Trying to open the BIOS menu just crashes my computer

submitted by [deleted] from self.whatever

I hit F10 to open the BIOS menu and it just crashes... it's on, but there's no signal. The RGB is on inside the computer, my RGB keyboard is on, the fan is on, but there's no signal — nothing displays on the screen even if I manually turn my monitor on. It'll sit like this forever until I force it to shut down by holding the power button.

Hitting F9, F11, or ESC will do it too. I also tried F1, but it just started Windows normally. This is really weird and makes no sense to me. I had an issue a while back where all the keys where ignored, but it never crashed. I fixed that by turning off fast startup, which is still off.

The only solution I can find on the Internet is wiping my hard-drive... I don't want to lose all my data, so it's safe to say that's off the table.

Ugh, this pisses me off. I just want to run Linux from a flash drive. It worked before! I ain't sure how it disabled itself.

Edit: Part 2

all 28 comments
sorted by:
top
newinsightfulfun

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (9 children)

https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-fix-a-corrupted-BIOS

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (6 children)

Thx! Do you think the BIOS got corrupted? How does that happen?

I don't know what the "setup menu" is, so his answer doesn't make any sense to me...

[–]ReeferMadness 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

It sounds like the bios is fried, does your computer boot normally? Do you know what kind of hard drive it is? You might be better off mounting your hard drive on a different computer and saving your data that way.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

My computer can boot Windows just fine, but it refuses to let me into the BIOS menu. Even if my BIOS was entirely broken: I'd rather just replace that than transfer my drives onto another computer. The link he sent me said so'm about a chip I can replace in a worst case scenario.

[–]ReeferMadness 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Its verry odd that it boots but wont let you in. Sounds like a sophisticated virus. You are probably under surveillance.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

Updating the BIOS works temporarily, but the update is reversed after I boot Windows.

[–]ReeferMadness 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

LOL. 100% a virus.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I scanned my computer, and nothing was found.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I updated the BIOS, and now it works! I didn't think it was updating at first, because it gave me the blank screen treatment, but I left it running for an hour and it completed it by itself.

What I'm thinking happened was the part that deals with the display was corrupted, and that the menu itself still worked — I just couldn't see it.

Anyways, thanks again!

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Nevermind, it broke again.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

If you can't even get into Bios, then it is something wrong with it. It happens sometimes (maybe it is infected by malware).

Find someone than will update Bios for you: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-update-your-computers-bios

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 4 fun2 insightful - 3 fun3 insightful - 4 fun -  (0 children)

The only malware on my computer is called "Windows 10".

Thanks again, Tankfist! (Hah, it doesn't sound as cool in English!) I'll look into updating the BIOS.

[–]iDontShift 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

don't wipe your drive. that will/should have no effect.

you could just remove it .. and try and boot. that would be similiar. (un hook the data line would be sufficient)

i have seen a drive cause boot issues (obviously) but having drive that boots properly and crashes bios? unlikely

if i had that computer. first I would clean it. dust can collect enough to cause issues. I clean with compressed air and a toothbrush. i have literally fixed my own computer many times doing this. it is well over 3 years since it last 'died' and was resurrected.

your problem is low level, and unless you have a extremely customizable bios.. you problem aren't going to be re-flashing it, but if you can, it would be motherboard specific.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thanks! I didn't think it had anything to do with drives. I cleaned all the dust out of it a couple weeks ago, so there ain't no dust in there (that I can see, at least). Panzerfaust sent me so'm saying I can replace some chip, so I might have to do that if it ain't an issue caused by Windows.

[–]LarrySwinger2 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Can you boot into Windows? On many computers, it controls the BIOS boot process. So you can look for the option to reboot into BIOS settings from there. And why not just make backups and then wipe your drive?

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Yeah, I can boot into Windows just fine so long as I don't hit certain keys. I have way too much data to back up... most of it's on my second hard-drive, though, so if I can just target the C drive: maybe I could just back-up the stuff on there?

[–]LarrySwinger2 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Try this first.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Oh, thanks! There are a couple of things on there I'll try out.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I tried it, and it pulled up the blue menu thing, but it crashed when I clicked on "UEFI" and I had to hold the power button down to turn off my computer. It seems like the BIOS has been locked somehow.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

Have you tried replacing the cmos battery?

This isn't the same issue but you can see how that battery will do exactly what you're experiencing.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

Thanks! This doesn't seem like my issue, because I never have any issues while my computer is running, it just won't let me into the BIOS menu — which the OP said they could do.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

His computer was crashing in that example because his cmos battery wasn't seated right, and when it wasn't it'd crash when accessing BIOS. He had other issues but that was part of it. I suspect when you're trying to get into your bios settings it's involving the battery for some reason, and with it dead that operation is failing but such a low level failure stops everything. When you boot normally not sure the battery matters since it's just reading flashed memory.

It's just a watch battery iirc, you might have a spare laying around and it's an easy thing to test.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

It works temporarily if I run a BIOS update, but the update keeps getting reverted. Safe to say it ain't the battery — but thanks!

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

That's exactly what the cmos battery being dead can do, the settings revert back to their eeprom default.

"The EEPROM is not the copy of the BIOS used to boot the OS or effect settings. THe EEPROM defaults get copied into CMOS memory (hence why it is called the CMOS battery). It is the CMOS memory copy that gets used. When you make changes to the BIOS settings, you are changing those in the CMOS memory copy. Some boards allow users to copy back the changes in CMOS into the EEPROM to make those the defaults or provide a user-config table to load by selection instead of having to make all the selections again; however, most copy from EEPROM into CMOS and it is the CMOS copy that you edit and that gets settings used from there."

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

But I find it really weird that if I leave Windows on too long it reverts, but if I restart immediately: I can do whatever I want — except boot Linux, apparently, that won't work no matter what I do.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

You remember having toys with dying batteries as a child? Shit sometimes does weird stuff. Especially Furby's on low batteries act absolutely demonic.

The virus idea is possible. Viruses in your boot sector are no joke. Might as well wipe at that point cause you don't know what might be reinserting it. BUT.... Do the easy stuff first. Check that battery.

Pretty sure I have a spare 2035 and 2032 watch battery if you need one. At this point I just want to see it tried.

Because the alternative to a simple battery being dead is a whole world of pain.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Okay then, I'll get around to checking it eventually.

[–]Canbot 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Send it to me, I will fix it absolutely for fee.