A couple of weeks back, I upgraded to Windows 11 after dealing with a nasty trojan/adware. Since then, I'm hit with random BSODs (Blue Screen of Death), with no specific triggering pattern. It can happen while gaming, idling, or even cause my PC to restart multiple times in a row. Each BSOD logs a set of Event IDs: Event ID 11 (stornvme), Event ID 161 (volmrg), and Event ID 41 (Kernel-Power). Before I switched to Win 11, I had a solid 8 months with no BSODs on Windows 10. I've already fresh-installed Win 11 twice, and the issue persists. My setup includes an NVMe drive split into four partitions (OS, Apps, Games, Files), but I've only formatted the OS-related partitions. Other friends have similar setups without issues. I'm planning another clean install this weekend, but could this be a sign of failing hardware, particularly my NVMe drive?
5 Answers
To get to the root of the BSODs, you can try getting dump files for analysis. Check C:WindowsMinidump for any files, zip them up, and upload them to a file sharing site. More dump files typically help us diagnose better, so if you can grab a few, that would be great!
Sounds like it might be storage-related. Unfortunately, NVMe drives are tricky since reliable SMART diagnostics are not easy to read. Sometimes, replacing the drive is the only way to know for sure if it's the hardware causing the problem.
What model is your NVMe drive? Knowing the specifics can help narrow down if there are known issues with that drive.
I feel your pain! I’ve had similar issues with Windows 11; I’ve re-installed it at least four times in the past few months. I noticed it started acting up after I installed my M.2 drive. Luckily, I don’t keep critical files on my C drive, but it's still a major hassle.
Make sure you've downloaded all the drivers from your motherboard or PC manufacturer's website. Sometimes missing drivers can lead to weird system behavior. Did you manage to do that after your last install?
Yeah, I installed as many drivers as I could find, plus all Windows updates. The second install didn't give me enough time before the BSODs started.
It's a WD Black SN770 2TB.