Can't install Windows - get a black screen when PC restarts. Suspect = Failed Bitlocker Encryption

[vortex1]

Spec:

Asus Z790-A II motherboard; Core i7-14700K CPU; MSI RTX4070 Super GPU; 64GB Kingston RGB RAM (2x32GB); Deepcool Mystique AIO; Windows 11 Pro; Asus VG259QM Monitor; Asus XG259QNS Monitor; AVerMedia GC575 Capture Card (HDMI); NZXT H7 Flow RGB case..

Problem:

My PC has been having black screen - 'No Display' issue when I try to boot or restart. I use a DisplayPort cable to a fairly new monitor. If I try to install Windows via a Windows boot USB, the PC black screens when the install procedure tries to restart - so the process is unsuccessful. I have to hard shutdown with the power button.

The only way I can get out of this is to turn the PC off completely, then press the Clear CMOS button on the motherboard, then turn back on and start with a Windows boot USB plugged in, then choose the USB as the boot device in the BIOS. From that I can only really get cmd and the WRe. The PC boot SSD is wiped btw.

Startup repair states that it can't fix the issue.

Also, the iGPU (multi-monitor) setting when turned on in the BIOS does not work either for HDMI or DisplayPort connections, and stopped appearing in Device Manager (when I used to be able to get into the last Windows installation).

I tried this re-installation of Windows because I thought it might fix this boot/restart issue - but it's not made things any better.

Need assistance with this!!

If I remember right - this boot issue started happening after I tried to use Bitlocker on the boot drive and it failed.

EDIT:

What I have tried:

- Tried various versions of motherboard BIOS.

- Turning off UEFI boot and having CSM (legacy) boot and vice versa.

- Clear CMOS button on the motherboard.

- Removing the CMOS battery.

- Reseating the GPU after first cleaning the contacts.

- Removing the 12VHPWR GPU extension cable and plugging the GPU in directly with the PSU 12VHPWR cable.

- Changing Motherboards.

- Changing CPU.

- Changing PSU to a more powerful one.

- Removing the additional SSD's and just having the boot SSD plugged in.

- (When Windows was accessible) Changing monitor resolution & refresh rate.

- Tried a different monitor (HDMI cable).

- Tried a TV via HDMI cable to the PC.

- Tried the DP cable to a different monitor.

- Unplugging additional USB peripherals and leaving just the keyboard & mouse plugged in.

- Cleaning the contacts & Reseating the boot SSD.

- Applying a new thermal pad to the boot SSD.

- Re-applying fresh thermal paste to the CPU & AIO pump head.

- Reseating the RAM sticks.

- Checking temperatures (all OK) & No motherboard warning LED lights staying on (all OK).

- Tried fresh Windows boot USB software.

- Ensuring the DP or HDMI cable is always plugged in properly.

- (When Windows was accessible) Re-installed the Chipset Driver.

What I can't find a way to do with my PC in this state:

- Installing different GPU drivers.

[achugh]

Hi @vortex1 I am curious, how have you created your USB drive previously without Rufus?

The default behavior on a fresh clean install of Windows 11 24H2 and above is changing to automatically encrypt the OS drive with Bitlocker as per https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6RInxGdn40&t=1118s chapter marker. Since you will be using 23H2 for now, the default behavior on a fresh clean install is to keep Bitlocker OFF so this checkbox is really for people having access to the 24H2 ISO file.

You can also read about couple of ways on how to disable Bitlocker on a fresh clean install of 24H2 and above at https://itstechbased.com/windows-11-24h2-enables-bitlocker-by-default-how-to-disable/

Hope this information helps you in your preparations you are doing now as well as in future.

FYI, I have been using https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/configuration-of-the-my-documents-folder-dfd9a90d-8f80-18d... link to relocate all my library folders (Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music, Video) to a different drive as soon as the Windows is installed. I use the right click on the folder and selecting LOCATION tab followed by MOVE action to relocated instead of registry editor method also mentioned on this MS Support article. See

This way my OS drive has only OS and installed programs and nothing else. It helps me to do fresh Windows installation as often as I like without worrying about backups of these folders before doing a fresh installation. This approach also helps to move these folders to a completely different physical drive. This way you don't have to worry about losing any data in case of OS drive failures if the OS drive is not backed up.
 

[vortex1 · Accepted solution]

Ok, I have managed to get my system back up and running. It all began with me unplugging the primary monitor's DisplayPort cable - where the signal then transferred to the HDMI of the secondary monitor. This allow the system to continue with the Windows Installer that I had to turn off the PC on before - so that was lucky.
I managed to get an internet connection to continue with the Windows Installation (because that was the next issue I faced).
This motherboard scans through all sorts of codes when booting btw - and it looks like the 24 wasn't an error code but actually the temperature of the motherboard (which constantly fluctuates during use) - so is nothing to worry about.
I have actually managed to re-plug the monitor 1 via DP cable and it seems to be rebooting ok at present - I know if I have any boot issues in future (in terms of getting into the BIOS) - I can go the HDMI only route like did before.
I have even managed to enable the iGPU (seeing as the system rebooted from the BIOS when I had it as just HDMI; it enabled a generic Microsoft GPU driver in device manager which I updated in Advanced Legacy Hardware section taking me to Windows Update - which found the Intel driver I required, and then the Intel graphics UHD 770 hardware was displayed in the device manager.
I have also taken your advice and dropped the dGPU PCIe from Gen 5 to Gen 4 just in case; and as you previously said - the 4070 Super I run is only Gen 4 speed anyway, so it shouldn't affect performance.

Well, it seems to be working for now. BIOS is updated to latest and I am on a UEFI bios with secure boot enabled as it should be for the spec I'm running. TPM is also enabled of course and I am running Windows 11 Pro.

[vortex1]

Thank you, yes I will re-install Acronis True Image once my Windows is back up and running and re-start making C: drive backups - that allows fast restore in case anything messes up. I don't use Windows system restore, and with Acronis I don't really need to.

[zaza7]

BIOS - "Boot" tab - "CSM (Compatibility Support Module)"