Computer stuck in a reboot loop after reinstalling the system? The problem is likely here!
System Reboots in a Loop After Reinstalling? The Problem Likely Lies Here!
Whenever we have high hopes, reinstall the system using tools in PE, click restart, and after a long wait, we find the computer stuck in a loop—freezing at the Windows blue logo or the brand logo with endless spinning, or even hitting a blue screen of death—our hearts sink into panic and frustration.
What exactly causes this? In most cases, the culprit is driver issues.
When Windows lacks the appropriate hard drive driver, the system fails to recognize the hard drive after booting, preventing initialization and leading to blue screens or endless reboots.
Blue screens typically occur when reinstalling with an official Microsoft image, while endless reboots are more common when using pre-packaged system images.
Today, let’s dive into how to resolve and avoid this situation.
Preparation Before Reinstalling the System
If the computer already has a system before reinstalling, backing up the drivers is key.
The most efficient method is to back up the existing drivers from the old system and import them into the new one. This not only saves the hard drive driver but also preserves drivers for other hardware like audio, network, fingerprint, camera, and touchpad, preventing issues like no sound or no internet after reinstallation.
However, it’s best to keep the same system version (e.g., Win11 → Win11, Win10 → Win10) to avoid driver incompatibility.
How to Back Up Drivers
Use the excellent tool Dism++ to back up drivers.
- Open Dism++
- Click on the system you want to back up (identify it by drive letter and system version)
- Click Driver Management on the left
- Click Select All → Export Drivers
- Choose a folder to save the drivers
Importing drivers works the same way: click Import Drivers at the bottom right and select the folder where you saved the backup.
This ensures the new system includes the correct hard drive driver, allowing it to boot smoothly into the OOBE phase without blue screens or endless reboots.
Remediation After Reinstalling
If you didn’t back up the old system’s drivers, or the old drivers are faulty, or the system versions differ too much, there’s still a remedy.
Boot into PE again and follow these steps.
I’ve prepared driver files for motherboards with Intel RST VMD enabled.
These drivers are extracted from Intel’s official website—safe to use.
To get the driver files: follow me and reply with “Intel” in the background to receive an unlimited-speed download link for Intel RST VMD drivers.
The compressed package I provide contains four folders: 01, 02, 03, and 04.
According to Intel’s official release notes:
01: Suitable for Intel 8th and 9th Gen CPUs02: Suitable for Intel 10th and 11th Gen CPUs03: Suitable for Intel 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th Gen CPUs04: Suitable for Intel 14th and 15th Gen CPUs
However, after testing, the driver for 10th and 11th Gen CPUs failed to boot a 10th Gen i5 machine, while the driver for 8th and 9th Gen CPUs succeeded.
:-)
So, I recommend ignoring the CPU model and installing all drivers from folders 01, 02, 03, and 04. Let the system choose the right driver at boot.
Use Dism++ to import the drivers into the new system, just like before.
If you import all drivers at once, Dism++ will report “6 drivers imported successfully.”
After importing, reboot, and Windows should start normally, either entering the desktop or the OOBE phase.
I tried the tool “一键安装注入Intel RST VMD快速存储驱动20.0.0.1037.exe” by YR (小鱼儿yr), but it failed to inject the correct driver into the target system, preventing boot.
Checking the driver list revealed it injected a wrong version, causing the failure.
The method I provide above is similar in difficulty, so I recommend using it to inject Intel RST VMD drivers.
Can I Skip Injecting Drivers?
If you’d rather not inject drivers… that’s also possible!
Just go into the BIOS settings and disable all Intel VMD, RST, RAID modes. Switch this mode to the older AHCI.
Since motherboard BIOS interfaces vary widely, you’ll need to adapt. Look for terms like “Storage,” “Disk Mode,” or similar in the BIOS settings—that’s likely where Intel RST VMD and RAID mode controls are.
Modern systems include AHCI drivers, so they can recognize the hard drive and boot directly.
No Drivers in PE?
Some PE systems lack built-in Intel RST VMD drivers, making the hard drive invisible in PE. Use the same method: import the drivers into the PE system via Dism++. After importing, the hard drive will appear in disk management tools.
Based on my tests, WePE, UQiTong, and QingShenMengYuan PE can all recognize disks with Intel RST VMD enabled.