Two new systems started working but haven’t posted in 24 hours. The NAS is down because of this issue.
Two new systems started working but haven’t posted in 24 hours. The NAS is down because of this issue.
Computer 1 (my old computer from 2013, has ran great since then until now): MOBO: MSI A78M-E45 CPU: AMD a10-6800k RAM: 2x 8gb DDR3 1600MHz PSU: 430w Corsair CX430M Computer 2 (my dad's old workstation from around the same time. also hasn't had issues until now): MOBO: ASUS Z97-A CPU: Intel i7 4790k RAM: 4x 8gb DDR3 1600MHz PSU: 700w Rosewill rd700 (Different case too) Shared components: GPU: GTX 1050 1x ~300gb boot HDD 3x 18TB Seagate manufacture refurbished HDDs Power cable to the wall Monitor (known working on both systems in the past and definitely still works now) During the holidays I got 3x 18TB hard drives and got a HexOS NAS up and running on Computer 1. Since then, it has run great with no issues until 2 days ago when it randomly powered off, and despite extensive troubleshooting, refused to turn back on. When powered, all it will do is illuminate case lights and turn on the fans. I believe it is in standby power mode, but it doesn't POST or have any display output (No Signal). Holding the power button also does nothing. I have troubleshooted everything that is listed in this forum post , but nothing has helped. (unplugging all HDDs, removing GPU, 1 stick ram in different slots, no other devices plugged in, CMOS clear, different power cable, etc) Since Computer 1 wasn't working for whatever reason, I moved the "Shared Components" to Computer 2, a known working PC. It worked great! I got HexOS network settings reconfigured, and it just worked . I went to bed with my NAS running fine. Then I woke up, and it was powered off. I went through all of the same troubleshooting steps, and it is doing the exact same thing as Computer 1 now. No POST, no display. The only different is that Computer 2 is also not illuminating the case lights, and the fans only jiggle slightly whenever I press the power button (I think this is a difference in the motherboard default behavior). There is a standby power LED that is turned on, and switches on the motherboard turn on/off corresponding LEDs. There's 4 "POST state LEDs" on the board, DRAM, CPU, VGA, and Boot Device. None of turn on when I try to power it on. I also did the paperclip test + multimeter test on the PSU 24pin and 12v connectors and all the readings seem fine. The PSU is even running a fan when I'm doing the paperclip test. So, I have no reason to believe the PSU is dead. and given the tests, and the length these machines have been running, I see no reason why the CPU or RAM would have died. What does that leave me with? IDK Both computers are exhibiting the same problem even with entirely different hardware (Shared Components entirely removed). The only component that is "new" (manufacture refurbished) to either of these systems are the 3 new 18tb HDDs. Every single other component has been running fine in systems for 5-10 years. 2 entirely different computers have decided to kill themselves within 24 hours of each other back-to-back, the only similarity being it was running HexOS while plugged into the same outlet on the wall. Could a power surge have caused this??? Plugging both systems into a surge protector power strip still doesn't change anything either. The power has not gone out in the room this whole time given my Main PC has still been powered on throughout all of this. I'm at a loss. Any help would be appreciated. Here's a video that showcases the state both computers are now in
attempting to remove both modules and testing it as a bench seems to be worth a try. The Haswell system appears to have no other issues, while the A10 can handle either a motherboard or RAM. I recommend using a PCI debug card to monitor the signals and postcode data—those indicators are unclear and don’t give much detail. It looks like the drives might be faulty, especially since two computers failed and only these changes were made. I think replacing them would be the best solution now.
The fans gently moving often means the power supply is entering protection mode. It starts up, identifies a problem, then turns off to avoid damage. The reason it keeps doing this even after removing the drives remains unclear, and I’m still trying to figure it out. Best of luck!
I've conducted further testing and the power supply units aren't the problem. I connected the 24-pin connector and 12V CPU from my primary working PC to both computers, leaving no additional devices attached. Even the header cables were unplugged. Neither machine is managing to boot up. It seems the issue likely lies with the motherboard itself on both systems. I'm leaning toward investigating that as the most probable cause.
I also performed a SMART check on all four drives before installing them in the NAS last month, and everything showed normal readings. TrueNAS hasn't flagged any issues either. Since they're part of a RAID 5 configuration, I could replace one drive through RMA while keeping the others, but doing so for all three would be challenging.
I'm also curious why the problem persists despite never relocating the motherboards from their cases, even though they've been functional for years. I've considered a wild theory that my HexOS installation might have been compromised by a virus, potentially corrupting the BIOS and causing both systems to fail completely. While I don't think this is realistic, it feels like something might have triggered a boot failure in both units. I'll try resetting everything to see if that resolves the matter.
I encountered several issues while trying to diagnose the system. During my search for life signs, I performed a mix of CMOS battery removal and jumper pin clearing. After restarting and attempting a boot, I noticed the CPU LED would flash on and off intermittently, with the DRAM LED doing the same shortly afterward—though it never fully resolved. When I reinstalled the CPU, tried booting without CPU or RAM, and left the 8-pin power disconnected, fans began spinning but still didn’t work. Plugging in the fan connector correctly resolved the issue, allowing a second successful POST. However, I realized I had mistakenly connected the fan to the optional header instead of the main one, which caused the problem. Now I’m stuck and unsure what to do next.
Updated (Computer 2): Last night I went to sleep and it didn’t respond as expected. I left the CMOS battery unplugged overnight. After more than 12 hours, it still didn’t work, so I tried plugging in things one at a time and testing. It never failed—except for not saving BIOS settings when it rebooted, even with the battery connected. So it might just be dead batteries. I replaced them and it kept functioning. It booted into HexOS and everything worked again. But about 30 minutes later, it shut down while running, and nothing touched it. We’re back to where we started. I’m really frustrated and feel completely stuck.