Nothing opens
Nothing opens
I'm not certain if I'm asking in the correct location, as I'm unsure whether this is related to a software problem.
I recently assembled this PC: MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk MAX WiFi Gaming Motherboard, AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, Kingston NV2 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe Internal SSD, Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM at 3200MHz, XFX Speedster SWFT210 Radeon RX 7600 Graphics Card, Corsair RM650 80 plus Gold Fully Modular Low-Noise ATX 650 Watt Power supply, and Microsoft OEM System Builder | Windows 11 Pro.
The issue I'm facing is that it repeatedly blocks access to the operating system, preventing anything from opening in Windows. It's fully updated and functions normally for hours, yet suddenly nothing appears. The mouse operates freely, but icons hover without opening.
I can't shut down or restart during this, so I have to perform a hard shutdown while holding the Shift key. After several attempts, I managed to troubleshoot and get it into safe mode.
Initially, after reinstalling Windows, I suspected a virus from pirated software. However, the problem recurred again shortly after installing Steam, even though I had Steam installed before the previous reinstall. After uninstalling Steam and restarting, everything worked fine overnight. Reinstalling Steam about an hour later caused it to start once more. Safe mode only provided temporary relief.
After three or four attempts to enter safe mode, I uninstalled Steam and reloaded Windows; everything appeared normal again. This suggests the problem might be related to a Steam installation.
Could it be connected to an OEM version of Windows?
I purchased this system on Amazon for $160 and need Steam for gaming.
Another point: while installing Windows, I had to bypass the "Sign in to Microsoft" screen because it wasn't set up for me. I used Shift/F10 to open the command prompt, bypassed the obee\bypassnro, and selected the "I don't have Internet" option. I'm not sure how this would affect the issue, but it's unclear.
Anyway, sorry for the confusion—I'm a bit stuck here. The system is running well without Steam installed, but I need to install it for the person I built it for. Has anyone encountered this problem and found a solution? Should I consider getting a non-OEM Windows copy?
Thank you!
I'm sure I'll handle everything! I just reinstalled Steam once more and it's working again. However, it seems there might be an issue with Explorer... Thanks, Lantis.
Talking about memory, I recall receiving a message indicating it wasn't in the correct slot. Initially, they were placed in slots 1 and near the CPU. After checking, I moved them to slots 2 and 4. I think that's what the manual suggested, though the manual that came with the board seems quite poor.
The slot position can influence the outcome.
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyUqg2FBO-I
Thank you for the update! They're correctly placed in MMA2 and MMB2. I reinstalled Steam once more, but nothing functioned. I removed it in safe mode and everything is now working again. This is surprising! Everyone seems to be facing the same problem.
https://www.reddit.com/r/WindowsHelp/com...ing_steam/
I'm planning to try that adjustment. I might have to switch to Windows 10 for now. The machine I have was originally Windows 10 with Steam installed. After upgrading to 11, it works perfectly. I might need to keep doing this until a solution is released.
Seconding
@lantis3
Keep in mind that certain motherboards now demand that the first physically installed RAM be positioned in a designated slot, typically DIMMA2. Consult the relevant motherboard's User Guide or Manual for precise instructions. Even without explicit rules about RAM order, follow the User Guide step by step to ensure all parts are correctly placed, fully connected, and properly set up.
It is clearly marked with MMA2 and MMB2 at the start. The included manual doesn't contain this detail. This is very disappointing.
I think I found a solution for this specific setup. I used an older version of Windows 10 and set up Steam on that version. After completing all updates, I upgraded to Windows 11. That should have resolved the problem. I had tried installing Windows 11 three times before, but nothing helped. Now everything works properly.