Hey everyone, I'm facing a frustrating issue with my PC that's been giving me Blue Screens of Death (BSODs) almost constantly over the last month. It happens randomly or I can make it crash instantly by launching any game. I've run all the hardware diagnostics I can think of, and everything passed, even after getting a second opinion from GeekSquad where a friend works. One of the employees suspected a BIOS settings problem, and while I had a few days of stability after tweaking, the BSODs returned. I even fresh installed Windows on my C: drive (without touching my music on the E: drive), but that didn't fix the crashes either.
Initially, the BSODs were showing errors like "kernel inpage error" and "driver irql not less or equal," which made me think it could be an issue with the RAM or the C: drive. Both of these components are fairly new; I replaced the RAM just six months ago under warranty and the SSD (990 Pro) is less than two months old with the latest firmware. I also tried using various drive diagnostic tools, but everything seems fine, and I can't get any minidump files because of the crashes. Once the BSOD occurs, my PC enters a blue screen loop and I can't boot into recovery mode—only the UEFI settings load, which takes ages. I'm at a complete loss and would really appreciate any advice or insights on this!
2 Answers
From what you're describing, it seems like your system drive might be to blame, especially since diagnostics often don’t catch NVMe drive issues. Here are some steps you can take:
1. Update your BIOS to the latest version.
2. Make sure your NVMe drive is running the most current firmware.
3. Reseat the drive and ensure it has good airflow; heat can be a real killer for drives. You could try moving it to a different m.2 slot if your motherboard has one.
4. If all else fails, it might be time to replace the drive if you suspect it's failing.
Also, if you have another drive, consider moving your page file there—it could help with generating dump files during a crash!
It sounds like you’ve been through a lot trying to troubleshoot that. To get better clarity on the BSODs, try to get minidump files if you can boot into Windows, or even Safe Mode. Check the C:WindowsMinidump folder—if there are files there, zip them up and upload them to a file sharing site like mediafire or catbox.moe. If you don’t have any, make sure your settings are set to create Small Memory Dumps. It’s super helpful to have those logs for diagnosis!
Thanks for the advice! Just to clarify, I've already updated my motherboard and drive, reseated everything, and the drives are vented well. But I'm still having issues, so I’ll definitely try moving the page file like you suggested. I think that might tackle the BSOD logging problem.