Freezes occur on startup while trying to install Windows.
Freezes occur on startup while trying to install Windows.
I recently acquired a new MoBo and put it into my rig. I decided to begin with a clean Windows installation. During startup, it navigates to the Windows installer and setup. Once the installation finishes, it prompts the PC to restart to complete. After restarting, it freezes on the boot screen as depicted in the attached photo. Occasionally, it reaches the Windows logo loading screen before freezing. If I try to power off and retry, I’m forced to redo the entire installation process, which then freezes again upon boot. Any suggestions on what might be causing this issue? Appreciate your assistance ahead!
We need all the details about your setup. Please share the motherboard model, CPU type, RAM amount, storage device used, power supply unit, and graphics card. Also let us know if you're using a Windows Media Creation Tool or attempting any overclocking. With this information, we can better identify the issue.
I tried a Gigabyte B250-HD3 board with an Intel i7-7700K and 4x8 DDR4 RAM, a GTX 3090 Ti GPU. My first attempt used an M.2 SSD from my old system but it failed. I then switched to a new SATA III SSD, which also didn’t work. I’m currently using a thumb drive for Windows installation. Beyond that, I haven’t made any advanced changes like overclocking.
It seems there might be an issue with the RAM. I’m assuming all the RAM units are the same and sourced from the same package, correct? I’d try installing just one stick into the first memory slot and see if it works. Use a single drive regardless of type—NVME or SSD—it doesn’t matter as long as there’s only one. Keep things simple to avoid confusion. With the Windows Media Install Tool, once you reach that point, remove any partitions detected by the tool. We aim for a clean system from the start. The fewer components, the easier it is to get things running. You didn’t mention the PSU, but at this stage we just need the CPU, the fan, one stick of RAM, and one drive—whether NVME or SSD. Also, ensure all power cables are securely connected to the PSU. From what I understand, make sure your GPU has both 8-pin power cables plugged in. Even though I don’t have one, it looks like a G-eForce RTX 3090 could be drawing a lot of power. With just these basics, we should be able to boot from the WMCT and begin setting up the rest.
You're using a Corsair RM1000x PSU. Regarding the RAM, they have two sets of 2x8 modules. It functioned well on your old setup, but it's unclear if it will work with the new motherboard. I'll follow your advice and get back with an update.
Just the essentials: no fans, only one stick of RAM, USB port holds the Windows Media Install thumb drive, booting still doesn’t work. It keeps looping endlessly, flashing in varying resolutions before freezing. Each try takes a different amount of time until it finally stops.
Great! I'll keep an eye on things. I'm here to help you through this.