Different blue screen every time when booting from USB

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mrmetalmario

Prominent
Dec 21, 2017
14
0
510
Just dropped 2k on a brand new build, already had to RMA the motherboard due to bent pins but I've got another one now!

- i7 8700
- GTX 1080TI
- MSI Z370 SLI Pus
- Corsair 8x8 3000mhz Ram
- RM550x PSU
- Sandisk SSD
- Seagate HDD

I installed windows 10 via USB, everything is going fine, installed all the drivers, started loading steam etc and I get a BSOD.
Reboot and try again, load a few programs, BSOD
Try booting into USB to load windows again, BSOD, in the pre-windows environment.
Would then always BSOD when loading windows so I wiped the drives, now it just BSODs when booting via USB every time, which seems strange because the hard drives aren't even plugged in.

List of steps I've taken, every time it boots to USB I get a BSOD

- Created new bootable windows 10 USB with a different flash drive in a different USB socket
- Unplugged mouse keyboard and ethernet
- Wiped both Hard drives
- Disconnected both hard drives completely
- Swapped the power supply
- Took out the GPU, tried booting from integrated graphics
- Tried with single ram sticks
- Reseated the CPU
- Tried with a DVD ISO
- Set BIOS to default
- Flashed BIOS to latest version

I'm out of ideas, I think it's either a faulty motherboard or CPU.
What do you guys think?

Thanks
 

mrmetalmario

Prominent
Dec 21, 2017
14
0
510


I could try that, I haven't spoken to any manufactures because I'm not sure which component is at fault or who to contact. I'm in the process of returning the CPU but if they find it to be not at fault they'll charge me.
 

mrmetalmario

Prominent
Dec 21, 2017
14
0
510
Thought I'd follow up with the solution, I managed to source some different DDR4 ram to test but that didn't work so the RAM wasn't at fault.
I received at replacement i7 8700 CPU and loaded into windows from USB just fine, currently in the process of testing the stability of the system but so far so good.
Looks like it was a faulty CPU, what are the odds eh!
 

alpheidae

Reputable
Aug 31, 2015
3
0
4,510


Thanks for following up, I'm having this exact, maddening problem. Did you get a CPU replacement through Intel or the store you purchased it from?
 
Apr 6, 2018
1
0
10
I had a very similar issue to the OP where the first time the blue screen happened, I was playing a video game. Wasn't downloading, uploading or anything that would have caused me to get a virus. After my PC shut down from the first blue screen, every single time after that, my PC blue screens after it boots up. I could go in BIOS but that's about it. I couldn't load in safe mode because it blue screens before the windows logo appears.

My build (similar to OP):
- i5 8600k
- GTX 1070FTW
- MSI Z370 SLI Pus
- Corsair Vengeance 2x8 3000mhz Ram
- EVGA 600B PSU
- Samsung 500GB SSD
- Western Digital 2TB HDD

I tried everything the OP did in terms of actual fixes. The most common blue screen error (stop code) I got was IRQL_not_less_or_equal, although as it kept rebooting and blue screening, it went through other less common errors.

I finally did what the OP did at the end and got a new CPU (RMA through intel because Amazon, where I purchased it wouldn't cover it past a month unless you purchase the warranty. Intel has a 3 year guarantee though) and it works again. Don't know why my CPU ended up dying when this build is only 4 months old. My older PC (6 years) is still up and running.

Going through the refund process with intel is quite long btw. I sat through customer support while they asked what kind of hardware I had. They were checking to see each component aside from the CPU and seeing if they're compatible with each other before finally accepting that it's the CPU that's at fault.

The whole process from when my PC died to when I got my new CPU took 3 days.

TL : DR Replacing CPU fixes this issue.