My six-month-old PC stopped booting properly after a Windows update. The monitor shows no signal, the keyboard does not light up, and I cannot enter the BIOS. The motherboard's DRAM warning light stays on, while the CPU, VGA, and BOOT indicators remain off.
I have already shut the system down, unplugged it, held the power button for about 10 seconds, and powered it back on, but nothing changed. The system has a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, an ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI motherboard, 64GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5200 memory in two 32GB sticks, and an RTX 5090. Could this be a memory-training issue, and what should I try next?
2 Answers
The DRAM light usually means the motherboard is having trouble initializing the memory, rather than Windows itself. DDR5 systems can perform memory training after a reset or hardware change, and the screen may stay blank during that process. Leave the PC powered on for up to 15 minutes once, even if there is no display.
If it still does not start, clear the CMOS to restore the motherboard’s default settings. Then remove one RAM stick and install the remaining stick in the single-stick slot specified by the motherboard manual. Try booting again and give it several minutes. If that fails, test the other stick by itself in the same slot.
Since only the DRAM indicator is lit and the CPU, graphics, and boot indicators are off, focus on the memory first. Power the system down, switch off the power supply, unplug it, and then clear the CMOS using the motherboard’s documented button, jumper, or battery procedure. Afterward, boot with just one memory module installed in the recommended slot and wait patiently for the first training cycle to finish.
I had assumed 10 minutes was enough, but I’ll allow the full memory-training period and test each module individually if it still refuses to start.
I left it running for roughly 10 minutes, but I did not realize memory training could take closer to 15 minutes. I also wasn’t familiar with clearing the CMOS, so I’ll check the motherboard manual for the correct procedure.