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Troubleshooting system boot failures

While rare, some systems may fail to boot or may freeze during the Windows startup process after installing Akros. This guide outlines the most common hardware configurations and known conflicts that can cause these issues.

 

1. Blue Screens During Boot

If your system fails to boot and displays a Blue Screen (BSOD) with an error code, the issue is most likely caused by a driver conflict during system initialization.

We provide a dedicated guide to help you identify and resolve these startup crashes:
Troubleshooting blue screens

 

2. Dual GPU Configurations and “Above 4G Decoding”

Systems running a dual GPU configuration—such as integrated graphics alongside a discrete GPU—may experience boot freezes due to memory mapping conflicts.

In some cases, the motherboard setting Above 4G Decoding can interfere with IOMMU behavior and prevent Windows from loading properly.

If you experience boot hangs in this configuration:

  1. Restart your PC and enter BIOS/UEFI (usually via Del, F2, or F12 during startup).
  2. Navigate to PCI Subsystem Settings or Advanced / Boot menus.
  3. Locate Above 4G Decoding.
  4. Set it to Disabled.
  5. Save changes and reboot.

 

3. RAID Configurations and IOMMU Compatibility

Certain RAID setups may conflict with IOMMU-enabled systems depending on storage drivers and motherboard firmware behavior. In some cases, this conflict can prevent Windows from booting when Akros requires IOMMU to be enabled.

To isolate the issue:

  • Temporarily disable RAID mode in BIOS to test system stability.
  • Alternatively, you may disable IOMMU as a temporary workaround to regain access to Windows.

⚠️ Important:
Disabling RAID may break existing storage arrays and can result in data loss or require a full Windows reinstallation. Proceed only if you fully understand the impact, and ensure your data is backed up. If unsure, consult your motherboard manual or a qualified technician.

 

4. Disable IOMMU and Contact Support

If the above steps do not resolve the issue, the problem may be related to how your system firmware handles IOMMU (Intel VT-d / AMD IOMMU).

As a temporary recovery step to regain access to Windows:

  1. Enter BIOS/UEFI setup.
  2. Locate IOMMU (also labeled Intel VT-d or AMD IOMMU under CPU or chipset settings).
  3. Set it to Disabled.
  4. Save and restart your system.

If disabling IOMMU allows your system to boot, or if you continue experiencing boot failures, please contact Akros Support with details about your hardware configuration so we can investigate further.

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