I ran into a problem with my RAM and tech support suggested I clear the CMOS to reset the BIOS. I turned off my PC, switched off the PSU, unplugged the power cable, and attempted to short the CMOS pins with a screwdriver. When that didn't work, I tried again but forgot to unplug the power cable this time. Now, my computer won't start at all—there's no sound or fan activity. The motherboard flashes for a split second when I switch on the PSU, but nothing happens when I try to power on the PC. I've got the motherboard on cardboard with just one stick of RAM, the CPU, cooler, and the motherboard connected, and it's still not working. My PSU works fine with an older computer, so that's not the issue. I've also removed the CMOS battery for 15 minutes and tried shorting the power pins to check if the power button is faulty. Here are my specs: Motherboard - Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming, CPU - i5 8600K, GPU - GTX 1080 8GB GDDR5X, PSU - FSP Hydro X 650W, RAM - G.Skill DDR4 16GB (2x8GB). Do you think my motherboard is fried? Any help would be appreciated!
3 Answers
Clearing the CMOS shouldn’t really cause issues like you’re experiencing, so it sounds like something else might have happened. Can you clarify what exactly you did when trying to short the pins?
Wait, isn't clearing the CMOS usually just about pulling out the battery? Why did you end up shorting pins instead? That's not something I’ve heard people normally do.
I might have overcomplicated things, but I read about it and thought it might reset things better! Looks like it didn’t go as planned.
Honestly, it doesn't look good. The symptoms you're describing suggest your motherboard might be fried. When you see that brief flash from the PSU, it's often a sign that it's detecting a short circuit, and the power supply is preventing further damage. Since you already tried everything on cardboard with a known-good PSU, it's likely the fault lies with the board. The mistake with the CMOS pins while the power was connected might have caused a surge that damaged the BIOS chip or chipset. Before giving up completely, try a deep drain: unplug the PSU, take out the CMOS battery, and hold the power button for a minute. Leave it unpowered for a while to see if that clears anything up. Check for any scorch marks around the CMOS pins too, just to be safe. If that doesn't help, you might need to look for a replacement board and make sure your CPU is still good.
Thanks for the detailed explanation! I'll definitely try the deep drain and check for any scorch marks. I can't test my CPU, though, so I'm hesitant about getting a new board without knowing if the CPU is still okay.
I laid out everything I did in the original post, but I guess I wasn’t clear enough. I unplugged everything, followed the instructions, but I think I may have caused a short accidentally.