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Re-install w7: cannot move past Starting Windows screen
Good evening,
my Intel SSD 520 is where I installed my OS. I've had the SSD as my OS drive since August 2012. I changed my motherboard, CPU, RAM and graphic card in March of 2014, kept the SSD and reinstalled w7 64 on it. It had been running fine since.
Yesterday, for the first time ever on w7, I got a BSOD while playing a game (Dvinity Original Sin). I did not get time to read the error before my PC rebooted. Following the reboot, the OS does not start any longer. Instead, I end up going back to BIOS every time (as in it opens the BIOS screen).
I removed all the other drives, sound card and rebooted- back into BIOS every time.
I dismantled my PC, removed every part, including the CPU, put everything back together and made sure the cables were connected properly and securely.
I then cleared the CMOS, removed the battery on the Motherboard, rebooted, reset the settings in the BIOS and still the same issue.
I checked that the AHCI was enabled, CSM enabled, UEFI enabled. Rebooted to the same end.
I switched off the UEFI and rebooted to the same result.
One thing I have not been able to do is to get to the windows start advanced menu by pressing F8. Asus, in their infinite wisdom, use the F8 key so you can quickly check which drive you want to boot from... So I have not been able to boot in safe mode or anything.
So I started thinking that since I could not start windows, I might as well re-install it. I made sure my DVD drive (I have two) was set up as the boot drive. I inserted the bootable DVD I had prepared with SP1 installed. It loads the files and then moves to the Starting Windows screen and then just hangs there.
As I had used the DVD before, I knew it was working fine previously.
I nonetheless proceeded to insert my original w7 home premium dvd and the same thing happens.
I did not despair yet and moved to my bootable USB key with Win7sp1 installed, and the same thing happens.
In the BIOS, I can see my SSD is detected but funnily enough, when I go to the Asus EZ Flash option, it is not detected there. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know whether this is confirmation that the SSD is as dead as a dodo?
In the meantime, I'm getting another SSD which I can try to install w7 on using a clean fresh install. But I was wondering if anyone had ever had a similar issues where W7 cannot be reinstalled and whether this is the sign the drive is dead?
Sorry for the long post. Any help & comments appreciated.
djiffou