I have an Acer Aspire A715-42G that I've used for over three years. Recently, it has started showing blue screens or shutting down unexpectedly whenever I use it while connected to the charger. This happens most often during gaming, but it can also occur while browsing. The same activities seem stable when I'm running on battery power. I already reset Windows, but the crashes continue.
The stop codes vary and include SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA, UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP, and IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL. Some crashes identify amdkmdag.sys, FLTMGR.SYS, amdppm.sys, or ntoskrnl.exe. I have several recent minidump files available, but I'm not sure why only a few were created. What should I check to determine whether this is caused by the charger, power delivery, overheating, memory, or a driver?
2 Answers
Because the crashes stop when the charger is disconnected, test the hardware and power path too. Try the original charger and inspect its cable and connector for damage or looseness. If possible, test with a known-good compatible charger. Run Windows Memory Diagnostic or, preferably, several passes of MemTest86, and check the system drive with the manufacturer’s diagnostic tool. Sudden shutdowns without a blue screen can indicate overheating or a power-delivery problem rather than Windows alone.
Before continuing to game on it, back up important files. If clean drivers, reasonable temperatures, and memory tests do not resolve it, the charger, DC-in circuitry, motherboard, or another power-related component may need professional testing.
The different stop codes and the references to amdkmdag.sys and amdppm.sys suggest that the crash may involve AMD graphics or chipset drivers, but ntoskrnl.exe and FLTMGR.SYS are often just where Windows detected the failure rather than the original cause. The fact that it happens only while plugged in points toward a power-state change, charger, overheating, or a driver used under higher performance settings.
Analyze several files from C:WindowsMinidump with a debugger rather than relying on the stop-code names alone. Also perform a clean installation of the laptop’s AMD graphics and chipset drivers from Acer or AMD, update the BIOS if Acer provides a compatible version, and disable any overclocking or performance-tuning software. Check CPU and GPU temperatures while gaming as well.
I uploaded the minidump files, but there are only five recent files even though the problem has been happening for longer. I’ll try the driver and temperature checks as well.