System modifications stopping startup Software alterations interrupting Windows 11 installation
System modifications stopping startup Software alterations interrupting Windows 11 installation
Hello, I'm from Kelowna, BC. I'm dealing with a boot error that prevents Windows from starting. The issue started after installing a hard drive, and now I'm using only my live OS USB flash drive for diagnostics. It doesn't boot on any of the operating systems, even though I have a mix of four different OSes on it. The system specs are: MSI X470 with Pro Plus, AMD Ryzen 5 3500X, 1GB video card, 32GB RAM, and a 1TB Samsung HDD. Currently, there are no drives left, and the error persists. It seems like a hardware problem might be involved. Anyone have experience with this issue?
Hi J and welcome to the forum. It seems the system functioned properly before you added the HDD, correct? Did it start up at all when the drive was connected, or did it completely refuse to begin? Is there a boot partition available on the spare drive? Having two active bootloaders can lead to complications. Typically, the system should restart once the HDD is removed and only the M.2 slot remains. I haven’t used that tool to generate a bootable disk before. I usually rely on Win2USB for this task. You might also create a bootable Linux installation and install Grub on your primary drive. This will load before Windows boots, allowing you to choose the operating system for each drive. You can adjust the boot order in GRUB as needed. You don’t need to install Linux just to make GRUB work; though, you shouldn’t rely on that unless there’s an issue with your M.2 device. Try restarting without the HDD connected and avoid using any USB storage devices during the boot process. You can also reset the CMOS by briefly removing the small battery for a few minutes. Once in BIOS, enable XMP and confirm the M.2 is selected as the boot device.
Thanks applefreak, everything is now functioning properly. I kept only one stick of 8 RAM and reset the BIOS. It booted Windows on the N.2 NVMe drive successfully. I added the backup drive and my Plex database drive without any problems. When I readded the RAM, the issue came back again. It looks like a single faulty Samsung RAM module is the problem and it keeps happening. Also, I observed the RAM operating at 1.34V for 2400 modules—should be around 1.2V. Appreciate your quick response!
It's good to see the system is functioning properly. The memory voltage is correct. Some units even operate at 1.35 or higher. The RAM maker can tweak voltages to meet their requirements. Typically, higher voltages are needed for tighter timing. As long as the setup stays stock with XMP enabled, you won't need to worry about memory or CPU voltages. My DDR4 runs at 1.35 and is also stable.