F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop ROG Maximus XIII Apex remains on the splash screen (Q-Code 99) following a RAM swap.

ROG Maximus XIII Apex remains on the splash screen (Q-Code 99) following a RAM swap.

ROG Maximus XIII Apex remains on the splash screen (Q-Code 99) following a RAM swap.

H
honeymoon01
Junior Member
Find
12
11-25-2025, 11:54 PM
#1
Hi all,
I’m facing some problems with my ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Apex (Z590) + i9-11900K setup.

Issue:
After installing new RAM (Kingston Fury Renegade DDR4-3600 2×16GB), the system only boots into Windows once.
On restart, it freezes on the ROG splash screen: “Please press DEL or F2 to enter BIOS.”
The Q-Code displayed is 99 (“Super I/O initialization”). Pressing DEL/F2 doesn’t work — I can’t access the BIOS.

What I’ve tried:
- Swapped back to the old RAM, but the problem persists (not RAM-related).
- Cleared CMOS using the button and by removing the battery.
- Performed a minimal boot with just 1 stick of RAM, no drives, only keyboard and monitor.
- Reseated the GPU; tried using onboard graphics.
- Disconnected all USB devices and extra drives.

Still stuck at the splash screen with Code 99.
Current plan:
I’m preparing to use USB BIOS FlashBack with the latest BIOS (M13A.CAP) to check for corrupted firmware.

Question:
Does this seem like a BIOS corruption problem that FlashBack should fix, or could it indicate a failing boot device or I/O controller?
Are there any additional steps I should take if FlashBack doesn’t resolve the issue?
Thanks in advance for your advice!
Reply
Reply
H
honeymoon01
11-25-2025, 11:54 PM #1

Hi all,
I’m facing some problems with my ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Apex (Z590) + i9-11900K setup.

Issue:
After installing new RAM (Kingston Fury Renegade DDR4-3600 2×16GB), the system only boots into Windows once.
On restart, it freezes on the ROG splash screen: “Please press DEL or F2 to enter BIOS.”
The Q-Code displayed is 99 (“Super I/O initialization”). Pressing DEL/F2 doesn’t work — I can’t access the BIOS.

What I’ve tried:
- Swapped back to the old RAM, but the problem persists (not RAM-related).
- Cleared CMOS using the button and by removing the battery.
- Performed a minimal boot with just 1 stick of RAM, no drives, only keyboard and monitor.
- Reseated the GPU; tried using onboard graphics.
- Disconnected all USB devices and extra drives.

Still stuck at the splash screen with Code 99.
Current plan:
I’m preparing to use USB BIOS FlashBack with the latest BIOS (M13A.CAP) to check for corrupted firmware.

Question:
Does this seem like a BIOS corruption problem that FlashBack should fix, or could it indicate a failing boot device or I/O controller?
Are there any additional steps I should take if FlashBack doesn’t resolve the issue?
Thanks in advance for your advice!

Reply
Reply
F
Famous_Link
Member
Find
73
11-25-2025, 11:54 PM
#2
Preparing to use
USB BIOS FlashBack
with latest BIOS (M13A.CAP) to rule out corrupted BIOS firmware.
Use Version 2302 as your BIOS to reflash the BIOS chip on your motherboard using Asus' BIOS FlashBack utility.
I’m having trouble with my ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Apex (Z590) + i9-11900K build.
Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model.
If the
Kingston Fury Renegade DDR4-3600 2×16GB
is your new ram kit what was your prior ram kit on the build?
Reply
Reply
F
Famous_Link
11-25-2025, 11:54 PM #2

Preparing to use
USB BIOS FlashBack
with latest BIOS (M13A.CAP) to rule out corrupted BIOS firmware.
Use Version 2302 as your BIOS to reflash the BIOS chip on your motherboard using Asus' BIOS FlashBack utility.
I’m having trouble with my ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Apex (Z590) + i9-11900K build.
Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model.
If the
Kingston Fury Renegade DDR4-3600 2×16GB
is your new ram kit what was your prior ram kit on the build?

Reply
Reply
T
TryAgain1134
Junior Member
Find
45
11-25-2025, 11:54 PM
#3
CPU: Intel Core i9-11900K
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X73 RGB (360mm AIO, front-mounted)
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Apex (Z590)
RAM: New – Kingston Fury Renegade DDR4-3600 CL16 2×16GB
Old (previous working): G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 CL18 2×8GB
SSD/HDD: 1TB NVMe SSD + 7.3TB HDD
GPU: PNY RTX 5070 Ti Triple Fan Plus OC – 16GB GDDR7
PSU: ASUS Prime 850W Gold (ATX 3.0, PCIe 5.0) – brand new, installed recently
Chassis: be quiet! Pure Base 500 FX
OS: Windows 11 Pro
Monitor: 27″, 2560×1440, 240Hz, G-SYNC
Reply
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T
TryAgain1134
11-25-2025, 11:54 PM #3

CPU: Intel Core i9-11900K
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X73 RGB (360mm AIO, front-mounted)
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Apex (Z590)
RAM: New – Kingston Fury Renegade DDR4-3600 CL16 2×16GB
Old (previous working): G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 CL18 2×8GB
SSD/HDD: 1TB NVMe SSD + 7.3TB HDD
GPU: PNY RTX 5070 Ti Triple Fan Plus OC – 16GB GDDR7
PSU: ASUS Prime 850W Gold (ATX 3.0, PCIe 5.0) – brand new, installed recently
Chassis: be quiet! Pure Base 500 FX
OS: Windows 11 Pro
Monitor: 27″, 2560×1440, 240Hz, G-SYNC

Reply
Reply