PC won't boot with both keyboard cables plugged in

[roz1281]

I have the hyperfx alloy fps (the one with the red-only backlighting). When I plug both the normal USB cable and the auxillary cable into the mobo's ports, the computer will not turn on. It will spin the fans for a nanosecond and fail to turn on. Is it somehow drawing too much power? Boots fine with just the keyboard cable in. I can also plug the second cable in after loading into windows and all is well. I've tried using that port with a different peripheral on boot to see if it's the port, but it booted fine.

Build link:
https://newegg.io/8bf73d5 - shows 290w as estimate.

CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-520HX 520W PSU
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4 a/c
16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR 3200 (@2666)
EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Super SC Ultra 6GB DDR6
WD Black SN750 NVMe M.2 500GB PCI-Express 3.0 SSD

For reference, I can game (Doom 2016), benchmark with all cores loaded (cinebench) and no apparent power issues.

 

[Araxie]

be sure to be connecting the keyboard to an USB 2.0 port not 3.0.. also install the NGenuity Software and be sure Windows 10 Fast boot it's disabled.. IIRC it can cause that kind of issues to some keyboards who use separated USB port for key lighting.

also, how old it's that PSU? I think it has been EOL since about 8, 10 years..

 

[Nobu]

Does it boot with just the usb plugged in? If not, it may be specifically related to the usb port.

 

[roz1281]

It boots with one of the USB cables plugged in (the one with the computer graphic on the plug), but not both (the other one has a lightning bolt on it). The lights work fine with just the one cable. Keyboard works fine with one cable also. It's just to power the additional USB port on the keyboard so i can charge my phone or something. The keyboard 'manual' said to plug both in though. I just want to make sure nothing is wrong with the PC . I did try the port with another keyboard and game controller, and it boots with those plugged in.

Yea, the PSU is old. Was hoping prices would drop back down on PSU's soon but I may just buy a new one.

Araxie all my ports are USB 3.2 in the back, and the two front case ports are 3.0

I have fast boot disabled. It doesn't even get to the point of trying to load windows, it doesn't get enough juice to start. It's literally a brief flash and then off. I wouldn't even have noticed if I didn't look in the case and see the fan make a half spin when I hit the power button

 

[pendragon1]

try another aux cable, maybe that one is shorting out.

 

[roz1281]

this one is a single mini usb split into two standard USB ends. Sorry if I explained it wrong

So I tried it on another old computer and it booted fine.

Also if I hold the power button for a second while booting it starts up. This leads me to believe it is just taking some extra juice to boot up?

 

[E4g1e]

AMD's motherboard partners should have done a better job of distinguishing between which USB ports go to the chipset and which USB ports go directly to the CPU, in this case. You see, on AMD Ryzen platforms up to four of the USB ports may be routed directly to the CPU while the rest are routed to the chipset. And the CPU-based USB ports should only be used for storage devices, which suck up far more throughput than input devices such as keyboards and mice do. And since your board has absolutely no USB 2.0 ports whatsoever unless you buy a separate insert that eats up an expansion slot for them, it becomes critical which USB ports you have the keyboard plugged into. Unfortunately, ASRock does not tell you which ports are controlled by the CPU or which ports are controlled by the chipset.

 

[roz1281]

That's interesting; I never knew that. Thanks!

I bet the two USB ports next to the ps/2 m/kb port are meant for the input devices. That would make sense anyway. I always have my mouse/keyboard plugged into those top two ports. This extra cable though I just stuck in the next available port below. I will probably just leave the second cable unplugged since the kb functions without it.

 

[pendragon1]

That's interesting; I never knew that. Thanks!

I bet the two USB ports next to the ps/2 m/kb port are meant for the input devices. That would make sense anyway. I always have my mouse/keyboard plugged into those top two ports. This extra cable though I just stuck in the next available port below. I will probably just leave the second cable unplugged since the kb functions without it.

the two top most usb are usually usb 2 so that they work in bios. they may not provide enough juice. does it do it on other ports.

 

[roz1281]

Yes it does it when it's plugged into a lower port. All of them are USB 3.2 according to the manual. Plus they're all blue.

 

[pendragon1]

Yes it does it when it's plugged into a lower port. All of them are USB 3.2 according to the manual. Plus they're all blue.

ok. its acting like there is a short or over current but blue ports should be good. have you checked the cable for any damage? that extra cable is just for just for the usb pass-through isnt it? i guess if you can live without...

 

[Nobu]

Check the ports– on my motherboard's io shield, there were tabs which stick out, and if you didn't pay attention when installing the motherboard, they could go into the usb and hdmi ports. They should rest on top of the outside of the ports to ground the shielding to the case, but if it's inside, it could cause a short (especially on usb3 ports).

 

[Dan_D]

be sure to be connecting the keyboard to an USB 2.0 port not 3.0.. also install the NGenuity Software and be sure Windows 10 Fast boot it's disabled.. IIRC it can cause that kind of issues to some keyboards who use separated USB port for key lighting.

also, how old it's that PSU? I think it has been EOL since about 8, 10 years..

All of the USB ports on the back panel are USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports.

It boots with one of the USB cables plugged in (the one with the computer graphic on the plug), but not both (the other one has a lightning bolt on it). The lights work fine with just the one cable. Keyboard works fine with one cable also. It's just to power the additional USB port on the keyboard so i can charge my phone or something. The keyboard 'manual' said to plug both in though. I just want to make sure nothing is wrong with the PC . I did try the port with another keyboard and game controller, and it boots with those plugged in.

Yea, the PSU is old. Was hoping prices would drop back down on PSU's soon but I may just buy a new one.

Araxie all my ports are USB 3.2 in the back, and the two front case ports are 3.0

I have fast boot disabled. It doesn't even get to the point of trying to load windows, it doesn't get enough juice to start. It's literally a brief flash and then off. I wouldn't even have noticed if I didn't look in the case and see the fan make a half spin when I hit the power button

That sounds like a short. The only way you would know if its a power / voltage issue is to get a volt-meter and test that.

AMD's motherboard partners should have done a better job of distinguishing between which USB ports go to the chipset and which USB ports go directly to the CPU, in this case. You see, on AMD Ryzen platforms up to four of the USB ports may be routed directly to the CPU while the rest are routed to the chipset. And the CPU-based USB ports should only be used for storage devices, which suck up far more throughput than input devices such as keyboards and mice do. And since your board has absolutely no USB 2.0 ports whatsoever unless you buy a separate insert that eats up an expansion slot for them, it becomes critical which USB ports you have the keyboard plugged into. Unfortunately, ASRock does not tell you which ports are controlled by the CPU or which ports are controlled by the chipset.

Yes they should and this is exactly what I was going to talk about when I decided to respond to this.

That's interesting; I never knew that. Thanks!

I bet the two USB ports next to the ps/2 m/kb port are meant for the input devices. That would make sense anyway. I always have my mouse/keyboard plugged into those top two ports. This extra cable though I just stuck in the next available port below. I will probably just leave the second cable unplugged since the kb functions without it.

That might make sense but that's not a given. ASRock is a bit of a weird company when it comes to their designs. You can't be sure. I'd test and see if any of the other ports allow the system to boot normally with both cables plugged in. I haven't looked at the block diagram for this board, but another thing you need to keep in mind is that sometimes the USB ports all go through an internal hub. That usually works better than separate controllers from a compatibility standpoint, but it might mean that there is no difference between those ports on the back.

the two top most usb are usually usb 2 so that they work in bios. they may not provide enough juice. does it do it on other ports.

In this case, they are not. All USB ports on the back panel are USB 3.2 Gen 1. There are no external USB 2.0 or 1.1 ports. Period, end of story. Also, on the AMD side the USB 3.x ports work fine in BIOS.

 

[pendragon1]

In this case, they are not. All USB ports on the back panel are USB 3.2 Gen 1. There are no external USB 2.0 or 1.1 ports. Period, end of story. Also, on the AMD side the USB 3.x ports work fine in BIOS.

so i was told...

 

[roz1281]

ok. its acting like there is a short or over current but blue ports should be good. have you checked the cable for any damage? that extra cable is just for just for the usb pass-through isnt it? i guess if you can live without...

Yea the cable looks good. It is one of those braided sleeved cables. Everything is brand new too. Well, I've had it for a few years but just decided to use it. Works on another PC (which is even older).

Check the ports– on my motherboard's io shield, there were tabs which stick out, and if you didn't pay attention when installing the motherboard, they could go into the usb and hdmi ports. They should rest on top of the outside of the ports to ground the shielding to the case, but if it's inside, it could cause a short (especially on usb3 ports).

OK i checked that and it's all looking flush. I did that on my first computer build; I didn't know what those things were for back then.

Strange that it boots up if i hold the power button an extra half-second, rather than just tap it.

 

[roz1281]

That sounds like a short. The only way you would know if its a power / voltage issue is to get a volt-meter and test that.

Good idea; in the meantime I may switch back to my old membrane keyboard.

 

[Dan_D]

Good idea; in the meantime I may switch back to my old membrane keyboard.

Gross. What keyboard is it you have now? If its a Corsair or Razer keyboard, that might be your issue right there.

I might also point out that a bad PSU, wouldn't present itself in a way that would make sense to explain your issues. I have seen some weirdness occur due to PSU issues, so I'd still test it but I don't think that's it.

 

[E4g1e]

There are only two Alloy FPS models from HyperX.

I have the Alloy FPS Pro, which has only red backlighting (it is available with a choice of two Cherry MX switches: the soft and quiet Cherry MX Red or the tactile and clicky Cherry MX Blue; mine has the MX Red). That model does not have a USB passthrough at all. You must have used the wrong cable for that keyboard. The other Alloy FPS model, the Alloy FPS RGB, has a USB pass-through that's intended only for mobile device charging - but also has full RGB lighting and is a full-sized (as opposed to the FPS Pro's tenkeyless) keyboard with a numberpad on its right-hand side.

The only other HyperX keyboard that has a USB pass-through is the Elite RGB keyboard, also a full-sized keyboard.

If the FPS Pro is what you have, then you're using the wrong cable for that keyboard. And since your cable is a daisy-chaned cable to begin with, it's no wonder why your system won't POST with both plugs plugged in since the other connection leads to nothing that's usable.

 

[roz1281]

It's the Alloy FPS according to the box. Doesn't say pro on box. Mine's got blue switches and a USB port on the back. Red lighting only, full-size. It's from 2016, the original model I believe. I attached some images of the cable and other contents.

 

[roz1281]

Gross. What keyboard is it you have now? If its a Corsair or Razer keyboard, that might be your issue right there.

The problem keyboard is the HyperX Alloy FPS from 2016. I just got around to opening it recently.

My dependable old one is a Saitek Cyborg V. Might be madcatz nowadays, I don't remember.

 

[E4g1e]

It's the Alloy FPS according to the box. Doesn't say pro on box. Mine's got blue switches and a USB port on the back. Red lighting only, full-size. It's from 2016, the original model I believe. I attached some images of the cable and other contents.

I see. That model was discontinued a couple of years ago, and now all of HyperX's full-sized keyboards are available only with full RGB lighting.

And the USB port that's on your keyboard is only for mobile device charging. It does not transfer data at all.