[SOLVED] BSoD errors while gaming (details, Speccy snapshot inside)

[Tornik]

The problem:

I'm having major issues with various BSoD errors (CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED, KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR , SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION, PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA) - mainly while gaming but sometimes while simply browsing the web or using Adobe Premiere for video rendering.

While playing, I get stutters about 10 minutes into the game, followed by a freeze and one of the BSoDs. Sometimes the stutters are accompanied by 100 percent disk usage, but no process in Task Manager displays more than 0.1MB/s usage while it is happening. The BSoDs display no additional info (what file has failed), and don't generate a minidump file in Windows minidumps folder. After the PC reboots itself following the BSoD, my SSD is not recognised, so I have to power the PC down manually and turn it on again.

This began last July, about half a year after I built this PC. I had no issues in any game for those six months. I ran CPU overclocking for some of that time (4.2GHz, the most modest setting in BIOS), but underclocked since then while troubleshooting the problem.

What I've done to try and troubleshoot it:

Checks on SSD: sfc /scannow, DISM scans, HD Sentinel checks, SeaTools checks - all show there's no issue with the SSD; I've tried swapping SATA cables as well as the cable connecting the SSD to the motherboard - no effect;

Checks on RAM: Windows Memory Diagnostic, memtest86 (four passes on each 8GB sticks - 8 passes not available in free version) - both say nothing wrong with it; I've tried only using one stick at a time, in each slot - no effect;

Drivers: installed various drivers for every kind of hardware I use, including using drivers only from official websites;

Windows: installed different Windows 10 x64 versions: 1903, 1809 with different configurations;

Windows services: tried loading into Windows with all services except Steam (which I need to launch the game) disabled;

Virus scans using Malwarebytes show no infections;

BIOS: Updated to latest version; tried experimenting with settings with no effect.

Here's my Speccy snapshot

 

[ConanLock]

This sounds like a failing/failed hard drive or SSD. This is because the inpage error relates to RAM or page filing on the storage. However, seeming as the RAM is fine on Memtest, yet the SSD is not recognised after reboot, this points to the storage. Do you have an HDD in addition to the SSD, or only the SSD?

 

[Tornik]

This sounds like a failing/failed hard drive or SSD. This is because the inpage error relates to RAM or page filing on the storage. However, seeming as the RAM is fine on Memtest, yet the SSD is not recognised after reboot, this points to the storage. Do you have an HDD in addition to the SSD, or only the SSD?

Thank you for the reply. No, I only use one SSD. Software from Windows and Samsung shows everything is fine with it, but I planned to get another SSD anyway, so if I manage to do that soon, I will test this on the new one and see if anything changes.

I have been told my minidump files point to issues caused by peripherals, however I tested that - uninstalled drivers, used different peripherals, disconnected all peripherals after running the game in question - to no effect, so I have now turned to suspecting the SSD again.

 

[ConanLock]

Download SeaTools for Windows and see if this detects any problems with your SSD.
However, just to cover all other factors, are you using any driver downloaders/updaters or any system optimisers or speed boosters, or do you download drivers straight from the official page? If the latter, then drivers or peripherals are likely not a problem. However, if it is any of the former, then it could be as simple as resetting Windows and only using official drivers.
Also, have you run a virus scan? Even if you have, I'd strongly suggest rescanning with Malwarebytes, as it's free, plus you get a 14 day free trial for real time scanning. Malwarebytes seems to find things even the paid antiviruses don't, in both my experience and that of others.
Lastly, have you tried updating your BIOS (if applicable) and also downloading the drivers for you motherboard - primarily the chipset drivers.

 

[Tornik]

Download SeaTools for Windows and see if this detects any problems with your SSD.
However, just to cover all other factors, are you using any driver downloaders/updaters or any system optimisers or speed boosters, or do you download drivers straight from the official page? If the latter, then drivers or peripherals are likely not a problem. However, if it is any of the former, then it could be as simple as resetting Windows and only using official drivers.
Also, have you run a virus scan? Even if you have, I'd strongly suggest rescanning with Malwarebytes, as it's free, plus you get a 14 day free trial for real time scanning. Malwarebytes seems to find things even the paid antiviruses don't, in both my experience and that of others.
Lastly, have you tried updating your BIOS (if applicable) and also downloading the drivers for you motherboard - primarily the chipset drivers.

Over these 12 months that I've had this issue, I've had a range of different configurations. In past I've used diver updaters like SlimDrivers, but with this latest Windows installation (installed two days ago), I only downloaded system drivers from driverscloud.com, which should have official drivers for the motherboard. Should I still try manufacturer website instead?

I did update the BIOS after installing Windows, so that is not a factor.

I will scan the SSD using SeaTools and also run Malwarebytes. I used to use the latter previously, but maybe it will find something wrong this time.

Thanks again.

 

[Satan-IR]

I ran the first dump. It's a bugcheck 1000007E. Debugger sass it's probably caused by HIDCLASS.SYS.

The process named is system and I also noticed the driver LGBusEnum.sys which I think is a Logitech driver.

Have you installed all Windows updates?

Is there an update for the Logitech hardware/peripherals that you're using?

Will check the other dumps later.

 

[Tornik]

I ran the first dump. It's a bugcheck 1000007E. Debugger sass it's probably caused by HIDCLASS.SYS.

The process named is system and I also noticed the driver LGBusEnum.sys which I think is a Logitech driver.

Have you installed all Windows updates?

Is there an update for the Logitech hardware/peripherals that you're using?

Will check the other dumps later.

I checked and it looks like there was a new Windows update over the past few days - installing now.

I also checked drivers for the Logitech G930 headset that I use, and was surprised to find out that the Logitech website offers an older version of the driver for download instead of the version I use (I thought I had downloaded it from their website). Downloading this older driver now.

Thank you for finding the time to check the dumps.

 

[ConanLock]

Well seeming as you are using drivers from the non-orginal source, then this could be causing your problems. Although it may be remedied, seeming as your Windows install is only 2 days old, I'd suggest just wiping Windows and reinstalling it. From here, only use drivers from the official site. For example, if you have a Gigabyte motherboard, download the motherboard drivers from the official Gigabyte website, same goes for all other hardware you get drivers for - get them from the original manufacturer.

 

[Satan-IR]

Ran the second dump (071919-6500-01.dmp) too and it's basically the same deal.

Same bugcheck 0x7e. Again process named is system and the driver named is LGBusEnum.sys.

If this is a driver you got from a 3rd party source not Logitech itself that might be causing the issues. Always get drivers from the original manufacturer's website.

 

[Tornik]

I ran Malwarebyes scan and it didn't find any issues. SeaTools can't actually recognise my SSD so I couldn't run a scan on it. I will reinstall Windows, download drivers from original sources and try the SSD scan again, in the coming hours.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[Tornik]

Reinstalled Windows, installed all its updates (took a while, didn't expect there to be that many), installed all the drivers from manufacturers, ran Malwarebytes (which showed no issues), ran SeaTools (which this time recognised the SSD and didn't report any issues after completing all four tests). Ran the game and had the same stutter followed by BSoD after about 10 mins.

I guess there's still a chance of some kind of mechanical issue with the SSD. As I planned to get another one anyway, I will buy it on Monday, install Windows and all the above-mentioned stuff on it and test the game. Will report results here and mark this as solved if the issue doesn't reappear with the new SSD.

 

[Tornik]

So I'm looking to get a 250GB SSD for Windows/software/game installations, and use my current one for personal files. Should I go for the 250GB version of the Samsung EVO series, or - seeing as I'm having the issue with that drive - for a different manufacturer? Would there be even a small chance of the issue being tied to my system's incompatibility with the EVO SSDs?

 

[Satan-IR]

Reinstalled Windows, installed all its updates (took a while, didn't expect there to be that many), installed all the drivers from manufacturers, ran Malwarebytes (which showed no issues), ran SeaTools (which this time recognised the SSD and didn't report any issues after completing all four tests). Ran the game and had the same stutter followed by BSoD after about 10 mins.

I guess there's still a chance of some kind of mechanical issue with the SSD. As I planned to get another one anyway, I will buy it on Monday, install Windows and all the above-mentioned stuff on it and test the game. Will report results here and mark this as solved if the issue doesn't reappear with the new SSD.

You say SeaTools didn't see problems with SSD. What makes you think it's a storage problem.

Check SMART health status of the drives (HDD, SSD) with HD Sentinel to see if they have any problems. Post screen shots of the SMART tab in HD Sentinel for any HDDs and SSDs you have.

Also SSDs don't have mechanical problems as they have no moving mechanical problems.

If you want a SDD to house your Windows, applications and games with a 256GB drive you would run out of space soon unless you want 1-2 games and not many other software/applications. I'd suggest a 500GB or a 1TB drive.

 

[Tornik]

You say SeaTools didn't see problems with SSD. What makes you think it's a storage problem.

The fact that two of the BSoDs I get are related to kernel issues which point to either RAM/SSD plus the SSD not being recognised after the automatic reboot post-BSoDs. These are the only symptoms I have that I can use to pinpoint the issue.

Check SMART health status of the drives (HDD, SSD) with HD Sentinel to see if they have any problems. Post screen shots of the SMART tab in HD Sentinel for any HDDs and SSDs you have.

Here are the screenshots of Sentinel tabs: Overview / Temperature / SMART

If you want a SDD to house your Windows, applications and games with a 256GB drive you would run out of space soon unless you want 1-2 games and not many other software/applications

Yeah I only have 2 games installed at any time and don't use many applications. I've made some calculations and 250GB should be enough for what I need for at least 2-3 years.

 

[Satan-IR]

The SSD look OK. If you can you can right-click in the SMART tab and select the 'Decimal data fields' so that the numbers are shown as 'human' numbers. There are no Reallocated sectors and no Uncorrectable errors; if any those can suggest a problem with the drive.

One thing is the 'Maximum temperature (during entire lifespan)' is 51C. This might have been a one time occurrence but I would keep a look to see if it rises again and if it does I'd suggest you improve airflow inside the case to prevent the drive from getting too hot. Electronics in general and NAND in particular don't like heat and are vulnerable to it. Prolonged temps like that could result in data corruption and damage to SSD.

I haven't been able to go over other dump files yet but the first 2 clearly indicated a problem with the Logitech peripheral driver. I think you should try to rectify that first.

Meanwhile revert overclocks of any kind (CPU RAM or GPU) to default as they can cause BSODs too.

 

[Tornik]

So after further tests, while running Driver Verifier, I stumbled upon another BSoD (PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA), which indicated it was rzudd.sys that failed. It is a file for one of Razer drivers/software (I use Razer keyboard and mouse).

So now I've had BSoD errors while running Driver Verifier with three peripherals from three different manufacturers: the Logitech headset that can be seen in the minidumps in the original post, the Razer drivers/software, plus the same happened in past with racing pedals from Fanatec, which I use in an online racing simulation.

So basically, something in my system is having issues with any kind of peripheral that I connect and install software for. What is normally the cause of this? Faulty motherboard? And how does the 100 percent disk usage of my SSD that I reported above while getting hit by stutters in the game tie into this?

 

[Satan-IR]

Driver Verifier is designed to make drivers runs with minimal resources and push them until actually BSODs happen. You should disable it and see if BSODs happen or not. Then through analysis of possible dumps try to narrow down the cause.

I told you in post #9 about Logitech driver. Have you actually tried to check if there's an update to it?

Keeping Driver Verifier running would cause problems in any system sooner or later.

I suggest you check for driver updates on the peripherals you use and in the meantime I suggest you run bootable memtest, one RAM stick at a time and at least 8 passes.

 

[Tornik]

Driver Verifier is designed to make drivers runs with minimal resources and push them until actually BSODs happen. You should disable it and see if BSODs happen or not. Then through analysis of possible dumps try to narrow down the cause.

Without running Driver Verifier, the BSoDs I get (mainly during gaming, but it also happened a couple of times while rendering a video project in Adobe Premiere, and even while just browsing the web) are not descriptive (they don't display which file failed) and don't create minidump records. The only minidumps I have (the five submitted in the original post, plus one new file I have in the minidump folder now and probably pointing to the Razer driver) are from BSoDs I get while running the verifier.

I told you in post #9 about Logitech driver. Have you actually tried to check if there's an update to it?

Yes, as I said in post #7, I found a driver version on Logitech website that was older than the driver I was using, and later installed and used it, with no effect on the stutters and BSoDs. I also tried running the game without the Logitech peripheral and driver and the issue was still there.

I suggest you run bootable memtest, one RAM stick at a time and at least 8 passes.

Will do this, thank you.

 

[Tornik]

I've started memtest for each RAM stick separately, however I can't do more than four passes as the free version only allows this many. Will report results when finished but I don't expect much from this - I tested the RAM using memtest previously. That test was done for both sticks simultaneously though.

Update: Memtest didn't find any errors after doing four passes on each of the sticks.

 

[Tornik]

I brought the new SSD home, installed a new Windows version on it, installed manufacturer drivers, logged into the game - exact same stutters followed by the CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED BSoD 10 minutes later.

The last 4-5 stutters have turned into freezes without BSoDs - they are accompanied by 100 percent disk usage, with no particular process displaying high usage on its own:

https://imgur.com/ezxuXH7

View: https://imgur.com/ezxuXH7

https://imgur.com/Y3pjl11

View: https://imgur.com/Y3pjl11

 

[Tornik]

Thinking maybe there is something with power usage/PSU output, I've run HWMonitor to see the data. Can anyone confirm these figures are ok?:

https://imgur.com/G8v2OIG

View: https://imgur.com/G8v2OIG

https://imgur.com/5LVEAzc

View: https://imgur.com/5LVEAzc

 

[Tornik]

I finally managed to fix the issue after a year of struggling with it. It was a problem with the motherboard (might have been mechanical damage caused while cleaning the case, which I did several times) that was causing weird issues with power distribution, which also explains why minidump file wasn't being created during the freeze. I replaced the motherboard and it's going fine now.

Thanks for all the suggestions in this thread.