NUC5i3RYH won't boot and isn't allowing BIOS recovery

[Slothrop]

I've used this NUC5i3RYH lightly for a few years without any trouble. This week, it powered up, but nothing appeared on the screen and the blue LED at the power button blinked in groups of three. I saw that this should be a memory problem, so tried replacing what was loaded with memory that I know is good (identical specs to original), tried loading one slot and both slots without any change.

After trying a few other configurations (pulling hard drive, no memory, etc.), I tried to do a BIOS recovery, but have had trouble getting to the power button menu. It actually worked once—holding the button down for three seconds and then waiting for the menu to appear. For a dumb reason, I exited out of that one. Now, when I try the exact same process, it never gets back to the menu. I also never get an amber LED.

One final note: We had a power outage due to an electrical storm recently. It was the only thing that I could think of that may have affected the unit. It was working before, and then not working afterward—though I had not used it for a span of several weeks around the outage.

Thanks for any help. I'm going to keep trying to get it to the power button menu in the morning. If I don't have any success there, I'm out of ideas for now.

JT

NUC5i3RYH

Crucial 8GB DDR3L 1600 MHz SODIMM Memory Module

Samsung 250GB 860 EVO SATA III 2.5" Internal SSD

[LeonWaksman]

1. You may try to recover BIOS, using BIOS Recovery with the BIOS Security Jumper Removed method: 

2.  Prepare USB stick fully formatted to FAT32 with Bios  File RY0385.bio . Format your USB with Quick Format option unchecked. Do not format your USB in MAC (OS) or Linux machine. Use Windows.

3. Disconnect the power adapter and remove the bottom panel from your NUC.

4. Remove the Yellow Bios Security Jumper. (page 53 in Technical Product Specification)

5. Insert the USB with the RY0385.bio file into rear USB slot.

6. Reconnect the power adapter and power ON the NUC. Wait 30 sec - 2min. The Recovery process will start automatically and will end after 2 -5 minutes.

7. When bios recovery is completed, press and hold the Power Button to switch the power OFF, remove the power adapter and replace the Security Jumper (pins 1-2) . Reinstall the bottom panel.

8. Power your NUC ON.

9. Enter Bios setting by pressing F2 during boot process.

10. Press F9(followed by "Y"), to set Bios to default settings. Press F10 (followed by "Y"), to save the settings and exit to O.S. Let the NUC fully reboot.

Leon

[Slothrop]

Thanks, Leon. I'm trying this now and will let you know how it goes.

JT

[Slothrop]

Same result...repeating blinking LED (3x). Any other ways to get around this?

Thanks,

JT

[LeonWaksman]

1. The blink pattern, indicates memory failure. However, you did try to replace the memory, working with one memory module only, first in bottom slot and then in upper slot.  Did you?

2. So, the only thing that comes on my mind is to disconnect the CMOS battery and reconnect it after waiting about 15 minutes.  If you decide to do this, you need to remove the board from the NUC case. The battery is located on board upper side. This tutorial may help you.  

3. One thing more, did you tried an other Power Adapter? Laptop Power adapter may be suitable for this test.

Leon

[Slothrop]

Yes, I had previously worked through all permutations of the memory install. I also had tried disconnecting the CMOS battery. No luck.

The power adapter is a good thought. I don't have another 19V(!) laying around. Even my universal adapter only goes to 12V. I'll see what I can borrow.

One other detail: As the blue power LED is cycling through it's blink pattern, occasionally the HDD LED next door flashes orange.

Of course, the maddening thing about this is that I was able to get into the power button menu once. What accounts for the difficulty of not being able to return there?

Huge thanks for your help.

JT

[LeonWaksman]

Hi @Slothrop 

When you trying to power ON your NUC can you see if the cooling blower rotates? It should rotate. If isn't, check if the rotor is not jammed.  Of course, check other Power Supply.

Leon

[Slothrop]

Blower is working fine. I'm still trying to get a hold of a 19V adapter to check the power supply.

As the week is starting and I've got to use this machine (or another) for work, I am beginning to think about other options. Assuming that the memory and hard drive are OK, could they be loaded into a comparable NUC kit without any problem? I'm just looking for a quick way to get up and running with that Windows 10 system and the apps that I have loaded there.

Thanks,

JT

[Slothrop]

Actually, maybe the blower is showing an issue. It runs intermittently—18 seconds or so—with a faint high-pitched sound for a couple seconds in between. Maybe that's normal—I haven't ever listened to it this closely. Of course, this could simply be part of the error code cycling.

[LeonWaksman]

If you have an DVM at home, you can measure the voltage on the Power Supply connector. The nominal voltage is 19VDC +/- 10%. The NUC should operate when the supply voltage is 12 -19V DC.

Leon

[Slothrop]

Thanks, Leon.

I will tinker a bit more and then make a decision about how to proceed. I'm still holding out hope that one of these times, the power button menu will reappear. However, it's more likely that I'll have to move on to another machine before I spend too much time on this one.

JT

[n_scott_pearson]

Over the years, I have seen a couple of cases where the HDMI connector failed on this particular NUC model. I have also seen cases where the connection through this mini-HDMI connector becomes problematic.

I suggest that you try switching your monitor over to the mini-DisplayPort (mDP) connector. There are lots of adapters (and cables) that will convert this to an HDMI output and they are fairly cheap:

• Under US$10 for 2K@60Hz support (example: https://www.amazon.com/iVanky-DisplayPort-Adapter-Braided-Aluminum/dp/B01N6M2VN4)
• Under US$20 for 4K@60Hz support (example: https://www.amazon.com/Mini-DisplayPort-HDMI-Adapter-Thunderbolt/dp/B07BBFR1FJ).

Note:

• These are examples chosen at random; I have not tried using them myself.
• You will likely only achieve 4K@30Hz with the graphics engine in this NUC generation.

...S

[Slothrop]

Thanks for your thoughts. I had tried a few different configurations using the mDP without any luck. I'll keep trying to access BIOS now and then, but need to move on from this machine for now. Too much work to do!

JT

[Slothrop]

I bought an identical machine and loaded the memory and drive. It worked seamlessly...no account issues, etc.

Thanks for the help. I'll keep trying to resurrect the old kit as time allows.

JT

[LeonWaksman]

Hi JT
That's great. No account issue? Did you checked the Activation Status? Is your Windows still activated?
Leon

[Slothrop]

Yes, Windows is activated and no issues transitioning.

JT

[LeonWaksman]

Surprising, new board and activation valid. Great.

Leon

[LeonWaksman]

"...the memory and hard drive are OK, could they be loaded into a comparable NUC kit without any problem?" - DDR3L will be compatible only with some old generation NUC (5th generation or older). You will need to reactivate Windows 10, because of major hardware change. If you where logged into your Microsoft Account, at least once (your Windows Activation was linked to Microsoft Account) , it should be possible. Please read here how.

Leon