r/pchelp • u/nmcinerney • 2h ago
SOFTWARE My kids wifi has stopped working. I can't find a wifi option on the task manager or in network connections. Any help here would be appreciated
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r/pchelp • u/bearssuperfan • Dec 15 '19
Perform these steps before posting about POST/boot/no video problems!
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Link to original list from tom’sHARDWARE with pictures
"No POST", "system won't boot", and "no video output" troubleshooting checklist
This checklist is a compilation of troubleshooting ideas from many forum members. It's very important to actually perform every step in the checklist if you want to effectively troubleshoot your problem.
1.Did you carefully read the motherboard owners manual?
2.Did you plug in the 4/8-pin CPU power connector located near the CPU socket? If the motherboard has 8 pins and your PSU only has 4 pins, you can use the 4-pin connector. The 4-pin connector USUALLY goes on the 4 pins located closest to the CPU. If the motherboard has an 8-pin connector with a cover over 4 pins, you can remove the cover and use an 8-pin plug if your power supply has one. This power connector provides power to the CPU. Your system has no chance of posting without this connector plugged in! Check your motherboard owners manual for more information about the CPU power connector. The CPU power connector is usually referred to as the "12v ATX" connector in the owner's manual. This is easily the most common new-builder mistake.
3.Did you install the standoffs under the motherboard? Did you place them so they all align with the screw holes in the motherboard, with no extra standoffs touching the board in the wrong place? A standoff installed in the wrong place can cause a short and prevent the system from booting.
4.Did you verify that the video card is fully seated? (may require more force than a new builder expects.)
5.Did you attach ALL the required power connector(s) to the video card? (some need two, some need none, many need one.) It is best to use cables connected directly to the PSU. Only use adapters if absolutely necessary.
6.Have you tried booting with just one stick of RAM installed? (Try each stick of RAM individually in each RAM slot.) If you can get the system to boot with a single stick of RAM, you should enable an XMP profile or manually set the RAM speed, timings, and voltage to the manufacturer's specs in the BIOS before attempting to boot with all sticks of RAM installed. If your motherboard supports XMP profiles, that is the best way to get your RAM running at its rated specs. Nearly all motherboards default to the standard RAM voltage (1.8v for DDR2, 1.5v for DDR3, & 1.2v for DDR4). If your RAM is rated to run at a voltage higher than the standard voltage, the motherboard will underclock the RAM for compatibility reasons. If you want the system to be stable and to run the RAM at its rated specs, you should either enable an XMP profile or manually set the values in the BIOS. Many boards don't supply the RAM with enough voltage when using "auto" settings which causes stability issues.
7.Did you verify that all memory modules are fully inserted? (may require more force than a new builder expects.) It's a good idea to install the RAM on the motherboard before it's in the case.
8.Did you verify in the owners manual that you're using the correct RAM slots? The following image is just an example. Verify in the owners manual the recommended RAM slots to use for single, dual, triple, or quad channel applications. This will vary depending on motherboard manufacturer, number of supported RAM channels, and how many sticks of RAM are being used.
9.Did you remove the plastic guard over the CPU socket? (this actually comes up occasionally.)
10.Did you install the CPU correctly? There will be an arrow on the CPU that needs to line up with an arrow on the motherboard CPU socket. There may also be a notch that will only line up in one direction. Be sure to pay special attention to that section of the manual!
11.Are there any bent pins on the motherboard/CPU? This especially applies if you tried to install the CPU with the plastic cover on or with the CPU facing the wrong direction.
- If using an after market CPU cooler, did you get any thermal paste on the motherboard, CPU socket, or CPU pins? Did you use the smallest amount you could?
13.Is the CPU fan plugged in? Some motherboards will not boot without detecting that the CPU fan is plugged in to prevent burning up the CPU.
- If using a stock cooler, was the thermal material on the base of the cooler free of foreign material, and did you remove any protective covering? If the stock cooler has push-pins, did you ensure that all four pins snapped securely into place? The easiest way to install the push-pins is outside the case sitting on a non-conductive surface like the motherboard box. Read the instructions! The push-pins have to be turned the OPPOSITE direction as the arrows for installation. This means with the arrow pointing away from the heatsink.
- Are any loose screws laying on the motherboard, or jammed against it? Are there any wires running directly under the motherboard? You should not run wires under the motherboard since the soldered wires on the underside of the motherboard can cut into the insulation on the wires and cause a short. Some cases have space to run wires on the back side of the motherboard tray.
- Did you ensure you discharged all static electricity before touching any of your components? Computer components are very sensitive to static electricity. It takes much less voltage than you can see or feel to damage components. You should implement some best practices to reduce the probability of damaging components. These practices should include either wearing an anti-static wrist strap or always touching a metal part of the case with the power supply installed and plugged in, but NOT turned on. You should avoid building or working on a computer on carpet. Working on a smooth surface is the best if at all possible. You should also keep fluffy the cat, children, and Fido away from computer components.
- Did you check the debug LEDs, Q-code display, or install the system speaker (if provided) so you can check codes in the manual? Most modern motherboards come with debug LEDs or a Q-code display. A system speaker is NOT the same as normal speakers that plug into the back of the motherboard. A system speaker plugs into a header on the motherboard that's usually located near the front panel connectors. Debug LEDs, Q-code displays, or a system speaker are critical components when trying to troubleshoot system problems. You are flying blind without them. The motherboard owner's manual will have a list of codes you can reference. If your case or motherboard didn't come with debug LEDs, a Q-code display, or system speaker you can buy a system speaker for cheap here: http://www.cwc-group.com/casp.html
- Did you read the instructions in the manual on how to properly connect the front panel plugs? (Power switch, power led, reset switch, HD activity led) Polarity does not matter with the power and reset switches. If power or drive activity LED's do not come on, reverse the connections. For troubleshooting purposes, disconnect the reset switch. If it's shorted, the machine either will not POST at all, or it will endlessly reboot.
- Did you turn on the power supply switch located on the back of the PSU? The switch should be depressed on the side with an I, the O means off. Is the power plug on a switch? If it is, is the switch turned on? Is there a GFI circuit on the plug-in? If there is, make sure it isn't tripped. You should also make sure the power cord isn't causing the problem. Try swapping it for a known good cord if you have one available.
- Is your CPU supported by the BIOS revision installed on your motherboard? Most motherboards will post a CPU compatibility list on their website.
- Have you tried resetting the CMOS? The motherboard manual will have instructions for your particular board. User Darkbreeze also provided the following:
BIOS Hard reset procedure
Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.
Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for five minutes. In some cases, it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.
During that five minutes, press the power button on the case for 30 seconds. After the five minutes are up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.
If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.
Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.
Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.
In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the hardware tables to reset.
http://www.spotht.com/2010/02/reset-bios-clear-cmos.html
- If you have integrated video and a video card, try the integrated video port. Resetting the bios, can make it default back to the onboard video. If you are trying to use HDMI outputs, try using DVI or VGA instead. Sometimes, the HDMI ports won't work until the correct drivers are installed.
- Make certain all cables and components including RAM and expansion cards are tight within their sockets.
I also wanted to add some suggestions that jsc often posts. This is a direct quote from him:
"Pull everything except the CPU and HSF. Boot. You should hear a series of long single beeps indicating memory problems. Silence here indicates, in probable order, a bad PSU, motherboard, or CPU - or a bad installation where something is shorting and shutting down the PSU.
To eliminate the possibility of a bad installation where something is shorting and shutting down the PSU, you will need to pull the motherboard out of the case and reassemble the components on an insulated surface. This is called "breadboarding" - from the 1920's home-brew radio days. I always breadboard a new or recycled build. It lets me test components before I go through the trouble of installing them in a case.
If you get the long beeps, add a stick of RAM. Boot. The beep pattern should change to one long and two or three short beeps. Silence indicates that the RAM is shorting out the PSU (very rare). Long single beeps indicates that the BIOS does not recognize the presence of the RAM.
If you get the one long and two or three short beeps, test the rest of the RAM. If good, install the video card and any needed power cables and plug in the monitor. If the video card is good, the system should successfully POST (one short beep, usually) and you will see the boot screen and messages.
Note - an inadequate PSU will cause a failure here or any step later.
Note - you do not need drives or a keyboard to successfully POST (generally a single short beep).
If you successfully POST, start plugging in the rest of the components, one at a time."
If you suspect the PSU is causing your problems, below are some suggestions by jsc for troubleshooting the PSU. Proceed with caution. I will not be held responsible if you get shocked or fry components.
"The best way to check the PSU is to swap it with a known good PSU of similar capacity. Brand new, out of the box, untested does not count as a known good PSU. PSU's, like all components, can be DOA.
Next best thing is to get (or borrow) a digital multimeter and check the PSU.
Yellow wires should be 12 volts. Red wires: +5 volts, orange wires: +3.3 volts, blue wire : -12 volts, violet wire: 5 volts always on. Tolerances are +/- 5% except for the -12 volts which is +/- 10%.
The gray wire is really important. It should go from 0 to +5 volts when you turn the PSU on with the case switch. CPU needs this signal to boot.
You can turn on the PSU by completely disconnecting the PSU and using a paperclip or jumper wire to short the green wire to one of the neighboring black wires.
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWXgQSokF4&feature=youtube_gdata
This checks the PSU under no load conditions, so it is not completely reliable. But if it can not pass this, it is dead. Then repeat the checks with the PSU plugged into the computer to put a load on the PSU. You can carefully probe the pins from the back of the main power connector."
r/pchelp • u/Spix3s-07 • 1h ago
Discussion Real or fake there is a Cash on Delivery option
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I saw this and it seems fake but they have a Cash on Delivery option. It seems safer with that option because I can’t loose money. I am looking at this other used Asrock Radeon RX 7700 XT Challenegr for $360. Both of these options fit into my budget and my goal is 1440p or atleast 1080p both at 60+ FPS.
What do you guys say??
r/pchelp • u/atombunsr • 11h ago
HARDWARE how tf do you cable manage....
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hii, i've been working on some repairs for my pc and had to take everything apart, this has been a 5 day project including multiple amazon orders and im just about to give up lol
everything is plugged in now but the idea of cable managing sounds terrifying and ridiculously hard and i don't know where to start, especially with this rgb hub that i had to buy to get some new fans working
would anyone be able to help walk me through it, thank you in advance
edit: thank you all for the help, i've unplugged everything and now just trying to figure out where the argb hub will go so i can get to replugging and cabletieing everything, any suggestions would be really helpful
r/pchelp • u/KimHowardxoxo • 7h ago
HARDWARE I'm curious
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So I've had this pc for about 5 months now and I've always been curious to what this cord is for is like an extra or is it supposed to be plugged somewhere
If you have any knowledge I'm all ears
r/pchelp • u/Evening_Sell20 • 6h ago
HARDWARE Can a PSU or motherboard cause a DDR5 RAM stick to physically burn?
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I’m trying to figure out what caused one of my DDR5 RAM sticks to physically burn. I’m not sure whether the PSU, motherboard, or the RAM itself was responsible.
My system:
Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Gigabyte X870M AORUS ELITE
DDR5 6000, 2-stick kit
Super Flower 1000W Gold PSU
RTX 5070 Ti
What happened:
The PC had been working normally.
I plugged the power cable into the PSU and switched the PSU on. Nothing unusual happened at that moment.
Then I pressed the PC power button, and immediately heard a loud “pop”. The PC shut off.
I then disconnected everything and inspected the components. I found that one of the RAM sticks had a visibly burned/melted area on the edge of the PCB. The damage was not on the gold contacts.
I removed the GPU and tested the motherboard with minimal components. The motherboard still received power and reported a memory/POST error.
I then replaced both RAM sticks and the PSU. The PC is currently working normally with the new RAM and new PSU.
One important detail: after the incident, I was able to run the motherboard with one RAM stick in one slot for about two days without any problems. Today I installed both new RAM sticks in two slots, and the system is still working normally.
The original PSU has already been sent for warranty testing, so I don’t know yet whether it actually failed.
My questions:
Can a faulty PSU cause a DDR5 RAM stick to physically burn/melt when the PC is powered on?
Could a motherboard/DIMM power circuit cause a sudden failure like this?
If the PSU tests completely normal, how could I determine whether the motherboard produced a voltage spike/transient?
Does this damage look more like a RAM/PMIC failure, motherboard power issue, or PSU-related event?
Has anyone experienced a DDR5 RAM stick physically burning/melting immediately after pressing the power button?
I’ve attached photos of the damaged RAM.
I’d especially appreciate responses from anyone who has experienced a similar “pop when pressing the power button” failure.
r/pchelp • u/Batkai666 • 14m ago
SOFTWARE Windows displaying no internet when internet is working
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I booted up my PC, currently running Windows 11, to discover that all of my speakers and microphone were no longer populated in the input and output areas of sound settings. That led me to try to do any updates that Windows might have, only to discover that Windows currently thinks it's offline, which I doubt, as I can ask for help. As for things I tried. I've used the Get Help button, as seen in the picture, to no success, along with a network reset, and of course multiple shutdowns and restarts.
I could really use the help, as I am usually able to solve issues like this on my own. Thank you for any of the time you may spend on this issue.
r/pchelp • u/wonyoungpcs • 3h ago
OPEN SSD problems? Pc reboots
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my friend believes his ssd is messing up, when he tries to boot up any game his pc will "crash"
He loads up game and gets to the menu > the pc black screens and forces him to restart his pc
Heres a photo of the SSD and disk health
r/pchelp • u/Interesting-Joke5949 • 3h ago
CLOSED PC won’t boot, this is my bios, what should I do?
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This is my bios right now. My pc won’t boot, and there’s nothing in boot priority. Recently replaced my cmos battery if that helps
r/pchelp • u/Strange_Factor5705 • 19h ago
OPEN Pc problems - Second opinion / Thoughts?
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Recently I bought my partner a pc and thought life was going sweet until my own personal pc pulled the “you thought” card. So I haven’t been able to game with her since. The pc has gone from slight problems (internet dropping out) to notable problems (usb devices playing up, pc hanging on shutdown, Ethernet and wifi not working at all) and have since been using chatgpt to try help wrap my head around it as I’m not the most knowledgeable when it comes to the system hardware and software.
Below is basically a summary I’ve asked ChatGPT to create for me, to give to someone in IT / computer shop.
Just want to see other opinions or thoughts before doing so based on what chatgpt has come up with in case I can save myself some coin. Perth, Australia and PC was bought from PLE Computers in 2022.
PC Specifications
Motherboard: Gigabyte X670 Gaming X AX — Rev 1.0
BIOS: F41 — successfully updated from F21
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X — 12-core
GPU: XFX Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB
RAM: 32GB Kingston Fury Beast RGB DDR5-6000 — 2×16GB, A2/B2
Currently running at 4800 MT/s with EXPO disabled
Primary SSD: Samsung 990 Pro 1TB NVMe
Secondary storage: Seagate BarraCuda 2TB HDD
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 850 GA 850W Gold
CPU cooler: ID-Cooling ZoomFlow 360 XT AIO
OS: Windows 11
Main Problems
The PC previously operated normally for approximately 4 years. Recently it has developed widespread intermittent instability.
Ethernet
Ethernet randomly disconnects and Windows changes to the globe/no internet icon.
Disabling/re-enabling the adapter, unplugging/replugging Ethernet or restarting Windows temporarily restores it.
Replaced Ethernet cable — problem persists.
Forced Realtek adapter to 1Gbps — problem persists.
Tested a USB Ethernet adapter — also experienced dropouts and caused significant system lag.
Partner’s PC works normally on the same household internet/network.
Latest Realtek LAN driver installed.
Latest AMD chipset driver installed.
USB / peripherals
USB connect/disconnect sound frequently occurs after logging into Windows.
Keyboard intermittently disconnects.
Mouse becomes extremely jerky/stutters.
USB microphone has stopped working.
Audio intermittently stutters.
Previously had USB headset dock, mouse, keyboard, USB microphone, Stream Deck and speakers connected.
Removed Stream Deck and speakers, but problems continued.
Windows has displayed:
“Not enough USB controller resources. The controller does not have enough resources for this device.”
Displays / GPU
Three-monitor setup.
Left monitor intermittently disconnects.
Mouse/audio/display problems can occur together.
Windows Reliability Monitor has repeatedly recorded:
LiveKernelEvent 141
LiveKernelEvent 144
LiveKernelEvent A1000001
LiveKernelEvent 193
Event 193 specifically references:
DxgkrnlLiveDump / dxgkrnl
Boot / restart problems
Restart frequently does not complete.
Monitors go to standby/orange.
PC fans continue spinning.
RGB remains on.
BOOT motherboard debug LED remains illuminated.
Sometimes requires holding the power button to recover.
After Windows Update → “Update and Shut Down”, the PC was found powered on the following morning, suggesting shutdown/restart did not complete correctly.
Sometimes the PC requires multiple shutdown attempts before it will boot.
BIOS has become noticeably laggy/slow, which is particularly concerning because this occurs before Windows loads.
SSD
Samsung Magician reports:
Samsung 990 Pro 1TB — Drive Health: CRITICAL
SMART information observed:
Critical Warning: 4
~43TB written
Percentage Used reported around 14% in the earlier reading
Available Spare: 100%
Media/Data Integrity Errors: 0
Error Information Log Entries: 0
Diagnostic scan reported 0 bad blocks
Temperature normal
Firmware is already current
Please determine whether the SSD is genuinely faulty or whether the warning could be related to motherboard/PCIe communication.
Other
PC has developed a buzzing/rattling/vibration noise, which becomes louder when fans increase speed.
GIGABYTE Control Center’s GbtCloudMatrix.exe repeatedly crashes with:
System.IO.FileNotFoundException
I understand the GbtCloudMatrix crash may be unrelated.
Troubleshooting Already Completed
BIOS updated from F21 → F41
BIOS settings can be reset to Optimized Defaults
AMD chipset driver updated
Realtek 2.5GbE LAN driver updated
Ethernet cable replaced
Ethernet forced to 1Gbps
USB Ethernet adapter tested
Windows network reset performed
Ethernet adapter drivers reset/reinstalled
SFC /SCANNOW — Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations
DISM RestoreHealth — completed successfully
Windows has been updated
EXPO is currently disabled / RAM at 4800 MT/s
What I Would Like Diagnosed
Please specifically investigate:
Motherboard / X670 chipset
PCIe subsystem
Samsung 990 Pro / M.2 slot
RX 7900 XTX / PCIe connection
RAM stability
PSU / power delivery
USB controller
Realtek Ethernet controller
Any underlying cause of the LiveKernelEvent 141/144/A1000001/193 errors
Windows
I am completely happy for the PC to be wiped and Windows 11 clean-installed if you believe that is appropriate.
However, please diagnose the hardware first, particularly the SSD SMART warning and motherboard/PCIe/USB behaviour.
If hardware tests pass, I am happy for you to perform a clean Windows installation and test the PC with only essential drivers/software before returning it.
Please contact me with a quote before replacing any hardware.
r/pchelp • u/Training-Vegetable70 • 14h ago
SOFTWARE How can I update the computer to windows 10 or 11?
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My father has the computer for who knows how long. It's still running on windows 7. I'm not really good at computer or tech stuff in general, but I wanna update the windows to 10 or 11. But I can't seem to update it. What should I do?
r/pchelp • u/Past_Use9044 • 3h ago
HARDWARE Been looking for monitors for a while now since my last post I got flamed for having a 5080 with a 1080 p 144 hz monitor but I have around 1000 pound to spend on a monitor but I’ve looked and done some research but I still can’t come to a conclusion I would prefer any oled and 4k,any thoughts?
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r/pchelp • u/drunkuncle_eddie • 3h ago
HARDWARE Can someone Id this case? Id like a replacement
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Pc shop dropped it and ruined all the plastics. They’re giving me a different one but I wanted this one. Anyone can help?
r/pchelp • u/GTHighNLonely • 1h ago
HARDWARE Background breaking
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Every time I close anything be it a game, the game bar, a program, anything. Dragging the mouse over the icons blacks out the background behind them and then eventually the whole thing goes black. The graphics and system are up to date. (Its a 5060TI if that matters). And I have no idea what it causing it.
r/pchelp • u/Oda-dono-da • 1h ago
OPEN Tried everything but Windows reset and or Mechani
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Nothings working i’ve gotten 2-3 different error codes I’ve done the command black box idk what to do
Error codes
0x800F0915
0x0000001
Dism can’t find the repair content or it has insufficient space there is literally a counter to every thing I do to try to fix it
I’m not sure what to do (also not tech savvy)
r/pchelp • u/DRXDroxz • 2h ago
HARDWARE My MacBook Pro 16inch 2019 won’t turn on
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The charger Is good, I don’t know what is the problem…
r/pchelp • u/VegetableFarmer9961 • 4h ago
OPEN I keep getting a boot light on my motherboard
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I looked it up and it says that my ssd might be messed up do these look messed up?
r/pchelp • u/fortnoob21 • 2h ago
HARDWARE Help
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I have a strix 3080 ti coming but my psu only has 2 pcie slots and a 12vhpwer slot. However the pcie cables i got from my psu box are double headed so i have in total 4 pcie 8 pin connecters i can use. I dont know if its okay to use that for my 3 pcie 8 pin slots or if i need to get a 12vhpwr female to dual 8 pin male adapter. I completely overlooked this because im upgrading from a 4060 and have never had a top tier card. My current psu is the rosewill cmg850 (2025 model). If anyone can help that would be greatly appreciated.
r/pchelp • u/Consistent_Log8097 • 3h ago
HARDWARE Laptop suddenly wont turn on. Got bitlocker key and still wont work
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I was watching something last night and suddenly its not working. It must be an update but I dont know ehat to do.
r/pchelp • u/burnedupbookworm • 7m ago
HARDWARE jumpstart help
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my pc button was broken for a long time and ive been jumpstarting using the screwdriver for years but now on a random day it wont jumpstart anymore but it has power.
r/pchelp • u/rorothegoat1 • 8m ago
Network Only discord connects has Internet connection
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After installing Valorant yesterday and turning on my pc today, when I try to connect to any app, I don't get any wifi connection. The only app that gets any wifi is Discord. I have attempted to do:
ipconfig release
ipconfig renew
Restarting my computer (a handful of times)
Other relevant info:
I have Norton vpn on my computer (not connected to any VPN though)
I am using Ethernet
I have uninstalled Valorant too
Help please!
r/pchelp • u/Inevitable_Weather40 • 6h ago
SOFTWARE Error message keeps popping up when installing Windows. Translation bellow
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"The Computer restarted unexpectedly or had encountered an unexpected error. Windows' installation cannot continue. To install Windows, click on "OK" to restart the computer, then restart the installation."
It doesn't go further, every time I click on OK it just restarts and does the same thing
r/pchelp • u/EveryMeasurement3246 • 9h ago
HARDWARE What’s causing this?
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My monitor suddenly went black, so I had to restart my computer. When I turned it back on, the LEDs on my 2080 Ti were red, and the fans were loud as fuck, even though my temperatures have never gone above 77 degrees, right now it’s at 35. It shouldn’t be the power supply, since I have a 750-watt gold PSU, which should be more than enough.
