J50C-4 wont boot, LED comes on, fan starts, then shuts off

M

mg202

New member
Hi all.

My 1 year old J50C-4 has just stopped booting up.

As per the title, the blue LED comes on, the fan spins up, but nothing happens on the screen and then it shuts down.

Any ideas?

Many thanks!
 
Hi.

Please tell us more details:

-have you recently made any BIOS update?
-have you recently made any RAM upgrade?
-etc...

Please tell us your current installed specs and current software installed (windows version included).
 
Last edited:
notrui said:
Hi.

Please tell us more details:

-have you recently made any BIOS update?
-have you recently made any RAM upgrade?
-etc...

Please tell us your current installed specs and current software installed (windows version included).
Click to expand...
he may struggle with some of this if he cant boot up or get into bios/safe mode ;)
 
Hi all, many thanks for replying.

It is still the standard configuration with Win 10 Pro. No changes internally, I've never opened it up!

I've also not made any bios updates.

Its just started doing this after a year of service :(
 
I did switch the power adapter but it didnt help.

Sadly I don't even get to bios or see post messages.

I bought it from Amazon, and have sent an email to support@minix.com.hk to see what they say.

No response as yet, but it is the weekend!
 
mg202 said:
I did switch the power adapter but it didnt help.

Sadly I don't even get to bios or see post messages.

I bought it from Amazon, and have sent an email to support@minix.com.hk to see what they say.

No response as yet, but it is the weekend!
Click to expand...

Please let us know what Minix says - the company has a good reputation for customer service and warranty support, even post warranty period.

PS: Isn't there a pinhole reset button somewhere on the device, or did I imagine that when setting it up?
 
Found it, poked it, no difference sadly.

Just heard back from support so will let you all know how that progresses.

To be honest, the stories I had heard about the support were one of the reasons I went with Minix.

I had a Beelink before, and it simply didn't work.

Was then tempted with an Intel NUC but came across Minix, and this forum, and heard good things!
 
Last edited:
mg202 said:
Found it, poked it, no difference sadly.

Just heard back from support so will let you all know how that progresses.

To be honest, the stories I had heard about the support were one of the reasons I went with Minix.

I had a Beelink before, and it simply didn't work.

Was then tempted with an Intel NUC but came across Minix, and this forum, and heard good things!
Click to expand...

Thanks. Look forward to seeing the reply and how it goes. It would be very rare for Minix support to not help customers.
 
Alex has replied and asked to check a few things.

Open the box and check the RAM.
Clear the CMOS.
Try a new power supply.

I have tried the 3rd one, and will look at the 1st.

Not sure about the CMOS, is that the battery and bridging some pins?
 
mg202 said:
Alex has replied and asked to check a few things.

Open the box and check the RAM.
Clear the CMOS.
Try a new power supply.

I have tried the 3rd one, and will look at the 1st.

Not sure about the CMOS, is that the battery and bridging some pins?
Click to expand...
if you open the box first do the following:
Give a general cleaning of the board, fan, etc...
The pc may be dirty and causing this problem.
The rest of the procedures must be done carefully.
 
mg202 said:
Alex has replied and asked to check a few things.

Open the box and check the RAM.
Clear the CMOS.
Try a new power supply.

I have tried the 3rd one, and will look at the 1st.

Not sure about the CMOS, is that the battery and bridging some pins?
Click to expand...

CMOS: There should be a battery.
1. Make sure the system is fully disconnected (mains and barrel connector).
2. Remove the battery gently.
3. Wait at least 120 seconds (best to go make a cup of tea and then come back to it)
4. Place the battery back in.
5. Again, make sure the power is fully disconnected when you do this.

These instructions should have been provided to you by Minix. I'm surprised they were not. And @notrui is correct, use compressed air to clean the board. Never, ever use a vacuum. However, if you don't see much dust, I would skip the cleaning part as it can be easy to damage SMDs.
 
They have provided the instructions overnight, don't worry, Alex is doing a great job.

"After opening the bottom cover, take out the PCBA, then remove the battery, and reinstall the battery after 20 minutes."
 
Hi all.

Just an update, I forgot to do one, sorry!

I swapped out the memory and it seems OK now.

I had it turned off for a while, and when I found time to check it out it seemed to boot OK.

But then, after a while, the screen would "checker board" and then freeze.

It would reboot ok, for a short time, then the same again.

Then it started displaying the "will not boot" symptoms from the original post.

Luckily I had a spare laptop memory card that I swapped out and it all seems OK now.

Hopefully this will help people in the future.

Cure: New memory

Symptoms: Box starts to boot, shuts down, with no POST. Also seen screen flash like a checker / chess board and then freeze.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice!
 
mg202 said:
Then it started displaying the "will not boot" symptoms from the original post.

Luckily I had a spare laptop memory card that I swapped out and it all seems OK now.
Click to expand...
It's highly unusual for RAM to die after a year of use. Has Minix offered to replace the RAM? Have you run a stress test on the device, including RAM? Or even memtest on it?
 
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