I'm really in a bind here. My PC just blacked out while I was playing a game, but it didn't fully shut down. I've been thinking it was my graphics card (an RX5700XT) because it's known for issues. After I force-shut my PC down, it got stuck at the boot screen and wouldn't let me access BIOS. After some attempts, I managed to reset the CMOS and got into BIOS, but my main SSD wasn't recognized anymore. I switched the SATA cable to a different port, but now I can't access BIOS at all. The red memory light blinks for 5 seconds before turning off and repeating. I tried removing a RAM stick, but that didn't help either.
My main SSD has been slow and problematic for a while, and I'm ready to replace it. The issue is I can't get past the boot screen to reinstall Windows. Any ideas? Just as a note, I did get into BIOS briefly, but it said it couldn't boot from the SSD, which I suspect is dead. My specs are:
- MOBO: ASUS Prime H310M-K 2.0
- CPU: Intel i5-9600kf
- GPU: Radeon RX5700XT
- RAM: HyperX 8GB DDR4 (x2)
4 Answers
Don't worry too much about your SSD; if you're using cloud backups for important files, you're in good shape. Once you get that USB ready, boot from it to see if you can recover anything or start fresh. If the SSD proves to be completely out, getting a new one might be a solid plan.
If you can't access Windows because the SSD is corrupt, you're going to need that USB with Windows installation media. Once you boot from it, you can run some commands to check your SSD. Look into using CHKDSK, DISM, and SFC commands to spot and fix any errors. This could help you figure out if the SSD is indeed dead and assist with a fresh Windows installation if needed.
First off, do you have anything important on the SSD? If not, you might want to try booting your PC from a USB drive with a Windows installation. Most BIOS setups will try to boot from a USB if there are no bootable drives available. Even though you're getting that red indicator light, it's worth a shot. Have you tried booting without the SSD connected? That may help clarify if it's causing the issue.
Have you tried using the FN key with F2 to access BIOS? Sometimes holding FN and tapping F2 works when you can't seem to get in. Just a heads up—if you're not seeing any response, it might be worth checking if your keyboard works at all during boot.
I tried that, but it seems like the keyboard isn't responsive at boot. I only managed to get into BIOS after some random attempts.