No operating system can be installed at this time.
No operating system can be installed at this time.
I just completed assembling my PC and everything functions properly (specks below). I can access the BIOS, fans are spinning and lights are on, everything seems correctly installed. The only part I haven’t verified yet is the GPU. I attempted to install an OS—specifically Windows 8.1 because I don’t have a Windows 10 disk—and it booted up fine. Once on the Windows screen, the loading symbol stopped after about ten seconds (this was during a disk installation). I tried various optical drives to check if that’s the issue, but since I’ve used the same disk twice now, it shouldn’t be the problem. I downloaded the Windows 10 installer from the internet onto a flash drive and tried that too, but the same issue occurred. I’ve tried everything so please let me know what to do next.
Nothing on the screen freezes; I waited for an hour, but it remains completely unresponsive.
Do you have another machine ready to use? Consider using a Windows 10 installer or a Linux distribution. Your current setup might not support Windows 8. REMOVE: Unable to read. Verify your disk health and run a memory test.
There seems to be a problem at the hardware level. Let's focus on the essentials. We're using a 9700f and a Z370 board. It works to boot into BIOS, which is good. Have you tried updating the BIOS to the latest version? Usually, a Z390 board would be better if there are BIOS issues, but since it does reach BIOS, that's fine. Make sure you've flashed the BIOS with the newest release if you haven't already. Since it's a 9700f, you'll need the GPU just to display video—so we can't isolate the issue unless you have an older GPU to temporarily swap in. Remove one stick of RAM and test with just one. If that fails, try the other stick. If neither works, consider re-seating the CPU; it might not be properly seated. Take the CPU cooler out, remove the CPU, and reinstall it—use fresh thermal paste. After that, check again. Also, verify if the PC is attempting to boot from the flash drive correctly. Make sure the SATA cable is removed from the SSD and see what happens when you boot.
I'll check the motherboard in a moment and observe the results. I've connected the HDMI cable to the motherboard just to confirm if the GPU was the issue—it still had the same problem. I should record that my motherboard chipset is 1151x and the CPU is 1151; it seems likely they're the same, so it probably won't matter. I've already changed the RAM and drive switches, but the issue persists.
They use a 1151 socket, correct. The Z370 was released before Intel 9xxx CPUs appeared. Z390 is essentially a newer model. I'm not entirely confident about my earlier comments, but the problem lies with the BIOS. Z390's motherboard BIOS should support your CPU, yet it might not be updated. An outdated BIOS could prevent it from loading properly, which is possible. Fortunately, it does recognize the CPU now, which is a positive sign. Also, with your 9700f, the HDMI port on the motherboard likely won't function, as the chip lacks a graphics core. If it does work, it might be bypassing the GPU signal entirely—hard to say for sure.