Hey everyone! I've been having a frustrating issue with my computer for about three years now. I keep getting blue screen errors, specifically "clock watchdog timeout", whenever I play games. My setup isn't the best in terms of ventilation; I only have one fan plus the ones on my GPU, so I initially thought overheating might be the culprit. I've tried updating my drivers and added some external fans, but the BSODs still persist—especially in ARK and occasionally in Minecraft when the shaders are on. After upgrading to Windows 11, things improved a bit, but now I'm back to getting crashes while playing Apex Legends. My computer doesn't feel hot during play, and when I checked the bluescreenview, it pointed to an issue with ntoskrnl.exe. I'm not super technical, so I could use some help figuring this out! I can provide more info if needed. Thanks in advance!
3 Answers
Have you tried running any system diagnostics or repair commands? Besides the sfc /scannow you mentioned, you could also consider using the DISM tool to repair your Windows image. Just open Command Prompt as an administrator and type: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. This can sometimes fix issues that lead to those BSODs. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!
First off, to get a better understanding of what's causing those BSODs, make sure you check for dump files. These files can give us crucial information about the crashes. If you can access Windows normally or via Safe Mode, look in the C:WindowsMinidump folder for any dump files. If you find some, zip them up and upload them to a file sharing site that works—mediafire or catbox are good options. The more dump files we have, the easier it will be to diagnose the issue. Also, be sure to adjust your settings to create small memory dumps, if you haven’t done so already. That’ll help avoid overwriting them later on.
Make sure you monitor your temperatures while gaming! Download HWiNFO and check how hot your CPU and GPU are when you're playing. If they're running too hot, you might need to improve your cooling setup. You mentioned that your CPU core temp is around 43°C at idle, which is decent, but you should definitely keep an eye on it during gameplay. It might be worth cleaning your case and ensuring that there’s good airflow, too.
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