Problem solved, reimaged drive. Then disabled Armoury crate in BIOS
System will not start after failed Asus update
Armoury crate update failed and system would not restart. Got the Black error screen several times then the Blue error screen.
Have tried system repair, system reset, system restore, and system reinstall. None of which worked.
HELP!!!
Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
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Lucus-V 6,660 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-04-07T21:15:39.94+00:00 Hi Chuck Simes,
Can your laptop boot into safe mode?
If it can, you can uninstall or reinstall Armoury Crate from there.
If you have any updates, please feel free to let me know.
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Ivan B 109.5K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-03-27T23:11:05.5766667+00:00 Hi,
If it's a laptop or desktop, if possible, could you provide the laptop model or your desktop configuration?
What errors appear on the blue screen? If possible, take a screenshot and post it here.
A good alternative is to reinstall using the USB method.
Thanks
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Q&A Assist2026-03-27T22:35:01.57+00:00 AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn moreBased on similar Windows 11 blue/black screen issues after problematic updates or OEM tools (like ASUS Armoury Crate), the most effective recovery path is to use Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) and either roll back changes or perform a clean reset while keeping files.
Try these steps in order:
- Enter Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)
- Power on the device.
- As soon as the Windows or ASUS logo appears, press and hold the power button until the device turns off.
- Repeat this power‑on → force‑off cycle 2–3 times. On the next boot, Windows should show “Preparing Automatic Repair” and then “Automatic Repair”.
- When “Automatic Repair” appears, select Advanced options to enter WinRE.
- Use System Restore (if a restore point exists)
- In WinRE, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore.
- Choose a restore point from before the Armoury Crate update.
- Let the restore complete and restart.
If System Restore is unavailable or fails, continue.
- Use Startup Repair
- In WinRE, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
- Choose the Windows 11 installation and let Startup Repair run.
- Restart when prompted.
If the system still will not start, continue.
- Revert pending updates (if the failure started after a Windows update combined with Armoury Crate)
- In WinRE, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.
- Run (assuming Windows is on C:):
DISM /image:C:\ /cleanup-image /revertpendingactions - Close Command Prompt and restart.
This reverts pending Windows component changes that can block startup after a failed update.
- Reset this PC (keep files) If none of the above works, perform a reset from WinRE:
- In WinRE, select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
- Choose Keep my files.
- Choose Cloud download if available (recommended for fresh system files) or Local reinstall.
- Complete the reset. This reinstalls Windows while preserving personal files but removes apps and settings.
If even Reset fails or the device remains unbootable, a full clean install from external installation media is required. In that case, back up data first using WinRE Command Prompt or a bootable recovery tool, then reinstall Windows.
After recovery, avoid reinstalling Armoury Crate immediately; similar BSOD cases have been resolved by removing it and relying on standard Windows and ASUS drivers/utilities only.
References:
- How to recover devices from an unbootable state after installing the January 2018 security update
- Servicing Stack Updates (SSU): Frequently Asked Questions
- KB5042421: CrowdStrike issue impacting Windows endpoints causing an 0x50 or 0x7E error message on a blue screen
- Plethora of issues relating to windows and possibly security. - Microsoft Q&A
- New laptop MSI won't go past update installation at first boot - Microsoft Q&A
- Please check my minidumps, BSOD and shutdowns - Microsoft Q&A