How to fix critical error message and cannot boot into windows 11. Updated chipset driver. Crashed. Deleted driver. Now Stuck.

tanner stegman 0 Reputation points
2026-10-04T04:18:23.26+00:00

I've already bought a sleeve and backed up the SSD, and I still have the original windows 11 USB. I can get to install and it will load to a various %s but always stalls. And obviously cant repair itself through any other troubleshooting thus far.

Windows for home | Other | Recovery and backup

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  1. Ivan B 124.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-06T17:21:02.38+00:00

    Hi,

    Regarding what I suspect is the issue: instead of disabling PBO, you should check if there are settings to try and lower the operating parameters.

    Did you test with a different SSD? You mentioned it froze at the loading screen.

    Did you try testing with different RAM modules, other than the ones you are currently using?

    Do you know how to create a bootable MemTest86 USB drive to test the memory directly?

    Thanks.

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  2. tanner stegman 0 Reputation points
    2026-10-04T20:43:17.1833333+00:00

    ill have to retry another restart to see the error, it just flashes for half a second. can it be any usb with enough room or should i use a new and/or clean one?

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  3. Ivan B 124.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-04T04:55:27.97+00:00

    Hi,

    Does the installation fail after it completes when you try to install Windows on your PC?

    What is the laptop model or desktop configuration?

    Thanks.

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  4. Rukshan edirisinghe 1,155 Reputation points
    2026-10-04T04:52:30.8766667+00:00

    Hi @tanner stegman

    Good news is you've already done the hard part by backing up the SSD. Since repair is out and a clean install is stalling, the two usual suspects are install media that's out of date or damaged, and a storage controller the installer can't see because the driver you deleted was part of the chipset package. Both are fixed the same way, so let's do a clean rebuild properly.

    1. On another PC, make fresh media. Download the Media Creation Tool from https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11 and create a new USB. Old install USBs stall often because they're missing newer drivers and updates.
    2. Unplug everything except keyboard, mouse and the one SSD. Other drives and USB devices are a common cause of stalls at random percentages.
    3. Boot into BIOS and load default settings. If you see an option called VMD or RAID mode for storage, switch it to AHCI, since that's exactly what the missing chipset driver would have been handling. Make sure UEFI boot is on.
    4. Boot from the new USB, choose Custom install, delete all partitions on the SSD so it shows one block of unallocated space, select it and continue. This removes whatever the crash left behind.

    To help narrow it down, what's the exact critical error text you saw, and what's the PC make and model (or is it Intel or AMD)? If it's an Intel system with VMD, there's a driver you can load during setup and I can point you to it.

    If this helped, please click Accept Answer so others stuck in the same spot can find it.

    Reference: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-installation-media-for-windows-99a58364-8c02-206f-aa6f-40c3b507420d

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