I started resetting my PC and reinstalling Windows 11, but the screen stayed black for a while before a storm caused the power to go out. Since then, the computer sometimes reaches part of the Windows setup before reporting that something went wrong, while other attempts freeze during startup or installation. What steps should I take to repair the installation? Would creating a Windows installer on a USB drive and performing a clean install be the best approach? The system has an Intel Core i7-14700KF and an NVIDIA RTX 4070 SUPER.
1 Answer
Yes, the power loss may have corrupted the partially completed installation. On another working computer, create a bootable Windows 11 USB using Microsoft’s official installation media, then boot your PC from it and perform a clean installation. Back up anything important first, since deleting the existing Windows partitions will erase data. If the installer still freezes, check the SSD connections and health, load BIOS defaults, and test the system memory. Also make sure the BIOS is reasonably up to date for the 14th-generation Intel processor.
The shutdown happened while the display was black, so it was probably still working through the installation. I’ll try the USB installer after checking whether there’s anything on the drive that needs saving.