I completed my PC build a little over two years ago, and it's had various problems ever since the start in different ways. Sorry for making it so long, just not easily explainable.
After restarting, I managed to get into the first Windows installation media window without any problem and continued to install Windows onto my SSD. Problems then showed up again during the restart after the first phase. The same exact thing happened: VGA light on, no display. I didn't dare to force shut it down this time since it was in the middle of a Windows installation, so I continued to let it run. During this time, the PC restarted multiple times as the normal installation should. After over an hour of just letting it sit, I decided to force shut it down anyway because I saw no way of getting out of this. After starting the PC again, everything just worked normally; I got into the OOBE setup, and the PC worked fine.
After getting into Windows, I was able to do some tests. It turns out, every single time I restart my PC (or shut down and power on my pc quickly after), the VGA light goes off. However, what is interesting is that the boot code is still A0 (successful boot). Whenever booting straight into Windows, this isn't a problem as it somehow still gets a display after about 30 seconds, but this isn't the case for other boot scenarios.
I've been wanting to reset my Windows, so I tried using the "Advanced start" in the Windows settings to boot into my USB. To no surprise, it didn't work. I instead got the same boot code, A0, with a VGA light on. Instead of still getting a display after about 30 seconds, it just never does. I tried turning my screen on and off—nothing. I tried replugging the DP cable—nothing. I tried switching which port the cable was in—nothing. I tried an HDMI cable—nothing. I even tried the built-in graphics for my CPU—nothing. After about 5 minutes of testing everything I possibly could, I just tried pressing keys on my keyboard to potentially wake it up or something. That's when the PC showed some form of life again, but not as expected. The PC ONCE AGAIN restarted, going through all the boot lights other than VGA. After about 30 seconds of letting it sit at A0, it just magically booted into Windows. This is really weird behavior I've never seen or heard of, but it's fully replicable. I'd like to try and use a different screen and maybe that fixes this? But it feels unlikely at this point. Still gonna borrow a screen from a friend to try out.
Problem 1: VGA Light and No Display During Boot
The first-ever boot of the PC went fine, nothing to complain about. I was able to go into the BIOS and insert my Windows installation media to install Windows. This is when problems started to show. During the reboot to get into the installation media on my USB, the PC didn't get display. The white VGA light on my motherboard lit up, even though I had the same exact boot code as before. It required a force shutdown by the power button to continue the setup because nothing worked at all.After restarting, I managed to get into the first Windows installation media window without any problem and continued to install Windows onto my SSD. Problems then showed up again during the restart after the first phase. The same exact thing happened: VGA light on, no display. I didn't dare to force shut it down this time since it was in the middle of a Windows installation, so I continued to let it run. During this time, the PC restarted multiple times as the normal installation should. After over an hour of just letting it sit, I decided to force shut it down anyway because I saw no way of getting out of this. After starting the PC again, everything just worked normally; I got into the OOBE setup, and the PC worked fine.
After getting into Windows, I was able to do some tests. It turns out, every single time I restart my PC (or shut down and power on my pc quickly after), the VGA light goes off. However, what is interesting is that the boot code is still A0 (successful boot). Whenever booting straight into Windows, this isn't a problem as it somehow still gets a display after about 30 seconds, but this isn't the case for other boot scenarios.
I've been wanting to reset my Windows, so I tried using the "Advanced start" in the Windows settings to boot into my USB. To no surprise, it didn't work. I instead got the same boot code, A0, with a VGA light on. Instead of still getting a display after about 30 seconds, it just never does. I tried turning my screen on and off—nothing. I tried replugging the DP cable—nothing. I tried switching which port the cable was in—nothing. I tried an HDMI cable—nothing. I even tried the built-in graphics for my CPU—nothing. After about 5 minutes of testing everything I possibly could, I just tried pressing keys on my keyboard to potentially wake it up or something. That's when the PC showed some form of life again, but not as expected. The PC ONCE AGAIN restarted, going through all the boot lights other than VGA. After about 30 seconds of letting it sit at A0, it just magically booted into Windows. This is really weird behavior I've never seen or heard of, but it's fully replicable. I'd like to try and use a different screen and maybe that fixes this? But it feels unlikely at this point. Still gonna borrow a screen from a friend to try out.
Problem 2: Random GPU PCIe Light Flashing
Yet another problem related to the GPU now. I haven't been able to replicate this consistently, but it happens randomly every few months. The times when it has happened have always been similar. After starting my PC after having it off for a night, the GPU PCIe lights start flashing red. Every time this happens, the PC is particularly slow to start, taking about 1 minute longer to start. It still boots into Windows like normal, without even the VGA lights on the motherboard lighting up, and works normally throughout. After shutting down the PC, the PCIe lights still blink red, and the only way to stop it is to switch the power supply on and off. It has ALWAYS been on boot that this happens.Problem 3: INACCESSIBLE BOOT DEVICE BSOD
That's right, more issues. While starting my PC today after a night of having it off, it seemed to boot like normal, going through all the boot lights without any problem. But the boot code was different from usual. Instead of stopping at the usual A0, I got the boot code 20. Meanwhile, on the screen, it was showing the Windows loading icon like everything was fine, but the boot code still would not change. After a little over two minutes, I got a BSOD that I've never seen in my life. It had no QR code, no "x% complete". It just said, "Your device ran into an issue and needs to restart. It will restart for you." The stop code was "INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE". The PC restarted, which of course triggered problem number 1 with the VGA lights once again going off, but it still booted right into Windows like nothing had ever happened, with the same old A0 boot code. I believe this to be a problem with drivers in some way, but thanks to problem 1, it's basically impossible to reinstall Windows.Troubleshooting
- All RAM sticks are seated correctly.
- GPU is fully slotted in.
- All cables are fully plugged in (on both sides of the cable).
- Reset CMOS multiple times.
Specs:
- Windows 11 Home (newest update)
- All the latest drivers
- i9 12900K
- ASUS Strix 3080 Ti OC
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero
- Corsair 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 4800MHz CL40 Vengeance (Really should've upgraded this by now)
- Corsair MP600 PRO XT 2TB
- ASUS ROG Strix 1000W
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