coaxed to POST via the memOK button & one stick of RAM, flashed via ezflash that allowed consistent POST, then used AMI Winflash & flash entire BIOS option to reflash boot block & IME. With IME/FITC versions matching, no more probs. Much easier with SPI flasher or replacement flash ROM. Good luck.


Hopefully replacement of BIOS chip will be ticket. If not, well...I tried! New mb!


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