Windows Install Reboot - Stuck at Code 38

[mr-bcm]

I just built a new PC and am stuck trying to install Windows. I am able to get into the BIOS, boot from USB, and select the drive to install Windows on. After a couple of minutes the PC reboots and eventually gets stuck on boot code 38.

I'm using the the BIOS version 7E49v1A3. Last time I tried my RAM was at default settings (4800mhz). I've tried adjusting CPU cooler pressure.

I've seen a thread with a very similar issue but I never saw any resolutions. Is this a know issue? What are the main culprits? Thank you for your help in advance!

CPU: Ryzen 9950X3D
Cooler: Noctua D15S
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 48GB x 2 (AMD gray, CMH96GX5M2B6000Z30)
Motherboard: X870e Carbon Wifi
Storage: 3x NVMe & 2x HDDs
GPU: RTX 5080 FE
PSU: Corsair HX1000i

 

[citay]

You're referring to this thread, and often, when you see such a number in the 30s or low 40s (and definitely when it fluctuates by one or two), it means that the board has passed POST (Power-On Self Test) and is now showing the CPU temperature. If you are able to boot the Windows USB drive and start installing Windows, then there is nothing wrong with the cooler pressure or some fundamental CPU issue, and this code will not be an error code, but the temperature.

So the only thing odd here is that it cannot continue with the Windows installation after rebooting. First of all, try all the outputs on the GPU, as well as the HDMI output of the board. Chances are the picture is shown on one of them.

Otherwise, do the following. Remove power from the PSU (or turn it off), then press the Clear CMOS button (middle button on the rear I/O) for a couple seconds. This resets the BIOS back to defaults.

Now, open the PC and take out all SSDs from the slots which aren't the drive you want to install Windows on, also disconnect the cables from the HDDs. For the Windows installation, all you ever want to have in there is the one SSD you want to install to, that way, the installer (and yourself) can't get confused.

Now, plug in the power again and start the PC. Maybe enter the BIOS once to see if everything is in order, but don't change anything in there, just exit it, and on the following boot, press F11 for the boot menu instead of DEL. Select the USB drive with Win11 on it. Do it like step 3) here (but instead of the Intel chipset drivers, you can later install the AMD ones from here). Meaning, you don't ever touch anything about the boot order in the BIOS, you do everything through the F11 boot menu. And the way the Win11 installation USB was prepared is important too.

During the installation, you will see that your previous attempt has created partitions on the SSD, delete them all and start from a clean slate.

 

[mr-bcm]

Yes, that is the thread I had been looking at. Still more troubleshooting I need to do but I have some updates.

I disconnected my HDDs, removed my GPU and went to take out my extra m.2 drives. I noticed resistance and realized the thermal pads/strips from the motherboard heatsinks are on them now. I decided to leave them and check the drives before moving on.

I went to USB again and Windows install to see the hard drive partitions. Two drives had Windows startup files. One that is my game drive, the other is the drive I want to boot from (brand new drive). I don't really understand why my game drive has a Windows partition. I wiped all windows positions from both drives and told it to install Windows again.

It restarts and I get to a Windows setup screen this time. Go through it, it checks for updates, restarts and black screen. After 30 minutes I shut down. I boot back up and I'm at the startup screen again, this time it asks for my PC name, next screen, it thinks, restarts, black screen. I try again.

I get the same Windows setup screen as last time. I went through it again. This time I skipped the PC rename and now it shows a screen that is downloading a Windows update. It finishes, restarts and continues Windows setup.

I finally land on the home screen. This is what I wanted. I figured I can run more tests if I actually get to Windows. I don't know what tests to run. Probably just start with drivers and see if that helps.

Overall I have no idea what's going on and why sometimes it boots to black.

TLDR: Had lots of black screens on reboot, but eventually got to Windows desktop. Trying to get drivers and then decide on how to troubleshoot and ensure nothing is actually wrong.

 

[citay]

I disconnected my HDDs, removed my GPU and went to take out my extra m.2 drives. I noticed resistance and realized the thermal pads/strips from the motherboard heatsinks are on them now. I decided to leave them and check the drives before moving on.

Yeah, sometimes the thermal pads get halway melted into the SSDs a bit. But for the Windows installation, it's always best to only install the boot SSD first, leave all other drives out to begin with, until you got Windows fully installed.

I went to USB again and Windows install to see the hard drive partitions. Two drives had Windows startup files. One that is my game drive, the other is the drive I want to boot from (brand new drive). I don't really understand why my game drive has a Windows partition. I wiped all windows positions from both drives and told it to install Windows again.

Yep, typical Windows installer shenanigans that can happen with multiple drives connected. Sometimes it can even put the bootloader on one drive (like D:\) and the Windows files on the other drive (which will be C:\), then once you take out either drive, Windows can't boot anymore.

TLDR: Had lots of black screens on reboot, but eventually got to Windows desktop. Trying to get drivers and then decide on how to troubleshoot and ensure nothing is actually wrong.

Well, have you checked all the graphics ports, on the GPU as well as the "onboard" HDMI?

 

[citay]

New developments on the BIOS front. Apparently there can be a "black screen issue" with these boards, because the first board got a BIOS update today which fixes it,

MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI | Gaming Motherboards｜Best Motherboard for AI PC｜MSI

The MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI AMD AM5 gaming motherboard delivers cutting-edge connectivity, including Wi-Fi 7, 5G LAN, high-speed USB, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, and M.2 Gen5. Designed for AI-PCs and EZ DIY, it’s the top X870 ATX motherboard for AMD Ryzen 9000 CPU.

www.msi.com

I assume that other MSI AM5 boards will soon get a new BIOS version with this fix too.

 

[mr-bcm]

Thanks for the news @citay !
I think it may be a bios issue, well two issues really.
1. Driver issue. I had a lot less issues after installing drivers, I think the main one being the Nvidia driver.
2. I'll go into this more below, but esentially my bios code will show 00, recover, and then boot to windows.

Things have been overall working a lot better, unless I want to get into bios. I only tried once but I got stuck at a black screen. In the past I had tried every single port and two monitors, this time I just shut it off, turned it on (didn't touch keyboard), gets code 00, then eventually boots into windows.

I've also noticed I don't see the MSI MPG logo on boot recently.

Edit: Looked at the BIOS description you linked. I could see this being related, but I'd have to think about it more.

 

[citay]

Once that BIOS comes out for your board, definitely try it. The changelogs never tell the whole story. They only list the main change (or what they think is the main change), but behind the scenes there can be a lot of small changes in each version, up to several dozen, which never get listed, but might help with a specific problem.

 

[mr-bcm]

A few updates:

• • Single pass of memtest86 showed no errors
• • Prime95 stable
• • 3DMarks runs fine
• • Starting from cold boot has less to no issues than a manual restart

I still believe the BIOS needs more updates to fix some of my issues with the restart and code 00 inconsistencies. Some of my other issues, like intermittent black screen (last few seconds at a time) and inconsistent game performance, seem to be related to Nvidia's drivers.

At this point I feel that I may have to just wait for new drivers and BIOS versions. I might try the beta BIOS 31 that went up recently.

 

[mr-bcm]

This might be my last update, I believe I have resolved all of my major issues.

The final major problem was inconsistent restarts - sometimes causing black screens, other times booting normally. In the BIOS forum for MPG X870E Carbon WIFI, a user mentioned that the '00' (and '0A') errors and boot issues have been common and may have existed for 4+ years on prior motherboards. Another user suggested setting the "Power Down" option to "Enable" in BIOS (Overclocking -> Advanced DRAM Configuration -> Misc Item -> Power Down). After making this change, my restarts appear to be completely stable.

Unfortunately, the support team in my open ticket wasn't particularly helpful - they offered an RMA, but I've now resolved nearly everything myself.

The remaining issues appear to be minor and I have yet to spend time on them.
1. Coil whine, specifically on game menu screens or high frame rates. It appears to be coming from the bottom of the motherboard, lower than the GPU. However, I'm not certain yet. It might drive me crazy, but forums state that this is common and not harmful.
2. Front USB ports don't always register USB devices.

1. Leaving this here in case it ever helps anyone in the future. Good luck everyone!