How to Fix PC crashes during Windows installation

Try the following steps to fix your computer if it hangs while installing or configuring Windows. The error was being reported during an installation of Windows Update as well as during a Clean Install of Windows. Then there could be a corrupted Windows installation DVD as the reason behind this. Also, some hardware-related problems including faulty RAM, BIOS settings, etc could contribute to this problem.

PC crashes and restarts unexpectedly while installing Windows

When it comes to installing Windows, and your computer breaks down, try the following solutions:

Download the ISO data once again

Pull out the dedicated GPU cable

Clean your hard drive from debris

Turn off XMP or profiles named something like this in the BIOS

Restore settings default in BIOS

System BIOS update

Hardware fault

All the fixes for the above are as follows. Clear any extra devices on your PC and then try again.

1. Download the ISO data once again.

The corruption in the ISO file may be one of the reasons that caused your PC to crash during a clean installation of Windows. Therefore, I would suggest that you once again download the ISO file and then use it to create a bootable USB flash device. Now, you can get Windows installed with the help of that USB flash disk. You can even create installation media with another USB flash drive for installing Windows.

2. Disconnect the dedicated graphics processing unit.

If you have a machine that has an integrated graphic card and also have a dedicated graphic card installed in it, then first disconnect the dedicated graphics card before installing Windows. Once everything goes right and the installation is complete, you can attach the dedicated graphics card.

3. Free up space on your hard drive

First things first, before installing Windows: keep in mind to clean the hard drive partition. All and any data on the specified partition of the hard drive will be deleted. That is why one should be careful while choosing a hard drive partition.

Press Shift + F10 keys on the Windows installation screen. The Command Prompt will be opened. In the opened window of Command Prompt, the following commands are given sequentially, pressing Enter after each of them:

& select disk, then clean and exit after running diskpart

Only replace the # with the appropriate hard drive partition in the above command. If your computer still cannot boot up after you wipe the hard drive partition try reinstalling Windows.

XEON CPU

4. Go into your BIOS and disable XMP or a profile like that.

Before trying to install Windows, clean the XMP profile from the settings of your system within the BIOS. A number of names are given to the XMP profile for a number of computer brands. Examples of computers where this profile is known as DOCP include computers using AMD motherboards.

All that happens with the XMP profile on an MSI motherboard is that it's turned on or off. After accessing the MSI BIOS, you will fall directly into the main screen, where you get the settings for the XMP profile. If the XMP profile is white, that means it is off. If it is red, then that means it's turned on. You can enable it or turn it off by clicking onto highlight it, or by using the arrow keys on your keyboard. Next, click "Exit" to save changes.

Depending on the type of supporting motherboard, you can enable or disable the XMP profile in a number of ways. For detailed steps on how to enter the system BIOS and how to disable the XMP or related profile, see the support website of your computer manufacturer.

5. Default the BIOS

This may be caused by any incorrect BIOS setting. This often solves such a problem to its default factory settings.

6. BIOS Update

Upgrading your BIOS is an option in case the setup from the factory does not work for you. The newest version of the BIOS is downloadable on the website for the maker of your computer.

7. Hardware failure

It is an issue in both faulty software and defective hardware. Maybe the RAM of your computer is going bad. The minimum necessary number for Windows 11 is 4 GB of RAM. If your computer had a few pieces of RAM, then you might want to try reinstalling Windows once you've taken one of the RAM pieces out. You might want to try removing one stick of the RAM and then replacing it with another in case your computer freezes in the middle of the process. This way, you will be able to deduce if the RAM sticks are bad.

The motherboard itself can be the culprit. This is not the only faulty hardware you could be working with; even the SSD on which you're trying to install Windows can have defects. Have your PC serviced.