New build — Windows 11 clean install hangs forever at spinning dots before OOBE (RAM/GPU/CMOS already ruled out)

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Hi all, first-time builder here. Windows 11 install completes file copying (100%), but after the restart it hangs indefinitely at black screen + spinning dots, never reaching OOBE. Waited 15+ minutes across 6+ attempts. System is NOT frozen — dots keep spinning, Caps Lock LED responds, no BSOD, no reboot loop. Meanwhile the install media (WinPE) boots and runs perfectly from USB every single time, and BIOS/POST has never failed.

Specs:

  • Ryzen 7 7800X3D

  • MSI PRO B850M-P WiFi (BIOS 1A62, latest)

  • Patriot Viper Venom 7000 CL32 2x16GB (Hynix A-die)

  • WD Black SN7100 1TB NVMe

  • ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT OC

  • Enermax Revolution III 1000W

  • Install media: Windows 11 25H2, Rufus NTFS USB

Already tried (identical hang every time):

  1. Removed all manual RAM tuning — clean install at JEDEC 4800 with F6 optimized defaults

  2. Two full clean reinstalls (all partitions wiped)

  3. Safe Mode (forced via bcdedit safeboot minimal) — hangs the same way

  4. Memory Context Restore + Power Down Enable = Disabled

  5. Single-stick testing — both modules hang identically alone in A2

  6. GPU physically removed, iGPU via motherboard HDMI — same hang

  7. CMOS clear (JBAT1 jumper)

  8. Peripherals eliminated (USB stick removed, case LCD header, HDMI→DP swap)

Boot log: ntbtlog.txt shows storage/input drivers (nvmedisk, disk, kbdclass, mouclass) LOADED; tail end shows dxgkrnl.sys and Basic Display Adapter NOT_LOADED (I know this line alone isn’t conclusive).

Next steps planned: SN7100 is DRAM-less/HMB — offline registry HMBAllocationPolicy test, memtest86 per stick, and trying a 24H2 image.

Has anyone seen this exact pattern? What does “WinPE works flawlessly but the installed OS hangs at the same spot across three different hardware configs” point to in your experience?

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Just a shot in the dark, but the first things I would try

Have you considered a corrupt iso image? Or faulty usb drive?

Download a new iso, and try a different usb stick

Download and try to run a live Linux distribution to rule out a hardware issue

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Try another nvme if you have one on hand. I wonder if you don’t have a bad drive

To test this you could also do a live Linux USB and then look up how to view the SMART status of drives connected to the system