Yeah, I know. That’s one hell of a cryptic title for this POST (pun intended 😛 ).
Proxmox node 3
Yes! This post is about the third Proxmox node I’ve been assembling.
Last Sunday, I finally had some spare time to install everything into the newly bought case. The process itself was straightforward: add extra spacers, mount the motherboard, install memory, CPU, and cooler.
Big mistake #1.
Even though it’s a Be Quiet! cooler, it still features that push-through crap installation system Intel used for a while. I prefer screws. 😛
After finding the correct manual, connecting the power switch, reset switch, and the various LEDs was easy enough.
The case itself even came with a PC speaker!
Boot #1
Add keyboard, add mouse, plug in the Pico-PSU barrel connector.
A blue power LED lights up, the CPU fan starts spinning — success!
…Ehhh. I jinxed it.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.
Yes! That little PC speaker just saved my ass.
Diagnosis
Found the manual — constant beeps probably mean a memory issue.
Removed 2 out of the 4 DIMMs.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.
Nope.
Removed all DIMMs except the one in slot #0.
BEEP
…and
POST.
Okay, that’s a really good sign!
- #0 and #2. NO POST
- #0 and #3. NO POST
- #0 POST
- #1 POST ( Yes! )
- #2 NO POST
- #3 NO POST
Okay, the issue is with the two slots furthest from the CPU.
That means the culprit is either the CPU itself or the motherboard — maybe a broken trace?
Or maybe something simpler: the BIOS version was still 1.2.0 — from 2018. The latest version, R1.29.0, was released earlier this year.
BIOS
The advantage of using the same hardware is that I already had a USB stick with the necessary BIOS update ready to go.
Insert USB stick, boot from it, update the BIOS, wait for a while (and pray the power doesn’t go out :P), reboot, go into the BIOS, load Optimized Defaults, check settings, and reboot again.
No problem at all!
I felt lucky and installed all four DIMMs again.
Yeah.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.
Nope.
Quick diagnosis: same problem. Still there.
Disassembly
Removed the CPU cooler — did I mention I hate that installation method? I still prefer screws.
Removed the CPU and checked the socket for bent pins or any other visible damage.
Nothing. Looked good.
Then I turned the CPU upside down.
Ehh… what’s that grey stuff on the back?
Wait — is that thermal paste?
Yeah — thermal paste!
A tiny spot covering just a handful of gold-plated… islands?!Cleaned it, re-inserted the CPU, mounted the cooler upside-down so the CPU still had some kind of cooling, and booted with one DIMM.
BEEP!
POST.
That quick surgery didn’t kill the CPU. 😛
Powered down, inserted a DIMM in a slot that previously didn’t work.
BEEP!
POST!
Did the same with the last slot.
BEEP!
POST!
And then — the moment suprême! Installed all four DIMMs.
BEEP!
POST!
YES! Found and fixed!
Have you ever read this many BEEPs and POSTs inside a single POST?! Hehe.
Proxmox
And from that point, everything was easy again.
Updated the necessary BIOS settings (C-States and SpeedStep), inserted the Proxmox USB stick, and installed Proxmox.
Done!
Moral of the story
One tiny blotch of thermal paste — how it got there is still a mystery — can wreak havoc!
BEEP → POST → Brain out!