F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop PC fails to boot into BIOS following removal of the M.2 storage device.

PC fails to boot into BIOS following removal of the M.2 storage device.

PC fails to boot into BIOS following removal of the M.2 storage device.

M
maddiiii
Junior Member
18
01-13-2022, 11:28 AM
#1
Hey there, I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with my old PC. Here’s the background: I took out the M.2 drive (which had Windows) to start fresh, but the old machine still has both an SSD and a hard drive. The main issue is it won’t boot into BIOS anymore. I’m planning to pass it along to a friend who has a very old desktop from 2005. The CPU cooler had two of its four pins damaged, so I replaced it with a Deepcool cooler, but the problem continues. What I’ve tried so far: installed the new cooler, changed the CMOS battery and cleared it, the CPU spins on startup, the GPU RGB flickers, and RAM sticks are re-seated. What should I check next? Any tips would be great! Thanks!

Specs: CPU i5-6400, Cooler Deepcool, RAM 16GB Crucial (2x8GB, 3200MHz), Storage 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD, Motherboard ASRock Fatal1ty H170, PSU from generic build.
M
maddiiii
01-13-2022, 11:28 AM #1

Hey there, I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with my old PC. Here’s the background: I took out the M.2 drive (which had Windows) to start fresh, but the old machine still has both an SSD and a hard drive. The main issue is it won’t boot into BIOS anymore. I’m planning to pass it along to a friend who has a very old desktop from 2005. The CPU cooler had two of its four pins damaged, so I replaced it with a Deepcool cooler, but the problem continues. What I’ve tried so far: installed the new cooler, changed the CMOS battery and cleared it, the CPU spins on startup, the GPU RGB flickers, and RAM sticks are re-seated. What should I check next? Any tips would be great! Thanks!

Specs: CPU i5-6400, Cooler Deepcool, RAM 16GB Crucial (2x8GB, 3200MHz), Storage 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD, Motherboard ASRock Fatal1ty H170, PSU from generic build.

I
ItzWillGuy
Member
222
01-19-2022, 12:10 PM
#2
Check for another CPU that matches the socket and works with your motherboard. Have you got spare RAM that isn’t being used? It might be faulty. (Or, replace one stick at a time—this could affect results if you re-seat it.) If none of these apply, the board might be dead, though I’m not sure.
I
ItzWillGuy
01-19-2022, 12:10 PM #2

Check for another CPU that matches the socket and works with your motherboard. Have you got spare RAM that isn’t being used? It might be faulty. (Or, replace one stick at a time—this could affect results if you re-seat it.) If none of these apply, the board might be dead, though I’m not sure.