[SOLVED] My PC is stuck in a Reboot Loop

[Gmigliorini]

Hello,

I have recently encountered an issue after a Windows 10 update where i am stuck in a reboot loop at startup. I have been troubleshooting this for over a couple weeks now and have an existing thread on this site and on windows community support forums (link) https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...essageId=630633f8-0e42-488a-b294-10458147f3dc.

A quick backstory of what happened. I went to bed after using my pc with zero issues for over 2 months. I woke up to an automatic windows update that left me stuck in a boot loop if i tried to enter my password at login. After removing the previously installed windows update, I was able to login. A few minutes later Windows had automatically began windows updates and started to restart. When my pc booted back up the previous problem of rebooting at login started again, only this time i was unable to remove the previously installed update. I then attempted to restore my windows version with a copy from both November and October, but this resolved nothing. I could not repair the pc either as it just said an error occurred. Eventually i wiped both my ssd and hdd hoping to reinstall fresh and resolve the issue. It got worse... I am now unable to use the system at all. My pc reboots after turning on and trying to access the windows installation page, or if i am able to get in it will reboot randomly on any step. Even if i am able to make it through the installation process, when the pc restarts to finish the install it will crash and again enter the reboot loop. The most it will do is show a restart error explaining that something went wrong and i need to restart and restart the installation. Or I will get a BSOD with error code 0xc000021a. I cannot enter the safe mode screen by turning off the pc on boot 3 times, it will just never try and enter safe mode. I also cannot enter repair my pc in the windows install steps because it will crash and restart immediately. I am able to enter the command prompt with shift+f10, but keep in mind if i try and run sfc /SCANNOW /OFFBOOTDIR=D:\ /OFFWINDIR=D:\windows my pc crashes. It will also crash running dism /image:C:\ /cleanup-image /restore-health.

To list everything i have tried would be very difficult, but to give a list of hardware changes and test...

• Reseated all components multiple times, including taking the CPU out and checking for damage, cleaning and reapplying thermal paste
• Installed a new PSU with new cables provided
• Tested RAM with memtest86 with both sticks for 4 passes as well as individual sticks for 8 passes each
• Removed old RAM and installed new RAM
• Removed HDD and attempted with SSD only. Removed SSD and attempted with HDD only. Removed both drives, purchased a new m2 SSD and attempted to install on it.
• Removed all harddrives and booted with just the usb installation media to see if the system stabilized and it did not
• Installed a new CPU cooler
• Attempted the installation with only the usb, monitor dp, and keyboard plugged in removing all other external devices including wireless mouse
• Installed a new motherboard
• Used a different usb drive with a fresh installation media download
• Attempted using a copy of Windows installation 1703

The biggest things i can DO, are..

• I can sit on the BIOS screen forever with no issues.
• If i am able to reach the windows installation page i can sit on the current page i make it to without rebooting as long as id like. If i try and advance i may reboot, this is random.
• Enter the command prompt and run some checks like chkdsk.

I have tested a handful of software related troubleshooting, that is linked in my windows forum post above. The only two pieces of hardware i have yet to swap or run test against are the CPU and GPU. I do not have a spare GPU on hand and AMD doesnt have integrated graphics to test with. Any and all help is appreciated. I am starting to feel like my only hope is to RMA the CPU or GPU

Parts:
CPU: Ryzen 5900x
MOBO: (Original) Aorus B550 PRO AC rev 1 (Now) ASUS ROG STRIX x570 e-gaming
GPU: Gigabyte rtx 3070
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 3000mhz (I tested with new Corsair Vengeance 3200mhz, but returned it when i ruled out the RAM)
PSU: EVGA 750 w Supernova G3 (I tested with a new Corsair rm850x , but returned it when i ruled out the PSU)
SSD: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB PCIe Gen 3 NVMe m2

 

[Darkbreeze]

You've eliminated every possibility except the CPU and graphics card, clearly. Obviously it has to be one or the other. Do you have the most up to date motherboard BIOS version installed? Did you have the most recent one installed for the old board? If the answer to both those questions is no, then I'd update to the latest BIOS version since it does not crash in the BIOS and can be done relatively safely. Not sure that would be relevant since the system was working fine for two months. Did you update the BIOS previously, between the time it was working fine and the time it started having problems?

I'd be very inclined to lean towards a CPU issue, even though CPU failures are relatively rare. I HAVE been seeing an unusual number of AMD Zen 2 and Zen 3 CPUs failing as compared to the frequency of failures we've been accustomed to seeing (Or rather, not seeing) in the past, in general. I'm not sure if this is a sign of problems with the longevity of these models, but I have for a fact seen more CPU failures, confirmed by replacement of those CPUs, in the last year or so on these AMD models that I am accustomed to seeing at anytime in the past. Could have just been a bad batch that made it into the wild, IDK, but I think given all you've done this is the most probable culprit, but certainly the graphics card could be to blame as well so if you know anybody you can borrow ANY kind of known good graphics card from for testing purposes, that might be a good idea so you can eliminate that before reaching out to AMD about an RMA.

 

[Gmigliorini]

You've eliminated every possibility except the CPU and graphics card, clearly. Obviously it has to be one or the other. Do you have the most up to date motherboard BIOS version installed? Did you have the most recent one installed for the old board? If the answer to both those questions is no, then I'd update to the latest BIOS version since it does not crash in the BIOS and can be done relatively safely. Not sure that would be relevant since the system was working fine for two months. Did you update the BIOS previously, between the time it was working fine and the time it started having problems?

I'd be very inclined to lean towards a CPU issue, even though CPU failures are relatively rare. I HAVE been seeing an unusual number of AMD Zen 2 and Zen 3 CPUs failing as compared to the frequency of failures we've been accustomed to seeing (Or rather, not seeing) in the past, in general. I'm not sure if this is a sign of problems with the longevity of these models, but I have for a fact seen more CPU failures, confirmed by replacement of those CPUs, in the last year or so on these AMD models that I am accustomed to seeing at anytime in the past. Could have just been a bad batch that made it into the wild, IDK, but I think given all you've done this is the most probable culprit, but certainly the graphics card could be to blame as well so if you know anybody you can borrow ANY kind of known good graphics card from for testing purposes, that might be a good idea so you can eliminate that before reaching out to AMD about an RMA.

I did update the BIOS on the previous motherboard to the latest and greatest and did the same for this motherboard today. No luck. I didnt mess with the BIOS or anything before things went south. The only difference was a Windows Update...

I may be able to get a graphics card to try and test and boot, but I am not sure. I will look into the RMA process for the CPU, but i know CPU companies can be very stingy on the warranty. Any other advice would be appreciated. Hopefully before I take apart the pc again.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That 5900x should be well within the warranty period and I think that if you try the graphics card and get no love, there is very little AMD can deny about the idea that the CPU is to blame. Unless there is something to the back story we don't know about, I can't imagine them not honoring the warranty after the extensive troubleshooting that has been done. Of course, you'll likely have to work with their support tech first but it should be a fairly minimal process.