PC freezes at BIOS entry screen, can't do anything.

[Zam]

So I went to sleep yesterday and everything was fine, I didn't download anything new (besides Titanfall Beta) and I didn't move any hardware around. Today I wake up and try to turn my PC on, it loads, I hear the beep that I should always hear and then it goes to the screen which allows you to enter the BIOS. It took longer than usual so I went downstairs to make breakfast. I came back 10 minutes later it was still stuck there. So I do what normally fixes all problems related to bootup in my PC and I unplug it and take the VGA cable out (currently using my HDMI elsewhere but I don't think this is the problem). I try this multiple times to no avail.

So at this point I start to worry a bit and google the issue, I find multiple solutions but I don't know which one to choose since I'll probably end up breaking something else. Some even say they had to replace their CPU or Mobo to fix this issue, at this point I'm assuming this won't be an easy fix.

TL;DR Went to sleep, woke up, PC frozen at BIOS entry screen upon turning on, unplugged it, googled solutions, haven't found what I wanted, problem continues.

My specs:

AMD Radeon 6800 HD series
AMD Bulldozer FX-4100 Quad Core
Asus M5 A97 PRO
8GB Ram
Corsair CX500 Psu

I've got no idea what to do at this point, maybe it's a cable that's not connected properly (I can provide pictures) or something is dead (hopefully not). Any suggestions how to proceed at this point?
Note: I didn't build this myself so I don't have extensive knowledge of all the cables/parts but I know enough to get by I reckon.

 

[archer]

Hi Zam, Welcome to Seven forums.

First thing that comes to my mind is tot check the PSU. Make sure all the connections from PSU to the motherboard are tight. If you have spare PSU, connect that and check if the PC is getting stuck at BIOS.

Keep us posted.

 

[Zam]

I've checked the cables and from what I can see they are connected. There are two cables a PCI-E cable and an AC'97 cable which aren't but they never have been in the first place.

Excuse the dust and the cable management. But here's a picture:

 

[archer]

Ok, I will take your word. Do you have a spare PSU? We just want to be sure if the mobo is getting enough power.

 

[Zam]

I do not have a spare PSU unfortunately, yet I could try and reconnect this one?

 

[archer]

Yes, that can be one option. Only reason I am asking for a spare one is to just check if the mobo is getting enough power. I see you have 8gigs RAM. Do you have 2 sticks or just one 8 gigs? try to run the PC with just one stick. Remove all other peripherals like DVD. Just try to boot the PC with HDD from which it boots.

 

[Zam]

I've disconnected my mouse, headset, DVD, keyboard etc. and tried to boot the PC (also I've only got 1 stick of RAM) and nothing happened. I'll try to reconnect PSU now.

 

[archer]

I meant to start the PC without all the peripherals and reconnecting the PSU.

 

[Zam]

Reconnected PSU, disconnected all peripherals and nothing still...

 

[archer]

Sounds like a bad board...

Have you phyically examined it to see if their are issues with any of the capacitors?

Have you tried unplugging and replugging everything that connects to the board including cables & cpu?

Have you tested the ram to see if that could be faulty?

 

[Zam]

No physical damage on my motherboard, I'll try to reconnect all cables connecting to it.
How do I check if the ram is faulty?

 

[Zam]

Nothing once again, I'm starting to think I'll need to change some hardware to fix it. If nothing else works then I'll contact the person who built my PC to see if they can come over and have a look.

 

[Zam]

I've asked a friend he told me to reset my CMOS settings through my motherboard, reckon that will help?

 

[Layback Bear]

Your System Specs don't show your motherboard.
Using your motherboard manual instructions clear CMOS and reboot.
It will put your CMOS back to default.

Some good reading.

How To Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS)

 

[Layback Bear]

Well while I was getting coffee your friend gave the same suggestion I just posted. It can help sometimes. I have done it many times and it has never hurt.
When done check your bios time and date to make sure it is correct.
Then check the Windows 7 time for correctness.

 

[Zam]

Tried to reset it twice, nothing has worked. Heard it might be a BIOS chip failure. I think I might contact the person who built this PC for me to come and check it out.

 

[archer]

Oooohh! I never liked the idea of a hardware failure. But, what can you do? If it has to be done, it will be. Do keep us posted Zam. Maybe, the issue gets resolved by something else. Do share with us.