I built my first PC two days ago, hooked it up to a monitor, plugged a usb with Windows installation media, installed Windows Enterprise LTSC (i use it on my laptop and love it), and started updating Windows.
Everything was going smoothly until Windows decided to install the last Windows update. I don't know how it was called exactly but I think it was this one: 2020-07 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems (KB4559003). (I installed it on my laptop and everything is fine.)
During the installation of this update PC suddenly rebooted itself and tried to boot back to Windows but couldn't. It gets to the Windows loading screen with spinning dots and after 2 seconds it reboots and does the same thing couple times again, and then a message comes up above the dots saying: "Preparing Automatic Repair", then the PC shuts off again in approximately 2 seconds and reboots and the cycle continues.
Basically it tries to boot into Windows but fails, then it tries to boot the automatic repair mode but fails, and then it boot loops infinitely trying to get to the automatic repair mode.
Here is how I've been trying to fix this (none worked):
- Checked hardware compatibility.
- Tried unplugging all non essential external devices.
- Tried resitting GPU, RAM, SSDs, HHD and fans.
- Tried RAM one by one.
- Tried all SSDs and HHD one by one.
- Added an extra power cable for the HHD instead of making it share one with fans and SSD.
- Ran PSU in hybrid mode as well as in normal mode.
- Tried to access safe mode with f8.
- Tried to access automatic repair mode.
- Tried to boot from usb to external os's like parted magic and kali linux in different image formats: (UEFI+.iso+gpt, UEFI+.dd+gpt, UEFI+.iso+mbr, UEFI+.dd+mbr) (BIOS+.iso+gpt, BIOS+.dd+gpt, BIOS+.iso+mbr, BIOS+.dd+mbr)
- Tried all available versions of BIOS.
- Tried different settings in BIOS.
- Reset CMOS and BIOS multiple times.
- Tried memtest86 from parted magic and directly from a fresh usb, it froze at 16% in 10 seconds, and during the second attempt at 16% 1:05 minutes.
When trying to boot to another OS from USB, for instance parted magic, it gets to the boot menu where you can select to run the OS either from RAM or live, in 64 or 32 bit and so on, but when you for example choose to boot to the OS from RAM, it starts the process of booting in but then the PC shuts down and boot loop of trying to get to Windows and then to automatic repair mode continues like nothing happened.
As a conclusion I think it's either motherboard that is misbehaving or RAM. Do you know what is the problem?
PC specs:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
- GPU: GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2080 Super AORUS
- Mobo: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE
- RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury V2 Black 32GB 3200MHz
- M.2 SSD: Samsung 250GT 860 EVO M.2 SATA
- SSD: Samsung 1TB 860 EVO 2.5" SATA
- HDD: Toshiba P300 3TB
- PSU: Seasonic FOCUS GX-750
- CPU cooler: Scythe Fuma 2
- Case fans: ARCTIC P12 PWM PST
- Case: Phanteks Eclipse P600S
- Thermal paste: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut
