F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop Recent CMOS changes prevent further booting beyond BIOS settings.

Recent CMOS changes prevent further booting beyond BIOS settings.

Recent CMOS changes prevent further booting beyond BIOS settings.

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Okeinshield
Senior Member
595
01-12-2026, 08:35 AM
#1
I reset my CMOS to fix a monitor issue, but now I can't boot past BIOS. The problem started after clearing CMOS, which helped the display but not access Windows. Changing Boot Priority worked initially, though it doesn’t anymore. The OS SSD isn’t listed, but it wasn’t before either, so I switched to UEFI mode and got Windows Recovery, but it keeps looping or failing. The drive is at MicroCenter for backup. Let me know what you find!
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Okeinshield
01-12-2026, 08:35 AM #1

I reset my CMOS to fix a monitor issue, but now I can't boot past BIOS. The problem started after clearing CMOS, which helped the display but not access Windows. Changing Boot Priority worked initially, though it doesn’t anymore. The OS SSD isn’t listed, but it wasn’t before either, so I switched to UEFI mode and got Windows Recovery, but it keeps looping or failing. The drive is at MicroCenter for backup. Let me know what you find!

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puddles4
Junior Member
8
01-18-2026, 09:59 AM
#2
Consider installing Windows on a USB drive and attempt to bypass the issue. After recovering your SSD, switch to using it as the operating system instead.
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puddles4
01-18-2026, 09:59 AM #2

Consider installing Windows on a USB drive and attempt to bypass the issue. After recovering your SSD, switch to using it as the operating system instead.

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lvincent516
Member
74
01-18-2026, 05:37 PM
#3
I hadn't considered that the main issue is that most of my USB ports are already in use, and because I do video editing, I’m uncertain if keeping my OS on a USB would be practical. I’d prefer to keep the Windows installed on my SSD instead.
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lvincent516
01-18-2026, 05:37 PM #3

I hadn't considered that the main issue is that most of my USB ports are already in use, and because I do video editing, I’m uncertain if keeping my OS on a USB would be practical. I’d prefer to keep the Windows installed on my SSD instead.

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Andy_206
Member
58
01-18-2026, 10:50 PM
#4
Ensure secure boot is activated. If it fails, switch to legacy booting and then attempt both methods while RAID is active. Occasionally, installing Windows with certain parameter settings can disable booting if changed later.
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Andy_206
01-18-2026, 10:50 PM #4

Ensure secure boot is activated. If it fails, switch to legacy booting and then attempt both methods while RAID is active. Occasionally, installing Windows with certain parameter settings can disable booting if changed later.