Troubleshooting a PC Startup Issue: My Journey to Resolution

Recently, I encountered an irritating problem with my PC that many of you might relate to—my computer would power on for a brief five seconds, only to shut down and enter an endless restart cycle, all without a single beep. Let me walk you through how this all unfolded and share the solutions (or lack thereof) that I attempted in my quest to get my system back to normal.

It all began when I decided to delve into my motherboard’s manual out of curiosity and a nagging feeling that something was amiss. To my surprise, I discovered that the recommended configuration for dual-channel memory was in slots 2 and 4, contrary to my previous setup in slots 1 and 3. Eager to optimize my system’s performance, I shifted my two 8GB RAM sticks to the correct slots. However, this seemingly minor adjustment led to the frustrating situation described above.

To troubleshoot the issue, I methodically tried several approaches:

1. Testing Without RAM: Naturally, I booted the PC without any RAM modules installed, which resulted in three beeps—an indication that the motherboard was functioning but not detecting memory.

2. Rearranging Memory Sticks: I experimented with various combinations of placing both RAM sticks in different slots to see if that would rectify the problem.

3. Single Stick Testing: Seeking clarity, I booted the system with one stick at a time, switching them out to confirm they both worked in isolation, which they did—each module performed perfectly on its own.

4. Rebooting the Battery: In a last-ditch effort, I removed the motherboard battery to reset the BIOS settings, hoping this might help. Unfortunately, this too yielded no solutions.

At this point, my frustration was palpable. Functioning with only 8GB of RAM on a resource-heavy operating system like Windows 10 felt impossible, and I really didn’t want to settle for that.

An Unexpected Turn of Events

Out of sheer desperation, I stepped away from my computer for an hour and occupied myself with my phone. On a whim, I decided to revert the RAM sticks to their original positions in slots 1 and 3 after my brief break. To my amazement, the PC powered on perfectly—no infinite loop, just smooth sailing.

I’m relieved to say that the issue resolved itself as if by magic, and I can’t express how grateful I am.