Windows 10 Freezes After BIOS Update

[cjsayshitorandoms]

I bought the i7 7700k and for it to work I had to update my BIOS for Z170 Pro4S. After updating and putting the new processor in Windows 10 freezes randomly, sometimes before I can log on and sometimes after.

 

[terry4536]

You need to go through and update your device drivers to the latest version (including the motherboard drivers) at a minimum. The new BIOS isn't exactly compatible with one of your drivers.


You may need to reinstall Windows.

 

[terry4536]

First go to the Windows event viewer to try and narrow it down.

 

[cjsayshitorandoms]

I can not even get into windows without it crashing. I even crash by just being in the BIOS options. It is all random.

 

[terry4536]

PC freezes are mostly the result of software problems. The incompatibility between the operating system and a device driver. Or it can be the result of a corrupted or missing system file that the operating system requires. Or it can be the incompatibility of the BIOS with one of the device drivers.

Since you just updated the BIOS, the later seems most likely. The solution can be updating the driver again if it was in some way defective. It can also be solved by using a different version of the BIOS. Or it can be solved by updating the device drivers.

Since the system is unstable, updating the BIOS is risky. For example if the system freezes while the actual BIOS update is going on it can brick your motherboard.

Try unplugging the SATA data cable from the system drive. This will prevent the operating system from loading. Then boot the system and enter the BIOS. See if the system remains stable. (you will get an error about the drive being not found). Also note if there are any diagnostic LED'S on the motherboard during the POST.

If the system is stable, then plug the SATA cable back in. If the system is stable then updating the bios again is a better choice (updating the BIOS without the system drive plugged in). But it would also indicate that a fresh install of Windows is a good idea.

 

[terry4536]

What BIOS version did you use for the update?

The mother board supports the I7-7700K since BIOS version P7.30 .

 

[malik11]

I bought the i7 7700k and for it to work I had to update my BIOS for Z170 Pro4S. After updating and putting the new processor in Windows 10 freezes randomly, sometimes before I can log on and sometimes after.

Try clearing motherboard's CMOS power pc off unplug any power from the pc including monitor cables from gpu. and remove the battery from the motherboard for about 15 minutes and see what happens.
i have had this issue before this fixed it for me.

 

[terry4536]

Clearing the CMOS resets the BIOS to the manufacturer defaults. It can be a great help if you are having problems booting the computer. Unfortunately, I doubt that it will help much with the freezing issue. But you can certainly give it a try.

Updating the motherboard drivers, updating the device drivers, and doing a fresh install of the operating system have the best chance of correcting the problem. The headache in this problem is that you can't really predict where the software incompatibility is located. It can be in the BIOS, in can be in a driver. or some corrupted file in the operating system.

Another possibility that may or may not apply is installing a new motherboard without performing a fresh install of the operating system. In essence the old version the operating system would still be using the drivers from the previous motherboard on the new one. That would cause instability problems like freezing and crashing or blue screens.