I built my first PC in several years, but instead of opening the BIOS, it sometimes stops at a black screen with a white dash. The BIOS opens normally when I remove both the NVMe SSD and the USB drive, but connecting either one causes the problem. The SSD is brand new, and I prepared the USB drive with Windows 11 installation files, although Windows has not been installed yet. Could a BIOS setting, boot order, or USB/SSD setup be causing this? My system uses a Ryzen 5 5500, Gigabyte B550M K motherboard, 16GB DDR4 memory, RX 5500 XT graphics card, Kingspec NE 2280 512GB NVMe SSD, and a 500W power supply.
3 Answers
You can also clear the CMOS and load the motherboard's optimized defaults before changing anything. Then disable Fast Boot temporarily, enable UEFI boot, and disable CSM/Legacy support if the installer was created for UEFI. Once the installer starts, delete any existing partitions on the new SSD and let Windows create the required GPT partitions automatically.
Recreate the installer USB using Microsoft's official Windows 11 Media Creation Tool or an ISO-writing utility configured for GPT and UEFI. A USB that was merely wiped or copied incorrectly may not boot properly. Also try a different USB port, preferably a rear motherboard port, and check whether the NVMe drive is detected in the BIOS storage or NVMe information page.
This sounds like a boot-mode or boot-order issue. In the BIOS, make sure the system is using UEFI mode rather than Legacy/CSM, then use the one-time boot menu to select the UEFI entry for the Windows installer USB. The SSD does not need to be first while installing Windows; boot from the USB, install Windows to the NVMe drive, and afterward select Windows Boot Manager as the first boot option.
I set the USB as boot option one and the SSD as option two, but it still stops at the white dash. I have not installed Windows yet, so the USB is supposed to contain only the Windows 11 installer.
If the BIOS hangs whenever the NVMe is installed, power off and reseat the drive, verify that the motherboard recognizes its model and capacity, and test with the USB disconnected. If it still freezes with only the SSD installed, update the motherboard BIOS or investigate whether the SSD itself is faulty.