My ASUS TUF A15 FA507NUR has started boot-looping during cold starts, usually showing BSOD errors 0x7E, 0xA, and sometimes 0x109. After a few minutes it may eventually boot into Windows. I initially suspected Windows corruption because crash tools frequently pointed to ntoskrnl.exe, but running SFC and Windows repair commands did not help. The laptop is much more likely to crash while running on battery—even when opening something as simple as a Firefox tab—but it can run demanding games such as modded Cyberpunk 2077 for hours while plugged in. I tried changing settings such as Fast Startup and also took it to a technician, who recommended a clean Windows installation. However, while deleting the existing partitions in the installer, the laptop began restarting every few minutes. There is now no operating system on the SSD, and the Windows installer running from a USB also crashes and reboots every 3–5 minutes. It does not restart while sitting in the BIOS. I am worried that attempting another installation could corrupt the files being written to the drive. The laptop has 16 GB of DDR5 RAM, a Ryzen 7 dul 7345HS, an RTX 4050, and a 1 TB NVMe SSD. What hardware should I check first?
2 Answers
ntoskrnl.exe is the Windows kernel, so it is often listed as the component involved after a crash rather than the actual cause. It usually does not identify the failing hardware or driver by itself. Normally, the next step would be examining the files in C:WindowsMinidump, but since the partitions were erased and the installer itself is restarting, those dumps are no longer available. Hardware diagnostics—especially memory, battery or power delivery, and the SSD—are more useful at this stage than another Windows repair attempt.
Crashing during a fresh Windows installation, before an operating system or normal drivers are involved, strongly suggests a hardware or power problem rather than damaged Windows files. The fact that it is much worse on battery points toward the battery, charging circuitry, or power delivery. If a qualified technician can disconnect the internal battery and test the laptop using the charger alone, that would be a useful isolation test. Do not keep reinstalling Windows until the machine is stable, since unexpected restarts could interrupt the installation.
I was not confident enough to disconnect the battery myself, so I brought it to an authorized service center and asked them to check the battery and RAM.