I'm facing a frustrating issue with my laptop freezing and crashing on both Windows and Linux Mint. I have the two operating systems installed on separate drives, so I don't think the problem is with the drives themselves. Typically, when it freezes, the display stays on showing a frozen image, but sometimes it turns off with the keyboard light remaining on. I once experienced a full shutdown while running Linux. The only way to regain control is by forcing a power off using the power button. These crashes happen randomly, and I can't last more than 10 minutes of use unless I'm in Windows safe mode, where I haven't encountered any crashes. However, even safe mode with networking doesn't let me connect to the Internet. I've already replaced thermal paste on the CPU/GPU without success, and Dell diagnostics came back clear, including on memory. I tested each RAM stick individually and in different slots, but nothing worked. The crashing occurs even without the charger plugged in, so I don't think it's a power-related issue. Although I tried disabling GPU drivers, it didn't resolve the problem. I ran sfc /scannow to repair some corrupted files, but the freezing persists. The event viewer doesn't show any useful errors at the time of freezing. I'm really at a loss for what to try next, whether it's a hardware or software issue. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
2 Answers
It sounds like you might be dealing with a hardware issue, especially if you've already ruled out drives and RAM. Have you considered checking the laptop's cooling system? If it's overheating, it might cause those crashes. Also, see if you can update the BIOS while in safe mode—sometimes that helps resolve persistent issues like this. Good luck!
Since you've indicated that safe mode runs fine, it might point towards a driver or software conflict. You could try booting with minimal drivers, but if that still doesn't help, a clean OS reinstall might be necessary to see if that clears out any underlying software issues. Just ensure to back up any important data first!
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