Do you suspect your motherboard is faulty? The ASUS Z-690 EVA is overheating just before Windows starts.
Do you suspect your motherboard is faulty? The ASUS Z-690 EVA is overheating just before Windows starts.
I faced a challenge with no signal on my monitor after changing the case. It turned out the 12VHPWR cable was the culprit. I switched to a CableMod adapter and it resolved the issue. Now I encounter another concern: during shutdown, I see the ASUS ROG x EVA TOP SECRET boot screen with instructions to press F2 or DEL. After that, the system transitions to a different screen featuring the ASUS ROG TOP SECRET splash and a loading circle. Occasionally, this circle freezes, causing the computer to hang or restart repeatedly.
Initially, I suspected a potential issue with my M.2 drive. During the no-signal phase, I had to repeatedly power on and off the PC because I couldn't see a proper image. This might have led to Windows corruption. After reinstalling Windows on the same M.2, the problem disappeared. I then tried a fresh installation on a new M.2 drive, which worked perfectly. I added various software and drivers, converted the faulty drive to a basic volume, and restarted. The loading screen issue persisted, but less frequently.
Once, the system appeared ready to boot but froze right before loading Windows. I thought it might be related to the drive being connected, so I removed it and reinstalled Windows on a different M.2 slot. The issue reappeared, though less often. I played MW2 for two hours with friends and everything ran smoothly at 220-240 FPS. After shutdown, the problem returned, still displaying the loading screen.
I’m puzzled—does it have anything to do with the drive? It seems to function perfectly otherwise. The motherboard shows no error codes, only A0 and 40 codes, with the latter indicating a system wake from S4 sleep. What should I do next? Should I remove all drives and install a new one, or disconnect everything to test? Have I altered any settings before this started?
Considering the drive status, no post codes are present. I wonder if pulling out all drives and replacing them with a fresh one could help. Alternatively, completely unplugging everything to see if the issue persists might reveal more.
I faced a comparable issue on an ROG Z490 equipped with a 10850K. The screen froze during loading dots. Eventually, I resolved it by turning off Intel speedshift and speedstep in the CPU settings. It’s unclear if this will help you, but it might be worth a try.
Thanks for the idea! I'll check if disabling them in BIOS makes a difference.