Question APPCRASH error 1001 dwm.exe

[Maverick_Zer0]

As of the last couple of weeks, i've been experiencing a strange issue when playing Escape From Tarkov and to a lesser extent, Halo Infinite.

After about 4-5 minutes of gameplay, my PC will blackscreen to the point the monitors will consider themselves no longer receiving input and go into standby mode, my GPU fans will ramp up to 100% and the custom lighting will change to it's default state. 4/5 times i can still hear audio in the background from discord and the game and even still be able to control the game, yet no video and nothing i can do will get it back other than physically powering down the PC and back on again.

I narrowed the issue down in Event Viewer to an error with the code 1001, sometimes 1000 (details below), which details the crash of dwm.exe, as i understand it's a core windows process that handles the drawing of windows, though this crash will in turn cause a crash with the nvidia display drivers leading to a blacked out screen.

My first 'fix' was to re-install the graphics drivers which led to the exact same issue, so i decided to simply just revert the drivers to a build that was released before the issues arose, same problem. From there i've done around a dozen fixes which include re-installing the offending programs, updating windows, disabling aero effects, changing to a high-performance power mode, removing unused USB devices, reseating the GPU, RAM, CPU and PSU, running windows diagnostics to scan for corrupt system files and drivers and simply even just turning down the in-game graphics settings, all to no avail.

The issue is pretty easy to replicate as it only happens in certain parts of the game and occurs after around 4-5 minutes of gameplay, not counting being sat in a menu. I've monitored my GPU/CPU temps, usage and memory and nothing is drastically different up until the crash.

My only next move is to re-install windows, which i'll only do after exhausting pretty much every other option. (though i've heard this may not even rectify the issue).

Edit: Confirmed the error also occurs when playing other 'graphically intensive' games.

Spoiler: error 1001

Log Name: Application
Source: Windows Error Reporting
Date: 22/02/2022 22:53:58
Event ID: 1001
Task Category: None
Level: Information
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: Elliots-PC
Description:
Fault bucket 1486643659604955993, type 4
Event Name: APPCRASH
Response: Not available
Cab Id: 0

Problem signature:
P1: dwm.exe
P2: 10.0.19041.746
P3: 6be51595
P4: KERNELBASE.dll
P5: 10.0.19041.1503
P6: b2acaea9
P7: e0464645
P8: 000000000010b382
P9:
P10:

Attached files:
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERBF94.tmp.dmp
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC032.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC042.tmp.xml
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC05E.tmp.csv
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC06F.tmp.txt

These files may be available here:
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_dwm.exe_f44735eac4cf1775ef43a9cc34beb965765144b0_c2f10bab_e9ea1991-a1a2-480f-9915-297252eae2cf

Analysis symbol:
Rechecking for solution: 0
Report Id: eb3a0bf1-21f4-4a90-b9b1-55c83f021618
Report Status: 268435456
Hashed bucket: d6508a4cd1925dc5d4a19e8826571359
Cab Guid: 0
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Windows Error Reporting" />
<EventID Qualifiers="0">1001</EventID>
<Version>0</Version>
<Level>4</Level>
<Task>0</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2022-02-22T22:53:58.2783051Z" />
<EventRecordID>156463</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="0" ThreadID="0" />
<Channel>Application</Channel>
<Computer>Elliots-PC</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data>1486643659604955993</Data>
<Data>4</Data>
<Data>APPCRASH</Data>
<Data>Not available</Data>
<Data>0</Data>
<Data>dwm.exe</Data>
<Data>10.0.19041.746</Data>
<Data>6be51595</Data>
<Data>KERNELBASE.dll</Data>
<Data>10.0.19041.1503</Data>
<Data>b2acaea9</Data>
<Data>e0464645</Data>
<Data>000000000010b382</Data>
<Data>
</Data>
<Data>
</Data>
<Data>
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERBF94.tmp.dmp
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC032.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC042.tmp.xml
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC05E.tmp.csv
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC06F.tmp.txt</Data>
<Data>\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_dwm.exe_f44735eac4cf1775ef43a9cc34beb965765144b0_c2f10bab_e9ea1991-a1a2-480f-9915-297252eae2cf</Data>
<Data>
</Data>
<Data>0</Data>
<Data>eb3a0bf1-21f4-4a90-b9b1-55c83f021618</Data>
<Data>268435456</Data>
<Data>d6508a4cd1925dc5d4a19e8826571359</Data>
<Data>0</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

https://file.io/YLAoNEPhEzN5 - DXDIAG

 

[Maverick_Zer0]

While you're at it have you tried installing latest chipset and IRST drivers from moterboard manufacturer?

If this does't helps it's nothing a new install of Windows can't help since you already made the bootable USB.

That's the thing, i have done. I re-installed windows via the USB, disconnected from the internet and installed nothing but the chipset drivers, SATA and LAN drivers as well as the NVIDIA drivers. It still happened immediately upon loading.

 

[Colif]

OS: Windows 10 Home x64
CPU: Intel i7-6700k @4.00ghz
RAM: 32gb DDR4 2400mhz
GPU: RTX 2080 Gigabyte Windforce OC 8gb
PSU: Corsair CP-9020092 RM750 w Gold

so its not gpu unless both are bad.
I would test other things then

CPU - https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/15951/19792/intel-processor-diagnostic-tool.html?
ram - Try running memtest86 on each of your ram sticks, one stick at a time, up to 4 passes. Only error count you want is 0, any higher could be cause of the BSOD. Remove/replace ram sticks with errors. Memtest is created as a bootable USB so that you don’t need windows to run it

I don't know what storage you have as I appear to have not asked yet.
Notices motherboard also not listed above but assumes he knows what that is from elsewhere in thread.

There are no tests for motherboards. You test everything else.

I still wonder if its not something you attaching to PC.

 

[Maverick_Zer0]

so its not gpu unless both are bad.
I would test other things then

CPU - https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/15951/19792/intel-processor-diagnostic-tool.html?
ram - Try running memtest86 on each of your ram sticks, one stick at a time, up to 4 passes. Only error count you want is 0, any higher could be cause of the BSOD. Remove/replace ram sticks with errors. Memtest is created as a bootable USB so that you don’t need windows to run it

I don't know what storage you have as I appear to have not asked yet.
Notices motherboard also not listed above but assumes he knows what that is from elsewhere in thread.

There are no tests for motherboards. You test everything else.

I still wonder if its not something you attaching to PC.

CPU test showed no errors or issues.
Tested the RAM, four passes each and no errors whatsoever.

I've tried replacing both the keyboard and mouse, plugging it directly into the Motherboard with nothing else attached and it still happens. Even happens with nothing plugged into the USB's whatsoever.

As for storage, i have a 250gb Samsung EVO SSD of which the OS is located on, recently formatted as i re-installed windows on it. A 500gb Samsung EVO SSD. A 1tb Western Digital Blue and another 6tb Western Digital Blue. I ran all of them through a CHKDSK and nothing untoward appeared. Could this be a motherboard issue?

 

[Maverick_Zer0]

Ok, so a little bit of light i managed to shed on the issue is that changing the RAM timings seems to increase the amount of time it takes until the crash happens. Before i had it set to 2133Mhz in the BIOS, on this setting the crash is caused almost instantaneously, though if i let the BIOS set it to Auto, it goes back to taking 5/6 minutes before a crash. Though it happens with each stick and the memtest86 showed no issues with the RAM.

Another more confusing issue that may or may not be related is that when i changed the fan speed in MSI Afterburner, i changed it from Auto to manual at 60% and instead the fans ramped up to full, similarly how they do when the crash triggers and i could not get them to go back down again, even when rebooting the machine. The only way i was able to stop the fans was to disconnect the power cables and reseat it.

The more i delve into this the more confusing it gets. I've looked over countless forums, posted a topic on the NVIDIA forum and got very little help back so far, many things suggest that this is not a GPU issue, but a software/driver conflict with windows, other sources state it's the PSU, which i have replaced. Many sources state that it's potentially a RAM timing issue, again as above, it's strange that changing the timings indeed changes the rate at which the crash occurs but doesn't actually shed any light as to why.

A few sources state it's possible the GPU has bricked, but then, why do i get a different manner of error when i use a different GPU?

My next move is to buy a new motherboard, seeing as that's less expensive as replacing the GPU/CPU right now. But i don't want to fork out money and find out that it doesn't remedy the issue at hand.

 

[Colif]

As for storage, i have a 250gb Samsung EVO SSD of which the OS is located on, recently formatted as i re-installed windows on it. A 500gb Samsung EVO SSD. A 1tb Western Digital Blue and another 6tb Western Digital Blue.

can run magician on the ssd and check them out - https://semiconductor.samsung.com/consumer-storage/support/tools/
can run this on both Western digital - https://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx?lang=en&p=279

 

[Maverick_Zer0]

can run magician on the ssd and check them out - https://semiconductor.samsung.com/consumer-storage/support/tools/
can run this on both Western digital - https://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx?lang=en&p=279

Neither tools managed to find any issues with the drives. I even tried booting windows from a different drive just to make sure and well, it's still there. I've posted on a couple of other forums and both seem to think this is a GPU failure, confirming what I feared most. Luckily I think i'm still within the RMA window so i think i'll just send it back.

 

[Colif]

i would get pc looked at by a repair store before I guessed what it might be. Saves replacing wrong parts.

 

[Maverick_Zer0]

So, after waiting what seemed like an age, I sent the GPU off to Gigabyte (who by the way have shockingly sub-standard customer service) and received back the repaired GPU which I can confirm, actually works. I have no idea what the actual issue was in the end, the paperwork they sent back cites 'Component Error' as a root cause, which is extremely vague. So, to offer any closure to anyone experiencing a similar error, if all else has failed, sending back your GPU to the manufacturer might be in order, if it's still under warranty of course.

Thanks all for offering support and advice. If anything else, i've learned more about PC diagnostics processes and tools in the last couple of months than the last few years combined.

 

[johnbl]

this was not error code 1001
it was event code 1001 meaning that the system detected a issue and did a dump and reported it back to microsoft to review.
if you want to know what happened, put this file on a server, share it for public access and someone can take a look in the debugger.
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERBF94.tmp.dmp
if the file is still there, they might get deleted after they are uploaded to microsoft.