Since yesterday, my HP Omen 15 laptop with an RTX 3060 and AMD Ryzen 5000-series processor has been crashing whenever I launch a game. This has happened with Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, Deadlock, and Helldivers 2. The screen briefly blinks, my second monitor disconnects, and the game closes. After one crash, Windows also made the second monitor the primary display, and games started launching there. When I forced a game onto the laptop display, it appeared to use the integrated GPU and ran at around 4 FPS.
I am running Windows 11 version 25H2 and had applied some debloating tweaks, mainly removing invasive features and AI-related components. I am not sure whether the problem started after a Windows update. Updating my drivers made the situation worse, and the laptop temporarily displayed a "TPM security data change detected" message during startup. I tried another debloat pass and eventually performed a factory reset, then installed available updates and only removed a few nonessential components. The crashes returned as soon as I launched Helldivers 2 or Deadlock.
Wolfenstein reports: "vkEnumeratePhysicalDevices failed with VK_ERROR_INITIALIZATION_FAILED." I am wondering whether this is a recent Windows or graphics-driver problem, a damaged Vulkan installation, a hardware fault, or something caused by the system modifications.
3 Answers
Run actual hardware tests rather than judging the laptop by how well it performed previously. Check GPU and CPU temperatures, monitor GPU clocks and power behavior, and run a GPU stress test plus a memory test. Watch whether the external display cuts out during the test. A failing GPU, unstable VRAM, overheating, or a power-delivery problem can cause the driver to reset and make the monitor disappear.
Also check Reliability Monitor and Event Viewer for display-driver resets, WHEA hardware errors, or unexpected shutdowns around the crash time. If the same failure occurs from a clean, unmodified Windows installation with the correct drivers, hardware service or warranty support is the next step.
The TPM warning suggests that firmware or security state changed, although it may be separate from the game crashes. Do not repeatedly clear or reset the TPM without confirming that recovery keys and encrypted-drive data are backed up. Load BIOS defaults, update the BIOS only with the firmware intended for the exact HP model, and make sure the laptop is running on its proper AC adapter.
For troubleshooting, temporarily remove the debloat tools and tweaks completely. System components removed by debloat scripts can affect graphics services, Windows Update, gaming dependencies, or display detection, and a later reset may reinstall Windows without restoring the original OEM driver setup.
The Vulkan error means the game cannot initialize or detect a usable graphics device. Combined with the monitor disconnect and the system switching between the RTX 3060 and integrated graphics, this points more toward a graphics-driver, GPU, display-driver, or power-management problem than an individual game issue. A factory reset does not always remove every driver component or firmware setting, especially if the same drivers are automatically restored afterward.
Install the official HP chipset and graphics drivers for the exact Omen model, then install the current NVIDIA driver using the clean-install option. If necessary, remove the existing display drivers first with a reputable driver cleanup utility while booted into Safe Mode. Also undo all debloating changes and test the laptop in an untouched Windows installation before applying any tweaks.
The Wolfenstein message is especially useful here: VK_ERROR_INITIALIZATION_FAILED usually appears when Vulkan cannot enumerate the available GPU. I would test with the integrated GPU disabled only after the drivers are cleanly installed, and verify in NVIDIA settings that the game is assigned to the RTX 3060.
By stress testing, I mean a controlled CPU/GPU test while monitoring temperatures and errors, not just noting that the laptop used to handle games well. Back up important files first, since repeated crashes can corrupt data.