Question New MOBO and CPU won't boot into Windows

[cerebrocaust]

Hi all,

Just upgraded my MOBO and CPU and I'm having a lot of strange problems getting it to boot into Windows on multiple HDD devices. Not sure what the problem is, and most solutions are stymied by additional problems. Maybe someone here can sort me out.

System specs:
MOBO: Asus Prime B550-PLUS (used)
CPU: Ryzen 5 5600X (used)
GPU: Zotac RTX 3060ti (used)
RAM: 2x DDR4 8GB 3200MHz Corsair Vengeance
HDD: Multiple, all Western Digital HDDs, no SSD available

Everything starts fine, MOBO runs its QLED checks and pulls up the BIOS. The previous setup had multiple HDDs plugged in, all of which are from older computers and still have their own (old, most likely pre-7) installations of Windows. Those automatically go to Startup Repair if I try to boot into them, but they don't do much, just an endless self-reboot cycle or it freezes up and has to be rebooted manually. I got BSOD code from trying to start Windows regularly on one of them, and that was 0x0000074.

The main harddrive with Windows 10 on it that I want to boot into, if I unplug the other HDDs, it won't recognize that one as bootable at all. It sees it as attached hardware and knows what it is, but won't boot into it, acts like there's nothing there to boot from. If I connect that same drive to the old MOBO and CPU, it works fine. There is also another HDD that it does this with. I've tried both UEFI and legacy modes with largely the same results; endless self-reboots, freezes, or asks to connect bootable media.

Also, I can't seem to boot from a USB drive; if I even connect a thumbdrive to USB, the BIOS becomes unstable and freezes up; either it gets stuck loading from F2 or it freezes up shortly after loading the EZ screen. So reinstalling Windows from a boot drive isn't feasible due to that. Full disclosure, I did forget to download the chipset drivers for the new MOBO, but figured I'd be able to get far enough to do that with the new equipment running, I've never seen this problem before. But I would have to take the whole rig apart and put the old hardware back to do that, which I'd prefer not to if there are any other solutions. I tried downloading them and putting them on a USB, but as mentioned, can't use a USB for anything or it just freezes up really easily.

It should also be mentioned that I did have this same problem with an identical MOBO, it just had slightly different symptoms (startup repair would fail, but was at least able to attempt -- this one just reboots over and over and startup repair doesn't seem to be able to do anything).

Anyone have any bright ideas, other than taking everything apart, downloading drivers, and hoping that fixes it? I've never had this much trouble swapping out hardware before. Is it possible that any of this equipment is faulty? I worry a little bit about the CPU with all the freezing, but everything looks normal on the BIOS.

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

You forgot to mention the make and model of your PSU and it's age. What were your specs prior to the upgrade?

Just upgraded my MOBO and CPU and I'm having a lot of strange problems getting it to boot into Windows on multiple HDD devices. Not sure what the problem is, and most solutions are stymied by additional problems. Maybe someone here can sort me out.
Did you reinstall the OS after your motherboard swap? If not, that's what you need to do first off.

If you're able to get into BIOS, what BIOS version are you on?

Also, I can't seem to boot from a USB drive;
Get a hold of a laptop or a donor system, from a friend or neighbor, and recreate your bootable USB installer.

So reinstalling Windows from a boot drive isn't feasible due to that
You should pick up an SSD, shouldn't be more than 40USD;
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vP...b-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-ct500p3pssd8
if you're located in the USA.

 

[Misgar]

RAM: 2x DDR4 8GB 3200MHz Corsair Vengeance

First, if you're running XMP 3200MT/s, try switching back to JEDEC default 2133MT/s. The system might become more stable. Other forum members report instability with Ryzen and Vengeance.

multiple HDDs plugged in, all of which are from older computers and still have their own (old, most likely pre-7) installations of Windows. Those automatically go to Startup Repair

Startup Repair is that annoying Windows feature which appears after two unsuccessful boots. You can switch it off. Sometimes I abandon the "recalcitrant" installation, wipe the drive and reinstall the appropriate version of Windows or run an "in-situ" update.

The main harddrive with Windows 10 on it that I want to boot into, if I unplug the other HDDs, it won't recognize that one as bootable at all.

It's likely the Windows 10 (hidden) boot partition is located on another drive. Unplug that drive and your OS won't boot. This can happen after cloning if you don't unplug the old drive first, before booting from the new drive. There are methods to restore the boot partition to its rightful place on the Windows 10 drive. When installing any OS, it's a good idea to disconnect all other hard disks and SSDs, to ensure the boot partitions stay in the right place.

Also, I can't seem to boot from a USB drive;

You really need to fix this (sorry if I'm stating the obvious). Unless you can boot from DVD, unstable USB boots are a problem.

I did forget to download the chipset drivers for the new MOBO

Most of the time I don't bother downloading drivers from the mobo web site. Windows 10 does a pretty good job of identifying and loading drivers for "new" hardware. Only time I bother is when setup fails to load an Ethernet chipset or WiFi chipset driver, preventing me from accessing the internet. The remainderof the unknown devices in Device Manager can usually be fixed by installing the Optional Drivers listed in Windows Update.

all of which are from older computers and still have their own (old, most likely pre-7) installations of Windows

Expecting a modern mobo/CPU to boot up from XP, 2000, Vista or Windows 7 can be a frustrating experience. Microsoft abandoned support for old versions of Windows with modern chipsets. There may be workarounds for some obsolete items, but I find it better to keep a bunch of old computers with XP-compatible hardware. You can still read/write to these old disks, but you probably can't boot from them.

Another problem I experienced for years running XP + 7 + 10 on separate drives was each time I returned to my main Windows 10 SSD, the computer would spend 10 minutes running CHKDSK on all the other drives, due, I believe to the "dirty" bit being set on the Win 10 drive after booting into Win 7 or XP on another drive. I fixed this by disabling Windows "Fast Start" and removing hiberfil.sys from all bootable drives.

To sum up, try to make the system stable and stick to booting from Windows 10 or11.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Agree with what's been said before. Reinstall Windows fresh from USB.

You can purchase windows installation drives if you need, but I'd recommend using the media creation tool on another computer.

 

[cerebrocaust]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

You forgot to mention the make and model of your PSU and it's age. What were your specs prior to the upgrade?

Just upgraded my MOBO and CPU and I'm having a lot of strange problems getting it to boot into Windows on multiple HDD devices. Not sure what the problem is, and most solutions are stymied by additional problems. Maybe someone here can sort me out.
Did you reinstall the OS after your motherboard swap? If not, that's what you need to do first off.

If you're able to get into BIOS, what BIOS version are you on?

Also, I can't seem to boot from a USB drive;
Get a hold of a laptop or a donor system, from a friend or neighbor, and recreate your bootable USB installer.

So reinstalling Windows from a boot drive isn't feasible due to that
You should pick up an SSD, shouldn't be more than 40USD;
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vP...b-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-ct500p3pssd8
if you're located in the USA.

Only a newcomer in posting -- I've been solving problems on PCs by lurking Tom's Hardware for decades.

Re: Additional Data
Ah, you're right. PSU is a Corsair 1200W, which I've had maybe three years with very low usage. Previous system was an MSI A88X-G43 running an Athlon X4 and a Sapphire R 280X video card -- budget build from ten years ago and it amazingly still runs most new games, it's just a little clunky, and no longer has support for the newer drivers, which is making it obsolete.

BIOS version is 3607.

I remembered that I have a 500GB SSD sitting around, so I went ahead and plugged that in. There's nothing on it, so it's not bootable, but it's something to put a new Windows installation onto until I can get a stable OS running so I can reconnect the HDDs.

I'm currently not able to reinstall Windows on here, due to the other problems it's having, more information below.

First, if you're running XMP 3200MT/s, try switching back to JEDEC default 2133MT/s. The system might become more stable. Other forum members report instability with Ryzen and Vengeance.


Startup Repair is that annoying Windows feature which appears after two unsuccessful boots. You can switch it off. Sometimes I abandon the "recalcitrant" installation, wipe the drive and reinstall the appropriate version of Windows or run an "in-situ" update.


It's likely the Windows 10 (hidden) boot partition is located on another drive. Unplug that drive and your OS won't boot. This can happen after cloning if you don't unplug the old drive first, before booting from the new drive. There are methods to restore the boot partition to its rightful place on the Windows 10 drive. When installing any OS, it's a good idea to disconnect all other hard disks and SSDs, to ensure the boot partitions stay in the right place.


You really need to fix this (sorry if I'm stating the obvious). Unless you can boot from DVD, unstable USB boots are a problem.


Most of the time I don't bother downloading drivers from the mobo web site. Windows 10 does a pretty good job of identifying and loading drivers for "new" hardware. Only time I bother is when setup fails to load an Ethernet chipset or WiFi chipset driver, preventing me from accessing the internet. The remainderof the unknown devices in Device Manager can usually be fixed by installing the Optional Drivers listed in Windows Update.


Expecting a modern mobo/CPU to boot up from XP, 2000, Vista or Windows 7 can be a frustrating experience. Microsoft abandoned support for old versions of Windows with modern chipsets. There may be workarounds for some obsolete items, but I find it better to keep a bunch of old computers with XP-compatible hardware. You can still read/write to these old disks, but you probably can't boot from them.

Another problem I experienced for years running XP + 7 + 10 on separate drives was each time I returned to my main Windows 10 SSD, the computer would spend 10 minutes running CHKDSK on all the other drives, due, I believe to the "dirty" bit being set on the Win 10 drive after booting into Win 7 or XP on another drive. I fixed this by disabling Windows "Fast Start" and removing hiberfil.sys from all bootable drives.

To sum up, try to make the system stable and stick to booting from Windows 10 or11.

I set the DRAM to 2133MHz. I dunno if I'm seeing much of a difference, it actually seems like it was already set at that for some reason, even though the RAM should be capable of running faster. Regardless, even the BIOS still freezes up relatively frequently (every third or fifth boot, and then more likely the longer it runs).

As to reinstalling Windows, I'd love to, but it won't recognize anything to boot it from. Not only does plugging in a thumb drive make the BIOS more likely to freeze, it also doesn't see it on the boot menu. I've tried multiple thumb drives in multiple USB ports, no dice. I've also plugged other things into the USB ports, like the mouse and keyboard, which are working fine, so that's not the problem. I do have a Windows 10 install file on a thumb drive and ready to go, but that doesn't do me any good if it won't boot from it. It only seems to want to boot from hard drives, not thumbsticks.

And yeah, I'm just now learning this about new MOBOs and old versions of Windows -- crazy and stupid that Microsoft would not trust older versions of their own software, but also a very Microsoft decision at the end of the day. For my money, a MOBO should never have "compatibility issues" beyond whether the CPU fits in the socket. The computer runs off of the hard drive, not the motherboard, and Windows isn't installed on the motherboard, so it should not have problems booting based on which motherboard the hard drive is plugged into. Anyway, frustrated opinions aren't fixing anything any faster, so I'll leave it at that.

 

[USAFRet]

The previous setup had multiple HDDs plugged in, all of which are from older computers and still have their own (old, most likely pre-7) installations of Windows.

That rarely works. Especially pre Win 10 versions.

You can't simply migrate a drive+OS to a whole new system and expect it to boot up properly.

 

[cerebrocaust]

That rarely works. Especially pre Win 10 versions.

You can't simply migrate a drive+OS to a whole new system and expect it to boot up properly.

Used to work fine for years and years and years. Never had a problem with it before.

 

[USAFRet]

Used to work fine for years and years and years. Never had a problem with it before.

And I've had it fail and fail and fail.

Sometimes it does work, though.
And sometimes it works a little bit but not 100%.


In any case, yours doesn't seem to be working this time.

 

[cerebrocaust]

And I've had it fail and fail and fail.

Sometimes it does work, though.
And sometimes it works a little bit but not 100%.


In any case, yours doesn't seem to be working this time.

Thanks, I've managed to figure that much out. In many cases, though, it has; thus the justified expectation that it should. Beyond that, I'm not sure what your comments are hoping to accomplish, they do not seem constructively motivated. I'm not here to ask everyone's opinion of whether I should expect the computer to work after installing new hardware, only how to get it to work properly now that the new hardware is installed.

For anyone else following, I managed to get the boot drive to come up, but the problem with the automatic reboots and freezing keeps that from being much use. It occasionally gets to the Windows logo before it reboots, or will get to a strange striped graphics crash before freezing, but it hasn't managed to start an installation of Windows. The SSD currently installed is brand new and the thumb drive has nothing on it but the Windows installation media. I also tried swapping the RAM into the other two slots, but that seemed to make the problem even worse.

I'm a little concerned about the hardware at this point. Does this sound to anyone like a faulty MOBO or CPU? Both are untested in other systems. The RAM is also used and could be the culprit.

 

[USAFRet]

My comments were aimed at:
Sometimes, no matter how much you mess with it, the old OS will never work.
Time for a fresh OS install. Even just to see if the actual hardware works.

Good luck.