AM5 installation facing issues such as boot failures, crashes, and inconsistent debug indicators.
AM5 installation facing issues such as boot failures, crashes, and inconsistent debug indicators.
Hello everyone, I’m working on a new PC for a friend. Although my previous builds have been smooth, this one feels different. The setup includes: Ryzen 5 7500F, MSI B650 Gaming Plus, Wi-Fi, Patriot Viper Viper Venom, 32 GB SSD, 6000 MT Intel 12th Gen, Montech Air 1000, Premium White Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE, and a 1080 Ti CPU from an older system.
Issues arose after initial testing: the system would start for a short time but then fail to boot again after shutdown. Eventually, the CPU seemed defective. We replaced everything except the cooler and SSD, swapped in a new CPU, and rebuilt the system. The same SSD remained with Windows 11 installed.
After several attempts—removing RAM sticks, changing slots, updating BIOS—I encountered persistent problems. The PC would not boot at all, showing only red + yellow debug LEDs, sometimes just yellow or none at all, with no video signal. We tried every RAM configuration, but nothing worked. The keyboard wouldn’t power on, and after a BIOS update, we faced a black screen with Debug LEDs. Eventually, we got the system to boot again, but it displayed multiple BSODs.
We eventually installed both RAM sticks and successfully logged into Windows. After resetting the PIN and downloading a new BIOS, the system started intermittently. I enabled XMP instead of EXPO, set RAM speed to 6000 MT/s, and activated Memory Context Restore. It worked sporadically.
Other points: HDMI cable connected to GPU, not the motherboard; CPU lacks integrated graphics, so we always connect the display cable directly; RAM slots 2 & 4 were used initially, then 1 & 3; we ended up using slots 2 & 4 most of the time. We experienced around 50 restarts yesterday, making it hard to recall every step.
I’m a bit confused by all the changes and failures. Any suggestions or insights would be greatly appreciated!
XMP remains a valid option. XMP and EXPO function as spreadsheets containing all RAM data so the motherboard can access them. They essentially serve the same purpose, though the manufacturer charges Intel for using XMP. ASUS refers to it as DOCP and developed its own loader to avoid this fee. If the motherboard recognizes the XMP profile, it will support it. Do you recall any of the BSOD messages? If you can open Windows, retrieve the dump files—they contain logs from the BSODs. Navigate to C:\Windows\Minidump and verify the presence of any minidump files. If found, return to the Windows directory and move the Minidump folder to your Downloads folder (or use your desktop if OneDrive isn't available). Compress the folder and attach it to a post. Please adhere strictly to the instructions since Windows typically discourages file manipulation in that area.
Also consider disabling mem context restore since it doesn't always function and leads to frequent crashes and BSODs on my end.
Hey, thank you for the reply. I will try to get into Windows later today to get those files, at least I hope I can at least get into the BIOS somehow. The whole situation is so weird to me since I've never had any issues when building a PC. Not sure about the BSOD errors, I'll just quote some stuff from my search history: - system thread exception not handled - kernel mode heap corruption - system service exception - 0xC0000221 - ntoskrnl Do you think it's worth trying to boot with a different RAM kit? Then I'll just get the RAM sticks from my own PC.
The issue is that I can't remove the CMOS battery because the small metal latch is stuck by a plastic part. A Reddit discussion suggested using tweezers to take off that plastic piece. Nice design from MSI!
I discovered a solution that improved things! I replaced the 1080 Ti with my 3070, which restored the video signal and allowed me to enter BIOS. I also updated the board to an older BIOS version before making this change. I set EXPO to 6000 MTs, though it seems this setting might cause instability now. Regarding your question about the 1080 Ti, it previously worked with the factory BIOS, but the newer BIOS version doesn’t recognize it. You’re experiencing bluescreens linked to the hypervisor and kernel errors involving heap and security—perhaps a fresh Windows installation could resolve these issues.
Did you recall using Secure Boot prior to the BIOS update? Certain motherboards contain this issue where enabling Secure Boot can prevent the current GPU from working. Replacing the GPU and turning off Secure Boot (or using integrated graphics on CPUs with them) might restore functionality if the problem stems from that same bug. Updating the BIOS often sets Secure Boot as the default, activating the issue. If this is the case, you can attempt to re-enable it after reinstalling the original GPU. This particular flaw appears infrequently—only about ten instances have been observed. Most occurred immediately when Valorant's anticheat began enforcing Secure Boot on Windows 11, prompting many users to enable it.