[Xwire]

So I've been reading this thread, but I have to request: please, to all owners of a ASRock Apollo Lake board (especially J4205-ITX), state if your board always, not always, or never boots up.

I own a J4205-ITX. The issue I have with it is that it refuses to properly boot. I can only get it to boot by applying a dodgy trick. The dodgy trick is a specific sequence that goes as followed:

1. I power up the device by plugging it into the mains. Power LED briefly lights up, and then shuts off.
   
2. I pull the connector of the power switch off the motherboard header. Nothing happens (as expected).
   
3. I reconnect the power switch connector to the motherboard header. LED lights up solid, then a few seconds later it starts to flash with 5 seconds interval between each flash.
   
4. I disconnect the power switch connector from the motherboard header. LED stops flashing, shows a solid colour, and a few seconds later, the system has booted properly into BIOS/UEFI.
   
5. I reconnect the power switch connector to the motherboard header. System shuts off.
   
6. I disconnect the power switch connector from the motherboard header. Nothing happens (as expected).
   
7. I reconnect the power switch connector to the motherboard header, and press the power button. Nothing happens.
   

Now the system totally refuses to POST, even when I dis-and reconnect the power switch connector. The only way I can get it to POST, is to take the system off the mains for 1 minute, then reconnect it to the mains, and rinse and repeat the process written above. The process written above must be followed through literally exactly step by step, otherwise there's no way for the system to POST.

BIOS vers = 1.20