I just built a new PC and it was running okay until I tried to set up Windows. I encountered frequent BSODs right after the Windows splash screen, so I started troubleshooting. One of the things I tried was moving my m.2 SSD to a different slot, but now my PC won't boot past the CPU light. I've moved the SSD back to its original slot and even updated the BIOS, but I'm still stuck. I'm worried my motherboard or CPU might be damaged. For reference, I'm using a 7600x CPU with a B650 Eagle AX motherboard, a Mag A7500GL PCIES power supply, Power X DDR5 RAM, a KLEV CRAS C910 SSD, and an RTX 5070 GPU.
3 Answers
First off, make sure your SSD is in the correct slot, as it was before. Then, try performing a CMOS reset on the BIOS. If you can access the BIOS, make sure everything is set correctly. Also, test your RAM by using just one stick at a time and consider disabling EXPO settings if it’s currently on.
Another approach is to flash the BIOS again using a FAT32 USB drive. Make sure to put the motherboard BIOS file directly in the root directory (not in a folder) and rename it to gigabyte.bin. Remember, the Q-Flash button for updating isn't on the I/O shield; it's located on the motherboard near the sysfan 2 header.
It sounds like there might be some damage to your motherboard from the SSD swap. It's possible the BIOS update didn't take effect or that the motherboard is bricked. To troubleshoot, try removing the m.2 drive completely and see if you can access the UEFI/BIOS then. If that doesn't work, consider breadboarding your components; take the motherboard out of the case and set it up on a flat surface with just the essentials connected. Then jumpstart the system using the power switch pins with a screwdriver to see if you can get into BIOS without all the other components.
I put the SSD back in its original place, but I can't even get into BIOS now to try the reset.