I recently purchased an Asus ROG laptop that came with Linux pre-installed, but I want to switch to Windows since I have no experience with Linux. I attempted to boot from a USB stick with Windows using Ventoy, but I keep getting an ACPI_BIOS_ERROR (0xA5) blue screen, and then the laptop gets stuck on the ROG boot screen when it restarts. I also tried swapping in an old SSD that has Windows freshly installed, but the same error occurs. I even updated the BIOS with EZflash, but that didn't help. What steps should I take to get Windows running on my laptop?
4 Answers
Double-check your BIOS for TPM and UEFI/Legacy settings. Windows 11 usually needs UEFI and TPM enabled, but you can create a boot disk using Ruckus that might let you bypass those requirements for installation. Let me know if you need guidance on that!
When installing from USB media, ensure that secure boot is disabled in the BIOS and that the boot media is set as the first in the boot order. This step is critical to get Windows to install properly without errors.
I get that, but I thought I had done that already.
Have you tried getting dump files from those BSODs? They can provide clues for troubleshooting. If you can boot into Windows, even in Safe Mode, check the C:WindowsMinidump folder for crash logs and upload them to a file sharing site. This can really help pinpoint the issue! If you can't find any, you might want to read up on creating small memory dumps to get more useful data.
Make sure to reset your BIOS/UEFI settings to default. Sometimes tweaking those settings can resolve installation issues. After that, you can try installing Windows again and see if it helps.
I reset it, but it didn’t make a difference for me.
I haven't messed with those settings yet. What exactly do I need to change?