Newly built PC with fresh windows 11 install shuts down and boots up just fine, but doesn’t restart

Troubleshooting Restart Issues on a Newly Built Windows 11 PC: A Professional Guide

Building a new PC is an exciting experience, but sometimes it comes with unexpected challenges. One common issue users encounter is difficulty restarting the system after initial setup. Specifically, some users report that while their new PCs can boot up and shut down without problems, attempting to restart results in the system hanging on a black screen, with the monitor showing the “restarting” message followed by a spinning wheel, yet the computer remains powered on and unresponsive.

In this article, we’ll explore potential causes of this problem and outline steps to diagnose and resolve restart issues on a freshly built Windows 11 machine.

Understanding the Issue

This problem typically manifests as follows: after installing Windows 11 on a new system, the first restart during installation or afterward fails to complete properly. Instead of restarting normally, the PC displays the “Restarting” message with a spinning indicator, but the screen remains black, and the system does not proceed further. The PC’s power remains on, but it becomes unresponsive, requiring a manual power cycle.

Key Details:

System components: ASRock B850i motherboard, AMD Ryzen 9 9600X processor, Radeon RX 6800XT graphics card.
Storage: Windows installed on an SSD, which is the only drive connected.
Software: Fresh Windows 11 installation, with drivers updated, Fast Boot disabled.

Troubleshooting Steps

Verify Basic Hardware Compatibility and Connections
Ensure all hardware components are properly seated and connected.
Confirm that the BIOS/UEFI firmware is up to date; an outdated BIOS can cause boot issues.
Check for any loose cables or hardware anomalies.
Update and Configure BIOS Settings
Reset BIOS to default settings to eliminate misconfigurations.
Enable or disable CSM (Compatibility Support Module) depending on system needs.
Enable any relevant settings such as XMP profiles for memory.
Examine Power Settings and Fast Boot
Since Fast Boot was disabled, verify other power management options that may affect restarts.
Disable “Hybrid Sleep” and “Hibernate” modes temporarily to see if they influence restart behavior.
Check Driver Compatibility
Although drivers are reported as up to date, ensure that graphics drivers and chipset drivers are from official sources.
Consider reverting to generic display drivers or performing a clean driver installation.
Use Windows Troubleshooting Tools