Could a bad processor cause Windows boot issues?

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kmatt913

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Jul 22, 2014
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Here's a quick summary of the events causing me to come to you guys for help.

Recently tried to OC my i5-4670k was doing stability testing w/ Prime 95 and restarted the PC. Upon restarting the PC, "Preparing Automatic Repair" appears on my screen and causes my PC go to into a loop or restarting and showing that message over and over again.

After that, I just decided to format both the SSD and HDD considering I had nothing big on it and wouldn't mind a fresh install. This is where the trouble began.

I just ended up liking Win7 better over Win 8 which I previously had before formatting, so I tried to a fresh install of that but no matter what I did, it would always get stuck on the "starting windows" screen which apparently is a common issue for many people. I tried a couple of the fixes that popped up on google after searching it up. No success.

I tested all of my parts to see if they would work on another computer, all of the parts were tested and worked great. I did not end up testing the CPU due to me not being able to. Could me OCing have messed up my CPU and caused all these Windows issues? Also, would Intel warranty cover it?
I apologize for the block of text, I just wanted to supply some background info.

TL;DR fail OC caused "preparing automatic repair" loop on Win 8. Formatted hard drives for fresh install of Win 7. Win 7 install stuck on "starting windows", tested all the parts but the CPU, is the CPU responsible for these issues?
 
Solution
IInuyasha74
Alright well few things to mention. Doing numbering to help me keep track.

1. There wasn't any need to format both SSD and HDD as only boot drive, being probably the SSD is involved when booting.
2. I don't blame you for wanting Win 7 though.
3. You might of got past the repair screen, there is usually an option to not do it or skip it. At least in Windows 7, I do this a lot of times and it typically is fine, cause I know unstable overclock caused the boot failure before.
4. Yes this is 100% because overclocking your CPU. Your CPU is being pushed too hard causing the problem. Lower your overclock.
5. If you have already tried lowering it, and its still not fixed the CPU could be damaged.
6. If it is damaged, no it is not covered and...
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IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

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May 1, 2013
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Alright well few things to mention. Doing numbering to help me keep track.

1. There wasn't any need to format both SSD and HDD as only boot drive, being probably the SSD is involved when booting.
2. I don't blame you for wanting Win 7 though.
3. You might of got past the repair screen, there is usually an option to not do it or skip it. At least in Windows 7, I do this a lot of times and it typically is fine, cause I know unstable overclock caused the boot failure before.
4. Yes this is 100% because overclocking your CPU. Your CPU is being pushed too hard causing the problem. Lower your overclock.
5. If you have already tried lowering it, and its still not fixed the CPU could be damaged.
6. If it is damaged, no it is not covered and Intel if they know you tried to overclock it will not replace it under warranty.
 
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kmatt913

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Jul 22, 2014
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Thanks for the reply.

1. You're right, probably unnecessary but just wanted to be safe.
2. Win 8 just wasn't my cup of tea even though I did enjoy the faster speeds.
3, 4, 5. Immediately afterwards, I put the ratio and voltage back to stock values. The thing that caught me off guard was, I never went over 1.2v and 4.5ghz. While those are on the upper end, they definitely aren't considered extreme from what I've read.
6. Hmm, that sucks. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply and help out.
 
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IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

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May 1, 2013
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Yea Windows 8 has some performance benefits but its interface is the issue. They will fix it eventually.

Anyways you can try to clear your BIOS settings, that might help. If you don't have a button which does it, pull the battery on the motherboard with the power unplugged, push the power button a few times, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then put the battery back in and everything.

Its not normal that it would of died from that kind of an increase unless you had a really bad heating problem. You can contact Intel about it and they might do a warranty replacement. Just play dumb kinda say it doesn't boot.
 
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Obnoxious

Obnoxious

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Jul 24, 2012
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I wouldn't declare that your CPU is the cause of concern just yet. If you had Windows 8 installed, you most likely also have UEFI/EFI enabled; boot into your BIOS and disable UEFI and/or enable "Legacy Boot." Disabling UEFI and enabling legacy boot should permit you to boot elder operating systems, such as Windows 7.

In addition when installing Windows 7, what method of media are you using to boot the W7 installer? Are you booting Windows 7 from a disc, USB, SD Card via USB or another method? Whatever the method, in your BIOS the booting methods are prioritised, e.g. the SSD is set to boot first, otherwise if failure to boot via SSD, then the BIOS is set to try booting from HDD, Optical Disc Drive (ODD) and etc. Whatever method you're using in attempt to install Windows 7, manually set that as your first boot priority (e.g. if you're attempting to install W7 via DVD, set the ODD as the first priority, over the SSD).

Once you set your boot priority and restart, it'll automatically boot into your set method first and in your scenario, automatically boot the Windows 7 installer. That may provide your system with the necessary "privileges" to write to your SSD/HDD. Again remember to enable/disable legacy boot and UEFI respectively first.

All the best. :)
 
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IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

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May 1, 2013
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Oh hello Obnoxious :)
UEFI boot should work with Windows 7 also, but its worth a try. If the alternative is a dead CPU anything is worth trying. Same for changing boot settings, I didn't think to have you check that but if it is set wrong it would also cause problems.
Also if it is set to run in RAID, IDE, or AHCI and it wasn't installed in that mode, that can happen also.
 
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