Boot Failure

[Steve99]

Hi. I have recently did a fresh install of the newest Windows 10 version, and I have a bit of an issue. I have had this PC for almost 3 years now, and never had any issues - it has always been running Windows 10, however it was always in MBR. This time I have installed Windows to run in UEFI. Now, my system works perfectly fine, all temps are fine, no blue screens, no random restarts, no crashes, works well under heavy load when using rendering apps or gaming, all good. The issue occurs, when I go to bed, and I wake up in the morning, and try to turn on my PC, I get this error: "Boot Failure Detected: The System has experiecned a boot failure possible due to incorrect configuration." Screenshow below: https://imgur.com/a/OH98L
Now to fix this issue, I click on Enter Bios which has all the same settings that I have had for over 3 years, and I just click "Save and Exit", and Windows 10 will boot up properly. Funny enough, if I enter Bios from that screen and click "Exit without saving", I will get that Boot Failure error again. This only happens on the very first try when turning on the PC after it has been off for a while. I have tried doing a test and have my PC off for 1 hour, then turn it on, but it works fine no error, I only get this error when PC has been off for many hours - I sleep about 7 hours. I do not think this error relates to my hardware in any way, I believe it has something to do with Windows 10 UEFI and Bios and how they work together. Does anyone have any insight on this issue? Thanks

[shadowsports]

Commonly, this error can be attributed to incorrect / aggressive BIOS settings, failure of a system component or driver issue.

You have given us very little to go on.  Your board model, rev, BIOS, installed components, etc.  Providing this information might allow someone to provide better assistance or help pinpoint the problem.     

Start with these steps:
-Replace the MB battery on your board with a new one
-Load Set Up Defaults, Save - Run this way while troubleshooting
-Provide your complete system specs (everything) Things you have attached as well

You can also review the System Event Viewer and see if it offers clues about the systems health and performance while its running.

Next actions, depending on what you find above:
-PSU
-Installed components

[Steve99]

Hi, thanks for the reply!

I have this motherboard: GA-Z170-Gaming K3
I'm not sure which revision. The Bios version is F1, the oldest.

Windows 10, Falls Creator Last update - my issue started happening once I've installed this Windows actually on UEFI, before I had my Windows 10 1511 on MBR.
I7 6700k 32gb 2133 corsair ram.

As for replacing the CMOS battery, will that wipe out my BIOS settings? Also, is it normal for a battery to die only after 3 years? I mean worst thing is, I have no way to test any solutions to this problem, because it only occurs when I start up my PC in the morning. Right now I could switch off my PC, wait an hour, and it would switch back on just fire no problem. But when it is off for longer, like 7 hours, then I will get this error just once again.

I really would prefer avoiding messing with CMOS or upgrading BIOS as I have had terrible experience doing this like 9 years ago with another PC of mine and I had lots of issues. Can you think of a logical reason to why this error only occurs after the PC has been off for many hours?

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

When a system experiences boot failure with a message such as yours...  I would start with the obvious.  Weak or dying MB battery, BIOS corruption, weak or dying PSU and/or failing system component.  Since the only things we do know are:

You have this error intermittently from a cold boot, and

Z170x-K3 (Rev 1.x?), BIOS F1 and i-6700k with an undisclosed amount of RAM running at 2133Mhz...  I'm merely making suggestions based off the limited info you are providing.

MB batteries should last more than a few years, but sometimes they don't and a weak one can yield unexpected and inconsistent system behavior.  They cost about .50c and its worth it to rule it out as a problem.

A weak or failing PSU can cause erratic boot behavior because this is one of the times where it is under the most load, just like the battery in your car when starting. 

BIOS corruption when not severe can also manifest itself causing intermittent boot failure.  Not saying this is your issue, but its easy to check and rule out.  I'd be remiss not suggesting it.   

A failing system component if it doesn't respond during power on self test or boot sequence can as well, cause a boot failure.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

There is no reason to be fearful of resetting your BIOS, and in some cases corruption that has occurred can be resolved by resetting.  Set Up defaults also provide stability and safe configuration when troubleshooting.  Much has changed in 9 yrs.   

The exception would be UEFI RAID installed on m.2, but this board only has one m.2 connector so Legacy RAID on SSDs is not affected by resetting the BIOS as it can be easily recovered.


How much information you want to share about your system is up to you.  I've provided basic troubleshooting steps to help guide you towards a solution.  Maybe it does have to do with your BIOS settings and how you installed your OS, but we don't know.

Cheers 

[Steve99]

Hi. I have ordered a new battery from amazon and will test it out.

I think it is pretty safe to assume this is unrelated completely to the PSU, because a failing PSU would give a real boot issue, as in, PC would either not start up at all, or crash - this is not the case, the issue is failing to boot into Windows. I can actually boot into Linux no problem when I plug my external HDD at the time of the error without saving the bios settings to do my Windows fix.

Someone also suggested to me that BIOS has some proper settings that are for both MBR and UEFI - when I get home I will look because I remember when I first bought this PC, and I installed Windows 7, I enabled Legacy Boot and other things for MBR - and I was told these settings have to be disabled for UEFI to work properly.

I'll experiment more and let you know the results. Thanks for taking your time to help!