Windows 10 instal hangs

rare · 19 Apr 2023 at 14:48

Hi guys,

I’ve just built the following:

X570 unify, 5600x, 32GB 3600 c16, 2 Nvme drives.

It’s on a test bench with a 1000w seasonic PSU and using a 1030 GT as a display output.

I boot from USB to start windows installation, it goes through fine, when it restarts it hangs at the booting screen with the windows icon in the background and the spinning wheel (which stops).

Bizarrely the mouse and keyboard work fine, I can move the cursor.

But it doesn’t progress any further (at least it hasn’t for the past hour).

I’ve tried, updating the BIOS (on latest now), using 1 stick of ram, ram is set to default 2400, everything else in the bios is stock, installing to two separate drives…

I’ve never had this before. Any ideas? Would be grateful for anyone’s thoughts.

Rroff · 19 Apr 2023 at 14:50

I assume the NVME drives are clean without a previous Windows installation on them?

EDIT: As an aside and may not be the problem here Windows 10/11 really is this **** and sometimes can spend 6+ hours appearing to do nothing before suddenly getting a move on

rare · 19 Apr 2023 at 14:58

Rroff said:
I assume the NVME drives are clean without a previous Windows installation on them?

EDIT: As an aside and may not be the problem here Windows 10/11 really is this **** and sometimes can spend 6+ hours appearing to do nothing before suddenly getting a move on

Yeah mate, I wiped them both beforehand and during the installation.

My only other option is to leave it over night and see if it resolves itself? The system still responds moving around the cursor. And I can turn caps lock on and off, plus the fault code display on the MB is showing a live fluctuating CPU temperature.

I don’t really want to try windows 11 as the whole point is I intend to use it for testing old GPU’s.

Wtf Microsoft!

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str · 19 Apr 2023 at 15:12

Is it an old Windows install USB or recently created?

To find out if it's an obscure finalising install issue, I would put the NVME drive in another PC and install a fresh copy of Windows on it to the desktop. Once it's back in the problem PC, it should easily boot to the desktop after it installs the relevant drivers.

rare · 19 Apr 2023 at 15:16

str said:
Is it an old Windows install USB or recently created?

It was an older version but I also just downloaded the current variant, same problem. Hangs at the same point.

Yeah good shout reference installing it on another machine, maybe I will do that tomorrow. Already had enough problems with my 7800x3d not booting this morning, spent ages trying to figure both of these machines out and losing the will to live haha.

Sometimes nothing ever just seems to work.

rare · 19 Apr 2023 at 16:22

I think the board is faulty. It won’t let me change the date in the BIOS whatever I do. It’s set to some odd days in the far future regardless of what you enter. And windows 11 won’t install either.

Oh eBay

Rroff · 19 Apr 2023 at 16:28

rare said:
I think the board is faulty. It won’t let me change the date in the BIOS whatever I do. It’s set to some odd days in the far future regardless of what you enter. And windows 11 won’t install either.

Oh eBay

Checked the CMOS battery is OK? but doesn't surprise me for an ebay board.

str · 19 Apr 2023 at 16:38

rare said:
I think the board is faulty. It won’t let me change the date in the BIOS whatever I do. It’s set to some odd days in the far future regardless of what you enter. And windows 11 won’t install either.

This could be good news if it's fixable as it would explain the obscure finalising install issue.

I would USB boot the Arch Linux installer and run hwclock --set --date="01/01/2023" at the command line then reboot to the BIOS and check if you can now change it to todays date.

teenwolf · 19 Apr 2023 at 16:39

Change bios battery

rare · 19 Apr 2023 at 16:41

Rroff said:
Checked the CMOS battery is OK? but doesn't surprise me for an ebay board.

Yup replaced it, made no difference. Seller is claiming it was rock solid when sold and no fault.

Bit stuck, wasn’t cheap either.

str said:
I would USB boot the Arch Linux installer and run hwclock --set --date="01/01/2023" at the command line then reboot to the BIOS and check if you can now change it to todays date.

Interesting - will have a go with this tomorrow, thanks.

teenwolf · 19 Apr 2023 at 16:46

One drive in one stick of ram
If you are using a watercooler or other heatsink it's not screwed down too tight.

rare · 19 Apr 2023 at 17:00

Yeah only been using one stick of ram, will also try a different cooler

str said:
I would USB boot the Arch Linux installer and run hwclock --set --date="01/01/2023" at the command line then reboot to the BIOS and check if you can now change it to todays date.

Great tip this thanks, unfortunately it didn’t work. System time was correct but no matter what I did I couldn’t get it to copy to bios.

Board shows two dates on the bios, top left hand it says 1st Jan 25500, then in the settings it says 01/01/98. I think something has gone haywire with the internal clock somehow. Tried to flash the bios again but no luck.

Looks like I’m going to have to find a replacement board but all the SLI/Crossfire ones are expensive still ugh. All I wanted to do was test some of my old GPU’s haha…

I got fed up and ordered a new Dark Hero instead :/

The guy is being responsive on eBay at least, but I’ve run out of ideas. He said no returns accepted but I’ve started one anyway and see if eBay step in.

Rroff · 19 Apr 2023 at 21:42

Does the board have a dual/backup BIOS?

rare · 19 Apr 2023 at 21:46

Not that I can tell. I’ve actually ordered a replacement CPU as well just incase (plan on returning it, it’s open box anyway) as the seller is being adamant it’s the CPU. At least this way I can prove with photographs that’s not the case - or maybe it is…!

I don’t see why it would be though, usually a CPU either works or it doesn’t.

str · 19 Apr 2023 at 22:11

As a last resort you could try the MSI Flash BIOS button.

I think it requires a FAT32 USB2 stick with your motherboard's BIOS on it named MSI.ROM and without powering on the system you press the BIOS flash button on the back panel and it flashes the BIOS on the USB stick. Can look it up for full instructions. Reason it might work is it looks like it zaps the CMOS settings hopefully including the date which should solve the problem.

rare · 19 Apr 2023 at 22:14

str said:
As a last resort you could try the MSI Flash BIOS button.

I think it requires a FAT32 USB2 stick with your motherboard's BIOS on it named MSI.ROM and without powering on the system you press the BIOS flash button on the back panel and it flashes the BIOS on the USB stick. Can look it up for full instructions. Reason it might work is it looks like it zaps the CMOS settings hopefully including the date which should solve the problem.

Yeah I can try that, I’ve already flashed the BIOS from within the BIOS twice though, it’s on the latest BIOS and both times it cleared the CMOS settings.

It’s very weird, I’ve not seen anything like it before.

I will try the other CPU on Friday and if that still won’t install windows/can’t change date in BIOS, then it’s clearly the board.

freddie64 · 19 Apr 2023 at 23:15

rare said:
plus the fault code display on the MB is showing a live fluctuating CPU temperature.

Would this not be fault codes not CPU temps?

What are the numbers being shown?

Debug code table start from page 49 in the manual.

AthlonXP1800 · 20 Apr 2023 at 00:16

rare said:
Great tip this thanks, unfortunately it didn’t work. System time was correct but no matter what I did I couldn’t get it to copy to bios.

Board shows two dates on the bios, top left hand it says 1st Jan 25500, then in the settings it says 01/01/98. I think something has gone haywire with the internal clock somehow. Tried to flash the bios again but no luck.

That really very weird, can you please provide screenshot of BIOS screen with that strange 2 dates.

I checked youtube for MSI MEG X570 UNIFY BIOS screen. The date on top left screen is calendar date and time, the other date on right screen is the BIOS build date but... 01/01/98??? :confused:

Made no sense, BIOS build date should be between 2019 to 2023, latest BIOS build version 7C35vAF date should be read as 03/03/2023.

I googled MSI MEG X570 UNIFY Windows 10 install hang found many people got same issue you experienced.

MSI Global English Forum

...

forum-en.msi.com

Windows 10 is not the only one that cant be install on AMD MSI MEG motherboards, people reported cant install Windows 8/10/11, Linux, Android and Chrome OS on AMD MSI MEG motherboards. I guess it because of weird wrong dates caused OS to assumed it is out of date for very long time and refused to boot. BIOS date and time should be correct set in order to complete OS installation and boot successfully.

I suggest you to try turn off Secure Boot, turn off XMP, change boot UEFI to Legacy+UEFI, enable CSM, reset BIOS settings to default and set date correct to try install Windows.

If all above and flash BIOS button method still not work then I suggest you to try download NTDEV Live11 to see if you can boot Windows 11 from USB live image.

live11 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Live11 is an optimized tiny11 image that was designed to fit on a 4GB (!) VHD, and that it runs completely on RAM. Since it's only 4GB, this means that it can...

archive.org

rare · 20 Apr 2023 at 00:23

AthlonXP1800 said:
That really very weird, can you please provide screenshot of BIOS screen with that strange 2 dates.

I checked youtube for MSI MEG X570 UNIFY BIOS screen. The date on top left screen is calendar date and time, the other date on right screen is the BIOS build date but... 01/01/98??? Made no sense, BIOS build date should be between 2019 to 2023, latest BIOS build version 7C35vAF date should be read as 03/03/2023.

I took a video to show the guy on eBay, whatever you enter it makes no difference to the date, it just refuses to change. I’ve tried flashing the bios, XMP off, single stick of ram, clear cmos, new battery, tried setting the clock via the Linux installer, and many other changes.

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AthlonXP1800 · 20 Apr 2023 at 00:27

rare said:
I took a video to show the guy on eBay, whatever you enter it makes no difference to the date, it just refuses to change. I’ve tried flashing the bios, XMP off, single stick of ram, clear cmos, new battery, tried setting the clock via the Linux installer, and many other changes.

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Ah I see. How very weirdly. :eek:

I suggest you to try Live11 to see if you can boot Windows 11 from USB live image directly from RAM without install Windows 11.