[SOLVED] Windows 10 successful boot happens only randomly ?

May 30, 2021
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0
10
Good day!

I have been experiencing a problem with my computer for quite some time now. I want to make a reservation right away that the computer was assembled recently, all the components are relatively new (bought in the beginning of this year), and the diagnostics of its individual parts with the appropriate software did not show any abnormalities. The characteristics are:

  • MB: 450 GAMING PLUS MAX
  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 6-core
  • RAM: Patriot Viper Steel DDR4 16GB (2 x 8GB) 4000MHz Performance Memory Kit
  • Graphics Card: GeForce RTX 2060.
  • SDD: Western Digital 240GB SATA III 6 Gb/s
  • Power Supply: 600W Semi Modular 80+ Bronze, GAMEMAX VP-600-RGB(Modular)

After one of the system crashes and a subsequent clean reinstallation of Windows, I ran into a fairly common problem in which the computer succesfully booted the system only after manually powering it off with the button and then turning it on again. In other words, if I wouldn't power cycle, after the BIOS boot splash, instead of the usual system boot icon followed by the entry into it, I'd be given a black screen accompanied by the fading of the mouse and keyboard backlight, after which the computer could remain in this state for a long time. At the same time, the coolers and lighting inside the case continue to work. At first I didn’t pay much attention to this problem, but still tried to fix it. Among the solutions I tested were:
  1. Disabling fast system startup in the power plan settings of Windows
  2. Updating drivers for the freshest for all possible components
  3. The default set of command prompt operations like sfc /scannow, DISM /Online /Image /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and chkdsk C: /f /r /x.
  4. Reinstalling the OS
None of the above helped. I did not dare to change the BIOS settings, since they were seemingly appropriate for the optimal launch (it is in LEGACY + UEFI mode). Unfortunately, over time, the situation worsened, and even the power cycling did not always help. The success of the system startup has become rather a random achievement resulting from the regular execution of the above commands in the command prompt in safe mode. As for now, even entering safe mode is not always possible. Some of the things I have to do regularly are restoring the system to an earlier version (even though no new system components or programs were installed), scanning the disk, and desperately trying to enter Safe Mode, since sometimes it is possible to successfully restart the computer from it.

When I luckily manage to successfully start the computer, the problem may disappear for a certain period of time, but only on the condition that I do not put it into sleep mode (then the problem immediately returns), but completely turn it off if necessary. Everything becomes much more frustrating when all these methods stop helping and a successful startup becomes a rather rare occurence resulting from the random chain of various manipulations with Troubleshooting options during automatic repairment, which starts after a reboot :(.

Considering all of the above, I remain unsure of the nature of the problem, that is, whether it is a mechanical or systemic failure. The option of infecting the system with a virus also seems unlikely to me, since, as already mentioned, the problem persists after a clean installation of the operating system. Nevertheless, I do not completely rule it out. Updating the BIOS and chipset drivers, which is the latest thing I've tried, also did not give valid results, and in some way, it seems, even exacerbated the situation - the boot process became a bit longer. Maybe there is someone here who came across a similar problem? Generally, I will be absolutely grateful for any help provided or if you could guide me in the right direction to find a solution, since at the moment in my country the situation with the lockdown does not allow me to contact any of the existing service centers. Thank you!
 
Solution
Power Supply: 600W Semi Modular 80+ Bronze, GAMEMAX VP-600-RGB(Modular)

how old is PSU - I can't find any reviews I would believe or from sites I know. Amazon reviews aren't trustworthy.
Game max already have a bad reputation, then there are cases of suppliers selling their PSU with different labels on them to make them look even worse.


Since you done the things I would have suggested on the software side, it has to be hardware
Have you reset bios to defaults?

I think its probably the PSU.

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
Power Supply: 600W Semi Modular 80+ Bronze, GAMEMAX VP-600-RGB(Modular)

how old is PSU - I can't find any reviews I would believe or from sites I know. Amazon reviews aren't trustworthy.
Game max already have a bad reputation, then there are cases of suppliers selling their PSU with different labels on them to make them look even worse.


Since you done the things I would have suggested on the software side, it has to be hardware
Have you reset bios to defaults?

I think its probably the PSU.
 
Solution
May 30, 2021
4
0
10
Power Supply: 600W Semi Modular 80+ Bronze, GAMEMAX VP-600-RGB(Modular)

how old is PSU - I can't find any reviews I would believe or from sites I know. Amazon reviews aren't trustworthy.
Game max already have a bad reputation, then there are cases of suppliers selling their PSU with different labels on them to make them look even worse.


Since you done the things I would have suggested on the software side, it has to be hardware
Have you reset bios to defaults?

I think its probably the PSU.
Hello! Thank you so much for responding.
The PSU itself is relatively new, since I've bought it just after finishing my PC setup altogether, which was roughly half a year ago. As for the production side of the matter - I am not really sure :(
I have tried both resetting BIOS to defaults and updating it. The second option somehow worsened the situation and it seems to prevent the windows from starting at all now. Not sure why, but the startup process progresses to spinning dots indicating the boot of the OS, they spin for about a minute, and then the screen just goes black along with the mouse and the keyboard.
Anyway, I believe that you are correct and the problem is most likely hardware-related, hopefully it's just the power supply and not anything else. I will try to test it. Thank you!
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
updating bios may have changed the boot method, some bios have a setting called optimized defaults but i don't see it in you8r manual
https://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/mb/E7B86v3.1.pdf

the 650w RGB PSU was the lesser of the 2 in review he did. Not same model exactly but close.
I would get PC tested, see if they can swap another PSU in just to see if it makes any difference.
 
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TommyTwoTone66

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Apr 24, 2021
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Age of components is important, but be aware that faults can develop in new hardware as well as old hardware. Just because you bought something 6 months ago doesn't mean that it cannot be faulty.

PSUs in particular can have a very hard time if the voltage that they are connected to is not stable and has a lot of spikes and drops on it. This seems to be quite common in the US, as the power infrastructure is not great there.

However to me it seems like the motherboard is bad. What you're describing sounds a lot like the VRMs not working correctly. MSI do not have a good track record.
 
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May 30, 2021
4
0
10
updating bios may have changed the boot method, some bios have a setting called optimized defaults but i don't see it in you8r manual
https://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/mb/E7B86v3.1.pdf

the 650w RGB PSU was the lesser of the 2 in review he did. Not same model exactly but close.
I would get PC tested, see if they can swap another PSU in just to see if it makes any difference.
There is no "optimized defaults" setting, but I am able to simply restore the default settings, which I've always used with this bios.
As for the PSU option - I will definitely consider to diagnose it once the service centers are open. Thank you!
 
May 30, 2021
4
0
10
Age of components is important, but be aware that faults can develop in new hardware as well as old hardware. Just because you bought something 6 months ago doesn't mean that it cannot be faulty.

PSUs in particular can have a very hard time if the voltage that they are connected to is not stable and has a lot of spikes and drops on it. This seems to be quite common in the US, as the power infrastructure is not great there.

However to me it seems like the motherboard is bad. What you're describing sounds a lot like the VRMs not working correctly. MSI do not have a good track record.
Thank you for responding, my friend.
Yes, I agree, Although I am not from the US, the power outage is quite a common thing in my country and happened a couple of times during some essential processes for the computer, such as system restore. It is frustrating. I wonder if it could have a delayed response for my hardware, since the issue I'm facing occurred after a passage of time. However, at this level of thinking, it seems to me like fortune telling on coffee grounds 😄
It seems that direct testing of individual components like the PSU and the motherboard is inevitable in this case, so I'll wait for the opportunity to visit the computer center and move from there. Thanks again!