Question Computer crashes to black screen (sounds like a graphics issue) ?

[ankido]

Hi,

About 7 weeks, my second computer which I use as a server for gaming was working perfectly fine. In Feb, I reinstalled windows 10 and had no issues. I went out of the country for one month and came back only to find that my server PC keeps crashing to black screen.

Do you see mouse cursor? No
Do you hear sound? No
Is the computer still running? Yes
Is it actually sleeping? No
Have tried reinstalling older drivers? Yes, but with issues. Downloading from Nvidia the installer says not compatible.
Have you tried DDU to completely uninstall? Yes, but with issues. After reboot, drivers are re-installed by windows.

System spec:

i7 4770k
GeForce RTX 2070
RAM 32gb
Windows 10 Pro

I'm at the end of the road. What can I do?
EDIT: Something new just happened. Screen froze. I'm guessing it's not graphics???
REMINDER: System is stable in safe mode.

 

[rgd1101]

brand and model of the psu?

 

[ankido]

I don't remember but everything seems to be stable now when I disable the graphics in device manager. Where do I go from here?

 

[rgd1101]

without knowing anything.
test with another gpu? psu? motherboard/cpu/ram?

 

[ankido]

I went into device manager and disabled the GPU. It's running with an onboard gpu the iGPU now and my computer is still on. I've tried different drivers and still crashes my system. I'm beginning to think it's the dGPU itself. That kind of sucks because I already used up one of my kidney's for a 3070Ti. That computer is mainly used to run servers for games. Nothing special and watch netflix while I sit on my main.

 

[ubuysa]

If the system is stable is Safe Mode then your problem is a third-party driver.

 

[ankido]

How do I go about finding that driver. Because I never installed anything and the rig was working like a charm for over a month before I left for a month. I came back and it was unstable. No overclocking. Reinstall all over again?

 

[ubuysa]

You'll need to enable Driver Verifier.

Driver Verifier subjects selected drivers (typically all third-party drivers) to extra tests and checks every time they are called. These extra checks are designed to uncover drivers that are misbehaving. If any selected driver fails any of the Driver Verifier tests/checks then Driver Verifier will BSOD. The resulting minidump should contain enough information for us to identify the flaky driver. It's thus essential to keep all minidumps created whilst Driver Verifier is enabled.

To enable Driver Verifier do the following:

1. Take a System Restore point and/or take a disk image of your system drive (with Acronis, Macrium Reflect, or similar). It is possible that Driver Verifier may BSOD a driver during the boot process (some drivers are loaded during boot). If that happens you'll be stuck in a boot-BSOD loop.

If you should end up in a boot-BSOD loop, boot the Windows installation media and use that to run system restore and restore to the restore point you took, to remove Driver Verifier and get you booting again. Alternatively you can use the Acronis, Macrium Reflect, or similar, boot media to restore the disk image you took.

Please don't skip this step. it's the only way out of a Driver Verifier boot-BSOD loop.

2. Start the Driver Verifier setup dialog by entering the command verifier in either the Run command box or in a command prompt.

3. On that initial dialog, click the radio button for 'Create custom settings (for code developers)' - the second option - and click the Next button.

4. On the second dialog check (click) the checkboxes for the following tests...
▪ Special Pool
▪ Force IRQL checking
▪ Pool Tracking
▪ Deadlock Detection
▪ Security Checks
▪ Miscellaneous Checks
▪ Power framework delay fuzzing
▪ DDI compliance checking
Then click the Next button.

5. On the next dialog click the radio button for 'Select driver names from a list' - the last option - and click the Next button.

6. On the next dialog click on the 'Provider' heading, this will sort the drivers on this column (it makes it easier to isolate Microsoft drivers).

7. Now check (click) ALL drivers that DO NOT have Microsoft as the provider (ie. check all third-party drivers).

8. Then, on the same dialog, check the following Microsoft drivers (and ONLY these Microsoft drivers)...
▪ Wdf01000.sys
▪ ndis.sys
▪ fltMgr.sys
▪ Storport.sys

9. Now click Finish and then reboot. Driver Verifiier will be enabled.

Be aware that Driver Verifier will remain enabled across all reboots and shutdowns. It can only be disabled manually.

Also be aware that we expect BSODs. Indeed, we want BSODs, to be able to identify the flaky driver(s). You MUST keep all minidumps created whilst Driver Verifier is running, so disable any disk cleanup tools you may have.

10. Leave Driver Verifier running until you have between 5 and 10 BSODs/dumps, or for 24 hours. Use your PC as normal during this time, but do try and make it BSOD. Use every game or app that you normally use, and especially those where you have seen it BSOD in the past.

11. To turn Driver Verifier off enter the command verifier /reset in either Run command box or a command prompt and reboot.

Should you wish to check whether Driver Verfier is enabled or not, open a command prompt and enter the command verifier /query.

12. When Driver Verifier has been disabled, navigate to the folder C:\Windows\Minidump and locate all .dmp files in there that are related to the period when Driver Verifier was running (check the timestamps). Zip these files up (using the Windows built-in zip tool) and upload that zip file to here.

 

[ankido]

This is too much of a headache. My PC crashed once and rebooted. Then froze all the other times and never rebooted. There is one dump file and it cannot be zipped. Telling me access is denied. What other methods are out there for the video driver issue. When I disable through device manager for the 2070, the computer works fine. Is it an actual nvidia driver issue or the actual video card itself?

 

[Zinni]

You'll need to enable Driver Verifier.

Driver Verifier subjects selected drivers (typically all third-party drivers) to extra tests and checks every time they are called. These extra checks are designed to uncover drivers that are misbehaving. If any selected driver fails any of the Driver Verifier tests/checks then Driver Verifier will BSOD. The resulting minidump should contain enough information for us to identify the flaky driver. It's thus essential to keep all minidumps created whilst Driver Verifier is enabled.

To enable Driver Verifier do the following:

1. Take a System Restore point and/or take a disk image of your system drive (with Acronis, Macrium Reflect, or similar). It is possible that Driver Verifier may BSOD a driver during the boot process (some drivers are loaded during boot). If that happens you'll be stuck in a boot-BSOD loop.

If you should end up in a boot-BSOD loop, boot the Windows installation media and use that to run system restore and restore to the restore point you took, to remove Driver Verifier and get you booting again. Alternatively you can use the Acronis, Macrium Reflect, or similar, boot media to restore the disk image you took.

Please don't skip this step. it's the only way out of a Driver Verifier boot-BSOD loop.

2. Start the Driver Verifier setup dialog by entering the command verifier in either the Run command box or in a command prompt.

3. On that initial dialog, click the radio button for 'Create custom settings (for code developers)' - the second option - and click the Next button.

4. On the second dialog check (click) the checkboxes for the following tests...
▪ Special Pool
▪ Force IRQL checking
▪ Pool Tracking
▪ Deadlock Detection
▪ Security Checks
▪ Miscellaneous Checks
▪ Power framework delay fuzzing
▪ DDI compliance checking
Then click the Next button.

5. On the next dialog click the radio button for 'Select driver names from a list' - the last option - and click the Next button.

6. On the next dialog click on the 'Provider' heading, this will sort the drivers on this column (it makes it easier to isolate Microsoft drivers).

7. Now check (click) ALL drivers that DO NOT have Microsoft as the provider (ie. check all third-party drivers).

8. Then, on the same dialog, check the following Microsoft drivers (and ONLY these Microsoft drivers)...
▪ Wdf01000.sys
▪ ndis.sys
▪ fltMgr.sys
▪ Storport.sys

9. Now click Finish and then reboot. Driver Verifiier will be enabled.

Be aware that Driver Verifier will remain enabled across all reboots and shutdowns. It can only be disabled manually.

Also be aware that we expect BSODs. Indeed, we want BSODs, to be able to identify the flaky driver(s). You MUST keep all minidumps created whilst Driver Verifier is running, so disable any disk cleanup tools you may have.

10. Leave Driver Verifier running until you have between 5 and 10 BSODs/dumps, or for 24 hours. Use your PC as normal during this time, but do try and make it BSOD. Use every game or app that you normally use, and especially those where you have seen it BSOD in the past.

11. To turn Driver Verifier off enter the command verifier /reset in either Run command box or a command prompt and reboot.

Should you wish to check whether Driver Verfier is enabled or not, open a command prompt and enter the command verifier /query.

12. When Driver Verifier has been disabled, navigate to the folder C:\Windows\Minidump and locate all .dmp files in there that are related to the period when Driver Verifier was running (check the timestamps). Zip these files up (using the Windows built-in zip tool) and upload that zip file to here.

Would Driver Verifier reveal much more than a regular minidump and also if Event Viewer consistently says what driver is failing? I'm having a very similar issue.

 

[ankido]

System stable, going on 30 minutes. This is the longest I've seen it go. I will continue to see how long I can get the system to stay online. If it doesn't crash, problem solved. You might want to try this. Found it on the Nvidia forums for the 200 series.


Install this driver, using these instructions and NO GFE: https://us.download.nvidia.com/Wind...-win10-win11-64bit-international-dch-whql.exe

Download DDU 18.0.6.1 or Newer: http://www.wagnardsoft.com/content/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu-v18061-released IMAGE HERE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UlkGj8suaYIRIwumGF7rNIlnNsr2OZ0I/view?usp=sharing

Disconnect the NETWORK Cable | WIFI (I Disable these in the DEVICE MANAGER)

[win]+[r] >> msconfig >> Boot(tab) ... (check) Safe Boot >> Apply >> Ok >> Restart

Run DDU (see Settings Below)
• Select: NVIDIA Software and drivers
• Select: Clean, do not restart

[win]+[r] >> msconfig >> Boot(tab) ... (uncheck) Safe Boot >> Apply >> Ok >> Restart

Back in normal Windows: Install the NVIDIA driver
• Select: Driver Only
• Select: Custom
• Uncheck Everything except the GPU driver
• Finish the Install Reboot

Reconnect the Internet

Check to see if the issue is still happening.

 

[Zinni]

System stable, going on 30 minutes. This is the longest I've seen it go. I will continue to see how long I can get the system to stay online. If it doesn't crash, problem solved. You might want to try this. Found it on the Nvidia forums for the 200 series.


Install this driver, using these instructions and NO GFE: https://us.download.nvidia.com/Wind...-win10-win11-64bit-international-dch-whql.exe

Download DDU 18.0.6.1 or Newer: http://www.wagnardsoft.com/content/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu-v18061-released IMAGE HERE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UlkGj8suaYIRIwumGF7rNIlnNsr2OZ0I/view?usp=sharing

Disconnect the NETWORK Cable | WIFI (I Disable these in the DEVICE MANAGER)

[win]+[r] >> msconfig >> Boot(tab) ... (check) Safe Boot >> Apply >> Ok >> Restart

Run DDU (see Settings Below)
• Select: NVIDIA Software and drivers
• Select: Clean, do not restart

[win]+[r] >> msconfig >> Boot(tab) ... (uncheck) Safe Boot >> Apply >> Ok >> Restart

Back in normal Windows: Install the NVIDIA driver
• Select: Driver Only
• Select: Custom
• Uncheck Everything except the GPU driver
• Finish the Install Reboot

Reconnect the Internet

Check to see if the issue is still happening.

Thanks!! I'm gonna try this driver right now!

And I'm very familiar with DDU. In the past couple months I think I've used DDU more times than the entire continental United States combined.

EDIT: I just tried to install it and it said that the driver is not compatible with my system.

 

[ankido]

Thanks!! I'm gonna try this driver right now!

And I'm very familiar with DDU. In the past couple months I think I've used DDU more times than the entire continental United States combined.

EDIT: I just tried to install it and it said that the driver is not compatible with my system.

Look at the driver and date and version. Get the one that is compatible for your video card. For the server I use, it's a RTX 2070. My main is a RTX 3070Ti. So it wouldn't work on my main. Follow the directions exactly the way it's written and I promise you, your problem will be fixed. I just woke up and it's been 20 hours. Computer still stable.

Make sure to disable network and wifi.

 

[Zinni]

It didn't work. I guess I could try every driver they've released for my GPU, though I've already tried over half of them and I'm not confident the others are gonna work at this point.
Thanks for the suggestion though.