Member Avatar for rph7609

I am getting this error whem my computer boots:
"Hardware Monitor Found an Error. Enter power setup menu for details".

When I go to power setup I don't see anything wrong.

If I press F1 to go ahead with the bootup. The computer will work but it will go extremely slow and eventually it will freeze and I will have to power off the computer to get it to work again. Then I am back to square one with the same error.

Does anyone have any idea what is wrong?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by chrisbliss18

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The motherboard is telling you that a monitored value went out of range — not necessarily that a fan is the only problem. The monitor watches temperatures, fan tach signals, and voltage rails; it will halt boot if a reading trips its limits or if the monitor circuitry itself reports an error. The hot metal you mentioned plus the slow-then-freeze behavior point to a serious hardware stress (thermal or power delivery) or a failing component, but false alarms from bad sensors, CMOS/BIOS settings, or a flaky power supply are all possible.

Practical next steps (ordered from low-risk to more invasive):

  1. With power off and unplugged, do a careful visual check for bulging/leaking capacitors, burn marks, scorched connectors, or loose cables.
  2. Remove nonessential devices (extra drives, cards) and try booting with minimum parts to narrow the culprit.
  3. Replace the motherboard CMOS battery (cheap) to avoid erratic BIOS resets.
  4. If comfortable, temporarily change the BIOS option that halts on hardware-monitor errors so you can boot to Windows and collect evidence (event logs, SMART disk errors). Do this only to diagnose, not as a long-term fix.
  5. If the machine still freezes under Windows, have the PSU voltages checked or swap in a known-good PSU — many freezes and odd BIOS warnings come from unstable power rails.
  6. If you can, capture a clear photo of the BIOS hardware-monitor screen and of the interior (PSU area and motherboard caps) and post those details.

About replacing fans: case fans are simple to swap — unplug their 3/4-pin connector, remove four screws, fit the new fan, and reconnect. Expect 10–20 minutes per fan if you have a screwdriver. CPU heatsink/fan replacements are more advanced: you must clean and reapply thermal paste and seat the cooler correctly. Always work with the PC unplugged, take ESD precautions, and ask a shop for help if unsure.

As noted, heat is relevant, and was right to ask about BIOS readings — post those values and any System event-log entries and it will be much easier to pinpoint whether this is a cooling, power, sensor, or motherboard problem.

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Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

It looks like a heating problem to me. Open up your system and see if all fans are spinning rapidly. If not, get them replaced ASAP. While you're in there, clean up any dust settled on the components. Dust leads to poor conduction of heat, so clean it up. Let us know if this helps or not...

Member Avatar for rph7609

It looks like a heating problem to me. Open up your system and see if all fans are spinning rapidly. If not, get them replaced ASAP. While you're in there, clean up any dust settled on the components. Dust leads to poor conduction of heat, so clean it up. Let us know if this helps or not...

I believe that the fans are working, but I can only feel and hear them, I can not see them. There is metal near the casing that is very hot to the touch. Is there any sure way to tell that the fans are the issue. How hard is it to replace the fans if that is the problem? Is there any other possible issues?

I am not super knowledgable about computers, but I can tinker around with the tower.

Thanks

Member Avatar for chrisbliss18

Can you load up your BIOS configuration during boot? If so, can you find a page that shows the current temperatures in your system? If you find some temperature readings, post them here.

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