Cannot install Windows 10 (comp crashes everywhere except BIOS)

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Hello!

I've run into a serious issue with my relatively new (4months) self build rig.

Currently I can only enter BIOS, because I ried to fix the problem with a clean install and formatted my SSD. So, I'm trying to install Win 10, but it always restarts in the 2 phase (the one after "copying files", was it "preparing for installing" of the install and reboots from the beginning. I can boot from both the installation DVD and USB stick, but it does the same thing from both of them.

The situation started yesterday when I was playing (PoE) and windows update came up in the backround - this caused the computer to crash saying MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION. So, I restarted and went back to windows, where it said that the update failed, then went to windows update to do the update again and it updated succesfully. After that when playing the computer would crash in 5-15minutes, just restarting - no BSOD or any errors except one time from the game about some missing D3 libraries and 4 other errors. It also crashed while only using Edge for browsing or when I tried to make a win 10 USB boot drive.

Then I thought that I'd do a fresh install and ran into the problem above, I simply can't do it because it always restarts couple of minutes in to the installation. Sometimes it also has some trouble booting from either DVD drive or USB, but it does it always eventually.

I got to the point in the Win 10 installer, that I formatted my SSD and I did a secure erase with Partition Magic. I laso did a check on the SSD and RAM with Partition Magic and everything was fine according to it. After that I cleared the BIOS CMOS - I think it cleared it atleast.

Does anyone have any clue what is at fault here and what else could I try? Ofcourse everything is new in the computer, so I can RMA parts, if I know which one is at falt. The problem is, I'm clueless to what it is and also, my friend helped me build the computer and I'm not confident enough to take the motherboard or CPU out so it would be great if I didn't have to RMA anything. Ofcourse if it has to be done, it has to be done...

My specs are:
I7-6700k Skylake
Z 170-A Asus motherboard
XFX R290 GPU
Ballistix 2x 8gb RAM 2400mhz
Samsung EVO 850 250gb SSD
 
Solution
Barty1884
Ah, well those temperatures sound a bit better.

Really, it's all troubleshooting. A Windows Update wouldn't necessarily cause a hardware fault (which is what the error message was telling you), it likely highlighted an already existing fault.

There's limited things you can do short of returning/replacing parts until you find the culprit - heat, and even an incorrectly fitted CPU cooler would cause it (incorrectly fitted, it may register a temperature 'spike')

Unfortunately this is going to be a "hands on" experience for you. There's not really any way to avoid it. I would suggest you remove your GPU and connect the onboard graphics to your monitor.

Leave only the CPU/HSF/Mobo/1x RAM Module + relevant PSU connectors and see how...
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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I'm not convinced you have a hardware issue. I suspect you need to update your BIOS. Download it here: http://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/Z170-A/HelpDesk_Download/ (the latest is Nov 11)

The put it on a flash drive. Then follow the instructions here:
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/support/FAQ/1012815/

Then try to install Windows.
 
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Raptus

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I have updated the BIOS to the newest version prior to this problem and also after it. Should I try a earlier version then? Oh and should clearing the CMOS revert the BIOS to the original version? After I did it, all settings we're reset, but the version is still the newest one (1302). But thank you for thinking about it!

Edit: I also tried running it without the GPU with the internal graphics drive, but it did the same. I've pretty much tried everything I can think of / read from other threads.
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Very strange.

Ok, going back to the original "MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION". That's hardware related, so I guess it's smart for us to start there.

What's your PSU? I don't see it listed in your specs? An inadequate PSU could quite possibly be at fault there.

Other options would be a poorly fitted heatsink or excessive dust. Excessive dust seems unlikely only 4 months in. Have you overclocked?

I would start by posting your PSU details, and removing/cleaning/reinstalling your cooler. Since you have "K" series Skylake, it didn't come with a stock cooler, so which cooler are you using?
 
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Raptus

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Ah, sorry the PSU is Corsair CX750M V2 750W, so it should have more than enough power. The cooler is a CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO. I've cleaned the inside of the case around once a month with pressurized air, so dust shouldn't be a problem. My friend installed the heatsink and he has built computers several times before and should have known what he was doing.

I've been monitoring the temperatures through HWMonitor most of the time, I did have the processor slightly OCd through the ASUS BIOS automatic OC, EZ something - it was around 10%. The temperatures we're always below 70C, most of the time around 50-60, so that shouldn't have been the problem either. Oh and before I formatted the SSD I did check the temperatures before the comp crashed/restarted and they never were over 60C for anything...

The problem is that I don't have the experience to remove the cooler/cpu/motherboard.
 
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Barty1884

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Sounds like temperatures were on the high side if those temperatures were idle???

The PSU is not the greatest, but should be sufficient to power the rig - they are lower quality components though (I've been through 2 in 7 months myself), so I'd RMA that regardless if you still have the opportunity.

As far as removing the cooler, you don't need to have experience.....you just need to be careful and take your time. There are countless videos on YouTube to walk you through it.
 
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The idle temperatures were around 40c, I meant 50-65 while gaming/3d modelling. Yeah, I still have the warranty on the PSU. Can I RMA it even though I'm not sure that the PSU is at fault? Can I ask what is the point of reinstalling the cooler if it wasn't running that hot in my opinion (around 40C for idle)? Oh and what is your opinion on what could have happened here? Was the failing of the Windows update just a coincidence or something that brought up other problems with the rig?

Oh and why doesn't the system crash/restart when in BIOS? I left it running in the BIOS setup screen for 30minutes and it didn't restart. Also when using Partition Magic it didn't crash (it loads to RAM), only when in Windows or trying to install Win, it does restart/crash. This lead me to thinking, that there would be something going on with the SSD - but I did do the Secure Erase and Partition Magic said it's fine, so...

Guess I will try reinstalling the cooler then, but I won't have the chance to do that until after Christmas. I will update the situation then. Thank you very much for your advice so far Barty and happy holidays!

To anyone else reading this, please post suggestions also so I can try them all when I get back - thank you!
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Ah, well those temperatures sound a bit better.

Really, it's all troubleshooting. A Windows Update wouldn't necessarily cause a hardware fault (which is what the error message was telling you), it likely highlighted an already existing fault.

There's limited things you can do short of returning/replacing parts until you find the culprit - heat, and even an incorrectly fitted CPU cooler would cause it (incorrectly fitted, it may register a temperature 'spike')

Unfortunately this is going to be a "hands on" experience for you. There's not really any way to avoid it. I would suggest you remove your GPU and connect the onboard graphics to your monitor.

Leave only the CPU/HSF/Mobo/1x RAM Module + relevant PSU connectors and see how that works for you - if you can complete the OS install then move on:

Assuming all goes well there, you then start adding load/hardware back until the fault reappears (it may not) to help identify the problem component.
 
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Aye, that makes sense.

I did try it without the GPU, that didn't help. I need to try it with that minimal setup. I'll get back to you on the 25th or 26th of Dec. Thank you very much!
 
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I haven't had the chance to try your advices yet, but I just remembered something. The power switch on my PSU has been broken pretty much since building the computer. It doesn't go into off position, it feels a bit heavy and springs back to on, it's not possible to switch off the PSU in any other way than unplugging it. Ofcourse I've had to do that a few times, like when I replaced my GPU and when cleaning the case from inside.

Could that be of any significance or a sign of something wrong with the PSU? Can unplugging the PSU while the switch is on cause damage to the PSU or other components?

Hmm, I should probably RMA the PSU for that?
 
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Just an update on the situation, I RMA'd the PSU, but the problem is still there after installing the new PSU. So, atleast I know it wasn't because of the PSU...
 
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Barty1884

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Did you ever actually try my suggestion of taking it out of the case and seeing if it'll post with only the CPU/HSF/Mobo/1xRAM? Without doing that (and working from there), it's pretty much impossible to help you diagnose without seeing the set up.
 
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I haven't had the time needed for that yet unfortunately. I replaced the PSU in hoping, that it might have solved the problem. I will try your advice and post here the results when I can. Thanks again!

EDIT: I'll have to run it with the SSD also in addition to those, to see if it does the same thing, since in BIOS the system is stable now anyway.
 
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Barty1884

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If everything is stable in BIOS without an OS, then it sounds like everything is ok that's needed to get to that point.
The problem seems to occur when you utilize the SSD, correct? Installing the OS?

At this point, it's prudent to check the health of your SSD and update the firmware if all looks ok healthwise.
Do this by running Samsung Magician software (obtainable from Samsungs site - download/support section).

If you have another computer to attach the SSD to in order to do that, that would be perfect (either SATA power cables or buy an enclosure). If you don't have access to another, it gets problematic. You need an OS to run the software, so I'd then suggest you install the OS to an HDD to see if you can progress past the installation issue. Don't activate it though (don't enter the product key) - you just need an active OS, not necessarily a valid one.

Then connect the SSD and run Samsung Magician & see how it detects the health of your SSD. If it's healthy but requires a firmware update, I suggest you do that.

Once that's all up and running, turn off & remove the HDD - then try to install the OS to the SSD.
 
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Yes, it is stable in BIOS, hasn't rebooted there at all, even though I let it run for over 30mins.

My original thought was, that there's something funky with the SSD, but I did the secure erase / check with Partition Magic and it didn't find any problems so I thought that it's probably fine. Ofcourse there might be a problem with it anyway.

I looked into Samsung Magician before, but gave up on it since it had to be used from OS.

Hmm, I only have acces to a laptop and a 500GB USB drive - that Samsung SSD is the only media I have for my computer at the moment.

Is there some kind of cable that I could use to connect the SSD to the laptop? I read earlier today, that it's also possible to run Windows from a USB drive, could I possibly do it that way?

I need to ask some friends if someone has a extra HDD / SSD to lend me for a while.

Oh, I just realized writing this, that there is no firmware updates released for the SSD I have (850 EVO). Also, I already did the check on the SSD with the Partition Magic. So, is there any point in doing any of this then afterall? :/

Thanks again for your advice!

EDIT: I checked, that they do sell SATA3 to USB cables, but they cost almost as much as a new 1TB HDD. That's too much for me at the moment unfortunately, especially since it's not guaranteed to solve the problem. I need to solve it in some other way...
 
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So, I tried to use Windows To-Go to run Windows from an USB drive to get to use Samsung Magician etc. It didn't work, the computer did the same thing as always, it rebooted. I got it to boot from the USB drive and it went as far as going in to the setup Windows 10 does the first time you fire it up and then rebooted in the middle of that process. I tried several times with different things, but it always rebooted in the middle of the process. So no luck there.

After that I thought that I'd try it with one RAM stick at the time to see if maybe one of them might be causing the problems. Well, the end result of this was that I did something wrong and the computer doesn't even go into BIOS anymore and the DRAM led is on on the MOBO indicating that the sticks are installed wrongg or there's something wrong with them. I tried reinstalling them several times or one at a time but I didn't manage to get it to work, I really can't understand how they could be installed wrong. I also tried the Ram OK! button on the mobo, no luck. The RAM sticks we're defininitely in the rights slot(s) every time.

So, yeah. That's it for me, I'm giving up on this, since at this point I'm clearly only causing more problemss and possibly broke one / both of my RAM or something else. I'll take it to a IT repair shop some time in the future when I can afford that. I try to remember to post here then, what the problem was, but it might be months away so I might forget. (Yeah, I'm a bit melodramatic here, but I'm really frustrated with this situation since I've put pretty much all my savings in to this computer because I need it for my studies etc. Sorry for that. :) )

Anyways, I really apreciate all the time and thought you put in to this Barty1884 - thank you very much and have a happy new year!
 
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Barty1884

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Take a look at your RAM - are the levers at the side of them "snapping" into place? RAM sometimes takes more pressure to install then you might assume.

When you were trying to run from the USB, was the SSD still attached? I would suggest you disconnect it if you haven't already.

Where are you located Raptus?
 
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Raptus

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My mobo only has the lever on one side for the RAM slots, I did get it to snap in place when simultaneously pressing that side down - they did feel a bit loose on the other side though, but there's no lever there. I did try to press them down as much as I thought I could use force on it but they kind of felt like they necessarily weren't properly in place. I might try again tomorrow after resting, since I've been at it this whole day,

I did run it both with the SSD attached and also not attached (I only took the power and SATA3 cable off of the SSD, not from MOBO or PSU).

I'm from Finland, Espoo.

EDIT: I also let the computer run in BIOS for well over an hour, it was stable and didn't reboot - also the idle temperatures for CPU and motherboard were 30C stable for the whole time.
 
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So, an update on the situation. I took the rig to a local PC repair shop in the end. They said that the motherboard is probably faulty, so I RMA'd the motherboard. The store checked the mobo and said it was faulty.
So, today I got the new replaced mobo and installed everything back in. Guess what? The problem is still there, it does the exact same thing! They tried a different SSD and HDD in the repair shop, so either my RAM memory or porcessor has to be faulty, since everything else has been replaced or tested with another component. I have to ask the repair shop tomorrow, if they tested the RAM, then it would have to be the processor...

Well, atleast I now know how to build a PC from scratch, something positive... :)
 
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