I just upgraded my brother's PC for Christmas by installing some new parts, including a Ryzen 7 5800x, MSI B550-A Pro motherboard, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and a GTX 1660 Super. I thought I had it all under control since this isn't my first build or upgrade, but now the computer won't boot at all. It keeps getting stuck on a screen that says 'preparing automatic repair' before restarting endlessly. I've already tried updating the BIOS, playing around with boot settings, disconnecting drives, using just one RAM stick, resetting the CMOS, and checking the installation media on another PC. Still, it's not working and I'm feeling awful about possibly ruining his working computer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
6 Answers
It could be that your drive needs to be converted from MBR to GPT. This is usually a simple process you can do from the command prompt in the recovery options. Just search for how to convert MBR to GPT.
It sounds like the boot order might still not be set right. Make sure the USB drive with the install media is at the top of the boot priority list in the BIOS. That way it should load the USB first instead of trying to boot from the old Windows bootloader.
Is the boot issue happening during the POST phase or when the OS is supposed to load? Clarifying this could help pinpoint the problem.
I can access the BIOS and change the settings, but during boot with the drives connected, it shows the motherboard logo and goes into that looping 'preparing automatic repair' before rebooting. With the USB connected, it gets to the Windows logo for a moment before it restarts.
You might need to reinstall Windows if the installation media isn't being recognized correctly. Check if there's a more compatible version of Windows for your new setup.
I want to do that, but the installation media just doesn't work on this system!
Have you thought about booting from a Linux USB drive? If the system can boot from Linux, that could help narrow down the issue. Just remove all other drives and see if it works.
This is a great idea! If it boots with Linux, then you can start figuring out what’s up with the Windows installation.
Try pressing F11 repeatedly when booting and select the USB. Ensure secure boot is off as that might interfere with the booting process.
I checked and secure boot is indeed off, but I'm still getting the same reboot issue.
I adjusted the boot order and even tried selecting the USB drive directly with F11, but nothing changes. It just keeps rebooting without launching the installation media.