BSOD appears on any boot device (USB, Windows installer, SSD, Linux, etc.) which might indicate a failing CPU.
BSOD appears on any boot device (USB, Windows installer, SSD, Linux, etc.) which might indicate a failing CPU.
System crashes immediately after the Windows startup screen. Occasionally it freezes instead of stopping completely. It occurs during both USB and SSD installations with fully installed Windows. I also experienced kernel panic during Ubuntu USB setup and with Hiren’s boot. The only successful boot was via MemTest86. Recorded BSOD codes: -IRQL _LESS_OR_EQUAL, CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED, UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP, FAILURE_TO_LOAD_IMAGE, BSOD error code 0xc000021a. At first glance, it seems RAM is the issue, though my existing RAM still triggers the same problem. I switched to a different motherboard and same outcome. The processor appears to be the main culprit, but I’m skeptical it’s the CPU itself. Besides the CPU, I used identical power supply and GPU to another board, which is less likely to cause all the issues since it works fine elsewhere. I checked BIOS settings related to secure boot and disabled fast boot. The hardware in question is an i5-6500 with 2 B150 motherboards (MSI B150m NightEffort and ASUS B150 Pro Gaming).
Have you attempted starting from an older system? It could be related to UEFI issues, and clearing the CMOS might help.