My PC started behaving strangely after a message appeared on screen saying "save the files dumbass," followed by a shutdown. After that, both monitors stopped displaying an image until I removed one RAM stick. The computer then kept crashing, so I updated the BIOS and was eventually able to boot into Windows again.
My system has an ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4090, an Intel i9-14900K, 32 GB of RAM, a 2 TB SSD, and an ASUS Prime Z790-A WiFi motherboard. I can enter the BIOS and sometimes reach the Windows desktop, but the computer often produces an error and a black screen within about ten minutes. System resets, repair commands such as DISM and SFC, and installing Windows onto a different SSD all fail or cause another crash. I have also tried using one RAM stick and booting from a Windows installation USB.
I am worried that malware may have infected the motherboard or BIOS. Could this actually be a motherboard problem, or is there another way to diagnose and fix the system before replacing major parts or building a new PC?
4 Answers
A normal Windows infection is extremely unlikely to be living in the motherboard. Since the machine crashes even during repair or installation, this points more toward hardware instability than damaged Windows. Start with BIOS defaults, make sure the BIOS update completed correctly, and temporarily disable XMP and any CPU or GPU overclocking. Test with one RAM stick at a time and run a proper memory test. Also check CPU temperatures, cooler mounting, power connections, and whether the power supply is suitable for a 14900K and RTX 4090.
The on-screen message by itself does not prove a hack; it could have come from malware, a prank, or even a corrupted display. Avoid entering passwords or copying personal files from the old installation until it is understood. Create the Windows USB on another trusted computer, verify that it boots, and use a completely separate drive for testing. Firmware malware is possible in theory but very rare, so replacing the motherboard should be a last step after hardware diagnostics.
Be precise about where the failure happens. Boot the installation USB using the motherboard's boot menu, delete every partition on the target SSD from Windows Setup, and install to the resulting unallocated space. Disconnect other drives while doing this. If the computer still black-screens or reboots while running entirely from the USB installer, the SSD and existing Windows installation are not the cause; focus on RAM, CPU stability, motherboard settings, GPU, and PSU.
The 13th- and 14th-generation Intel desktop CPUs have had known stability issues on some 600/700-series boards. Install the latest stable BIOS and load the manufacturer's Intel-default or baseline settings instead of using aggressive automatic power limits. If crashes continue, test with a known-good power supply and, if possible, another graphics card or the CPU's integrated graphics. The exact error message and crash point would help much more than assuming malware.
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