Freshly assembled PC with a clean Windows 11 installation powers off and turns on smoothly, but fails to reboot properly

Troubleshooting Restart Issues on a Newly Built Windows 11 PC

Building a new PC and installing Windows 11 can be an exciting experience, but it sometimes comes with unexpected hurdles. One such issue that some users encounter is a successful power cycle and shutdown, yet facing problems when restarting the system. If you’ve built a new desktop and find that your PC boots up and shuts down normally but fails to restart properly—showing a black screen after the “Restarting” message—this guide aims to help diagnose and resolve the problem.

Understanding the Issue

In this scenario, the system:

• Boots Windows 11 normally on startup
• Shuts down correctly
• Fails to restart properly, instead displaying “Restarting” with a spinning wheel and then a black screen, while the system remains powered on

This pattern indicates a problem during the restart process, which can be caused by a variety of hardware or software issues.

Common Troubleshooting Steps

1. Verify Driver Compatibility and Updates
   Ensure all device drivers are current. Outdated or incompatible drivers can cause system restart failures. Since your system includes hardware components like an ASRock B850i motherboard, AMD Ryzen 9 9600X, and Radeon RX 6800 XT, visit the respective manufacturer websites for the latest drivers.

2. Disable Fast Boot
   Fast Boot can sometimes interfere with system restarts. You’ve already disabled this feature via Windows settings, which is a good initial step.

3. Reset Graphics Driver
   Using the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Win + B resets graphics drivers, often resolving display issues. Since this yielded no effect, it’s unlikely to be the root cause, but ensure that your graphics drivers are properly installed and configured.

4. Check BIOS/UEFI Settings
   Given that the issue occurs even during the first restart during Windows installation, the problem might reside in BIOS/UEFI configurations:

5. Update BIOS/UEFI firmware to the latest version from ASRock’s official website.
6. Reset BIOS settings to defaults.
7. Disable any overclocking features.
8. Ensure that resuming from a suspend state is configured correctly.

9. Enable “Restore on AC/Power Loss” if relevant.

10. Examine System Hardware
    Since the build is new, hardware stability is critical:

11. Confirm that RAM modules are properly seated and compatible.
12. Run memory diagnostics using Windows Memory Diagnostic or MemTest86.
13. Check for adequate power supply connections.

14. Monitor temperature and power supply voltages for stability.

15. Review System