Can't install windows

[nickthemajin]

I just built a second PC using a z170-a board.

I had a spare windows 8.1 pro key so I installed that and used it. Seemed to run fine. Got the 970 drivers installed and all the asus drivers installed. Then I tried upgrading to windows 10. I got error code error 0x80070570 - 0x90002 constantly so I used media creation tool on my main PC (The x99 build in my sig) to create a windows 10 usb for the new PC. Plugged it in and tried to upgrade and it asked for a windows 10 key. Contacted Microsoft support since I obviously didn't have a windows 10 key to use (just the windows 8.1) and while I was chatting the computer blue screened.

It has not booted since. It won't go into safe mode. It tries to "start automatic repair" and then blue screens during it. I even tried to stick a USB 8.1 flash drive and it won't boot from it. It tries to start windows 8.1 setup and then immediately blue screens. I can literally only get into the bios. Nothing else works without blue screening. I can't reinstall the OS or anything. It just blue screens before it gets to any windows installation screens.

Just used a known working stick of ram, the one from my x99 build and it still blue screened.

So so far,

I've reset the CMOS
I've switched the ram sticks around, different slots, different positions, and used one known stick of ram from my x99 build
I've tried booting with one hard drive, one ssd, both, and none plugged in
I've plugged my SSD into my x99 build and completely wiped it and all its partitions
I've tried installing windows 10 and windows 8.1 from a USB stick and later an external optical drive

With nothing plugged into the SATA ports and just the optical drive or USB plugged in I get a blue screen
With either of the two drives plugged into a sata port and the optical drive or usb plugged in I get a blue screen.

I really don't know where to go from here. Is the board bad? The only thing I've been able to do is boot into the bios

When I load from the CDs or USB sticks it says something along the lines of Windows failed to load because the kernel is missing or corrupt. I've used known Windows install CDs that I've used before and have worked.

 

[Colif]

Its an Asus motherboard right? what model? (its sad I read title and guessed it was an Asus motherboard) Have you turned off secure boot?

did you plug external odd into the black usb slots at back of case since its likely USB 3 won't work

 

[nickthemajin]

It's an asus z170-a board. I'm currently plugged into the usb 2 ports

 

[Colif]

i don't understand the logic of making the boards impossible to boot off DVD or USB, how you meant to install windows on to them?

Quick Google search says that, for an ASUS motherboard, hitting F8 (right after powering on your PC) should bring up a boot option. Select your boot device, in this case USB flash drive or whatever it's name is and the setup should start

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2771804/install-windows-ssd-flash-drive-build.html

my theory is its ignoring the USB altogether and just trying to boot the broken install - seen it before.

check in bios and see if USB ports are fully enabled (see page 2-40 of the manual: Here) Auto or legacy, either works

 

[nickthemajin]

I managed to get it to boot into safe mode and installed windows 8.1 from the safe mode screen. Blue screened during install. Page file found in non paged area was the BSOD.

 

[nickthemajin]

Just tried Windows 10 and got page fault in non page area (ntfs.sys) during install.

 

[Colif]

its possible the BSOD caused by ram. Try running this: http://www.memtest86.com/

one of reasons for that 8.1 error is also ram.

 

[nickthemajin]

Could it be due to the board itself? Like I said I pulled the ddr4 ram from my main system and tried it in this new one and I got the same errors.

 

[Colif]

i will ask a second opinion and see if there is another choice. I know you swapped ram, i was just looking at what the errors were and saw they all data related, and it was not source data since it was two different installlers.

have you checked for a new bios, not sure it will change anything but it might.

 

[nickthemajin]

I'm on the latest 1702 bios for the board.

 

[Colif]

i have to go for a while but will look at this when i return and try to find another reason for the errors. problem with motherboard is its really hard to test them, almost every other component can be tested but mobo is sort a process of elimination, after you tested everything else.. Not a lot you haven't tested though.

 

[bignastyid]

Have you checked the cpu socket for bent or broken pins?

 

[jimmysmitty]

It is possible it is the motherboard but I have rarely seen it.

I would say to test the hard drive though. A bad HDD can cause BSoD when doing an install as well.

 

[Guest]

I would recommend this- Get Ubuntu>Put it on USB>Boot it as a live CD. That would give you atleast a framework for working and detecting the problem. And as you said it won't boot, just put the USB in and start the PC...........if you are lucky and this works, don't forget to thank me.

 

[Onus]

^Second. A bad HDD might cause this too, although I see that you wiped your SSD on your other system. Do you have another drive you can use? Try it on a different port as well.
Is this a mSATA SSD? Do you have ports in use that may be disabling other ports, perhaps not seen until Windows tries to use them?

 

[nickthemajin]

After a couple days break from this build I tried a live USB of Linux and it crashed loading that as well.

Set up an RMA for my motherboard and CPU (Since those are the two parts I can't isolate). That'll fix this up.

Thanks guys, I'll update if it fixes it.

 

[nickthemajin]

Got my RMAs back and rebuilt the PC. New motherboard and new CPU and the computer works. Immediately installed Windows 10 with no problem.

Thanks for the help guys