My PC started showing vague startup notifications from a gaming-related app saying that a driver had failed, but it never identified which driver. This began after the computer crashed once, and now it sometimes crashes again when I open certain programs, especially Medal. I'm not sure whether the crashes are connected to the driver warning. I know the basic PC troubleshooting steps, but I'm not experienced enough to know where to look for the specific failing driver. What's the best way to diagnose this?
3 Answers
Also check Device Manager for devices with a yellow warning icon, then update or reinstall the graphics, chipset, and network drivers from the computer or component manufacturer’s official website. If the crashes started after a driver update, rolling that specific driver back may help. Avoid relying on vague notifications from third-party gaming software alone; Windows Reliability Monitor, Event Viewer, and any crash dump are more useful for identifying the actual failing module.
Check Windows Event Viewer around the exact time of a crash. Look under Windows Logs > System and Application for errors or warnings, then open the entries to see whether they name a driver or program. Reliability Monitor is also useful because it presents crashes on a timeline and may identify the failed application or module.
CrystalDiskInfo can check whether a storage drive is reporting SMART problems. The important part is the overall health status and any warnings in the detailed attributes. If it says Good and there are no concerning values, the drive probably isn’t the obvious cause, though that test alone can’t rule out every hardware issue.
I checked CrystalDiskInfo and it says the drive health is Good at 93%. Nothing is highlighted or obviously alarming, although I’m not sure what all the individual values mean.