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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Doddie, thanks for the good advice and info. I actually have the motherboard manual, most of which is over my head. But on a second review of the manual, I did see mention of pressing the F5 key....I had missed that before.

In order to reboot, I must remove the CMOS battery, which requires first removing the add on video card. I've done this sequence several times, but I need better lighting to do it. So I will wait until the morning light. I will let you know if F5 works.

Thanks again.....BB

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Would you believe....I am actually writing this from my primary computer, which is again operational at least for now. And how did I get here? As follows:
- I reinserted the CMOS battery and reinstalled my add-on graphics card
- I plugged my monitor into this graphics card (which I guess wasn't broken after all)
- I powered up the computer and pressed F2 to enter BIOS
- This automatically brought up the EZ BIOS screen, where my default values were already loaded. It was on this screen that I saw the F5 key...I clicked it, but nothing changed since the default values were already loaded
- This time I did not press F10 to save and exit, because I knew this would crash my system
- Instead, I pressed F8 to bring up my Boot Manager
- I selected the Windows Manager, and there it was....my Windows 10 desktop suddenly appeared
- All my icons were present and my applications seem to be working.

Thanks to Jay and Doddie for giving me some good ideas and recommendations. I am now going to extensively play with my system to make sure it doesn't crash again.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Glad that it is running.

What you describe makes me think a faulty CMOS/flash memory even more.

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"Well, there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out."

The problem is back. After using my system for about an hour and testing most applications, I decided to do a Restart since that happens from time to time. My system did not recover....it crashed again. Keyboard and mouse did not work, and the 'No Signal' message again appeared on my monitor screen.

I have never had reason to update my BIOS, but my Z170-P manual describes how to do this via the internet. Do you think an update might correct a faulty CMOS? Any other suggestions?

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

A BIOS flash MIGHT help but, if the chip is faulty, it will probably fail. I guess it can't hurt as the system is down anyway but could actually make things worse. By worse I mean that it could make the BIOS/UEFI totally inaccessible.

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I have the system back up right now; in fact I am currently preparing a Word document. And all my security cameras are working and displaying video. So I don't want to make things worse with a BIOS update.

But my system may crash again if I do a Restart. We shall see...

BTW, currently I am using the motherboard video card because I got tired of having to reinstall the add-on card. The resolution of the motherboard card is not as good, but it will suffice for the time being.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

That may well be due to proper drivers not being installed for the motherboard's video. Check Device Manager and it will likely show a generic SVGA driver.

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I can't really see which device. Microsoft Basic Display Adapter?

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

If Device Manager shows 'Microsoft Basic Display Adapter' it means that proper drivers are not installed for your motherboard's video.

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Windows Update might install the correct driver for you, otherwise just go to Intel's site and download the driver for it.

I'm starting to think the PSU might be the issue, or at least be considered?

When BB removed the add-on video card and turned on the onboard video chip the system booted, admittedly the PC still isn't stable but maybe that's because by replacing the add-on video card with the onboard chip, which draws less power, it's allowing him to at least sometimes get the PC to boot into Windows?
This logic suggests (to me at least) that maybe the motherboard might not be the source of the issue, and the only other piece of hardware i know of that can cause issues like this to happen is the PSU.

I've gone through a fair number of PSU's over the years and they can be real head scratchers to narrow down if they become faulty instead of just dying, always the last piece of hardware i think of when my PC starts acting weird.
I've kept two of my old PSU's for testing puposes (the fans were failing (excessive fan noise) so i replaced them before the units went kaput) for this very reason, they won't be powerful enough to run my current PC with everything plugged in but with only the bare minimum of my primary drive, mouse, keyboard, monitor they whould be powerful enough for me to at least run some tests (e.g. run some stress tests to see if it'll crash the PC as more power is drawn from the PSU) to confirm if the PSU was the issue rather the motherboard etc.

One of my PSU's caused me all sorts of problems and it took me weeks to find out what was causing them, unknown to me at that time was the PSU fan had failed so depending on what i was doing it would run for hours or just a few minutes, restarting after the PSU had over-heated and shutdown the PC i always had bootup problems, but if i left it for a few hours it would work again... i had no idea what the issue was until one day i happened to be working on the PC with the rear facing me, turned it on and noticed that the PSU cooling fan didn't move at all, normally it always spun up then slowed down after the BIOS POST checks were done.

A bit long-winded but i hope that helps and best of luck.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

If it won't even turn on now then the issue is almost certainly the PSU, the good news is that you did at least manage to boot up and confirm all the other hardware (monitor, drives etc) are still working.

Replacing a PSU really is quite an easy task, the hardest part is finding one with the power output you need and remembering which cables go where, take pics of the motherboard on your phone of your current "PSU to motherboard" setup before you replace it as a way to know which cables need to be attached where, and which don't.
[Ideally the best option would be to source an exact replacement from the same manufacturer who made your current PSU but if that is no longer an option then the important points too look out for are, the power output of your current PSU (it'll be writen on it somewhere, e.g 750W) and the form factor connectors (the connectors that the PSU uses to connect to the motherboard so power is supplied to the motherboard), probably most important is you also need one with enough power connectors to also supply power to your IDE/SATA devices... e.g. buying one with only 4 sata power connectors won't be good if you have 6 sata drives that need power.

Every time i buy a new PSU they seem to come with more and more options that i don't currently need, which of course is good, but it can be confusing if you don't understand what they do.

The good news is that if it is the PSU that's failed then it won't be hugely expensive to replace, i haven't looked for one in the UK for several years now but when i bought my last one (750W) it was about £35 (GBP) which was considerably cheaper than a new PC or replacement motherboard.
Replacing a PSU has no impact on Windows whatsoever unless it goes bang and sends a power surge that fries your drives (highly unlikely from what you've said so far and with modern surge protection measures on modern motherboards, but it can happen) so if your's is faulty and you swap it out then you shouldn't need to do anything other than reverse whatever troubleshooting steps you've already taken.

With a little time and research you should be able to replace a PSU within 30 minutes (5 if you really know what you're doing or work in IT).

Contacting the manufacturer for advice is definately the way to go and if they confirm it as PSU failure maybe they'll be able to sell you a like for like PSU which would be a super easy swap if you reverse engineer it when you replace it (it's just a box with cables, knowing which cables go where is the crux), but don't let them rip you off... PSU's are readily available and like i said they are very easy to replace.

Best of luck.

I went to take a shower, then came back to my computer and tried to power it on. It came back on, and now I am looking at my Win 10 desktop using the motherboard graphics card.

Everything appears to be working, although I am quickly losing confidence in the machine and will be talking to the manufacture's support desk on Monday. If they agree that it might be a PSU problem and will send me a new one, I would try the installation.

Thanks again for your assistance.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

In the meantime i wouldn't try to make any changes within Windows, even installing updated video drivers might cause you issues if the issue turns out to be the PSU... normally driver installs require a reboot for the changes to be written to the registry so if it crashes again while those changes are being made then you could be left in a world of pain trying to clear up that mess.

On a more positive note, if you have a backup from Macrium etc, then if it is the the PSU a simple restore ought to get you back up and running again after you swap out the PSU.

By all means use your PC when you get into it but don't expect any changes you make within Windows to be permanent until you find out what the root cause is, i'd also be extremely wary of where and what i do online.

I'm hoping it's your PSU but only time will tell, best of luck.

I do have backups (Macrium & Acronis), so I should be in good shape if one is needed. Currently my primary computer is running just fine, and for the time being I just hope it doesn't try to restart. I plan on talking with the manufacturer's support team tomorrow to see where best to go from here.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

My computer ran without incident for almost a week, Then yesterday morning the crew from the electric power company came by to install a new transformer on the pole near my house. They said I would be without electricity for about 30 minutes. I pleaded with them to come back another day/week, as I just knew my computer would not successfully restart. Sure enough, it's been dead since they turned the power back on.

However, I had already decided to purchase and install a new like PSU. It arrived today, and I am in the process of installing it. I will finish the job in the morning when the lighting is better.

Fingers crossed that the new PSU will solve my problem. If not, I must decide on whether to send the computer to Velocity for repair, or to purchase a new computer. The repair could easily cost me $700-$800, which would go a long way toward a new computer. If I spend the money for repair, then I have a 6-year old computer that has been repaired.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Fingers and toes crossed that the new PSU works for you

The mental image of some random guy pleading with a power employee not to cut the power because his PC won't restart made me chuckle, they must've looked at you like you were from a different planet!

Actually, I fibbed just a little. I told them I was performing backups and would have to start over. They didn't really care.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

I have a computer which acts similar to yours. What I have to do is disconnect the power cord and then hit the Power On button. Then plug the computer back in and try again. I usually works, sometimes after one or two tries. Just my personal experience (I believe it to be a cap on the MB).

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I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.

William A. Gustafson
I know I have forgotten more than I can ever hope to remember.

Well, the devil is playing havoc with my emotions. After carefully installing a new PSU, my computer started right up and I was soon looking at my Win 10 desktop. I opened a few applications, checked my email, observed my security cameras, played a little music, etc. At that point I was convinced that I had corrected my problem. But I knew I had to subject it to the ultimate test.....a restart.

Well, it did not restart. As before, the lights and fan come on, but my keyboard & mouse don't work and I get the 'No Signal' message on my monitor.

So obviously my problem lies elsewhere.....perhaps as BillG suggested, a capacitor on the motherboard. By the way, BillG, I tried your fix, but it hasn't worked for me thus far (thanks for sharing your experience).

I'm now giving thought to a new computer as my ultimate fix.

BTW, I have mentioned my security cameras before. I don't actually use these for personal security. I actually use them to observe the wildlife around my 5 acres. The 6 cameras stream video to my computer 24/7. I then use a program called Blue Iris to extract any actual motion segments that I can later observe and save to a file..

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Actually I also have a system that does similar if I do a restart. However if I actually shut down and then start it is always good.

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So what do you do if Microsoft wants to update this system and an actual restart is required?

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

You don't have to restart to finish an update. Shutting down then starting works fine for that.

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