Windows keeps auto-restarting

Hey everyone 🙂

So, a buddy of mine is running into a bit of a headache here 🙄

Basically, whenever he tries to boot up Windows, the whole system just keeps auto-restarting before it can actually load. He can only get in if he uses Safe Mode, which makes me think there might be some kind of issue with the graphics card or maybe just a messy driver situation. The screen ends up looking like this

http://prntscr.com/5zah15

I guess... is there any way to actually fix this, or is he looking at a total Windows reinstallation?

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can give

Terry Scott65 said:Hey everyone 🙂

So, a buddy of mine is dealing with a real headache here 🙄

Every time he tries to boot up Windows, the whole thing just keeps auto-restarting before it even gets going. He can only actually get into the system if he uses Safe Mode, and it feels like some kind of nightmare involving the graphics card or the drivers because the screen ends up looking like this

http://prntscr.com/5zah15

So... is there any way to actually fix this mess, or is he looking at a totally fresh installation of Windows?

Thanks in advance for the help

Look, tell him to try wiping out those GPU drivers while he's stuck in Safe Mode and then see if he can boot normally.
And also...
The BIOS shouldn't be acting up like that... maybe have him try running just the Windows installer itself to see if it'll even start the process, but tell him not to go nuking everything just yet... just to test the waters...

He could also try a System Restore once he's in Safe Mode, though I wouldn't bet much money on that actually working.

Try booting up in Safe Mode first and just uninstall those graphics drivers. Once you've done that, give the computer a quick restart and see if it actually lets you back into Windows normally. If it does, head over to the manufacturer's website to grab the latest driver updates. Of course, if things still aren't working right after that, there's a pretty good chance the card has finally kicked the bucket...

Could you list out your full system specs? Just so we have a better idea of what we're dealing with...

Alright, I'll give that a shot. To be honest, this rig used to be mine; I sold it to a buddy of mine, and it ran flawlessly for me for about a year, and it's been working just fine for him for a year now too, without any hiccups.

Here’s what’s inside:
Motherboard: Asrock 970DE3/U3S3
Processor: Intel Core i3, socket AM3
PSU: Zalman 500-GS PSU, 500W
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm,
2x4 GB RAM Crucial, 1600MHz,

And the questionable GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX, 1GB GDDR5 256bit, HDMI + Single Link

It could just be a driver issue, or we might be looking at a GPU failure—maybe even a glitch with the monitor itself. But since everything runs perfectly fine in Safe Mode without any errors, I’d say we can rule out the monitor. That leaves us with two main possibilities to look into...

Larry Ortiz5 said:Alright, I guess it could just be a driver issue, or maybe the graphics card is failing, or even a glitch with the monitor itself. But since everything looks fine when you boot into Safe Mode, we can probably rule out the monitor. That leaves us with two main possibilities...

No, no—it’s actually looking exactly the same on the screen even when I'm in Safe Mode.

Hmm, it sounds like you're looking at either a faulty graphics card or maybe just an issue with the monitor itself... Honestly, whatever feels easier for you to test works. You basically have two ways to go about this.

You could try popping a different graphics card into your rig—maybe borrow one from a friend or a neighbor just to rule it out? Or, if that’s too much hassle, you could just swap monitors to see if the same thing happens on a different screen. If the problem follows the card, then you know the GPU is finally giving up the ghost.

So, I guess it's probably not an issue with the drivers?

My graphics card just kicked the bucket.

Well, my graphics card just kicked the bucket, so that's
that.

Do you think cleaning out the GPU and swapping the thermal paste might help?

p.s. A buddy mentioned he keeps getting display driver errors... does that mean the issue might actually be driver-related after all?

Look, you can give it a shot, though I doubt it'll make much difference.
The easiest move would be testing it on a different monitor, just like Larry Ortiz5 suggested. If that doesn't work, then your graphics card is definitely toast. I've dealt with both scenarios myself... after a lightning strike, it looked exactly like your photo.

So, I was hanging out at a buddy's place earlier... we pulled the graphics card out, cleaned off the cooler, swapped out the thermal paste, and put everything back together. Still the exact same story.

It won't even boot into Windows, and trying to use Safe Mode is basically impossible. The resolution is all messed up, and there are these green vertical lines streaking across the entire screen along with white patches. I didn't catch a photo of it, unfortunately, and honestly, it's kind of hard to describe. It’s just total chaos on the monitor.

The browser won't open, the resolution settings won't open—nothing really opens. Well, technically you can click the browser, but I don't even know how to explain what happens; it's like it isn't even there. Basically, using the internet is totally impossible because the interface just... disappears.
The icons are missing, and when I right-click, I mostly just get empty bars popping up. I did manage to spot that little red Intel driver icon, though. When I clicked it, a notification popped up saying the drivers aren't installed on this computer (my friend mentioned he actually uninstalled them himself while in Safe Mode). But how am I supposed to get them back? Or is this really the end of the road for the card? I told him I thought it was dead, but I'm still hoping maybe there's some kind of solution, though I guess maybe not.

Long story short, I can't reinstall the drivers through the usual way.

And I'm wondering, what actually causes a GPU to fail like this? It's only two years old, and back when it was bought, it was actually a pretty decent card.
I never even tried overclocking it.

Could it be lack of maintenance or dust buildup? Or something else? Because, I don't know, two years feels like a really short lifespan to me.

I’m honestly not sure how to break this to you—it looks like your graphics card finally kicked the bucket, and that's pretty much it...

Terry Scott65 said:So, I was hanging out at my buddy's place... we pulled the GPU out, cleaned the cooler, swapped the thermal paste, put everything back together... and still nothing. Same exact mess.

It won't even boot into macOS, and trying to use Safe Mode is a total nightmare—the resolution gets cranked up and the whole screen is just covered in these green diagonal lines over white patches. Honestly, I didn't snap a photo because it's such a headache to describe, but basically, the screen is pure chaos.

The browser won't launch, I can't even get into the display settings, nothing works (well, technically the browser tries to open, but I don't even know how to explain what it looks like), it’s just impossible to actually use the internet because it feels like the software isn't even there.
Icons are missing, right-clicking just pulls up these empty little bars, but I did manage to spot that tiny red Intel icon, clicked it, and got a notification saying drivers aren't installed (my friend mentioned he actually uninstalled them himself while in Safe Mode). But how am I supposed to get them back? Or is this seriously the end of the road for the card? (Which is what I told him, honestly), though I'm praying there's some kind of fix out there, even if there probably isn't.

Long story short, the usual way of restoring drivers isn't working.

And I'm wondering, what actually causes a GPU to die like this? It's only two years old, and when I bought it, it was actually a pretty solid card.
Never even touched overclocking.

Is it just lack of maintenance or dust buildup? Or what? Because two years feels like an incredibly short lifespan to me.

Look, the hardest part is just admitting something bit the dust, but that's reality... mine happened to be a gorgeous, huge 22-inch monitor (BenQ) that kicked the bucket right after the warranty expired, so what can you say? Fixing it wasn't worth the cash, man... just to save yourself and your pal all the drama, just pull that GPU out of your rig, toss it into his, and see if everything runs fine. If it does, then grab your coats, head out into the cold, hit up a store, and grab a new one. Don't rush to slap it in immediately though; let it sit for a bit so it reaches room temperature since it's freezing outside, otherwise you might fry it with condensation. ☕ 🤣

Hang in there, man. Hope it goes okay. 🙂