I updated my ASUS motherboard drivers through the manufacturer's app, including the BIOS, chipset, and I/O controller drivers. After the BIOS update, Windows began hanging at the loading screen. I tried enabling CSM/compatibility mode and EXPO, but that did not help. After several forced shutdowns, I entered Windows Recovery and attempted System Restore, which failed with error 0x80070026. Safe Mode also would not start. I have an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, and an ASUS ROG B850-E motherboard. What should I try next?
1 Answer
Because this started immediately after the BIOS update, check the BIOS configuration before assuming Windows is damaged. Reset the system to UEFI boot with CSM/compatibility mode disabled, and temporarily disable EXPO so the memory runs at its default settings. EXPO can become unstable after a BIOS update and memory retraining. If the problem continues, try Startup Repair from Recovery. For Command Prompt repairs, remember that Windows may not be on drive C: in the recovery environment. Identify the correct Windows volume first, then run an offline system-file check such as `sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C: /offwindir=C:Windows`. DISM with `/Online` commonly produces Error 87 in recovery because the installed Windows image is offline; use an appropriate `/Image::` command instead. If the new BIOS remains problematic, consider restoring the previous stable BIOS version using the motherboard’s supported flashback method, but avoid interrupting the process.
Thanks for the suggestions. I reset the CMOS and confirmed the BIOS settings, but Windows still hangs. The second command returned Error 87, and even after the other checks it remained stuck at the loading screen for several minutes.