"Machine check error..." message at the top of the screen when the system boots

Question

Downloaded Sophos Firewall OS Software Image for Intel hardware (SW-SFOS_15.01.0-376.iso). When trying to boot from this image, briefly get a "machine check error..." message at the top of the screen (no details) then the system reboots.System configuration is: Core i3 4150, 4Gb RAM, 120Gb SSD, 2 NIC's (1 on board + 1 PCIe). Please help.

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AndriyTsybulsky · Accepted Answer

Ruling out the PCIe device is a good guess. Thank you! I come to the same conclusion after I've posted my question. Unfortunately it was not the issue. It turned out to be the BIOS version.

AndriyTsybulsky · Answer

The issue was caused by the BIOS revision. It seems that factory-installed version of the BIOS on the Acer XC-605 had some compatibility issues with Sophos as well as ClearOS. No issues when booting multiple versions of Windows and general Linux distributions though. Once the BIOS was updated to the latest and greatest the issue was gone.