Computer crashed, can't get into Windows no more..

[Sharpstick68]

So I was playing a game last night and my computer froze, I had to reset it by holding the power button..after I did that I was greeted with a blue screen (see below) and I said ok. Next thing, I see something that says MSI starting automatic repair (relating to windows I guess) let it do that for about 5 mins and it never did boot into windows so I reset the system again and powered it back on, and also before that I went into the bios to try and see if I can get into recovery/safe mode from there but couldn't find anything. So now, when I try powering my system on, the fans come on, start spinning and rgb goes on and everything, but there is a red light on the motherboard and it won't go away and also I get no video signal from my monitor either. So far I've tried flashing my bios (see specs below) and clearing the cmos, and still nothing.

My system specs are...

Intel i7-13700K CPU

MSI Z790 MPG Edge WiFi DDR4 Motherboard

Corsair Vengeance RGB RT 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3600 PC4-28800 RAM

EVGA RTX 3070 FTW3 Graphics Card

Corsair RMx Series RM1000x 1000 Watt PSU

Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX 360mm RGB Water Cooling Kit

Everything was working fine before this happened. I did update my motherboard bios a few weeks back because I finally started having problems with games crashing, due to the 13/14th gen intel cpu's problems thats been happening, something to do with the microcode or whatever it is. I had this system built November 2022 by microcenter, and it's just so frustrating to learn about these problems intel cpu chips are having, it makes me not want to trust intel any more because I don't know how recently it started happening but as far as I know it affects 13 and 14th gen chips. Anyway, sorry for the rant..I just don't know what else to try before bringing it to microcenter so they dcan diagnose the issue.

 

 

[hellowalkman Reporter]

On 07/01/2025 at 17:08, Sharpstick68 said:

it's just so frustrating to learn about these problems intel cpu chips are having, it makes me not want to trust intel any more

it is quite possible that the problem here is un-related to the Intel CPU you have.

On 07/01/2025 at 17:08, Sharpstick68 said:

there is a red light on the motherboard

try re-seating the components especially the CPU if you haven't already

[xrobwx71]

On 07/01/2025 at 05:38, Sharpstick68 said:

so I reset the system again

Do you mean you performed a system reset as in a Windows re-install choosing to keep personal files and programs or you just did a hard shutdown by holding the power button until it turned off?

 

I am assuming you just held the power button down as mentioned earlier in your post but want to make sure.

 

Lets see if you can boot from a linux USB. If so, you can use it to backup your important files.

On another PC: https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#1-overview

Edited January 7, 2025 by xrobwx71

[Nick H. Supervisor]

Trying a live USB is a good start.

Also, when you power on the computer I think you can get into the advanced options - which is where safe mode is located - by powering off your computer when you see the Windows logo. You need to do that three times, then the automatic repair will appear on the next boot, followed by the option to go to advanced options.

A quick search shows that the most common reason for the error message is a driver issue, so booting into safe mode should at least get you access to the system.

[Riggers]

So when you boot the PC (after the BIOS update, etc) do you see anything on the monitor? If not it would seem that the update has changed something.

Have you tried switching on using the on-board graphics?

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

On 07/01/2025 at 11:38, Sharpstick68 said:

So far I've tried flashing my bios

Why?

[Sharpstick68]

On 07/01/2025 at 07:40, xrobwx71 said:

Do you mean you performed a system reset as in a Windows re-install choosing to keep personal files and programs or you just did a hard shutdown by holding the power button until it turned off?

 

I am assuming you just held the power button down as mentioned earlier in your post but want to make sure.

 

Lets see if you can boot from a linux USB. If so, you can use it to backup your important files.

On another PC: https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#1-overview

Sorry I should have worded that better. When I said I performed a system reset, I meant as in I held the power button down on the case so the system shuts off, that is what I meant.

[Sharpstick68]

I just recorded a short video showing what happens where you can see what is happening here - 

 

[Astra.Xtreme]

Based on the manual for your motherboard, it looks like the red LED indicates an issue with the CPU.  As some of the others have said, try removing the CPU and cooler and reseating them.  Ideally you'd want to put fresh thermal paste on, but you can do that later if you get it working.

You could also try removing a stick of RAM and seeing if it'll boot with 1 stick.  Try with each stick individually to see if maybe one of them is bad.
Also try removing and reconnecting all the power supply cables.  Maybe one wasn't seated correctly and isn't supplying sufficient power.

You could try a live USB linux distro just to see if the PC will at least function.  That would then tell you if it's a hardware issue or a Windows install issue.
And if all of these things fail, then maybe your CPU did indeed fail.

[Mockingbird]

https://community.intel.com/t5/Blogs/Tech-Innovation/Client/Intel-Core-13th-and-14th-Gen-Desktop-Instability-Root-Cause/post/1633239/

https://community.intel.com/t5/Processors/Additional-Warranty-Updates-on-Intel-Core-13th-14th-Gen-Desktop/m-p/1620853

[Sharpstick68]

On 07/01/2025 at 13:47, Astra.Xtreme said:

Based on the manual for your motherboard, it looks like the red LED indicates an issue with the CPU.  As some of the others have said, try removing the CPU and cooler and reseating them.  Ideally you'd want to put fresh thermal paste on, but you can do that later if you get it working.

You could also try removing a stick of RAM and seeing if it'll boot with 1 stick.  Try with each stick individually to see if maybe one of them is bad.
Also try removing and reconnecting all the power supply cables.  Maybe one wasn't seated correctly and isn't supplying sufficient power.

You could try a live USB linux distro just to see if the PC will at least function.  That would then tell you if it's a hardware issue or a Windows install issue.
And if all of these things fail, then maybe your CPU did indeed fail.

I will try what you are suggesting, but just a few questions for clarification

Should I leave my AIO cooler off and booting my system up? or should I reseat the cpu and put the cooler back on before testing again..

I also want to try removing 1 stick of ram to see if the memory could be the problem also

[Nick H. Supervisor]

On 07/01/2025 at 21:46, Sharpstick68 said:

I will try what you are suggesting, but just a few questions for clarification

Should I leave my AIO cooler off and booting my system up? or should I reseat the cpu and put the cooler back on before testing again..

I also want to try removing 1 stick of ram to see if the memory could be the problem also

No. You should start from the basics and work up.

Does a live USB key work?

Can you access safe mode?

Have you switched off the cooler?

Have you reseated the standard devices that possibly cause the error code?

[Astra.Xtreme]

On 07/01/2025 at 15:46, Sharpstick68 said:

I will try what you are suggesting, but just a few questions for clarification

Should I leave my AIO cooler off and booting my system up? or should I reseat the cpu and put the cooler back on before testing again..

I also want to try removing 1 stick of ram to see if the memory could be the problem also

You always want to have the cooler completely installed.  Without the cooler, the CPU is going to overheat extremely fast.  I guess you could run it without the cooler for a few seconds just to see if the PC will get further in the boot process, but definitely don't run it for long that way.

[Sharpstick68]

On 07/01/2025 at 16:55, Nick H. said:

No. You should start from the basics and work up.

Does a live USB key work?

Can you access safe mode?

Have you switched off the cooler?

Have you reseated the standard devices that possibly cause the error code?

No a live USB key doesn't work

No I can not access safe mode

What do you mean when you say "Have I switched off the cooler?"

No can you explain what that may be? I have already checked to make sure the power cables are all firmly and tightly plugged in, all cables appear to be fully and securely in place

[Nick H. Supervisor]

On 07/01/2025 at 22:03, Sharpstick68 said:

No a live USB key doesn't work

No I can not access safe mode

What do you mean when you say "Have I switched off the cooler?"

No can you explain what that may be? I have already checked to make sure the power cables are all firmly and tightly plugged in, all cables appear to be fully and securely in place

A live USB doesn't work? Ok, that's an issue. That probably means that the problem is with the hardware rather than with Windows.

If you can't access safe mode via the instructions I provided...well, given your above response I'm ok with that, since the problem isn't with Windows.

"Switched off" or in any way disconnecting the cooling system from the rest of the system. We're working towards the idea that the issue is hardware based, so disconnecting the cooler would be a good start. It's not necessary, it's just nice to have.

And to the last point, since you'll be opening the box and disconnecting the cooling system, you may as well take out the RAM and SSD (or HDD) and plug them back in again (i.e. "reseating"). There's a reason that there is the stupid idea of "have you tried turning it off and on again?" Same applies to hardware. Take it out, put it back in. And if you can, try a different location.

[xMorpheousx416]

On 07/01/2025 at 11:24, Sharpstick68 said:

When I said I performed a system reset, I meant as in I held the power button down on the case so the system shuts off, that is what I meant.

Heh.. yeah, affectionately referred to as a "hard" reset.

 

That red CPU light may and may not indicate the CPU... as I have an MSI board. Last time I cleaned it, I left the CPU in.. but removed all the rest of the components on the board.

When I had it all back together, she wouldn't boot at all.. and all I had was that red CPU light.

 

Found out there was a tiny wire from the CPU cooler that prevented a stick of RAM from reseating properly. I'd recommended reseating the CPU and the memory as Nick mentioned... though SSD? Not sure why that's up there they are all screwed in place and don't just pop out, but, won't hurt either. Be mindful, do one at a time or you could fix this problem without knowing which one was the culprit.

__________________

 

About that blue screen though... even this link refers to bad RAM when all else has failed to fix that exception error.

https://www.howtogeek.com/865206/how-to-fix-a-kmode-exception-not-handled-error-in-windows/

 

[ShadeOfBlue]

It's important to point out that the microcode update from Intel is a preventative fix. The bug causes overvoltage and permanent damage to the CPU. If you are certain the CPU was already experiencing issues due to that bug (and I wouldn't be surprised if it was), it must be replaced under warranty.

If it does not work with any of the individual sticks of memory or after reseating components, then the next steps are:

1. Visually inspect the motherboard for any damage (broken/burnt components, etc)
2. Try it with just the CPU, CPU cooler, motherboard, memory, and power supply (no video card, extra fans, drives, etc). Connect your monitor to a motherboard video port.
3. Try clearing CMOS (as described in the motherboard manual). Note that if you require something other than the default settings, you (or someone who can help you) must be comfortable with changing the UEFI settings later.
4. Try a different power supply (if available). Wattage isn't too important in this bare configuration (even 250-300W is enough).
5. Try a different CPU (if available).

Just get as far as you can. If it works at any point (gives video when you power it up), you can try booting to your Ubuntu flash drive and test how stable it is over several hours. You can install and run a stress testing utility as well.

[Sharpstick68]

Ok, I have already removed the cpu which it was my first time ever doing so in my entire life, I've always been nervous about damaging the cpu in the proccess, but after I watched some videos on how to unscrew my AIO cooler, which is a Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX 360mm RGB Water Cooling Kit I unscrewed the screws in a criss cross pattern like my friend suggested and was able to very gentle take the cpu out, and also I already setup a RMA with intel and they've sent me the pre-paid shipping label which I was going to box up securely and send out tomorrow or in the next few days.

Ok so I was reading more comments and decided to take some pics to inspect the the motherboard, after I had removed the cpu, and i noticed a few things and now I am scared for my life and I feel sick to my stomach because I dont know if this is normal or not!!!!

1st picture - inspecting the mother board for signs of damage 

2nd picture - after I reseated the cpu, and lowered the latch to lock it in place, the square thing that is attached to the motherboard and that surrounds the cpu, that feels like I can lift it up easily, and doesn't feel like the lid thing is all the way after I had lowered the latch, and hooked it into the side thing, is that normal!? I don't know or not!!

3rd picture - I noticed this latch that was on top, was loose and I was able to lift it off easily! it's like it came off of the aio water block somehow, but the bottom part is still attached and I don't see how or where to put the top bracket back onto the water block, is this normal? I do not know and I am scared to death!!!!!!

 

I knew I should have just waited to have my friend come over tomorrow and take the aio cooler off, now I don't know what to do at all and I am deathly afraid I ######ed up big time, what do I do now!?! please oh my god I  am so sick and depressed already because of this issue I'm having but this just adds more on top of it!

[ShadeOfBlue]

Don't be alarmed. Nothing looks broken. You just need to open and close the CPU latch again.

I have highlighted the latch. Notice that curved part at the top? It's supposed to rotate and come down on top of the edge of the lid.

1. Open the latch and the lid of the socket. The CPU is fine where it is as long as it looks seated correctly.
2. Close the lid fully.
3. Now push down the latch and lock it. Watch that little curved part rotate and make sure it goes down on top of the lid to hold the lid down.
4. Everything should be firmly in place now.

A video from the CPU cooler manufacturer may be viewed here. It's normal for those half-brackets to easily slide on and off when the CPU cooler is removed.

Whether it be a motherboard or a CPU cooler, you can usually just go to the manufacturer's website and download the manual. That will tell you all sorts of info about how to install it. Or, like in this case, you sometimes can find a video as well.

[Sharpstick68]

On 09/01/2025 at 03:55, ShadeOfBlue said:

Don't be alarmed. Nothing looks broken. You just need to open and close the CPU latch again.

I have highlighted the latch. Notice that curved part at the top? It's supposed to rotate and come down on top of the edge of the lid.

1. Open the latch and the lid of the socket. The CPU is fine where it is as long as it looks seated correctly.
2. Close the lid fully.
3. Now push down the latch and lock it. Watch that little curved part rotate and make sure it goes down on top of the lid to hold the lid down.
4. Everything should be firmly in place now.

A video from the CPU cooler manufacturer may be viewed here. It's normal for those half-brackets to easily slide on and off when the CPU cooler is removed.

Whether it be a motherboard or a CPU cooler, you can usually just go to the manufacturer's website and download the manual. That will tell you all sorts of info about how to install it. Or, like in this case, you sometimes can find a video as well.

Ok thank you, and as for the 1st picture..does the cpu motherboard slot look fine to you? like no damaged pins or anything?

[ShadeOfBlue]

I don't see any obviously damaged pins, but I am limited by the resolution of the photo. They are actually super easy to see when they exist. Just shine a light at them and look at an angle until you see the light reflecting off the very tip of the pins just right. They form a perfect grid. You'll know it when you see it. If any pin isn't perfectly aligned with the others, it becomes really obvious as a flaw in the perfect grid pattern.

I do see what looks like a little spot of debris in the socket in the lower-left quadrant. Hard to tell. It might be a fleck of the thermal compound or something. Or just a trick of the light.

I don't want you to worry though. Even if it's real, as long as it's not resting on the tip of a pin, it won't hurt anything. If it looks like it is large or in a bad spot (otherwise leave well enough alone), just use some canned air to gently blow it out. Never stick a tool down into the pins to retrieve something.

New motherboards come with a protective cover on the socket. They are often misplaced or thrown away, and rarely come with a new PC when purchase preassembled. If you don't have one, a precaution you can take when the CPU is removed is to close the lid and latch, then place a stiff piece of cardboard on top (one large enough to overhang the socket in all directions). It may be gently taped in place if need be. That way nothing can fall in or bump the socket pins if it is going to be sitting there exposed for a long time.

[Steven P. Administrators]

On 09/01/2025 at 10:36, ShadeOfBlue said:

New motherboards come with a protective cover on the socket. They are often misplaced or thrown away, and rarely come with a new PC when purchase preassembled. If you don't have one, a precaution you can take when the CPU is removed is to close the lid and latch, then place a stiff piece of cardboard on top (one large enough to overhang the socket in all directions). It may be gently taped in place if need be. That way nothing can fall in or bump the socket pins if it is going to be sitting there exposed for a long time.

This is great advice, since I broke the socket pins accidentally by not applying the protective cover when the CPU was removed 😵

[Sharpstick68]

On 09/01/2025 at 04:36, ShadeOfBlue said:

I don't see any obviously damaged pins, but I am limited by the resolution of the photo. They are actually super easy to see when they exist. Just shine a light at them and look at an angle until you see the light reflecting off the very tip of the pins just right. They form a perfect grid. You'll know it when you see it. If any pin isn't perfectly aligned with the others, it becomes really obvious as a flaw in the perfect grid pattern.

I do see what looks like a little spot of debris in the socket in the lower-left quadrant. Hard to tell. It might be a fleck of the thermal compound or something. Or just a trick of the light.

I don't want you to worry though. Even if it's real, as long as it's not resting on the tip of a pin, it won't hurt anything. If it looks like it is large or in a bad spot (otherwise leave well enough alone), just use some canned air to gently blow it out. Never stick a tool down into the pins to retrieve something.

New motherboards come with a protective cover on the socket. They are often misplaced or thrown away, and rarely come with a new PC when purchase preassembled. If you don't have one, a precaution you can take when the CPU is removed is to close the lid and latch, then place a stiff piece of cardboard on top (one large enough to overhang the socket in all directions). It may be gently taped in place if need be. That way nothing can fall in or bump the socket pins if it is going to be sitting there exposed for a long time.

I have an electric air duster can I use that? I don't have any cans of air

[xrobwx71]

On 09/01/2025 at 05:11, Sharpstick68 said:

have an electric air duster can I use that? I don't have any cans of air

Gently

[ShadeOfBlue]

On 09/01/2025 at 05:11, Sharpstick68 said:

I have an electric air duster can I use that? I don't have any cans of air

If there's actually something there, and if it looks like it could cause a problem, and if simple things like tilting it in a more upside down position to let it fall out or using some paper to fan some air on it don't work, then perhaps. Just treat it carefully, don't put the nozzle too close to the socket, and don't blow more new debris into it than you blow out.