I recently factory reset my PC in preparation for a Windows 10 upgrade, but now I can't seem to load Windows or even access the boot menu. My setup includes an MSI Gaming Plus Max B450 motherboard with a Ryzen 9 5900X, 32GB of RAM, a GTX 1660 Super, and both SSD and HDD drives. Initially, I attempted to upgrade to Windows 11 via installation media on a USB, but I ran into issues where I couldn't select a drive during installation unless RAID was turned on. After trying various fixes for these errors, I now find myself unable to access the boot manager or my previous Windows installation. Instead, each restart sends me to recovery mode, which fails to operate successfully. After two attempts, it just boots straight to the BIOS. Should I consider wiping my drives through the BIOS, or could this problem indicate a need for a new motherboard?
1 Answer
To troubleshoot, start by disconnecting all drives including both your SSD and HDD, and just connect the USB drive with the Windows installer. In the BIOS settings, disable RAID and switch to standard AHCI mode. Make sure to set the boot type to UEFI only if you're using the Microsoft Media Creation tool, and also enable fTPM and Secure Boot. Don’t forget to save the changes before exiting. This should help you get to the boot menu easily.
Got it! Once I do that, my next step is just seeing if I can access the boot menu, right?