I built my own PC last year, and although it has been running, I'm now having Windows problems and want to perform a fresh installation. The issue is that I can't access the BIOS or UEFI settings during startup. Before the Windows login screen appears, my monitor repeatedly reports no signal and reconnects several times. My keyboard and mouse also seem inactive during this period, so pressing the BIOS key repeatedly has no effect. I already tried disabling Fast Boot, but that didn't help. I also used Windows' Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart option, but the computer restarted with no display signal. The system has both onboard graphics and a dedicated graphics card. What could be causing this, and how can I get into the BIOS?
2 Answers
If your processor and motherboard support onboard graphics, try connecting the monitor directly to the video output on the motherboard instead of the dedicated graphics card. Some systems send the BIOS display to the onboard output first and only switch to the graphics card once Windows loads. You may also be able to use a basic wired keyboard during startup, since wireless or USB devices sometimes initialize too late.
A wired keyboard is worth trying if you’re currently using a wireless one. Wireless receivers and some USB ports may not be active early enough in the boot process, while a simple keyboard plugged into a rear USB port is more likely to work. You can also try a different USB port, preferably one directly on the motherboard.
Switching the HDMI cable to the motherboard’s onboard graphics output fixed it. The keyboard also started responding immediately, so I was able to enter the BIOS. I’m not sure why the two issues were connected, but it worked.