My ASUS G75VW recently crashed with a KMODE_EXCEPTION_ERROR. Afterward, the power light and keyboard indicators came on, but the display stayed completely black. Letting the laptop cool down eventually allowed it to start, so I suspected overheating, but it later shut down again even while being used in a cool area. During one shutdown I also heard an unusual electrical buzzing or snapping sound.
Holding the power button for longer eventually made it beep and start normally, but I still do not know what caused the crashes. I was playing a heavily modded game at the time, and I had previously had many browser tabs open, although not during the final failure. The fans have been wiped and blown out with air, and Windows does not seem to have created anything in the Minidump folder. What should I check first, and is this more likely to be overheating, a power problem, failing hardware, or something related to the original BSOD?
3 Answers
The BSOD and the black-screen behavior should be treated as separate symptoms until proven otherwise. KMODE_EXCEPTION_ERROR can be caused by a bad driver, memory, or failing hardware, while powering on with no display can also point to a power, motherboard, or graphics problem. Fast Startup is unlikely to be the root cause here.
If it starts again, back up important files immediately, check Windows Event Viewer, update or roll back recently changed drivers, and run Windows Memory Diagnostic or MemTest86. Also run the laptop manufacturer's hardware diagnostics if available. If Windows is configured to create minidumps and none exist, the crash may have been a hard power loss rather than a normal Windows stop error.
A laptop that shuts off under gaming load and only works after cooling down could still have a thermal problem even if the fans look clean. Dust can be packed into the heatsink, and the thermal paste or heat-pipe assembly may no longer be doing its job. Monitor CPU and GPU temperatures with a utility, and check whether the fans actually speed up under load.
Do not keep running it in a very cold or damp place, since condensation can damage electronics. If temperatures are high, the heatsink should be properly cleaned and the thermal paste replaced by someone comfortable servicing the machine.
The electrical noise is concerning. It could be coil noise, a failing charger, battery, DC jack, or motherboard power circuit. Stop using it if you smell burning, hear repeated crackling, see sparks, or notice a swollen battery. Test with the correct known-good AC adapter, and if the battery is removable, try starting it on AC power with the battery disconnected.
For a basic reset, unplug the charger, remove the battery if possible, hold the power button for 30 seconds, then reconnect only the charger and try powering on. If the problem returns, a repair shop should test the power rails, RAM, graphics hardware, and motherboard rather than repeatedly forcing it to start.
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