I've been dealing with constant Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) issues on my PC for a year now. I can get into the BIOS without any problems, but as soon as Windows starts to load, it crashes with the error code Critical_Process_Died (0xEF). It's frustrating because the crash happens so quickly that I can only see the error by recording a video and reviewing it frame by frame. Every fix I've tried seems to work only temporarily. Here's what I've done so far:
- Run full checks using chkdsk /r, sfc, and dism with no success.
- Reseated the RAM multiple times, which sometimes helps for a few hours to days.
- Replaced the RAM entirely, but the issue persists in the same way.
- Reinstalled Windows twice, initially to a new SSD, and updated GPU drivers, but it didn't solve the problem.
- Updated the BIOS, only to get new errors about corrupted or changed fTPM/PSP NV structures at boot.
Now I'm stuck as it seems like the PC can run fine for a while after each tweak before crashing again. I've even lost the ability to boot into Safe Mode after the last BIOS update. My specs (that I remember) are: CPU - 5700x3d, GPU - RTX 4070, and a Gigabyte A250I AC motherboard. Can anyone suggest what else I might try, or could this mean I need to replace more parts?
2 Answers
Is the SSD your only storage drive? The Critical_Process_Died error can sometimes point to issues with corrupted files or problems with your storage device. Make sure that your Windows boot files are on the correct drive. When you switched from M.2 to SATA, did you perform a clean installation of Windows? Also, keep in mind that a faulty SATA cable or M.2 slot could be causing the problem, so double-check those connections.
First thing I'd recommend is to gather the dump files for a better analysis of the BSODs. You can usually find them in the C:WindowsMinidump folder. If you can access Windows normally or through Safe Mode, try zipping those files and uploading them to a file-sharing site. Having a few dump files can help pinpoint the exact issue more effectively. If you're not sure how to set up the dump files, check out guides on configuring Windows to create minidumps.
The SSD is the only drive I have right now, and I didn’t find any improvement switching to SATA. Still getting the BSOD.