Question PC bluescreens and sometimes crashes without BSOD

[VitusB]

Hello.

For the past few months i've experienced a number of crashes and BSOD happening daily.
Most of the BSOD have the driver ntoskrnl.exe as the cause, which i've heard could be because of a hardware problem.
I've tried almost everything people have suggested, but nothing has helped.
Some things I've tried:

• Clean install
• MemTest86 (and tried another set of RAM)
• Installing another graphics card
• Stress tested CPU
• sfc /scannow
• Reinstalled graphics card drivers

If anyone have any ideas of how to solve it please let me know.

Some minidumps (I've attached a minidump from a driver verifier I just ran): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gyb6GCE4dMGL_-ytXLeVucALeFgPLO5d?usp=sharing
Speccy: http://speccy.piriform.com/results/zlRGXMB1KWFtidMWtp1dO4Z

 

[Colif]

i believe value of 4 disables the driver from running. If you make note of the value of it before you change it, you can revert it later on.

it might not help but at least we can easily revert it. I don't go into the registry myself if I can help it. Best left alone.

 

[VitusB]

i believe value of 4 disables the driver from running. If you make note of the value of it before you change it, you can revert it later on.

it might not help but at least we can easily revert it. I don't go into the registry myself if I can help it. Best left alone.

Which one is it that I have to change?
Picture: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pOo_FgQqJuWFo9nKNNwnmUNCbo-rB3eu/view?usp=sharing

 

[gardenman]

Search your start menu for "Create a Restore Point". Open it and create a new one by clicking on Create at the bottom.

On the left side, right click on AmdPPM and choose Export. Save the file as "Backup.reg" and place it on your desktop or somewhere easy to get to if you need it.

On the right side, double click beside of Start. Change the Value data to 4 in the dialog that pops up. Choose OK.

Afterwards you should reboot so that the driver doesn't load.

 

[johnbl]

Interesting.
I don't know much about the whole registry thing, but can you explain what it is I'm changing?

amdppm.sys = amd primary processor module
i think if you disable the service by setting the value to 4
it will lock your CPU frequencies and disable various overdrive like functions.
this would be an attempt to make your system more stable without having to tell you to disable various bios functions or to increase voltages.

I have been seeing a lot of strange CPU problems right after this module gets called.
you need a kernel dump to see the module getting called since the call can be on a different core than the one that crashed.

 

[Colif]

I don't go into registry at all and I rarely send people into it as I find I can fix most problems without even touching it. As such, I don't really understand it as I don't need to. I know enough about it to know if you not careful, a fresh install is likely only answer. Windows can break easy enough without my help so I stay within the box.

this wasn't same thread as where you originally posted it john but this and the other been going on for too long and its not like we haven't tried almost everything else. Any real proof the bios/chipset problem exists? apart from sensing it does? Just want to be careful before we suggest things that may not be helpful. is it just certain boards or any AMD? Is it B450 only or X570 as well?

intel have intelppm as well, Its built into WIndows as its used to run power management. It lets windows talk to CPU and can control sleep and processing states. I only know that as I was helping someone else where whea errors stopped after disabling intelppm... it didn't feel like right answer... anyway, I am off topic

 

[VitusB]

you need a kernel dump to see the module getting called since the call can be on a different core than the one that crashed.

How can I get a kernel dump for you?

 

[Colif]

same way you set pc for minidumps, its just slightly different

Can you follow option one on the following link - here - and then do this step below: Kernel memory dumps - Have Windows Create a Kernel Memory Dump on BSOD - that creates a file in c windows/memory.dmp after the next BSOD

basically you just choose kernel memory dump from the drop down

 

[VitusB]

same way you set pc for minidumps, its just slightly different

Can you follow option one on the following link - here - and then do this step below: Kernel memory dumps - Have Windows Create a Kernel Memory Dump on BSOD - that creates a file in c windows/memory.dmp after the next BSOD

basically you just choose kernel memory dump from the drop down

I set it up and have now crashed twice but without BSOD, i'll send dump files as soon as i blue screen

 

[VitusB]

This should be a file containing the kernel memory dump: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N7KH_OE-ZYuHsq2Q9ysIc10xcRb66W57/view?usp=sharing

 

[johnbl]

This should be a file containing the kernel memory dump: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N7KH_OE-ZYuHsq2Q9ysIc10xcRb66W57/view?usp=sharing

the file should be memory.dmp and it is located in a different directory than the minidump directory
I do not see this file in your .zip file upload

 

[VitusB]

what about this one? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PKA7Q274jU5oMfPRT-jUpXUmPsLilmLz/view?usp=sharing

 

[johnbl]

the file should be memory.dmp and it is located in a different directory than the minidump directory
I do not see this file in your .zip file upload

 

[johnbl]

are you actually actively using
C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard\vgk.sys Tue Nov 24 10:37:41 2020

Uninstalling and Disabling Riot Vanguard – VALORANT Support (riotgames.com)

the corrupted data looks like it would come from a program making a common error.
also the raw stack shows directx cleanup calls before the corruption.

looked at a second bugcheck it was also in directx called by
amdkmdag.sys Timestamp: Fri Dec 4 08:24:23 2020

both bugchecks showed corruption of the stack


you might consider going into windows control panel device manager and delete all of the high definition audio devices and then only reinstall the ones that actually have speakers attached to them. you can also go into bios and turn off any motherboard sound support that is not being used.
(theory would be a DMA conflict or failure to update BIOS with patch for CPU bug involving DMA issues known AMD CPU bug)

 

[VitusB]

are you actually actively using
C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard\vgk.sys Tue Nov 24 10:37:41 2020

Uninstalling and Disabling Riot Vanguard – VALORANT Support (riotgames.com)

the corrupted data looks like it would come from a program making a common error.
also the raw stack shows directx cleanup calls before the corruption.

it's the anticheat for the game Valorant, I can uninstall if it's necessary

 

[johnbl]

it's the anticheat for the game Valorant, I can uninstall if it's necessary

see if you can install a updated version dated after Tue Nov 24 10:37:41 2020

 

[johnbl]

see if you can install a updated version dated after Tue Nov 24 10:37:41 2020

 

[johnbl]

you could also lower the games demand on your GPU (lower framerate, or quality) to see if that has any effect.
(theory would be that the card gets hot and missed some hardware signal)

 

[VitusB]

you might consider going into windows control panel device manager and delete all of the high definition audio devices and then only reinstall the ones that actually have speakers attached to them. you can also go into bios and turn off any motherboard sound support that is not being used.
(theory would be a DMA conflict or failure to update BIOS with patch for CPU bug involving DMA issues known AMD CPU bug)

Ok, I'll try it

see if you can install a updated version dated after Tue Nov 24 10:37:41 2020

I think I have the newest version, as I just installed the game

you could also lower the games demand on your GPU (lower framerate, or quality) to see if that has any effect.
(theory would be that the card gets hot and missed some hardware signal)

I really don't think it's Valorant causing it, as my pc crashes without it being installed, but if it makes it easier to troubleshoot I can uninstall it

 

[VitusB]

you might consider going into windows control panel device manager and delete all of the high definition audio devices and then only reinstall the ones that actually have speakers attached to them. you can also go into bios and turn off any motherboard sound support that is not being used.
(theory would be a DMA conflict or failure to update BIOS with patch for CPU bug involving DMA issues known AMD CPU bug)

I uninstalled the AMD High Definition Audio Device, because I use Realtek(R), but when I restarted my PC it had reinstalled the driver.
And I couldn't really find anything related to motherboard sound support in my bios settings

 

[johnbl]

I uninstalled the AMD High Definition Audio Device, because I use Realtek(R), but when I restarted my PC it had reinstalled the driver.
And I couldn't really find anything related to motherboard sound support in my bios settings

you would have to disable the device in control panel device manager

 

[VitusB]

I disabled High definition audio device, and almost got through the whole day without crashing but then I got this:
minidump: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18uV7rhEYauvma8wHNxwVmw7Mm1qJmjF1/view?usp=sharing
memory.dmp: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16toZHiAg8X3B5P6sl9qVS9pie7MPvy96/view?usp=sharing

 

[VitusB]

Can I enable AMDppm again?
Latest minidumps: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19IqlpFelzXJU6KArOQaCFIlNk7IAx7AK/view?usp=sharing

 

[Colif]

I am not sure, I am waiting for john to return as it was his idea to do it. If he doesn't convert the dumps you have given us in the last few days, by the weekend, I will get someone else to.

 

[VitusB]

Ok, thanks for the heads up

 

[Colif]

I would contemplate getting PC looked at by a store (I probably suggested this already) as after 3 months we not really any closer to working out cause, so maybe thorough testing of the hardware would bring out a cause.

I know I would be wanting a solution after 2 months now.