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Hi all,
I’m having a frustrating issue with my Acer Nitro N50 (model DG.E2VEQ.004). The PC specs are:
[ul]
[li]CPU: Intel Core i5‑12400F[/li][li]GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060[/li][li]RAM: 16 GB DDR4 (2x8GB, 3200 MHz)[/li][li]Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD + 1 TB Seagate HDD[/li][li]Motherboard: Intel B660[/li][li]OS Attempted: Windows 11, Linux (multiple distros)[/li][/ul]
Issue:
I can boot Live USBs (Linux, Windows PE, etc.) with no issues — everything works fine, GPU is detected, no crashes. But as soon as I try to:
[ul]
[li]Install Windows 11 → it fails with “Windows could not be installed” errors.[/li][li]Install Linux → installs seemingly fine, but on first boot it gets stuck after login.[/li][li]Boot any OS installed to SSD or HDD → I get a gray screen after login, nothing else.[/li][/ul]
This happens on both internal drives. It doesn’t matter whether I use SSD or HDD, Linux or Windows — the problem persists. But booting from USB always works fine.
What I’ve Tried:
[ul]
[li]Ran MemTest86: No RAM errors after one full pass.[/li][li]CPU stress test: No issues or overheating.[/li][li]NVIDIA drivers: I had graphical artifacts earlier but updating drivers fixed that temporarily.[/li][li]Disabled Secure Boot, tried UEFI/Legacy modes.[/li][li]Swapped drives, wiped partitions, tried fresh installs many times.[/li][li]Haven’t updated BIOS yet, but wondering if that’s relevant.[/li][li]Suspected VMD/RST might be interfering but not sure if that’s enabled or needed for this Acer motherboard.[/li][/ul]
Important Notes:
[ul]
[li]I’m a developer and have done many OS installs before.[/li][li]This issue appeared suddenly — I used the system normally in the morning, then came back later, and after logging into Windows, it only showed a gray screen. Since then, no OS boots from internal storage anymore.[/li][li]Could the motherboard, storage controller, or VMD setting be causing this?[/li][/ul]
Looking for suggestions on:
[ul]
[li]BIOS settings (VMD, SATA/NVMe config, UEFI tweaks)[/li][li]Disk controller or firmware issues?[/li][li]Anything specific to Acer or this B660 chipset?[/li][/ul]
Thanks in advance for any help!
I’m having a frustrating issue with my Acer Nitro N50 (model DG.E2VEQ.004). The PC specs are:
[ul]
[li]CPU: Intel Core i5‑12400F[/li][li]GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060[/li][li]RAM: 16 GB DDR4 (2x8GB, 3200 MHz)[/li][li]Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD + 1 TB Seagate HDD[/li][li]Motherboard: Intel B660[/li][li]OS Attempted: Windows 11, Linux (multiple distros)[/li][/ul]
Issue:
I can boot Live USBs (Linux, Windows PE, etc.) with no issues — everything works fine, GPU is detected, no crashes. But as soon as I try to:
[ul]
[li]Install Windows 11 → it fails with “Windows could not be installed” errors.[/li][li]Install Linux → installs seemingly fine, but on first boot it gets stuck after login.[/li][li]Boot any OS installed to SSD or HDD → I get a gray screen after login, nothing else.[/li][/ul]
This happens on both internal drives. It doesn’t matter whether I use SSD or HDD, Linux or Windows — the problem persists. But booting from USB always works fine.
What I’ve Tried:
[ul]
[li]Ran MemTest86: No RAM errors after one full pass.[/li][li]CPU stress test: No issues or overheating.[/li][li]NVIDIA drivers: I had graphical artifacts earlier but updating drivers fixed that temporarily.[/li][li]Disabled Secure Boot, tried UEFI/Legacy modes.[/li][li]Swapped drives, wiped partitions, tried fresh installs many times.[/li][li]Haven’t updated BIOS yet, but wondering if that’s relevant.[/li][li]Suspected VMD/RST might be interfering but not sure if that’s enabled or needed for this Acer motherboard.[/li][/ul]
Important Notes:
[ul]
[li]I’m a developer and have done many OS installs before.[/li][li]This issue appeared suddenly — I used the system normally in the morning, then came back later, and after logging into Windows, it only showed a gray screen. Since then, no OS boots from internal storage anymore.[/li][li]Could the motherboard, storage controller, or VMD setting be causing this?[/li][/ul]
Looking for suggestions on:
[ul]
[li]BIOS settings (VMD, SATA/NVMe config, UEFI tweaks)[/li][li]Disk controller or firmware issues?[/li][li]Anything specific to Acer or this B660 chipset?[/li][/ul]
Thanks in advance for any help!
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