[SOLVED] Hardware boots, but the system doesn't

Enrico1989 · Yesterday 08:19:50

The system described below I've got ArchLinux and Windows installed in dual boot, and I almost never boot the latter. I don't think this is has any importance, because the issue I'm describing occurs before anything is shown on screen or any light from the RGB keyboard turns on.

So technically, this is isn't a problem with ArchLinux, therefore let me know if I should ask elsewhere.

Relevant parts of the system:

motherboard: Gigabyte AORUS AMD X399,
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LED (2x16 GB),
video card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 1683 MHz,
processor: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X.

This system has exhibited some strange behavior for quite a while (years): sometimes, after a power outage or just after me normally powering it off/rebooting it, the hardware - upon pressing the power button - would show itself as alive (the lights of the motherboard, the RAM, and the case shine), but it wouldn't boot, in the sense that the screen doesn't even show the splash or anything else (meaning I can't even access the BIOS).

So far, attempting power-button reboot a few/several times was enough.

Today, it apparently isn't.

So I've decided to make a video of the debug code information shown by the mobo (I could have done this in the past, but, alas, I never thought of doing it), and below I'm listing all the codes I can read from the when I press the power button to where the "final" code is reached, 0d, which is not even shown as a possible code in the user's manual. After that, the system doesn't do any more progress.

A few notes/observations about the table:

Can you tell me how to properly typeset a table on this forum?
I'm assuming that `3F~4F` in the table in the user's manual means 3F, 40, 41, 42, …, 4d, 4e, 4f.
Whenever you see ??? in the "Meaning" column, that's a code starting with 0, which isn't listed in the user's manual, or some non-alphanumeric code (which is also not listed in the manual)
Whenever you see "No" in the "Sure?" column, that's because I think that code might actually be the result of video photogram that is in between the update from a code, to another, e.g. the 8C between FC and 3E might just be just the F transforming in a 8 while going to a 3.
In the user's manual the codes are grouped in sections, and I've included that in the last column.
Memory initialization error occurs is shown more than once, so I suppose it might be significant.

| Code | Sure? | Meaning | Section |
| ---------------- | -------- | -------- | -------- |
| 00 | | ??? | |
| 80 | No | Reserved for OEM use (OEM DXE initialization codes). | Regular Boot |
| b4 | | USB device hot plug-in. | Regular Boot |
| FC | | Reserved. | Error |
| 8C | No | Reserved for OEM use (OEM DXE initialization codes). | Regular Boot |
| 3E | | PCH PEI initialization. | Regular Boot |
| 38 | No | IOH PEI initialization. | Regular Boot |
| b7 | | Reconfigure NVRAM settings. | Regular Boot |
| 92 | | PCI Bus initialization is started. | Regular Boot |
| 02 | | ??? | |
| d1 | | IOH initialization error. | Error |
| <upside-down-A>1 | No | ??? | |
| bE | | Reserved. | Regular Boot |
| 60 | No | DXE Core is started. | Regular Boot |
| C0 | | Reserved. | Regular Boot |
| 80 | No | Reserved for OEM use (OEM DXE initialization codes). | Regular Boot |
| d3 | | Some of the Architectural Protocols are not available. | Error |
| 87 | No | Reserved for OEM use (OEM DXE initialization codes). | Regular Boot |
| A7 | | Activated all currently connected SCSI devices. | Regular Boot |
| b8 | No | Reserved. | Regular Boot |
| b6 | | Clean-up of NVRAM. | Regular Boot |
| b8 | No | Reserved. | Regular Boot |
| 58 | | CPU self test failed or possible CPU cache error. | Error |
| Cd | | Reserved. | Regular Boot |
| bd | | Reserved. | Regular Boot |
| b1 | No | Runtime AP installation ends. | Regular Boot |
| b7 | | Reconfigure NVRAM settings. | Regular Boot |
| <upside-down-A>7 | No | ??? | |
| 11 | | Pre-memory CPU initialization started. | Regular Boot |
| 48 | | Reserved. | Regular Boot |
| 2b | | Memory initialization. | Regular Boot |
| 88 | No | Reserved for OEM use (OEM DXE initialization codes). | Regular Boot |
| 07 | | ??? | |
| 28 | No | Reserved. | Regular Boot |
| 2b | | Memory initialization. | Regular Boot |
| 36 | No | CPU PEI initialization. | Regular Boot |
| 3F | | Reserved. | Regular Boot |
| 1<mirrored 9> | No | ??? | |
| 18 ?? | | Reserved. | Regular Boot |
| 54 | | Memory initialization error occurs. | Error |
| 94 | No | PCI Bus enumeration for detecting how many resources are requested. | Regular Boot |
| 33 | | CPU PEI initialization. | Regular Boot |
| 59 | No | CPU micro-code is not found or micro-code update is failed. | Error |
| 55 | | Memory initialization error occurs. | Error |
| 95 | No | Check PCI device requested resources. | Regular Boot |
| 3b | | PCH PEI initialization. | Regular Boot |
| 60 | | DXE Core is started. | Regular Boot |
| 61 | | NVRAM initialization. | Regular Boot |
| 90 | | Phase transfer to BDS (Boot Device Selection) from DXE. | Regular Boot |
| 98 | | Console input devices connect (ex PS2/USB keyboard/mouse are activated). | Regular Boot |
| 78 | | ACPI Core initialization. | Regular Boot |
| 52 | | Memory initialization error occurs. | Error |
| 88 | | Reserved for OEM use (OEM DXE initialization codes). | Regular Boot |
| 05 | | ??? | |
| 09 | No | ??? | |
| 79 | | CSM initialization has started. | Regular Boot |
| <mirrored 6>1 | No | ??? | |
| 21 | | Reserved. | Regular Boot |
| 27 | | Reserved. | Regular Boot |
| 2d | | Memory initialization. | Regular Boot |
| 88 | | Reserved for OEM use (OEM DXE initialization codes). | Regular Boot |
| 9E | | Reserved. | Regular Boot |
| 9<mirrored 9> | No | ??? | |
| 92 | | PCI Bus initialization is started. | Regular Boot |
| 91 | | Issue event to connect drivers. | Regular Boot |
| 81 | | Reserved for OEM use (OEM DXE initialization codes). | Regular Boot |
| b2 | | Legacy Option ROM initialization. | Regular Boot |
| 0d | | ??? | |

Last edited by Enrico1989 (Yesterday 12:27:10)

jonno2002 · Yesterday 09:39:35

this is my hardware troubleshooting process:
reseat ram
reseat gfx card
reseat ssd if m.2
replug all plugs
reset cmos
normally i wouldnt say reseat the cpu as thats never the cause, but those threadrippers have a specific torque down tool right ? id give that a re-seat for sure, thats alot of pins under there!

failing all that, try a different PSU if you have one
try a different gfx card if you have one as that system appears to not have inbuilt gfx

basically trial and error

hardware issues are crazy sometimes, ive had to reset a cmos multiple times and suddenly the system comes back.

flat cmos batteries can cause weird behavior too so check that batt with a multimeter

good luck

EDIT: sorry forgot to mention try 1 stick of ram at a time and/or try a different stick to rule out bad ram

Last edited by jonno2002 (Yesterday 09:42:50)

Lone_Wolf · Yesterday 09:50:53

Enrico1989 wrote:

Can you tell me how to properly typeset a table on this forum?

https://www.bbcode.org/making-a-table-with-bbcode.php and https://www.bbcode.org/resources.php should help.

Enrico1989 · Yesterday 10:15:12

Lone_Wolf wrote:

Enrico1989 wrote:
Can you tell me how to properly typeset a table on this forum?
https://www.bbcode.org/making-a-table-with-bbcode.php and https://www.bbcode.org/resources.php should help.

Weird, even the example doesn't render as a table:

[table]
[tr]
[th]Name[/th]
[th]Age[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]John[/td]
[td]65[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Gitte[/td]
[td]40[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Sussie[/td]
[td]19[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

Enrico1989 · Yesterday 11:50:49

jonno2002 wrote:

this is my hardware troubleshooting process:
reseat ram
reseat gfx card
reseat ssd if m.2
replug all plugs
reset cmos

I've done this in different order:

replug all plugs
reseat ram
reset cmos
reseat gfx card

and none worked. I've also tried using only one of the 2 ram sticks I have (I don't have others to try with), with no benefit.

Finally, I've tried removing the gfx card and that allowed the system to boot!

Unfortunately, without a gfx into which to plug the monitor cable, I can really use this system locally.

The way I checked that it boots, is that I can successfully SSH into it from my laptop, so I can at least use it from command line.

Now the question is: why does mobo get stuck on status "0d" and the system doesn't boot when the graphic card is installed?

Enrico1989 · Yesterday 12:25:14

I've tried moving the gfx from the slot boxed in cyan to the slot boxed in yellow in the image below

This way the system boots, I can have a monitor connected, but the system takes ages to boot: the monitor turns on (but just black) and off several times, the mobo debug code is constantly "b2". After several such cycles, I see Grub, at which point, if I choose to boot linux, I get this forever:

Loading Lijnux linux ...
Loading initial ramdisk ...
_

even though I can SSH into the system from another one and use it from cli.

Enrico1989 · Yesterday 12:26:51

Ok, I've put pressed both the "Reset Button" and the "Clear CMOS Button", put the gfx card back in its original slot, and the system boots.

I'm not sure what was wrong, honestly.

For now, Solved.

jonno2002 · Yesterday 19:31:38

nice, like i said hardware issues are very strange somtimes, could have been dirty pins that cleaned after many re-inserts of the card, you can try isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush to clean slots as well

Arch Linux

#1 Yesterday 08:19:50

[SOLVED] Hardware boots, but the system doesn't

#2 Yesterday 09:39:35

Re: [SOLVED] Hardware boots, but the system doesn't

#3 Yesterday 09:50:53

Re: [SOLVED] Hardware boots, but the system doesn't

#4 Yesterday 10:15:12

Re: [SOLVED] Hardware boots, but the system doesn't

#5 Yesterday 11:50:49

Re: [SOLVED] Hardware boots, but the system doesn't

#6 Yesterday 12:25:14

Re: [SOLVED] Hardware boots, but the system doesn't

#7 Yesterday 12:26:51

Re: [SOLVED] Hardware boots, but the system doesn't

#8 Yesterday 19:31:38

Re: [SOLVED] Hardware boots, but the system doesn't

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