Every operating system becomes unresponsive at startup, regardless of whether a USB drive is used.
Every operating system becomes unresponsive at startup, regardless of whether a USB drive is used.
Hi, ** Edit: In the end it turned out to be a fault with the CPU. AMD sent me a free replacement under warranty, and actually upgraded me to an 8350! Thanks AMD ** Basically I can't boot from anything - I've tried 2 separate installs of windows (one on an SSD, one on an HDD), and even linux on a USB stick. Here's a summary of the problems I've encountered / steps I've attempted: Windows 10 install with SSD ========================== 1. Had a working windows 10 install on my machine. 2. It froze when I was browsing the internet -> I pressed and held the power button. 3. When it rebooted, got to the windows logo with the spinning dots. 4. The spinning dots froze but then CPU fan ramped up to 100%, got quite hot. No HDD activity based on the indicator light. 5. Hard rebooted -> got "Preparing automatic repair" screen with spinning dots. 6. Stuck in a boot loop. 7. Disconnected all peripherals + HDMI, no change 8. Changed SATA cable / SATA port on motherboard, no change Windows 7 install on HDD (from another computer I don't use any more, had never been plugged into this machine before now) ========================== 1. After windows 7 loading logo, got a blue screen of death: ----- Check for viruses on your computer. Remove any newly installed hard drives or hard drive controllers. Check your hard drive to make sure it is properly configured and terminated. Run CHKDKS /F to check for hard drive corruption, and then restart your computer. Technical information: *** STOP: 0X0000007B (0xFFFFF88000 ----- 2. Rebooted -> launch startup repair froze again on a loading screen 3. Still in a boot loop Ubuntu installed on a USB stick ========================== 1. Unplugged all peripherals except for the USB stick, then booted. 2. Got to loading screen with circles 3. Froze again after 2/4 circles, CPU started ramping up again, I rebooted it 4. Took RAM out, put 1 stick back in in another slot, no change. So what do you think I should do now? Could this be a motherboard / CPU issue? I'm totally stumped here! Thanks PC Specs =========================== OS: (The install where the issues started was Windows 10, which was upgraded from 7) CPU: AMD FX8320 Motherboard: ASUS M5A99X EVO R2.0 RAM: 2 x Hyperx Blu 8GB) GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Storage: OCZ solid 3 SSD
Have you considered starting without your GPU? Also, have you run memtest? Do you have any extra components? If yes, experiment with replacing parts to pinpoint the issue. If that doesn’t help, it might be a CPU or motherboard problem. You could also try re-seating your CPU, though I’m not sure.
Hi, I attempted without using a GPU on the Windows 10 SSD earlier, but nothing changed much. The motherboard lacks built-in graphics, and there was still a VGA light indicating it wasn’t connected. I haven’t run memtest yet, though I can access the UEFI bios without issues. I have another machine set up as a backup server, so I might try the RAM or CPU from that one. I’ll wait until tomorrow before doing more. Thanks for your response—I'll keep you updated.
So I attempted several fixes on my USB Linux setup: swapped GPU from GTX 660 to an older AMD model (model unclear), unplugged front USB and HD audio from the motherboard, ran a memory test from a USB drive—no issues found. In BIOS I set defaults and disabled fast boot, but it still didn’t work. I flipped the EPU switch on the motherboard to ON, then turned it back OFF after a few tries. After reseating the CPU, I removed several PSU cables that hadn’t been connected before, now only motherboard connections remain. Now I get a new error message and freeze for a couple of restarts, returning to the loading screen with the Ubuntu logo. I suspect it froze earlier than usual this time. Planning to try a different power supply.
You've already tested the correct power supply and RAM, but the issue remains unchanged. It might be the motherboard that's causing the problem.
It seems the issue is likely with the CPU or motherboard, which you already suspected. You might want to try updating the BIOS instead, though it probably won’t fix it. Depending on how long you’ve had the board, you could consider replacing it. If none of these work, a new motherboard will be necessary—available for around $50, but I wouldn’t go that cheap.