Gigabyte Trx40 is stuck—motherboard fails to power on and shows no startup.
Gigabyte Trx40 is stuck—motherboard fails to power on and shows no startup.
Hardware details: Motherboard - Gigabyte AORUS (TRX40), WiFi Pro Rev 1.1; Processor - AMD Threadripper 3690X; CPU cooler - AMD Wraith Ripper; Memory - Corsair Vengeance DDR4 4 X 32; Video - Gigabyte GTX 1050Ti; Power supply - Cooler Master 850 Gold V1; Case - Cooler Master HAF XB EVO; SSD - Samsung 970 EVO 1Tb M.2 NVMe; Operating system - Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. This machine was primarily used for a virtual Cisco lab with GNS3, and occasionally ran other Linux virtual machines. It was assembled over a year ago and functioned normally until October 2022. During an update using the NALA updater, the system needed a restart. I delayed the restart to manually reboot and observe the boot sequence. When ready, I performed a clean shutdown. After a brief downtime, I tried powering it back on—no response from the motherboard. After several minutes, I attempted startup and found nothing; the power button didn’t activate. Troubleshooting steps included checking the PSU with a multimeter, verifying voltage levels, testing the case power switch, removing external cards, resetting RAM to DDR4 A2 slot, using Q-Flash for BIOS update (with and without CPU), clearing CMOS via jumper and battery removal. I replaced the PSU with a new Cooler Master 850 Gold V2. No beep codes were found during RMA. The only consistent issue was the PSU rocker switch triggering an LED flash once when the IO section lights were activated. Any advice would be appreciated.
AI_Must_Di3: Appreciate the input, but it seems there isn't a jumper available for switching between the dual BIOS on the MB. The manual indicates access to M_BIOS or B_BIOS is done through the on-screen display using F2. You did provide some encouragement, though sadly it didn't work out.
It seems like the flash might be faulty or the board is losing power to the PSU, which could trigger the PC's OC protection and shut down completely. This would prevent it from booting properly, suggesting a power issue or electrical fault. The problem persists even after previous attempts, making it seem like a hardware failure rather than a software glitch. I prefer not to use high-end components now that the PSU issues caused data loss and exposed their questionable practices. It doesn’t matter if they offer top-tier boards; I don’t want to risk further damage.
It might happen after your action, NALA made a change (you had to) and it's now influencing the system. You could switch to another drive and check if that impacts anything—even a blank one can help determine if NALA is the cause. Disconnecting the drive and testing it separately might reveal the issue. Also, if the BIOS was affected and flashing didn't work, that could be related to the NALA update. You should be able to update the BIOS without the drive connected; visit the manufacturer's site for instructions. After updating, try booting with the drive removed, then with it attached. If the problem persists, NALA is likely responsible. For now, consider using a different drive to avoid conflicts with the affected OS copy.
Beerzerker: Appreciate the idea. I tried implementing it but couldn't include it in my initial troubleshooting list. I've managed to lower the BIOS to the first version available using the Q-Flash from the motherboard. The process is performed on a bare board—no processor, memory, SSD, or video card. I notice LED lights on the flash drive, yet the board remains completely dark. I'm deciding to let it operate as-is, though the LED signals suggest power is reaching the IO section, including the rear USB and Q-Flash button. What I've read online says this should take a few minutes, but it's already been several hours.