SOLVED ASUS Prime Z270-A Won't Accept Windows Install

brunation

Does that summarize the problem?

This board?

Bios version?

[Not an Ubuntu user.]

Assuming it's a live distro:

Run lsblk  in a terminal with the HDD attached (might need sudo lsblk).

Find the drive e.g. sdb and the partition of ntfs e.g. sdb1

mkdir  /mnt/cabbie19

mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/cabbie19 or mount -t ntfs /dev/sdb1 /mnt/cabbie19

ls -R /mnt/cabbie19  will recursively go through the file system.

If that fails try SystemRescueCD which is what I normally use.

MA3STRO

That's the correct board.

Bios version was at 1302, which is the latest version.

brunation

[Not a Windows user - Fedora/CentOS here]

Noting:

Is their a 'test installation media' with the installer so it can verify that it's not corrupted?
Do you have a build version for Windows 10?
And which version of Ubuntu?

One thing to try is to disable as much of the onboard hardware as possible.

malky78

I’ve got 2 of these motherboards, but I don’t own a single NVME ssd

There are 2 physical m.2 slots that both work on different lanes. It may be a silly question, but have you tried both?

I know that you need to individually specify if they are SATA or PCIE in the bios

The motherboard has leds (they flash in a specific sequence) and beeps for fault codes, but that’s only when it won’t post iirc.

Fault finding without a second system on the same chipset is a PITA, I feel for you

I suggested that MA3STRO raise an RMA ticket if you’re sure the SSD is working rather than waste any more time. I’ve no idea if they test these things or just ship a replacement, but all that’s at risk is the cost of postage and the turnaround time of the RMA

cabbie19

Hi all, sorry for not replying sooner.
I'm not getting update notifications, and had nothing further to report from my end.
However, i am now 98% certain the fault lies with either CPU or Memory. I was soo sure the board was the culprit that i bought another identical board. Have just tested with the cpu, 1 stick of ram, monitor, keyboard, mouse, standard intel cooler, and a clean formatted 1tb hdd. Exactly the same fault present.
Various stop codes including attempted execute of non execute memory.
Regarding my install media, it is the latest build from microsoft, and i used it to install to an old Dell laptop (Legacy BIOS), and a 3rd gen i5 Latitude (UEFI BIOS) just last night, they are working perfectly.
My mate over in Thetford should be home tomorrow night and has some known good DDR4 i can try, and maybe a board i can try the cpu in too.
Thankyou all very much for taking the time to reply here with tips and suggestions, and a special thankyou to MA3STRO for his time, patience, and willingness to help me through this most trying time.
I will report back after i get to my mates for more testing.

Best regards
Jamie.

CARLOS

Sorry if this has already been mentioned but you are installing from a USB 3 thumb drive have you tried different usb sockets on the board to plug in to as windows generally doesn’t like installing through USB 3 as it needs legacy USB 2 support initially on some older boards ?

MA3STRO

Thanks for the kind words Jamie and to @malky78 for the suggestions he gave me about it all.

It's a shame that you had to go out and buy another board to troubleshoot it. That's the problem with building PCs; especially when you have boards and memory from different generations.

Best of luck with the testing tonight. Hopefully you will be able to narrow it down to either the CPU or RAM. You should be able to pinpoint the problem if your friend brings down the other board and CPU and RAM etc

It's a good suggestion and it is definitely worth trying from a different USB port. However, having used many of these boards, I installed Windows from many different USB ports and never had any issues, so I don't think it's the root of the problem. Hopefully I'm wrong though

fishyswaz

Alright Jamie,

If you get stuck for testing on another board, and need to try out some other DDR4 ram, I've got a spare known working Z170 board with an M.2 slot, working DDR4 ram, processor etc and some other stuff you could test the CPU etc out on.

Remember I'm just down the road in Bury, but only about during the day fella.

cabbie19

You sir are a star and a gentleman, as the saying goes. I am about during the day too so that would work.
I will see how it goes in Thetford (as it's closer), but will be in touch for sure if it doesn't work out.

Thanks
Jamie.

cabbie19

UPDATE
So i took everything over to Dan (fishyswaz) in Bury, and we did a load of testing, the upshot being that the CPU is the guilty party.....never would have thought it.
It's now packed and ready for return to CEX.
What a great guy, and an absolute pleasure to meet and work with, thankyou again Dan.
So, CEX don't have another 6600 in stock at present, i'm hoping they will contact me to find out if i want a refund, or another CPU......will have to wait and see.

Huge thanks to all, for help, support, and suggestions during this rather trying time, it makes me glad and proud to be a member of the AVF Community.

Best regards
Jamie..