Question PC is randomly freezing, rebooting, or monitors lose signal which forces me to restart ?

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chocopasta

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Dec 4, 2018
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So I am having some very annoying issues with my PC. It randomly freezes where I can no longer move my mouse, talk to people on discord or hear any audio (the audio always stops like 10 seconds after everything freezes). The only fix for this issue is to hold down the power button on my case (or unplug it or whatever) and reboot, after that it seems fine again.
Another issue I am having is my PC becoming very slow. This rarely happens in games, but does happen sometimes when watching a video. I will notice the video stuttering, but not having to load so I know its not my internet. There will be these stutters or mini freezes, where audio will also lag or sound robotic during those freezes. These freezes will happen for a minute or 2, until a longer freeze happens, my monitors lose signal and my PC restarts.

Sometimes after a freeze or forced reboot, when I turn the PC back on my second monitor (both are connected through displayport), will stay black. It is recognized by windows as a 2nd monitor but not receiving signal. I will then unplug the displayport cable, notice Windows swapping to single monitor mode and plug it back in. This resolves the issue, but might be an indicator to someone as to what is wrong with my PC.

Today I also had the first Blue screen I have seen. It might have happened before (maybe during those forced restarts) but because I lose signal to my monitors most of the time I maybe just cant see the actual blue screen. I checked the reliability monitor and will post some screen shots below through imgur:
https://imgur.com/a/D1JjR4p

Things I have tried:
  • Windows CMD check for corrupted or damaged/missing system files (non found);
  • Windows upgrade and fresh install;
  • Removing some lesser used applications;
  • Closing almost all applications and disabling them to automatically launch on startup to try and isolate the issue (was not able to link the issues to a single application);
  • Checking connections in the PC (cables and such);
  • Monitoring temps (no overheating seems to be happening);
  • Trying different monitors (tried 2x HDMI monitors, a TV, 2x Displayport monitors, 1x DP 1x HDMI, ultrawide), none of which had any impact;
  • Read about alt-tabbing to certain applications causing similar issues for some people, so stopped alt-tabbing for a while (issue still happened after closing a game for example or when randomly just watching a video);
  • Upgrading all drivers and uninstalling drivers I no longer use.

PC Specs:
  • Windows version: Win11 Home 23H2
  • MB: TUF GAMING B550-PLUS-WIFI 2 (wifi adapter not connected, directly connected to the router (fiber))
  • CPU: Ryzen 7 5800x3d
  • GPU: MSI RTX 3070 VENTUS 3X OC
  • RAM: G.Skill DDR4 3600MHz (2x8GB)
  • Drives:
    • C: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB
    • D: WDC HDD 465GB
    • E: WDC HDD 1.5TB
    • F: Samsung 980 PRO 2TB (boot drive)

I would be happy to send more screenshots or give more information, but am not sure what other information to give for now, so please ask if something is missing or you are curious about something that might be causing it. Would be happy to do some troubleshooting. If it is obvious it is a defect part, I am also willing to replace it, but I am not 100% sure what part could be the issue right now. Hope its not my GPU so I can wait for the 5000 series :)
 
Increasing numbers of errors and varying errors are a sign of a faltering/failing PSU.

= = = =

Question regarding: "Windows CMD check for corrupted or damaged/missing system files (non found)">

Meaning you ran "dism" and "sfc /scannow" - correct?

= = = =

Reliability Monitor

Note the date when the problems ("Red circles") first appeared.

Go to that date and read throught the details.

Then read through to the current date. Look for error codes then check the details. The details may or may not be helpful.

Two other places to look:

Event Viewer: Not as end user friendly as Reliability Monitor. Requires more time and effort to navigate and understand.

To help:

How To - How to use Windows 10 Event Viewer | Tom's Hardware Forum (tomshardware.com)

Update History: Look for any failed or problem updates.

That all said:

Ensure that all important data is backed up at least 2 x to locations away from the PC in question., Verify that the backups are recoverable and readable.
 
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drivinfast247 said:
Hmmm....
Download and run memtest86 from a thumb-drive.

Is your BIOS up-to-date? What about chipset drivers?
Click to expand...
Okay so a follow-up on some things you said. Really new to this stuff so I will need some time to figure this all out. I just installed memtest on a USB, will run that in a bit to gather some results for you to hopefully help me figure out this issue.

In the meantime I checked for my chipset drivers. In device manager I am on the Standard SATA AHCI Controller and device manager says I am up to date. To be sure I ran the chipset software of AMD and it seemed to update a few things.

Regarding BIOS, Windows System Information states I am on BIOS Version/Date: American Megatrends Inc. 0303, 11/09/2021. The most recent driver version according to their website is: 3607, 2024/04/03. Is this worth updating?
 
Ralston18 said:
Increasing numbers of errors and varying errors are a sign of a faltering/failing PSU.

= = = =

Question regarding: "Windows CMD check for corrupted or damaged/missing system files (non found)">

Meaning you ran "dism" and "sfc /scannow" - correct?

= = = =

Reliability Monitor

Note the date when the problems ("Red circles") first appeared.

Go to that date and read throught the details.

Then read through to the current date. Look for error codes then check the details. The details may or may not be helpful.

Two other places to look:

Event Viewer: Not as end user friendly as Reliability Monitor. Requires more time and effort to navigate and understand.

To help:

How To - How to use Windows 10 Event Viewer | Tom's Hardware Forum (tomshardware.com)

Update History: Look for any failed or problem updates.

That all said:

Ensure that all important data is backed up at least 2 x to locations away from the PC in question., Verify that the backups are recoverable and readable.
Click to expand...
Hello, thanks for your response! I have indeed ran dism and sfc /scannow. I have recently done a fresh install of windows however, so I did them again just in case. DISM came back clean, no component store corruption detected. sfc /scannow found corrupt files. When checking the logs and ctrl+f'ing for 'corrupt' I am finding the following: [Pnp] Corrupt file: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\bthmodem.sys. Beyond that there isn't much regarding corrupted files in the log. Not sure if there is anything else to check for however, so if I should check for something please do let me know.

Regarding the errors in reliability monitor, when checking the bugchecks on the 'windows stopped working' problems I have found the following:
I have checked these logs for the last few days and these are the bugchecks it stated on those 'windows stopped working' problems, followed with their description and the amount of times each of them occurred. I tried reading the documentation but was not able to get much information out of it because I am not the most tech savvy.

Another maybe noteworthy thing would be this windows installation failure: Installation Failure: Windows failed to install the following update with error 0x80073D02: 9NMPJ99VJBWV-Microsoft.YourPhone. As this one failed to install more than once over a few days. But besides that not many windows installation failures.

I will look into event viewer, thanks for the link!
 
Ralston18 said:
bthmodem.sys

FYI: Information only.

https://www.minitool.com/news/bthmodem-sys.html

Do not apply or try any of the fixes. More needs to be known.

What Bluetooth devices do you have? Not only on your system but other devices as well?

As for the other errors: what video devices do you have?

Do take a look in Event Viewer and see what else you can discover.
Click to expand...
I am currently only using 1 BT device, a Logitech wireless keyboard with one of those trackpads on it. I connect it to my pc using one of those BT dongles. Removing said dongles does not fix the issue sadly. Besides that I am not using anything wirelessly, its all connected using cables. Also using wired internet, I dont have the wifi antennas plugged in so my pc has no wifi capabilities currently.

For cable connected devices:
  • USB for my keyboard;
  • USB for my mouse;
  • USB for my game controller;
  • USB for my Astro A40 Mixamp (headset);
  • USB for my Fiio K5 PRO Amp;
  • USB for my Fanatec CSL DD (simracing steering wheel base);
  • Ethernet cable;
  • 2x Displayport cables for my monitors;
  • Will sometimes also add an HDMI for my television when sim racing, but these issues also occur without this HDMI plugged in.
Besides that I have 2 monitors connected, both using displayport. One (my secondary monitor) is an MSI Optix 24" monitor (1920x1080). The other (my main monitor) is an iiyama ultrawide 3440x1440 monitor.

Will do some more snooping around in the event viewer to hopefully find more! Thanks for your help so far! :)
 
drivinfast247 said:
Hmmm....
Download and run memtest86 from a thumb-drive.

Is your BIOS up-to-date? What about chipset drivers?
Click to expand...
Okay so I have also ran a memtest now. Ran it for about 40 minutes but it resulted in 0 errors so far. Is it worth it to run it for longer? If so I can do a full run overnight, but I currently also have some things to do on this PC so don't have the time for it now.
 
chocopasta said:
Okay so I have also ran a memtest now. Ran it for about 40 minutes but it resulted in 0 errors so far. Is it worth it to run it for longer? If so I can do a full run overnight, but I currently also have some things to do on this PC so don't have the time for it now.
Click to expand...


It is best to run until complete, but go ahead and stop it for now.

I have one more thing to try. Download DDU from https://www.wagnardsoft.com/content/Download-Display-Driver-Uninstaller-DDU-18078

Download the latest driver for your GPU.

Run DDU from safemode and remove the video drivers. If possible disconnect pc from the internet(to avoid Windows trying to install drivers upon reboot).

Once restarted after DDU completes, install the downloaded GPU driver.

Test
 
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drivinfast247 said:
It is best to run until complete, but go ahead and stop it for now.

I have one more thing to try. Download DDU from https://www.wagnardsoft.com/content/Download-Display-Driver-Uninstaller-DDU-18078

Download the latest driver for your GPU.

Run DDU from safemode and remove the video drivers. If possible disconnect pc from the internet(to avoid Windows trying to install drivers upon reboot).

Once restarted after DDU completes, install the downloaded GPU driver.

Test
Click to expand...
Alright I have done this. Since the freezes are completely random I can't give you a definitive answer right away sadly. Sometimes it crashes multiple times a day, other times it does not crash for an entire day. If it does crash again, I will give an update.

I would like to thank you in advance for your time and help so far! Really appreciated! :)
 
You are welcome - a couple more thoughts.

Per Post #9 - USB devices...

Are they directly connected to the PC or via a USB hub of some sort? If a hub, is that hub independently powered or being powered by a PC USB port?

Also that BT dongle: USB port as well - correct?

Use a USB extension cable to move the dongle up and away from the host case/port. That can help with transmission and reception plus help keep the dongle cooler.
 
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Ralston18 said:
You are welcome - a couple more thoughts.

Per Post #9 - USB devices...

Are they directly connected to the PC or via a USB hub of some sort? If a hub, is that hub independently powered or being powered by a PC USB port?

Also that BT dongle: USB port as well - correct?

Use a USB extension cable to move the dongle up and away from the host case/port. That can help with transmission and reception plus help keep the dongle cooler.
Click to expand...
I am not using a USB hub, these are all directly connected to the back of the case. I am using a Lian Li o11 Dynamic Evo case, which also has 2 USB ports, an audio jack and USB C port on the side of the case. I have the dongle connected here (USB A). So this dongle is not directly connected to the motherboard.
 
Ralston18 said:
You are welcome - a couple more thoughts.

Per Post #9 - USB devices...

Are they directly connected to the PC or via a USB hub of some sort? If a hub, is that hub independently powered or being powered by a PC USB port?

Also that BT dongle: USB port as well - correct?

Use a USB extension cable to move the dongle up and away from the host case/port. That can help with transmission and reception plus help keep the dongle cooler.
Click to expand...
Just wanted to add 1 more 'symptom' of these crashes. Quite often the crashes happen after closing out of 'heavier' applications, think videogames. For example just now, I had a videogame open for about an hour, no issues, I close out of the videogame and immediately my pc freezes and both monitors lose signal, forcing me to hold the power button to restart. Unplugging and plugging my monitors back in does nothing. Maybe this is a clear sign to you as to what is either defect or potentially causing issues?
 
As much as possible do some testing with as few USB devices as possible.

Determine if the number of crashes declines.

Try to borrow an independently powered USB hub. Plug only the hub into the laptops and then all other USB devices into the hub.

Overall though that PSU is suspect. Remember that PSU's provide 3 different voltages (3, 5, and 12) to various system components and devices. Problems with any given voltage can cause all sorts of problems.

Ensure (as should always be being done) that all important data is backed up elsewhere than the host computer. Verify that the backups are recoverable and readable.

And if other drivers are downloaded do so manually direct from the applicable manufacturer's website. No third party tools or installers.
 
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Ralston18 said:
As much as possible do some testing with as few USB devices as possible.

Determine if the number of crashes declines.

Try to borrow an independently powered USB hub. Plug only the hub into the laptops and then all other USB devices into the hub.

Overall though that PSU is suspect. Remember that PSU's provide 3 different voltages (3, 5, and 12) to various system components and devices. Problems with any given voltage can cause all sorts of problems.

Ensure (as should always be being done) that all important data is backed up elsewhere than the host computer. Verify that the backups are recoverable and readable.

And if other drivers are downloaded do so manually direct from the applicable manufacturer's website. No third party tools or installers.
Click to expand...
Alright, noted! So would you recommend me looking for other things to try, on the software end? I don't have a USB hub so I would have to buy one of those to test if that changes anything. Do you think the USB connections are a possible cause for these issues and is that likely enough for me to buy a new USB hub? Or should I try buying a new PSU first?
 
Ralston18 said:
As much as possible do some testing with as few USB devices as possible.

Determine if the number of crashes declines.

Try to borrow an independently powered USB hub. Plug only the hub into the laptops and then all other USB devices into the hub.

Overall though that PSU is suspect. Remember that PSU's provide 3 different voltages (3, 5, and 12) to various system components and devices. Problems with any given voltage can cause all sorts of problems.

Ensure (as should always be being done) that all important data is backed up elsewhere than the host computer. Verify that the backups are recoverable and readable.

And if other drivers are downloaded do so manually direct from the applicable manufacturer's website. No third party tools or installers.
Click to expand...
Also, I analyzed the dmp crash log made by windows, using windbg. These are the results:
https://imgur.com/a/IALQYTl
View: https://imgur.com/a/IALQYTl


Can this be of any use for you in helping me definitively identify the cause of these crashes and freezes?
 
chocopasta said:
So I am having some very annoying issues with my PC. It randomly freezes where I can no longer move my mouse, talk to people on discord or hear any audio (the audio always stops like 10 seconds after everything freezes). The only fix for this issue is to hold down the power button on my case (or unplug it or whatever) and reboot, after that it seems fine again.
Another issue I am having is my PC becoming very slow. This rarely happens in games, but does happen sometimes when watching a video. I will notice the video stuttering, but not having to load so I know its not my internet. There will be these stutters or mini freezes, where audio will also lag or sound robotic during those freezes. These freezes will happen for a minute or 2, until a longer freeze happens, my monitors lose signal and my PC restarts.

Sometimes after a freeze or forced reboot, when I turn the PC back on my second monitor (both are connected through displayport), will stay black. It is recognized by windows as a 2nd monitor but not receiving signal. I will then unplug the displayport cable, notice Windows swapping to single monitor mode and plug it back in. This resolves the issue, but might be an indicator to someone as to what is wrong with my PC.

Today I also had the first Blue screen I have seen. It might have happened before (maybe during those forced restarts) but because I lose signal to my monitors most of the time I maybe just cant see the actual blue screen. I checked the reliability monitor and will post some screen shots below through imgur:
https://imgur.com/a/D1JjR4p

Things I have tried:
  • Windows CMD check for corrupted or damaged/missing system files (non found);
  • Windows upgrade and fresh install;
  • Removing some lesser used applications;
  • Closing almost all applications and disabling them to automatically launch on startup to try and isolate the issue (was not able to link the issues to a single application);
  • Checking connections in the PC (cables and such);
  • Monitoring temps (no overheating seems to be happening);
  • Trying different monitors (tried 2x HDMI monitors, a TV, 2x Displayport monitors, 1x DP 1x HDMI, ultrawide), none of which had any impact;
  • Read about alt-tabbing to certain applications causing similar issues for some people, so stopped alt-tabbing for a while (issue still happened after closing a game for example or when randomly just watching a video);
  • Upgrading all drivers and uninstalling drivers I no longer use.

PC Specs:
  • Windows version: Win11 Home 23H2
  • MB: TUF GAMING B550-PLUS-WIFI 2 (wifi adapter not connected, directly connected to the router (fiber))
  • CPU: Ryzen 7 5800x3d
  • GPU: MSI RTX 3070 VENTUS 3X OC
  • RAM: G.Skill DDR4 3600MHz (2x8GB)
  • Drives:
    • C: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB
    • D: WDC HDD 465GB
    • E: WDC HDD 1.5TB
    • F: Samsung 980 PRO 2TB (boot drive)

I would be happy to send more screenshots or give more information, but am not sure what other information to give for now, so please ask if something is missing or you are curious about something that might be causing it. Would be happy to do some troubleshooting. If it is obvious it is a defect part, I am also willing to replace it, but I am not 100% sure what part could be the issue right now. Hope its not my GPU so I can wait for the 5000 series :)
Click to expand...
Any hardware changes ?
If yes set bios to default and save then update your bios to latest version

Make sure

Is your ram in slots 2 and 4

2 being from cpu
 
beyondlogic said:
Any hardware changes ?
If yes set bios to default and save then update your bios to latest version

Make sure

Is your ram in slots 2 and 4

2 being from cpu
Click to expand...
Hello, thanks for your response!

I have not made any hardware changes. Bios is not up to date, but I have never updated my bios so am not sure if thats something I should try regardless of hardware changes?

Windows System Information states I am on BIOS Version/Date: American Megatrends Inc. 0303, 11/09/2021. The most recent driver version according to the mobo website is: 3607, 2024/04/03.

ram slots are in 2 and 4, yes.
 
Just found something in the event viewer I would like to add:
My pc just crashed again (~20 minutes ago) while i was grabbing coffee, I came back and it was at the login screen again. Checked reliability monitor to confirm and it showed the critical events 'windows stopped working', 'shut down unexpectedly' and 'windows was not properly shut down', which are the standard 3 critical events showed after I crash confirming it did in fact crash again. I also had 1 more crash last night and 2 more yesterday in the afternoon. Safe to say the frequency of the crashes is increasing after doing some troubleshooting yesterday.

But what I found in the event viewer might be interesting:
There were a total of 21 errors all in the same second (11:23:30, the time of the crash according to reliability monitor) where: 'nvlddmkm' had issues.

20 of these errors were related to Event ID: 14 from source 'nvlddmkm'.
https://imgur.com/a/YolAbJ2
View: https://imgur.com/a/YolAbJ2


The other 'nvlddmkm' related error occurring at 11:23:30 was related to Event ID: 153.
https://imgur.com/a/sf1IJlh
View: https://imgur.com/a/sf1IJlh


Saw this post online about it being due to faulty RAM. Will memtest show this if I do a full run? Forgot to do it last night sadly, but can probably run it somewhere today.
 
chocopasta said:
Hello, thanks for your response!

I have not made any hardware changes. Bios is not up to date, but I have never updated my bios so am not sure if thats something I should try regardless of hardware changes?

Windows System Information states I am on BIOS Version/Date: American Megatrends Inc. 0303, 11/09/2021. The most recent driver version according to the mobo website is: 3607, 2024/04/03.

ram slots are in 2 and 4, yes.
Click to expand...
The Ryzen 5800x3d came out in 2022 so the motherboard doesn't have the proper micro code to work properly with that motherboard this can cause instability.

I believe that the 0303 is marked wrong as the correct bios as you have pointed out it's dated 11/09/2021

I would update the bios to latest version regardless of hardware changes.

Change the memory speed to 3200 see if that fixes your issue.

G skill really hates Ryzen boards from my own experience.
 
Last edited:
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beyondlogic said:
The Ryzen 5800x3d came out in 2022 so the motherboard doesn't have the proper micro code to work properly with that motherboard this can cause instability.

I believe that the 0303 is marked wrong as the correct bios as you have pointed out it's dated 11/09/2021

I would update the bios to latest version regardless of hardware changes.

Change the memory speed to 3200 see if that fixes your issue.

G skill really hates Ryzen boards from my own experience.
Click to expand...
Alright, just updated my bios. Will try this first to see if that helps, otherwise I can always try lowering my ram speed. Thanks for the suggestions, will keep you posted!
 
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beyondlogic said:
The Ryzen 5800x3d came out in 2022 so the motherboard doesn't have the proper micro code to work properly with that motherboard this can cause instability.

I believe that the 0303 is marked wrong as the correct bios as you have pointed out it's dated 11/09/2021

I would update the bios to latest version regardless of hardware changes.

Change the memory speed to 3200 see if that fixes your issue.

G skill really hates Ryzen boards from my own experience.
Click to expand...
Sadly no improvements. I feel its a bit more stable after the bios update, but it still crashes more than once a day. Every crash I see the same errors/criticals in event viewer/reliability monitor:
  • Reboot from a bugcheck 0x116.
  • The description for Event ID 14 from source nvlddmkm cannot be found. (\Device\Video3 CMDre 00000001 00003ffc ffffffff 00000007 00ffffff)
I have also tried different display ports in my GPU to see if that resolves anything. Also tried giving the nvlddmkm.sys file in my system32 folder full user access, which I found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/12l01wf/nvlddmkm_4090_crash_solved/ ----> (see first comment)

Any other suggestions? Also noticed after the crash today the PC restarted by itself (which is not out of the ordinary), but after restarting, my RGB fans were all enabled. I manually disabled them a long time ago in armoury crate, but after the crash today the RGBs were all on on my fans again. Could this be an indication of something?
 
chocopasta said:
Sadly no improvements. I feel its a bit more stable after the bios update, but it still crashes more than once a day. Every crash I see the same errors/criticals in event viewer/reliability monitor:
  • Reboot from a bugcheck 0x116.
  • The description for Event ID 14 from source nvlddmkm cannot be found. (\Device\Video3 CMDre 00000001 00003ffc ffffffff 00000007 00ffffff)
I have also tried different display ports in my GPU to see if that resolves anything. Also tried giving the nvlddmkm.sys file in my system32 folder full user access, which I found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/12l01wf/nvlddmkm_4090_crash_solved/ ----> (see first comment)

Any other suggestions? Also noticed after the crash today the PC restarted by itself (which is not out of the ordinary), but after restarting, my RGB fans were all enabled. I manually disabled them a long time ago in armoury crate, but after the crash today the RGBs were all on on my fans again. Could this be an indication of something?
Click to expand...
After you updated the bios, did you clear CMOS (CLRTC) on your mobo? If not you must do this.

You should do it manually by shorting 2 pins marked CLRTC on the bottom edge of your mobo.

Turn off the PC.
Disconnect all cables.
Press the power button a few times to clear the power from the circuitry.
Take out the CMOS battery.
Short the 2 pins (you can do this with a flathead screwdriver) - You touch the head of the screwdriver to the 2 pins. Simply touch them. You can do this a couple of times.
Put CMOS battery back in.
Reconnect external cables.
Power on System.

Once you've done that, you will be presented with a screen that looks different from the norm. It will prompt you to reconfigure the bios, which you can go ahead with, then save and exit and boot up.

Let us know how that goes.
 
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