I upgraded to Windows 11 last week, and now I'm facing frequent blue screen errors and hardware issues. I ran memtest86 for the first time, and instead of just a few errors, I'm seeing over 4,000 errors with only 11 tests passed out of 48. My setup includes an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor, ROG Crosshair VII Hero motherboard, and a GTX 1070ti graphics card, with 2 sets of 2x8GB Gskill Trident Z DDR4 memory. I'm unsure whether I should test my RAM sticks individually, check my BIOS settings, or even consider a clean install of Windows. I've never had issues before this upgrade from Windows 10 to 11. Here are some images of my memtest results: [link1](https://files.catbox.moe/he8z3t.jpg); [link2](https://files.catbox.moe/h20gnd.jpg).
5 Answers
It's not uncommon to see a lot of errors during tests; some people are lucky to run memtest with minimal issues, while others end up with extensive errors like yours. Just keep testing and looking for solutions!
Firstly, you should grab the dump files from your system to analyze the BSODs better. If you can boot into Windows normally or through Safe Mode, check the C:WindowsMinidump folder for any files. If you find some, zip that folder and upload it to a file-sharing site. Analyzing multiple dump files will give us a clearer picture of what might be going wrong. There’s a guide online that helps configure your system for creating small memory dumps if you need to adjust those settings.
Memory errors are often independent of Windows installations. One thing to consider is to disable XMP in your BIOS and rerun the memtest. Sometimes, XMP settings can lead to instability especially if your RAM isn't handling the overclocked profile well. Just make sure you double-check for any relevant options in the BIOS related to memory settings.
If I can’t find XMP in the BIOS, should I look for something else?
Before making drastic changes, it’s good to know which version of Windows 11 you’re using. Press Windows key + R, type in 'winver', and hit enter. Some users have reported issues with later versions like 24H2. If that's what you've got, it might be worth downgrading to the more stable 23H2. That said, staying with Windows 10 a bit longer might be the way to go if you want to avoid potential headaches right now.
Make sure you have the latest BIOS version for your motherboard. An outdated BIOS can cause all sorts of headaches, including memory errors and instability. Just remember to back up your Microsoft account email and password, as updating the BIOS can reset some of your settings.
Will definitely give that a shot!