No, you didn't harm your computer. The over-OC was just a mistake.
No, you didn't harm your computer. The over-OC was just a mistake.
Details: CPU model Ryzen 3700x, GPU 1080Ti, RAM Patriot Viper B-die 4000 cl19 tuned to 3733 cl14 MOBO: B450 Tomahawk (non max edition), PSU 650w EVGA G3 Gold+, recent performance tweaks. I pushed CPU overclock from 4.3GHz to 1.41v and 4.5GHz, then got crashes when launching games. Windows started failing after the post screen, even though I reset BIOS settings. Now I’m stuck in a boot error loop with no clear fix. I’m unsure if it’s a software glitch or hardware issue. Any advice or alternative solutions would be greatly appreciated—I’m willing to risk losing data if it helps.
start with the CMOS reset, then try a clean install if needed. otherwise, a fresh setup is likely best. ensure your CPU voltage stays above 1.3V to protect the Z-series chips—current readings around 1.38V suggest instability. if you're close to 1.4V, it's probably just a corrupted Windows setup. in worst cases, your old OS might still work, but it's safer to reduce the settings. some users have seen their CPU drop by about 200MHz after such changes.
I've reset the CMOS, but I think I should have mentioned that in the post. However, the recovery mode Windows puts me in doesn't allow me to reinstall Windows, and it keeps failing each time I try. I have a USB with a Windows installation, but the only option seems to be through the recovery process unless I'm completely stuck. To be clear, whenever I attempt a fresh Windows install via the recovery service, it lets me pick the USB drive, but nothing else happens and it fails.
I’m referring to booting from the Windows USB for a clean install. If your current drive holds important data with faulty Windows, you’d need another Windows-powered drive to retrieve those files or consider safe mode. It seems the system is mostly broken at the file level, not due to hardware issues. I’d lower the OC back to below 1.3x and adjust the graphics settings accordingly.
Sure, I understand. It’s fine if the files are lost as long as the system remains functional. I’ll lower the performance threshold below 1.3 since I only discovered the issue recently. The main problem right now is that Windows resets itself even when there are errors during the recovery process, and I’m unsure what to do outside of that. Any suggestions on how to handle this without using the built-in recovery tools?
Disconnect the USB from the system, not the storage device. Set the drive as the installation target in the installer. If the setup doesn't succeed, it likely indicates a hardware issue.
Your data can be restored using a live Linux USB, regardless of your familiarity with Linux—it's quite straightforward—and then transfer the files to another storage device.
there is i've experimented with such a way before it is tedious but if there isnt any other way for you let me know i will help you