Question Acer Nitro N50-640 won't boot properly ?

[ideasarecoolfr]

Hi all,
I'm having a frustrating issue with my Acer Nitro N50 (DG.E2VEQ.004). The PC specs are:

• CPU: Intel Core i5‑12400F
• GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060
• RAM: 16 GB DDR4 (2x8GB, 3200 MHz)
• Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD + 1 TB Seagate HDD
• Motherboard: Intel B660
• OS Attempted: Windows 11, Linux (multiple distros)

Issue:
I can boot Live USBs (Linux, Windows PE, etc.) with no issues — everything works fine, GPU is detected, no crashes. But as soon as I try to:

• Install Windows 11 → it fails with "Windows could not be installed" errors.
• Install Linux → installs seemingly fine, but on first boot it gets stuck after login.
• Boot any OS installed to SSD or HDD → I get a gray screen after login, nothing else.

This happens on both internal drives. It doesn’t matter whether I use SSD or HDD, Linux or Windows — the problem persists. But booting from USB always works fine.

What I've Tried:

• Ran MemTest86: No RAM errors after one full pass.
• CPU stress test: No issues or overheating.
• NVIDIA drivers: I had graphical artifacts earlier but updating drivers fixed that temporarily.
• Disabled Secure Boot, tried UEFI/Legacy modes.
• Swapped drives, wiped partitions, tried fresh installs many times.
• Haven’t updated BIOS yet, but wondering if that’s relevant.
• Suspected VMD/RST might be interfering but not sure if that’s enabled or needed for this Acer motherboard.

Important Notes:

• I’m a developer and have done many OS installs before.
• This issue appeared suddenly — I used the system normally in the morning, then came back later, and after logging into Windows, it only showed a gray screen. Since then, no OS boots from internal storage anymore.
• Could the motherboard, storage controller, or VMD setting be causing this?

Looking for suggestions on:

• BIOS settings (VMD, SATA/NVMe config, UEFI tweaks)
• Disk controller or firmware issues?
• Anything specific to Acer or this B660 chipset?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD + 1 TB Seagate HDD
What is the make and model of the SSD? Have you checked to see if there's a firmware version pending update? Ideally, you're advised to remove all drives except the one you wish to install the OS onto.

Haven’t updated BIOS yet, but wondering if that’s relevant.
I would've advised that. If you have BIOS updates pending, please update them to the latest version.

As for your OS installer,
I’m a developer and have done many OS installs before.
where are you sourcing the installer for said OS?

What PSU are you working with in your prebuilt? How old is the unit?

 

[ideasarecoolfr]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD + 1 TB Seagate HDD
What is the make and model of the SSD? Have you checked to see if there's a firmware version pending update? Ideally, you're advised to remove all drives except the one you wish to install the OS onto.

Haven’t updated BIOS yet, but wondering if that’s relevant.
I would've advised that. If you have BIOS updates pending, please update them to the latest version.

As for your OS installer,
I’m a developer and have done many OS installs before.
where are you sourcing the installer for said OS?

What PSU are you working with in your prebuilt? How old is the unit?

This is the information that came with the PC - and additionally I believe I should be atthe latest BIOS version, but I can try reflashing it.

Processor
Manufacturer: Intel
Processor Type: Core i5
Processor Number: 12400F
Number of Cores: 6
Number of Threads: 12
Speed: 2.5 GHz, 4.4 GHz with Turbo


Graphics Card
Manufacturer: Nvidia
Graphics Card: GeForce RTX 3060
Memory: 12 GB (GDDR6)


Memory
Internal Memory: 16 GB (2 x 8GB)
Memory Type: DDR4 UDIMM (3200 MHz)
Maximum Memory Size: 64 GB (No free slots)


Storage
Primary Storage Device: 512 GB (SSD)
Connection: M.2 PCIe NVMe Gen 3 x4 (2280)
(1 free slot for 2.5" or 3.5" HDD)


Communication
Bluetooth: Yes (5.1)
Wired Network: Yes (Realtek® 8118AS Dragon Gigabit Ethernet)
Wireless Network: Yes (Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax))


Connections
HDMI Output: Yes (1x, 2.1)
DisplayPort Output: Yes (3x, 1.4)
USB 2.0: 4 ports
USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A: 2 ports
USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A: 1 port
USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C: 1 port


Dimensions
Width: 175 mm
Depth: 386 mm
Height: 392 mm
Weight: 8 kg


Other
Optical Drive: No
Motherboard: Intel B660
Sound Card: Yes (DTS:X® Ultra)
Power Supply: 500W (80+ Gold)
Operating System: Windows 11 Home
Warranty: 1 year


Article Information
Article Number:
Package Width: 23.9 cm
Package Height: 51.6 cm
Package Length: 49 cm
Package Weight: 8.25 kg
Our Item No.: 1978468
Manufacturer's Item No.: DG.E2VEQ.004
Published: 2022-04-07 08:10

 

[ideasarecoolfr]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD + 1 TB Seagate HDD
What is the make and model of the SSD? Have you checked to see if there's a firmware version pending update? Ideally, you're advised to remove all drives except the one you wish to install the OS onto.

Haven’t updated BIOS yet, but wondering if that’s relevant.
I would've advised that. If you have BIOS updates pending, please update them to the latest version.

As for your OS installer,
I’m a developer and have done many OS installs before.
where are you sourcing the installer for said OS?

What PSU are you working with in your prebuilt? How old is the unit?

I can give more background - yesterday morning I was watching some YouTube and visualized some artifacts on both my monitors. So I figured out that the graphics driver must be the issue, so I updated my RTX 3060 driver and as a result, the artifacts disappeared. I turned off my PC for some hours. After going back to my PC, I got into the Windows 11 OS login screen and logged in. Immediately after, the screen turned gray. I restarted it and this did not resolve it.

And live booting Ubuntu from a USB, it works and I did some tests like checking if the GPU was detected etc and it was, checked RAM (I did this previously with MemTest86 too) and did a stress test on the CPU and it passed. However and again, if I install any OS to my HDD or SSD, it apparently either fails or after being installed and booted into, it will show a gray screen.