I've been using a freshly assembled PC since Friday, but it has already produced several blue screens and strange Windows glitches. The crashes include FAULTY_HARDWARE_CORRUPTION while rebooting, SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION while uploading a file, and IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL referencing ntoskrnl.exe when running CHKDSK /SCAN. Between crashes, Control Panel stopped responding correctly, the Open File dialog was extremely slow, the desktop turned black after opening Steam, and the Start menu reset itself. DISM and System File Checker found no problems. The system has Windows 11 Pro 25H2, an Intel Core i7-6700T, 16 GB of RAM, a GTX 1050 Ti, and a 1 TB SSD. What should I test first, and could this be faulty hardware, an incompatible configuration, or a Windows installation problem?
4 Answers
The different stop codes and desktop corruption make hardware instability more likely than one specific Windows file. Start with the basics: check that the RAM is fully seated, test each memory stick individually, and run a long memory test. Also check SSD health and the drive’s connection, then monitor CPU and GPU temperatures. If the machine was recently assembled or repaired, have the builder verify the motherboard, power supply, RAM settings, and storage.
The dump files are important because the stop-code names alone are not enough to identify the cause. Look in C:WindowsMinidump and copy any files found there before troubleshooting further. If no dumps are being created, enable Small Memory Dump under Startup and Recovery, make sure the system drive has a page file, and confirm it has enough free space. Several dumps can show whether the same driver or memory address is involved.
I wouldn’t treat DISM or System File Checker reporting no errors as proof that the hardware is fine. Those tools only check parts of the Windows installation. Since CHKDSK itself triggered a crash and the system is showing unrelated UI failures, back up important files immediately and avoid repeated stress tests until the backup is verified. If the PC was sold as repaired or newly built, documenting the crashes and returning it under warranty may be safer than repeatedly reinstalling software.
That processor is several generations old and is not officially supported by Windows 11. A fresh installation may still run, but unsupported hardware and drivers can cause problems, especially if the installation bypassed compatibility checks. Make sure the motherboard firmware, chipset drivers, graphics driver, and storage drivers are current. If the system continues crashing after hardware tests, reinstall Windows from official installation media and let Windows Update install the initial drivers.
That makes sense. I’ll test the memory and storage before trying another operating-system install.