Several problems may arise after deep cleaning a PC.
Several problems may arise after deep cleaning a PC.
Several problems arose after cleaning.
MBD: MSI Mag Z490 Tomahawk
CPU: i5-10400
RAM: 32GB (4 x 8GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR4
GPU: ASUS TUF 3060 Ti
500 2.5 SSD (Main Boot)
1TB NVME (Old, problematic drive)
500 NVME (New-Old drive)
Random irrelevant HDDs
I chose to perform a thorough clean-up after an excessive period. I restored functionality for my nephew and realized it was time to act. I replaced the old NVMe SSD, disassembled every part, cleaned thoroughly, and reinstalled everything.
First boot attempts yielded nothing from the GPU. The fans would briefly activate before stopping. The card remained illuminated and began to overheat if left running, but the fans failed to engage. I repeated the process multiple times without success.
I removed the GPU to test booting without it. It started up, but I noticed it attempted to boot into the old NVMe drive. I proceeded to modify the BIOS. All components were listed correctly in BIOS settings. However, under the advanced boot drive options, only the two NVME drives appeared, and one of them (the problematic one) lacked a boot partition. The 2.5 SSD was absent from the list.
So, I decided to reinstall Windows on the new NVMe drive to verify the main boot device in Windows. The installation process led me through BIOS without errors. I rechecked the bootable drives, and now only the problematic NVMe without a partition was listed. The freshly installed 2.5 SSD no longer appeared as a bootable option.
That was yesterday. Today I tried clearing the CMOS. Booted using just the 2.5 SSD connected. Changed BIOS settings from UEFI to CSM, even though I was confident the drives weren’t legacy. Unfortunately, CSM doesn’t support onboard graphics, and the GPU failure was the primary concern. I attempted to flash the BIOS, but the MSI.ROM wasn’t detected on the flash drive via the BIOS flash function.
Next, I plan to try a different GPU and attempt CSM again, though I suspect since the drives aren’t legacy, it probably won’t resolve the issue. At least I’ll know if a new GPU produces any output.
Outside of this, I’m uncertain about next steps. I could rebuild the system from scratch, but it doesn’t appear to be tied to specific component problems I’ve noticed. The drive disappearing as a bootable device after a fresh Windows install, along with the absence of the non-functional NVMe in BIOS menus, suggests the issue likely lies with the motherboard or BIOS settings.
For anyone encountering this problem later on with similar issues (HOW??), it's unclear how much of this is essential.
Uncertain about the exact cause, but... whatever. The GPU issue seems resolved from a CMOS reset or switching between legacy/CSM in BIOS.
The boot problem was more complex, but had I known what to check, it would have been simpler.
In the initial images, you can observe that the C:\ drive is a single partition, while others are divided into EFI and backup, along with main partitions. This resulted from formatting the drives during the Windows installation process, which creates extra partitions needed for installation and recovery. This situation likely matches what the poster above described...
This motherboard?
https://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe...80v1.1.pdf
(Confirm you have located the relevant manual.)
I will recheck the entire guide thoroughly to ensure all connections, settings, and instructions are correct.
Make sure to focus on every small detail, warning, and note – precision is essential.
In particular, review physically numbered Page 27 concerning the DIMM slots.
The board specifies that the initial RAM module must be inserted into DIMMA2.
This aspect is frequently missed.
Magical fix #1.
All parts removed.
Motherboard placed on top of the box.
Every non-sensitive part—case, Blu-ray drive, drive bay, fans, etc.—was cleaned with 75% IPA.
Sensitive components that were cleaned included RAM, GPU fans, motherboard, etc., and they were lightly dusted.
99% IPA and QTIPs used to remove old thermal paste from the CPU.
Everything reassembled.
All four slots are filled, but I might be able to boot with just slot 2 now. Previously, I could enter BIOS fine on an integrated GPU unless trying CSM or legacy settings.
After a change, I got a working display with a different GPU, and then my original GPU worked again—even though it had been re-seated several times before. It might be that toggling between legacy and modern settings helped.
I’ll review the manual once more to check for any changes—I’m still stuck on the drives not booting.
You may attempt using only slot 2 during troubleshooting. Still, other compatible RAM modules should work if the initial installed unit is correctly positioned in DIMMA2.
The SATA drives appear as selectable boot options in CSM, yet after adjusting the boot priority it prompts a "reboot and select proper boot device" on the next restart. It seems unusual, as I remember my BIOS being configured for UEFI without any problems before. Perhaps this explains why the new NVMe drives vanished from the bootable list in UEFI, especially if my Windows flash drive is defaulting to format them that way? I’m still struggling to get into any drives and am convinced I was set to UEFI in BIOS during a previous installation using the same flash drive. I’m completely confused and spending a lot of time searching online. I’ve managed to fix the GPU issue and now the drives appear as bootable in legacy mode, but I can’t access them at all.
After some adjustments and creating a new Win11 flash drive while confirming the settings, I managed to boot into the system. Still, I can only start up when the flash drive is connected; it reports an error saying it needs repairing, but all repair options are unavailable. It offers a choice to pick a different Windows installation, displaying Volumes 2 and 15 as having available versions. Volume 2 starts normally on the main drive, whereas Volume 15 causes the error again. When I disconnect the flash drive and attempt to boot, every option just refreshes the repair screen without making any changes—then it returns to the selection menu. Interestingly, using DiskPart, Volume 2 appears as a regular HDD in my list, even though I only have volumes up to 12, and there’s no mention of Volume 15. I’m currently following the instructions from the support link at 'https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...' and keep searching online for help. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated at this stage.
Starting PC -
F9
Shows listed drives/partitions.
It seems like it's attempting to boot into whatever it's displaying, defaulting to Vol 15 by default. I don't know why Vol 15 exists or how it works.
Vol 2 boots into Windows when selected, using the same installation that has been present for a long time. However, in DiskPart it appears as a 2TB HDD.
I think the fix will involve identifying the details of what's being recognized as Vol 15 and removing it.
Next, I plan to disable all other boot device options in the BIOS.
Almost unnoticeable – but "EDIT TO EDIT" – Possibly I didn’t examine closely enough and assumed this was the 2.5 SSD from the same manufacturer (SPCC), or we’re facing a similar issue with what appears to be a bootable disk. It’s just the old NVME drive.
Now, this situation is completely outside my grasp – but according to Google, if the file path ends with .efi then the drive uses UEFI, otherwise it uses CSM, and C:\ is confirmed as .efi. However, it states that bootmgr resides on a new-old NVME, while there’s a Windows install on G:\ (new-old NVME, Small NVME in the previous post).
The old NVME isn’t listed as having a boot partition at all, yet it’s the only device recognized in BIOS.
It looks like Vol 15 – which is broken, loops, defaults to repair screen installation – in the screenshot from the prior post is the Small NVME (New-old), since that’s the sole other drive with an active install (even though I just formatted it and it doesn’t display partitions) and for some reason the boot manager appears on Vol 10, which is also Small NVME, yet has no partitions?
When I boot using only the 2.5 SSD, I immediately enter BIOS and don’t reach the repair screen where I can press F9 to load the Vol 2 working installation.
I assume this implies that the 2.5 SSD must be treated as the drive by the boot manager – I’ll keep searching.
And it seems there’s a serious issue with Small NVME. I’ll try formatting it again at least.
But... WHY BIOS ONLY LISTS BAD-NVME as bootable without any firmware boot option?!
when setting up your operating system, ensure all connected disks are disconnected except for the main OS drive. Windows typically uses several drives for different system partitions, which can cause problems if only one drive is active. If booting without any other drives works but still fails to start properly, you might be stuck in a formatting and reinstall cycle. There are methods to adjust Windows boot order via the command line, but these require familiarity with that process and the ability to locate the correct commands. If you're unable to do this, and other drives remain connected, after installing a new OS you may need to use a third-party USB control app to access those drives and remove all system partitions from them.