Member Avatar for vladtudorache

Hello, everyone!

I've recently bought some hardware components to build a new low-cost PC, whose purposes are: web surfing, office working, multimedia (at a medium level, not... video editing).
The pieces are:

  • AMD Athlon 64 LE-1640 2600 MHz CPU
  • ASUS M2N-MX SE PLUS nForce 430 / Geforce 6100 MB
  • Kingston KVR800D2N6 1GB 800MHz DDR2
  • Sirtec 430W PSU

The system was completed with an older Seagate 40 GB HDD (ATA/100, checked OK) and an older LG DVD-RW (also working fine), an LG keyboard and an LG mouse (PS/2).

The system worked fine for ~ 2 days with Vista Home Basic (original, no piracy) with SP1 installed (by me) over it, the MB drivers and so on.

Since yesterday, there is a strange problem showing up: (only) when restarting, the PC doesn't boot. It stops at the ASUS logo (at POST), then stays here forever. A "cold" boot works fine - I just have to stop the PC, remove the power cord, wait ~ 10 sec, then it just runs fine (Vista shows scores ~ 3.9 - 4.3 for the components). No errors are reported in 3D Mark, or any other program. Also, the BIOS beeps just once, making me think the components are OK. I've tried resetting the CMOS, changing the battery (with a checked good one), but no result. As I said, the problem appears only when restarting.

The BIOS messages don't show anything wrong (when the logo is disabled, the POST appears to complete fine), but then nothing happens. The IDE cables are checked, the MB temperatures are OK.

I don't think what to do, as I need to deliver this system in a short time to a friend. Please help.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by vladtudorache

Dani AI

Generated

Quick expert note for anyone who lands on this thread later: warm (software) restarts that consistently hang while cold boots work are usually caused by firmware/power-handling, peripheral/driver interactions with ACPI, or a front-panel/reset/power-circuit issue. ’s driver angle is valid when the OS is involved, but it’s only one of several common causes. Below is a concise, practical diagnostic flow to isolate the problem without redoing steps already tried in this thread.

  1. Try a restart initiated from the BIOS setup screen (not the OS). If that hangs, firmware or hardware is most likely.
  2. Remove all external devices (USB, card readers, network cables) and any non-essential add‑in cards; test a warm restart with just the CPU, one RAM stick, and on-board video.
  3. Swap or test the PSU if possible — check that the standby rail (5VSB) is present and stable; a failing PSU can power a cold boot but fail to handle the warm reset sequence.
  4. Verify the front-panel header and reset switch by briefly shorting the power pins with a screwdriver (do this only if comfortable with basic safety). A stuck/reset line can freeze the restart path.
  5. Inspect the board for bulging/leaking capacitors or damaged components and consider using a POST-code card to read status during the hang.
  6. If a driver fix is suspected, boot a driver-free environment (live USB/CD or safe mode) and attempt a restart to confirm whether software is responsible.

Why the difference? A cold boot forces full hardware reinitialization and power sequencing. A warm restart uses a shorter reset path and relies on standby power and firmware reset vectors — so faults in those areas often show up only during warm restarts.

Cautions and next steps: avoid blind BIOS flashing on an unstable board; if the board is under warranty, document your tests and contact the vendor for RMA. If a quick turnaround is needed, swapping in a known-good PSU or motherboard is the fastest way to confirm whether the issue is hardware.

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Member Avatar for starfireone

I would suggest trying to update your video drivers. Either downgrade one version or upgrade to newest. I had a customer PC that had a simular problem with restarting and I had to downgrade the video driver to correct problem.

Member Avatar for vladtudorache

OK, the situation is clear now.
It won't cold-boot anymore. It just stops at the BIOS logo. I've returned the MB to the manufacturer. It was defective (probably the BIOS chip).

Thank you, anyway.

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