Unsupported MoBo - any way to salvage?

hottoaster · Dec 1, 2022

Hi,

I recently built a gaming desktop and may have installed Windows 11 Home on an unsupported ASUS motherboard (product name does not show up here: ASUS Motherboards Ready for Windows 11).

The desktop worked fine for a few days, but recently went into sleep mode and won't wake out of it. I've tried hard restarts, checking all cable connections, switching monitors checking and re-wiring the pwr headers coming from the front panel. When the computer was operational, I was able to successfully update all drivers and download all Windows Updates. Now, when the computer boots up, the power LED almost immediately starts blinking and the peripherals are non-responsive (wired mouse appears powered but keyboard is not lit).

I would try installing Windows 10, but the computer doesn't seem to be recognizing USB ports so I'm not sure I can create a boot drive.

Any ideas on how to salvage this situation or am I SOL? I'm not the most tech savvy so I'm not even sure what my options are.

Specs:
Motherboard: ASUS Prime B650 Plus
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700x
Case: Lian Li Liancool II Mesh C
GPU: ASRock RX 6900XT
RAM: G.SKILL 32G 2x D5 5600

Ghot · Dec 1, 2022

hottoaster said:
Hi,

I recently built a gaming desktop and may have installed Windows 11 Home on an unsupported ASUS motherboard (product name does not show up here: ASUS Motherboards Ready for Windows 11).

The desktop worked fine for a few days, but recently went into sleep mode and won't wake out of it. I've tried hard restarts, checking all cable connections, switching monitors checking and re-wiring the pwr headers coming from the front panel. When the computer was operational, I was able to successfully update all drivers and download all Windows Updates. Now, when the computer boots up, the power LED almost immediately starts blinking and the peripherals are non-responsive (wired mouse appears powered but keyboard is not lit).

I would try installing Windows 10, but the computer doesn't seem to be recognizing USB ports so I'm not sure I can create a boot drive.

Any ideas on how to salvage this situation or am I SOL? I'm not the most tech savvy so I'm not even sure what my options are.

Specs:
Motherboard: ASUS Prime B650 Plus
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700x
Case: Lian Li Liancool II Mesh C
GPU: ASRock RX 6900XT
RAM: G.SKILL 32G 2x D5 5600

Your motherboard is Windows 11 compliant, that list must be out of date.
That mobo is too new to be on the list, yet.

I just checked it's BIOS manual. It has... AMD fTPM, CSM and Secure Boot, which is all it needs to be compliant.

And... if that's not good enough... this is from the regular manual...

hottoaster · Dec 1, 2022

Ghot said:
Your motherboard is Windows 11 compliant, that list must be out of date.
That mobo is too new to be on the list, yet.

I just checked it's BIOS manual. It has... AMD fTPM, CSM and Secure Boot, which is all it needs to be compliant.

Well that sounds like good news, although this post may now be off-topic for this forum.

Any thoughts on what may be causing the permanent sleep issue? I'm fresh out of ideas.

Ghot · Dec 1, 2022

hottoaster said:
Well that sounds like good news, although this post may now be off-topic for this forum.

Any thoughts on what may be causing the permanent sleep issue? I'm fresh out of ideas.

I dunno. I NEVER use sleep or hibernate. On a new build... right after install I totally disable both.
Both have too many problems for my taste.

If it were me, and if you can still get into the BIOS...

I would...
1. Reinstall Windows from scratch.
2. As soon as you get to the desktop... disable Sleep and Hibernate.

Clean Install Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you step by step on how to clean install Windows 11 at boot on your PC with or without an Internet connection and setup with a local account or Microsoft account. Windows 11 has all the power and security of Windows 10 with a redesigned and refreshed look. It also comes...

www.elevenforum.com

Enable or Disable Hibernate in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable hibernate and restore or delete the hiberfil.sys file in Windows 11. Hibernate is a power-saving state designed primarily for laptops, and might not be available for all PCs. (For example, PCs with Modern Standby may not have hibernate...

www.elevenforum.com

OAT · Dec 1, 2022

Your blinking light might not have anything to do with sleep mode.
It should not be blinking. It is not intended for diagnostic purposes. It is solely there to tell you there is power going to your motherboard.
So, since it is flickering/blinking, it would suggest power isn't being delivered properly.
Either that or you have a short somewhere, I know you have checked connections and cables, but I would start again from scratch.
If the light stays solid with just the MB, try adding a component, like memory and see if the light stays on, if it does, move on to the next component and so on.

davewin11 · Dec 1, 2022

Ghot said:
I dunno. I NEVER use sleep or hibernate. On a new build... right after install I totally disable both.
Both have too many problems for my taste.

If it were me, and if you can still get into the BIOS...

I would...
1. Reinstall Windows from scratch.
2. As soon as you get to the desktop... disable Sleep and Hibernate.

Clean Install Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you step by step on how to clean install Windows 11 at boot on your PC with or without an Internet connection and setup with a local account or Microsoft account. Windows 11 has all the power and security of Windows 10 with a redesigned and refreshed look. It also comes...

www.elevenforum.com

Enable or Disable Hibernate in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable hibernate and restore or delete the hiberfil.sys file in Windows 11. Hibernate is a power-saving state designed primarily for laptops, and might not be available for all PCs. (For example, PCs with Modern Standby may not have hibernate...

www.elevenforum.com

I agree with Ghot
Also you should ensure that the are no updates to the BIOS
Dave

Ben Myers · Dec 1, 2022

Typically, it's a flash code indicating a hardware error or failure.

[Motherboard] ASUS motherboard troubleshooting via Power LED | Official Support | ASUS Global

Your board may have an even more sophisticated system.

[Motherboard] ASUS motherboard troubleshooting via Q-LED indicators | Official Support | ASUS Global

Ben

bobkn · Dec 1, 2022

A quick look at the manual suggests that the motherboard doesn't have the four QLED diagnostic lights.

I wonder if "hottoaster" is getting any display on the monitor?

I'm unfamiliar with the power LED flash codes, but from the link provided by "Ben Meyers", the error that may most resemble sleep would be no graphics card. Presumably "hottoaster" has verified that the card is in its slot, and the two PCI-E power connectors are seated at both ends.

I hope that nothing has failed.

hottoaster · Dec 1, 2022

You all have been extremely helpful. Bobkn is correct in that, according to the documentation Ben Myers provied, the LED light is indicating that it may be a GPU or CPU hardware issue. I reinstalled the GPU, confirming the PCI-E slot is clean and firmly connected, and reconnected all of the cables to the PSU (this particular card has three power slots, so I used a daisy chain connection for one of the three). Unfortunately, the problem persists.

I don't feel confident in removing the cooler and inspecting the CPU (and I don't have any more thermal paste to re-affix the cooler anyway), so I took the computer to Microcenter for a diagnostic. Hopefully they can sort the issue out and it's just an isolated component failure that can be fixed under warranty or before the 30-day return policy expires.

Really appreciate the quick and helpful responses from users here. I'll keep you all posted when I learn more.

glasskuter · Dec 1, 2022

It appears your cpu has onboard graphics. Why not eliminate it being an issue with your RX6900XT by removing it and using your onboard graphics for testing. IMO it makes more sense to test using the minimum required hardware.

hottoaster · Dec 1, 2022

glasskuter said:
It appears your cpu has onboard graphics. Why not eliminate it being an issue with your RX6900XT by removing it and using your onboard graphics for testing. IMO it makes more sense to test using the minimum required hardware.

I did try plugging my monitor into the onboard graphics port, but did not remove my GPU before doing so. If I hadn't already dropped off my computer, I would try this!