After my PC crashed unexpectedly, I can no longer boot into Windows. Although I can access the BIOS, every attempt to start up results in a black screen after the boot logo and the loading animation. I'm concerned that my Windows installation might be corrupted or that there are issues with the system drive. Here's what I know about my setup:
- X570 MSI Tomahawk WiFi motherboard
- Ryzen 5900X CPU (no integrated graphics)
- NVIDIA RTX 3080
Here are the troubleshooting steps I've already taken:
- Reseated RAM (2 sticks of 32GB)
- Reseated GPU
- Unplugged all peripherals except for my display and keyboard
- Tried different RAM configurations and slots
- Updated the BIOS and restored default settings
- Performed a CMOS reset
- Hard reset to drain power
- Created a Windows installation flash drive and attempted to boot from it, but I still get the black screen after the logo
- Made changes to secure boot settings and boot mode
- Checked the system drive on another PC, where it worked fine
The debug LEDs on my monitor light up in various patterns, indicating potential issues with the CPU or RAM, but there are no persistent error lights. I suspect something might be wrong with either my motherboard or CPU, as I don't know how to further diagnose them. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
Are you booting with CSM enabled or disabled? Some users find that switching this can help with boot issues. I remember having a similar problem, and toggling CSM made a difference for me.
Have you checked in the BIOS to see if your hard drives are getting detected? If not, you might want to try holding the CMOS reset for about 30 seconds or so. Also, I suggest you remove any extra SSDs or HDDs and try booting with just one drive connected, just to rule out any issues with additional drives.
Yes, I can see them all in the BIOS. I’ve held the CMOS reset for almost a minute. Thanks for the suggestions!
I think I switched between Legacy+UEFI and UEFI mode while CSM was on. I’ll experiment more with those settings. Appreciate the tip!