I have been facing a persistent issue for several months that has been quite frustrating. This problem seems to persist across multiple iterations of Windows versions without triggering a BSOD. While my system remains stable and rarely crashes, the main issue is a random boot freeze that occurs.
Upon either cold starting or restarting my desktop running Windows 11, there are instances where it freezes during the initial boot phase while the spinning torrent icon is displayed. The spinning torrent stops, and the system remains stuck indefinitely at this point. This freeze happens approximately 30-40% of the time.
Interestingly, if I disconnect the power cord and then boot the system, it starts up cleanly without any issues. However, if I skip removing the power cord, the freeze consistently occurs at the same spinning torrent screen during boot until it either offers a recovery menu or lets me boot into safe mode—which it usually does. I have scanned for viruses but found nothing. Even forcefully powering off the system using the power button does not resolve the freeze; the power cord has to be disconnected for the system to properly boot every time.
I have tried various troubleshooting steps, such as disabling hibernate mode, performing chkdsk, clean boot by disabling non-Microsoft programs, unplugging peripherals, running SFC scans, among others. Despite reinstalling Windows a few times (including a clean install once), the issue tends to recur. I have also replaced memory modules and upgraded the video card, but the problem persists.
At this point, I suspect a hardware component may be failing, but I am unsure which one. Is there a way to generate a log file that could provide insights into what hardware or software might be causing the freeze, rather than simply replacing parts blindly?
Thank you in advance for any assistance.
System Information:
- OS Name: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
- Version: 10.0.22631 Build 22631
- System Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
- System Model: X299 DESIGNARE EX
- Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-7900X CPU @ 3.30GHz, 10 Core(s), 20 Logical Processor(s)
- BIOS Version/Date: American Megatrends Inc. F7h, 12/6/2021
- RAM: 24.0 GB Installed Physical Memory
- Secure Boot State: Off
- Hypervisor Detection: Detected, with associated security features
- Windows Defender Application Control: Enforced
- Device Encryption Support: Elevation Required to View
