Question Random BSOD and Event 41 Kernel-Power - - - NVMe SSD -> off ?

[6_ERALDI]

Hi all,

I've been getting random BSOD (for less than a second) then the automatic reboot sends it to BIOS (UEFI), without ever succeeding at a restart.

I noticed the booting SSD (NVMe) wasn't blinking, so it's off. (also it doesn't appear on BIOS screen) After that, the only way to get the PC running again is to shut it off completely, and powering it back on again.
On Event Viewer, I can only see Critical-> Event 41-> Kernel-Power. But I cannot find the reason for the BSOD

My specs:
MoBo: MSI MAG Tomahawk B550
CPU: Ryzen 5 5600
GPU: MSI something RX570 8GB OC
Storage:
- NVMe: Samsung 990 Pro with Heatsink 1TB
- SATA: Kingston something SSD 480GB
- SATA: Toshiba something HDD 2TB
- SATA: Toshiba something else HDD 500GB

The NVMe drive is plugged in the slot right next (above) to the GPU, I figured it's the main slot?
Let me know if you have any ideas, at least to get the BSOD code, which up to now I couldn't find anywhere.
Thanks

 

[6_ERALDI]

ok, to give more context (which I don't know what to make out of):

the sequence of the event, in practice, was this:

BSOD -> probably around 6:30
Successful boot ->7:10
first tom's hardware post -> ~7:27
second BSOD -> 7:29
second successful boot -> 7:33

But in the first picture, there's a _suspicious_ error, that says "The previous system shutdown at 7:10:36 PM on ‎1/‎24/‎2025 was unexpected."
BUT there is no system shutdown on that time. In the second picture you can see I have captured all the events for that specific time, 7:10:36, and you can see the PC was up and running, no shutdowns.

1st

https://imgur.com/a/yON1RJv

View: https://imgur.com/a/yON1RJv

Three red events on the 1st picture:
Critical: The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly. | 24-Jan-25 07:33:02 PM
Error: Dump file creation failed due to error during dump creation. BugCheckProgress was: 0x00040049 | 24-Jan-25 07:33:02 PM
Error: The previous system shutdown at 7:10:36 PM on ‎1/‎24/‎2025 was unexpected. | 24-Jan-25 07:33:08 PM
2nd

https://imgur.com/a/lgfvD0Z

View: https://imgur.com/a/lgfvD0Z


Let me know if I can provide anything else

 

[6_ERALDI]

Also,
Why I put this in the Motherboard section:
The main problem here (since BSOD was later discovered) is that the NVMe drive doesn't power up after this kind of error. I have to power cycle in order to get it running again.
I read somewhere that the solution to that might be:
1. Disable the lights on the drive (Activity LED)
2. Select Gen4 in the BIOS
3. Disabled VMD (which IDK)

so before I try anything else, I need to see what I'm doing here 😉

 

[6_ERALDI]

hi there folks,

I'm getting random BSOD after hours of use, usually while having multiple chrome tabs open, watching netflix, or some light gaming. It's never the same case, so I don't suspect it to be Chrome, just yet.
The big problem is that after the PC reboots itself (and I have no time to even look at the BSOD error), the NVMe drive is not recognized by the BIOS, therefore, as it's the only bootable drive, I get the BIOS screen instead of a successful reboot. I then have to shut the PC down completely, and everything returns back to "normal".

the drive is a Samsung 990 Pro 1TB with heatsink.
MoBo is MAG Tomahawk B500 (no-wifi)

Please let me know if you have any ideas (I've already done the sfc, dism, etc. steps) I'm looking for anything vendor specific, like known issues with these drives or this specific MoBo... idk.
Thank you,

 

[Brillis Wuce]

Been there, this situation sucks. Sorry dude.
Event 41-> Kernel-Power - The previous system shutdown: these are basically useless unfortunately. "Loss of power" can be a million different things. Things that come to mind:
-If your SSD doesn't show in the BIOS, its either overheating, defective, or not inserted into the slot correctly.
-Ignore the "disable activity light" aspect. Makes zero difference.
-Have you tried chkdsk /f
-How are temps? Use HWInfo
-What is your PSU brand/name?

 

[6_ERALDI]

Yeah, it's vague, that's why I'm lost here... the BSOD doesn't even last enough to read the code, let alone grab a phone and take a pic..

-so, regarding the SSD, it's supposed to be brand new😕 and besides these errors, doesn't really show any problems, atleast not that I'm aware of..
-I have tried chkdsk, it was performed after a reboot, since this drive is where the OS is located
-temps seem fine, maybe I could update you after a few hours, since I just booted the PC up... (but really, it's an SSD with a heatsink😕)
-PSU is EVGA 430W white (I got it around 2017, according to this old chart, the only one I could afford

https://imgur.com/a/6XgCzuv

View: https://imgur.com/a/6XgCzuv
)

Thank you so much for the reply !!

 

[6_ERALDI]

-How are temps? Use HWInfo

after 2.5 hours of use, temps for the nvme drive are 32, 32 and 38 (same drive).
Anything else I can check?

 

[PiersPlowman]

The PSU requirement for an RX 570 is 450 watts and above. Now, I have a similar build and I have never seen it pull more than ~240 watts from the wall, but... yours is 8 years old and might be starting to fail.

 

[6_ERALDI]

The PSU requirement for an RX 570 is 450 watts and above. Now, I have a similar build and I have never seen it pull more than ~240 watts from the wall, but... yours is 8 years old and might be starting to fail.

your point may be solid... but it seems real strange to me, that after changing my Mobo and CPU, these errors start showing up..
*recently I went from a A320 paired with R3 3100, to a B550 && R5 5600... (TDP is, I think, only 30W more)

What are the chances these errors are caused by the NVMe drive, since I didn't format it before installing the OS?
I have gotten a PFN_LIST_CORRUPT bsod once (although the drive didn't turn off after that). Should I try to remove this a possibility before purchasing a PSU?

(I actually want to wait until I can get one of those Intel Battlemage cards before upgrading the PSU)

 

[PiersPlowman]

I assume you are not overclocking anything (including but not limited to enabling XMP)?

If you have a spare SSD to hand, you could disconnect the other drives then install Windows afresh from a USB drive. If that is successful, and there are no further BSODs, it could be that your drive(s) are faulty.

 

[6_ERALDI]

I assume you are not overclocking anything (including but not limited to enabling XMP)?

If you have a spare SSD to hand, you could disconnect the other drives then install Windows afresh from a USB drive. If that is successful, and there are no further BSODs, it could be that your drive(s) are faulty.

I have enabled XMP...
So, you're telling me to install the OS on another SSD, and disregard the NVMe drive completely?

 

[PiersPlowman]

I have enabled XMP...
So, you're telling me to install the OS on another SSD, and disregard the NVMe drive completely?

Restore the BIOS to its default settings and, if you have not done so already, obtain and install the latest BIOS from the MSI website. It should be 7C91vAH; the slightly newer BIOS is a beta version so we will skip that for now. Leave the BIOS at the default settings.

Does that fix the problem?

Otherwise, to rule out a software problem, yes, a fresh Windows install is the way to go. If the issue persists through that, then it is likely a hardware fault.

 

[6_ERALDI]

Restore the BIOS to its default settings and, if you have not done so already, obtain and install the latest BIOS from the MSI website. It should be 7C91vAH; the slightly newer BIOS is a beta version so we will skip that for now. Leave the BIOS at the default settings.

Does that fix the problem?

Otherwise, to rule out a software problem, yes, a fresh Windows install is the way to go. If the issue persists through that, then it is likely a hardware fault.

I went with the fresh install.
I will be installing all the same apps again, either way, but this time I took the liberty to format the drive before installing the OS... IDK why I have a hunch that it's gonna make a difference 😉

Will keep you posted, just in case

Thank you