Anti-Surge Error and Infinite Bios Looping

[AlexTaldren]

Hey all,

My current issue: My PC received the "Anti-Surge" warning and now only boots into the bios and refuses to boot into Windows 10.

My PC Specs (Purchased and assembled in March 2016, with no issues at all until now.)
Windows 10 64-bit
ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO ALPHA ATX DDR4 3000 LGA 1151
Intel Core i7-6700K CPU @ 4.00GHz
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz (PC4-24000) C15 Memory Kit - Black (CMK32GX4M4B3000C15)
Corsair CX Series, CX750M, 750 Watt (750W) , Semi Modular Power Supply, 80+ Bronze Certified
Cooler Master Hyper T4 CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heatpipes RR-T4-18PK-R1
Asus ROG Swift PG278Q 27-Inch WQHD G-SYNC LED Gaming Monitor
Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-75E500B/AM)
CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD Intelligent LCD UPS 1500VA 900W AVR Mini-Tower


What Happened
1. Tuesday night, I was using my PC without issue and playing games. There were no signs of problems. I logged off around 2 a.m. EST.
2. Wednesday evening, I get home around 8:30 p.m. EST and find that my PC looks like it's in sleep mode, but it won't wake up.
3. I force shutdown the PC and start it up again.
4. I get to a screen listing specs and giving me the "Anti-Surge Protection" warning.
5. I restart the PC and now it doesn't even show me anti-surge message. Instead, it goes straight to the Bios.
6. Sometimes, after trying one of the below solutions, I received the screen I attached to this post, which doesn't say anything about anti-surge, but says "When RAID configuration was built, ensure to set SATA configuration to RAID mode." (*I should say that I've NEVER used RAID mode, nor do I have my PC configured for it, nor have I ever seen that screen prior to now.

Solutions Tried
1. I opened the case and resecured the power cables leading everywhere.
2. I tried clearing the CMOS.
3. I tried flashing back the Bios to 1901 from 2202.
4. I tried updating the Bios to the latest 3101.
5. I've ordered a new PSU and will try that when it arrives today.
6. I tried disabling the "Anti-Surge Protection" and "Require F1 on Error" Bios options.

After 5 hours, none of the above got me to the Windows 10 log in screen. I've attached an image showing the screen I'm seeing now in the rare case I'm not sent directly into the Bios.

Aside from trying a new PSU, does anyone have any ideas what might be up? It's possible that there was a power surge in my apartment within the 18 hours before I tried using the PC again. However, I noticed there weren't any clocks or other electronic devices in my apartment that were reset. Also, my PC is behind a CyberPower back-up and surge protector, so it seems unlikely.

Anyone have any ideas? What in the hell happened to this thing?

[AlexTaldren]

Chino wrote:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD


When you're reinstalling Windows, make sure only the SSD/HDD that you're planning to install it on is the only drive connected to the system.

I really appreciate the effort, but no thanks. I'm going to buy a new motherboard and it will NOT be ASUS. It would seem their ability to produce stable, quality, long-lasting hardware has diminished significantly over the years. Just a few simple Google searches on issues related to the Maximus VIII Hero Alpha is enough to know that something is terribly flawed.

This thing lasted 10 months. Dells and Gateways lasted longer than that. I will be doing my part to persuade others to avoid these garbage motherboards at all costs.

[Unfurled]

Are you using any display port connection to your monitor(s)? If so, try switching to something else (VGA, DVI, HDMI) and see if that solves your problem.

I've been having the same error until I realised that the displayport cable was triggering this error. It's to do with some cables enabling the 20th pin or something. I've since swapped to HDMI, having seen that error since.

[AlexTaldren]

Unfurled wrote:
Are you using any display port connection to your monitor(s)? If so, try switching to something else (VGA, DVI, HDMI) and see if that solves your problem.

I've been having the same error until I realised that the displayport cable was triggering this error. It's to do with some cables enabling the 20th pin or something. I've since swapped to HDMI, having seen that error since.

Well, I tried two different Display Port cables and neither helped. I'd love to try your idea, but once again, ASUS gets in my way. The ASUS ROG monitor I have only has a single output port, and it's a Display Port output.

I mean, I can't believe this online community even exists for these products, but then again, these are really just huge support/customer service forums to help solve the myriad of bugs, issues, and faults shipped with each product.

Apologies for my ranting, but when the time spent diagnosing an issue equates to several days worth of pay, and that is far more than the value of these products, I can't help it.

[emsir]

AlexTaldren wrote:
Well, I tried two different Display Port cables and neither helped. I'd love to try your idea, but once again, ASUS gets in my way. The ASUS ROG monitor I have only has a single output port, and it's a Display Port output.

I mean, I can't believe this online community even exists for these products, but then again, these are really just huge support/customer service forums to help solve the myriad of bugs, issues, and faults shipped with each product.

Apologies for my ranting, but when the time spent diagnosing an issue equates to several days worth of pay, and that is far more than the value of these products, I can't help it.

Your anger towards ASUS is wrong. Ive had my ASUS HERO VIII for nearly a year now, and have zero problems. It works like a charm overclocked to 4.7 Ghz.

I dont know why you think that when you have issues with your motherboard, all products from ASUS are bad. Your logic is wrong. Majority of ASUS owners are very happy with their product. If you have a problem with your product you should contact ASUS.

[Shenny]

emsir wrote:
Your anger towards ASUS is wrong. Ive had my ASUS HERO VIII for nearly a year now, and have zero problems. It works like a charm overclocked to 4.7 Ghz.

I dont know why you think that when you have issues with your motherboard, all products from ASUS are bad. Your logic is wrong. Majority of ASUS owners are very happy with their product. If you have a problem with your product you should contact ASUS.

I would still support Alex despite the fact that I have been building all of my PCs with ASUS mobos so far (except the very first one when Abit were still on the market) and I am currently enjoying a superb ASUS display. However, everybody is entitled to expect the best for his money. if I come into problems with not one but two faulty products from the same company, I would seriously think twice before buying another product from the same place. Well, maybe I would try to RMA first before opting for another company but that's a personal decision.

[AlexTaldren]

emsir wrote:
Your anger towards ASUS is wrong. Ive had my ASUS HERO VIII for nearly a year now, and have zero problems. It works like a charm overclocked to 4.7 Ghz.

I dont know why you think that when you have issues with your motherboard, all products from ASUS are bad. Your logic is wrong. Majority of ASUS owners are very happy with their product. If you have a problem with your product you should contact ASUS.

My frustration toward ASUS is correct. Sorry. I"ve been building PCs for over 15 years, and I've used EVGA, MSI, and ASUS components. My ASUS builds are the only ones that I've had these kinds of issues with. My last MSI build is sitting at my parent's house, and has been for over 7 years, without issue.

Besides, you've had your Hero for nearly a year now. What a coincidence! Me too, for 10 months. Sounds like you have about a month or two and then...enjoy your annual ASUS troubleshooting adventure. 🙂

I'm going to need to see the survey results supporting your claim about majorities. And, I have contacted ASUS support. They are less helpful than Yahoo Answers. Have I tried clearing the CMOS? Yes, idiot. Have I tried checking my cables? Yes, I"m not an 80-year old. Have you tried a new PSU? Yes, thanks for costing me money.

The only truly helpful question, and the one they'll never ask: Have you tried using a non-ASUS motherboard?

[AlexTaldren]

Just so you guys are aware, I replaced the motherboard and everything works just fine. All SSDs are recognized, the CPU is fine, the GPU still works, etc. So far I've booted into Windows 10, played a few games, and no issues.

Now, this happened once before when I swapped out the old PSU for a new one, and it seemed to occur after several hours of being idle. I switched my PC to never go to sleep or hibernate just in case. Overall, something happened to that 10-month old Maximus VIII Hero Alpha.

If the issue continues to persist, I'll update the thread. Otherwise, shoutout to Chino for trying to assist. I appreciate it.

[emsir]

AlexTaldren wrote:
My frustration toward ASUS is correct. Sorry. I"ve been building PCs for over 15 years, and I've used EVGA, MSI, and ASUS components. My ASUS builds are the only ones that I've had these kinds of issues with. My last MSI build is sitting at my parent's house, and has been for over 7 years, without issue.

Besides, you've had your Hero for nearly a year now. What a coincidence! Me too, for 10 months. Sounds like you have about a month or two and then...enjoy your annual ASUS troubleshooting adventure. 🙂

I'm going to need to see the survey results supporting your claim about majorities. And, I have contacted ASUS support. They are less helpful than Yahoo Answers. Have I tried clearing the CMOS? Yes, idiot. Have I tried checking my cables? Yes, I"m not an 80-year old. Have you tried a new PSU? Yes, thanks for costing me money.

The only truly helpful question, and the one they'll never ask: Have you tried using a non-ASUS motherboard?

So now you are saying that each and every ASUS board are the only ones creating issues for you? That sounds very strange. I've been building ASUS computers (around 500) and not even one board have any issue. ASUS boards are the most reliable boards in the world. So you have to ask your self. Is it ASUS boards or is it you creating issues and problems. I can understand your board was broken, but if all of your ASÚS boards have issues....hmmm.

[ANM]

I had the same problem with a VIII Gene. Power surge errors on reboot/wake and changing my display-port cable solved the error. As mentioned above it depends on the 20th pin being enabled.

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=dispalayport+20th+pin

[horatio591]

All you need is a good-quality surge protector. Personally, I have been using Lanshion 8 Outlet for over a year and it's awesome!
Suits all my needs.
Its presence on my desk makes my wife jealous of my space-saving grandeur 😄
Besides, it saves me the trouble of going into the computer room to recharge those items which need these ports.