NUC won't turn on unless power is pulled out & put back

[projectpcs]

I have an odd problem. 1 of my customers has an 18 month old 10th gen NUC  (i3) that doesn't want to turn on again if it has been off for at least 24hrs. She turns it off properly - i.e. shut down not going to sleep. If she starts it up again within a day it turns on. If she leaves it for more than a day it won't turn on & she has to pull out the power cord & plug it back in. Then it turns on as normal. It doesn't makes sense to me. Anyone got any idea what might be going on?

All drivers are up to date. BIOS was updated 2 months ago. 

[DeividA_Intel]

Hello projectpcs,  

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities. I am sorry to know that you are having issues with your NUC.

Before we continue further, can you please provide the exact brand and model name of your Intel NUC?

Regards,  

Deivid A. 

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[projectpcs]

Hi David,

Well obviously the brand of the Intel NUC is Intel. The product code is BXNUC10i3FNH4  Model NUC10FNH. Thanks for your reply.

Peter

[LeonWaksman]

Hi @projectpcs 

- Check the voltage of CMOS battery. The connector is located on board bottom side so, it can be easy accessed.

Leon

[projectpcs]

Hi Leon,

Nice idea but unfortunately I can't test the cmos battery now as the customer has collected the machine. In my mind though, even if the cmos battery was very low (though I wouldn't expect it to be after 18 months) , it shouldn't cause it to do this behaviour I don't think. It's more likely to keep the charge while it's plugged in so I would expect the reverse to happen. i.e. not turn on after pulling out the power. But I guess you never know with computers....

[LeonWaksman]

Theoretically you are right, the CMOS battery should hold RT clock only. In addition, if the battery voltage reaching the low limit, user should get an indication/warning. But this in theory only. I saw in this forum, that resetting/replacing the battery helps in similar cases. 

Leon

[projectpcs]

Thanks Leon it's worth a try & certainly won't hurt. Next time the machine comes in if it's still doing it I will try that.

Peter

[DeividA_Intel]

Hello projectpcs, 

Thanks for the confirmation. Besides the advice from LeonWaksman, I would like you to confirm the following:

1. Have you tried with different RAM or SSD?

2. Have you tried a different power cord?

3. When the NUC does not want to turn on, does it give a blink pattern from the power button?

4. What is the BIOS version installed?

Best regards, 

Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[projectpcs]

Hi Deivid.

Unfortunately the NUC has gone back to the customer now but I will try to answer your questions:

1. Have you tried with different RAM or SSD?

Even if the ram or SSD was faulty it should still turn on or at least light up. There's nothing wrong with the SSD as it is faultless otherwise.

2. Have you tried a different power cord?

Yes

3. When the NUC does not want to turn on, does it give a blink pattern from the power button?

There is no light at all. Nothing happens until the power is removed & plugged back in then it turns on normally.

4. What is the BIOS version installed?

I do not know what the version is but as I mentioned in my post it had been updated 2 months ago so it's the latest one available.

[n_scott_pearson]

I will answer this definitively.

The battery backup is used only to maintain the clock and the state of the CMOS Memory. The CMOS Memory is NOT used to store any data, however. You might then ask why resetting it is always mentioned. Well, the BIOS can recognize that the CMOS Memory has been reset and this, as a signal, is used to indicate that the BIOS should POST using only default settings. The appropriate thing to do at this point is to use F2 to enter BIOS Setup and (a) set the date and time and (b) verify that the configuration is as it should be (possibly by using F9 to restore defaults).

Clear as mud?

....S

[projectpcs]

Thanks mate. Will try that next time the machine comes in.