Windows re installation putting me back to BIOS

Omar Khaled 5 Reputation points
2026-06-11T21:29:32.22+00:00

I’m completely stuck with a Windows installation issue.

System:

  • Gigabyte Z790 Gaming X AX Rev. 1.1
  • RTX 4070
  • Samsung 990 PRO 1TB
  • Samsung 980 PRO 1TB

I created a Windows installer USB using the official Media Creation Tool. The installer booted successfully the first time and I got all the way to the Windows drive selection screen (“Where do you want to install Windows?”).

After that, the system crashed/went black and returned to BIOS. Since then I have been unable to boot either the Windows installer USB or Windows Boot Manager.

Current behavior:

  • BIOS detects both SSDs correctly.
  • BIOS shows “Windows Boot Manager (Samsung SSD 990 PRO 1TB)”.
  • BIOS detects the installer USB as a UEFI boot device.
  • Selecting either Windows Boot Manager or the USB immediately returns to BIOS/boot menu.
  • No Windows logo, loading circle, or recovery screen appears.

Things I have already tried:

  • Updated BIOS to F16a.
  • Loaded optimized defaults.
  • CMOS reset.
  • Replaced CMOS battery.
  • Disabled XMP.
  • Disabled CSM (UEFI mode).
  • Tried Secure Boot enabled and disabled.
  • Tried 2 different USB installer drives created with Media Creation Tool.
  • Tried front and rear USB ports.
  • Tested each RAM stick individually.
  • Reseated the GPU.
  • Disconnected one SSD.
  • Disconnected both SSDs entirely.

The strange part is that the Windows installer definitely worked once and reached the partition selection screen. Now even with both SSDs disconnected, the installer USB still will not boot and immediately returns to BIOS.

Has anyone seen this before or have any ideas what I should try next? I’m completely stuck with a Windows installation issue.

System:

  • Gigabyte Z790 Gaming X AX Rev. 1.1
  • RTX 4070
  • Samsung 990 PRO 1TB
  • Samsung 980 PRO 1TB

I created a Windows installer USB using the official Media Creation Tool. The installer booted successfully the first time and I got all the way to the Windows drive selection screen (“Where do you want to install Windows?”).

After that, the system crashed/went black and returned to BIOS. Since then I have been unable to boot either the Windows installer USB or Windows Boot Manager.

Current behavior:

  • BIOS detects both SSDs correctly.
  • BIOS shows “Windows Boot Manager (Samsung SSD 990 PRO 1TB)”.
  • BIOS detects the installer USB as a UEFI boot device.
  • Selecting either Windows Boot Manager or the USB immediately returns to BIOS/boot menu.
  • No Windows logo, loading circle, or recovery screen appears.

Things I have already tried:

  • Updated BIOS to F16a.
  • Loaded optimized defaults.
  • CMOS reset.
  • Replaced CMOS battery.
  • Disabled XMP.
  • Disabled CSM (UEFI mode).
  • Tried Secure Boot enabled and disabled.
  • Tried 2 different USB installer drives created with Media Creation Tool.
  • Tried front and rear USB ports.
  • Tested each RAM stick individually.
  • Reseated the GPU.
  • Disconnected one SSD.
  • Disconnected both SSDs entirely.

The strange part is that the Windows installer definitely worked once and reached the partition selection screen. Now even with both SSDs disconnected, the installer USB still will not boot and immediately returns to BIOS.

Has anyone seen this before or have any ideas what I should try next? I have never had that kind of issue.. always reinstalled windows normally

Windows for home | Other | Performance and system failures
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Omar Khaled 5 Reputation points
2026-06-13T17:10:29.05+00:00

Yes going to BIOS version F6 worked! Thanks a lot

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  1. AI answer

    2026-06-11T21:30:00.5266667+00:00

    The behavior matches a system that never hands off from firmware to any valid boot loader, so the next steps are to focus on:

    1. Forcing a clean UEFI boot from known‑good media.
    2. Verifying that the firmware is actually able to read the boot media and OS disk.
    3. Repairing or recreating the boot structures if they are corrupted.

    Follow these steps in order:

    1. Force pure UEFI boot from USB
      • In firmware setup, disable CSM/Legacy completely and set boot mode to UEFI only.
      • Disable Secure Boot temporarily.
      • In the boot order, move the entry that explicitly says UEFI: <USB name> to the top.
      • Save and exit, then use the one‑time boot menu key (for many boards F12 or F11) and explicitly choose the UEFI entry for the USB.
      • This is similar to the guidance to set default boot to UEFI, disable Secure Boot/CSM, then set USB first and UEFI disk second, and boot from the USB again.
    2. Verify firmware can actually access the OS disk in a Windows environment
      • If the USB still drops straight back to firmware, test with a different known‑bootable USB (for example, another Windows installation media created on a different PC) to rule out media corruption.
      • Once any Windows setup or WinPE media boots, press Shift+F10 at the first setup screen to open a Command Prompt.
      • Run: 
             diskpart
     list disk
        Confirm that the SSD intended for Windows appears as Online in the list. If it does not appear, or appears offline, there is a controller/firmware issue that must be resolved at the motherboard or SSD level.
    3. If Windows setup starts but cannot install or format
      • If the installer reaches the “Where do you want to install Windows?” screen but cannot select or format partitions, use the documented clean‑disk procedure only if a full wipe is acceptable:
        1. At the disk selection screen, press Shift+F10.
        2. Run diskpart.
        3. list disk to identify the correct SSD.
        4. sel disk <number> for the target SSD.
        5. det disk to verify it is the correct drive.
        6. If no required data is on the disk, run clean all to remove all partitions and data.
        7. exit to leave Diskpart, close Command Prompt, click Refresh in the disk selection screen, and then install Windows to the unallocated space.
      • This matches the recommended approach when Windows Setup cannot use existing partitions and other methods have failed.
    4. If Windows was partially installed and now fails to boot (0x7B / inaccessible boot device)
      • If at any point a Windows logo appears and then a blue screen with INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE (0x7B), use Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) from installation media:
        1. Boot from the Windows installation USB.
        2. On the first screen, select Next > Repair your computer.
        3. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
        4. Let Startup Repair run and then restart to test.
      • If Startup Repair cannot fix it, open Command Prompt from Advanced options and:
        • Run diskpart, list disk, then list vol to confirm the OS volume is present and accessible.
        • Run bcdedit to verify that device and path in the {bootmgr} entry point to the correct EFI system partition and boot loader.
    5. If the OS disk does not appear in WinRE/WinPE
      • If list disk in Diskpart does not show the SSD that firmware lists as “Windows Boot Manager”, this indicates a low‑level hardware or controller problem. In that case, engage the motherboard or SSD vendor, as recommended when the OS disk is not visible even to Windows recovery tools.

    If none of the above steps allow Windows Setup or WinRE to boot and see the SSD, the remaining path is to treat this as a hardware/firmware fault (board, SSD, or controller mode) and work with the OEM for diagnostics or replacement.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Hendrix-V 19,380 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-12T04:43:28.32+00:00

    Hi Omar Khaled,

    From your description, the key detail is that the system returns to BIOS even when booting from the USB installer and with all SSDs disconnected. This usually means the issue is occurring before Windows setup can load, so it’s likely related to firmware handling or hardware interaction rather than the installation itself.

    You’ve already covered many standard steps, please try this additional targeted check:

    Adjust storage controller configuration

    • In BIOS, locate storage settings and:
      • Disable Intel VMD / RST / RAID
      • Set mode to AHCI

    Since no bootable media loads at all, the behavior typically points to firmware-level configuration or hardware interaction, rather than a problem with Windows itself.

    Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  3. Luixen 0 Reputation points
    2026-06-12T12:30:03.4866667+00:00

    Had the same problem with the same motherboard. Downgrade the BIOS to an older version. I used FE version. Download it from gigabyte website.

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