PC shuts down completely when restarting or saving BIOS, only resuming after full power is removed.
PC shuts down completely when restarting or saving BIOS, only resuming after full power is removed.
Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to share a weird issue I've been battling, in case it helps someone else down the line. My PC's been acting up in a very specific way — the screen goes blank after a restart or when saving changes in BIOS. I spent quite a bit of time troubleshooting, and here’s the full story.
🖥️
System Specs
Original Setup (Before Swapping Anything):
CPU:
Intel Core i3-10100F @ 3.6 GHz
GPU:
Zotac GeForce 210 1GB DDR3
Motherboard:
ASRock H470M-HDV
RAM:
G.Skill 8GB DDR4 2666 MHz (Single Stick)
Storage:
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM
PSU:
Ant Esports VS500L
OS:
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
After Replacing Motherboard:
New Motherboard:
ASUS EX-B460M-V5 (Updated to the latest BIOS)
All other components stayed the same.
⚠️
The Problem
My PC initially worked without issues, but recently I started encountering a strange problem. When I power on the system, everything seems fine up to the point where the BIOS screen appears. However, after that, when the system restarts or I save and exit BIOS, the display goes blank. The monitor doesn't show the "No Signal" message; it simply stays black. All the LED lights — power, HDD, keyboard, and mouse — remain on and blink as usual, but the display stays in standby mode.
Interestingly, the system
works normally
if I completely shut off the power, disconnect the power cord, and wait a few minutes before restarting. Once it’s back on, it boots up without any issues and runs fine for hours. The problem only occurs when I try to restart the system or when it enters sleep mode.
I also attempted a clean installation of Windows 10 Pro, and during the installation process, everything went smoothly without any display issues. But once the system reboots after installation, the display issue resurfaces — the system goes into standby mode and doesn't come back on. It’s not a typical "No Signal" issue; the monitor stays blank without any notification.
The problem seems to be related to how the system handles restarts or wakes from sleep, and I’m still unsure what’s causing it.
The only fix that works:
Power off the system completely
Unplug the cable
Press the power button to drain it
Then power it on again — and boom, it boots normally
🔧
Things I Tried
Swapped CMOS battery
Reset BIOS
Took the whole PC apart and cleaned it
Re-seated RAM
Reapplied thermal paste
Swapped PSU and GPU
Changed the motherboard (from ASRock to ASUS)
Updated BIOS
Clean installed Windows 10 Pro
🔍
What I Noticed
During Windows installation, everything was smooth — no issues at all.
But after rebooting post-install, the black screen problem came right back.
Once I manage to get it booted, it runs solid for hours — no crashes, no hiccups — until I restart or let it sleep.
Monitor stays active (not “No Signal”) which tells me the GPU is getting power but not outputting anything.
Only a full power drain resets it and gets things working again (temporarily).
✅
Current Status
After updating the BIOS and reinstalling Windows, it appears to be behaving — even restarts are working properly now. Not sure whether the problem is solved permanently or not.
🤝
Looking for Help
Has anyone run into this kind of issue before?
Could this be related to CPU power states? GPU initialisation timing? Something else?
Is there a known permanent fix for this kind of “soft lock” after reboot?
I would appreciate any advice, theories, or shared experiences.
Thanks so much 🙏
If the problems appeared after you replaced the motherboard, the issue likely stems from the operating system. It's recommended to reinstall the OS when switching platforms or motherboards. If the problem continued before the swap, it could indicate a corrupt BIOS on the old motherboard or a failing drive, especially given your HDD setup.
Also, note that the PSU in your current build isn't consistently reliable. This raises the question of which diode you were using when you changed the PSU.
I was looking for different ways to address the display signal issues online and discovered that a bad PSU might be the cause. I swapped my power supply for a Corsair VS500, but the problem continued. Without an extra motherboard available, I experimented with other components such as the GPU, RAM, PSU, and HDD (using an SSD pre-installed with the OS). After speaking with a technician, he pointed out that these kinds of issues often stem from faulty motherboards.
Once I replaced the motherboard and updated the BIOS to the latest version, I started the system without reinstalling the operating system. For the first time, it booted into the OS without any problems. I used it for around 30 minutes before restarting to check if the issue would return. Unfortunately, it did again.
Next, I performed a full clean installation of the OS. Immediately after the installation and system restart, the same problem resurfaced. I opted for another clean install. Initially, both the installation and system operation proceeded without issues. I ran a few reboots to confirm stability, and at first it worked well. But eventually, the problem reappeared.
For the past 36 hours, the system has been functioning properly, rebooting and booting into the OS without any difficulties. Still, I remain unsure if the issue is fully resolved, so I plan to keep monitoring the system for another week.