Question Random shutdowns and errors on booting ?

[mimoche]

I have a 3 year old HP OMEN 25L GT12 Desktop PC with:
Intel (R) Core i7 CPU
one stick of 16GB RAM
GeForce RTX 2060 Super GPU

Over the past 2 years or so I have gotten completely random shutdowns which return the kernel event 41 error. They started out infrequent and I couldn’t tell what to do, but now my computer has been shutting down almost every single day. I also had a day where my computer black screened then restarted windows (without shutdown) returning with the error “event ID 14 from source nvlddmkm cannot be found.” These errors occur when hardly anything is running on my PC, so it’s not related to excess stress.

Recently, the shutdowns have not returned kernel event 41, but a “CMOS checksum invalid” 502 error. The only event logs to appear were “the time zone information was refreshed” and “the time has changed” information ones. As of right now, my computer attempts to turn on with the light flashing, then shuts off, then tries to turn on again. I was able to open it with hardware diagnostics and ran a boot related issues scan which came up with a “memory fast check: failed” in memory module 1 DIMM1.

Does this indicate that the RAM stick is broken or unseated, or that there’s an issue with the slot? Given that I only have 1 stick of RAM, how should I test this, and will the PC work if the stick is moved into another slot? Finally, do the different types of errors indicate that more than one issue is at play here? Thank you!

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

Can you get into BIOS and remain there indefinitely? Does the innards of your prebuilt require dusting off of dust/debris? If so, do that first and see if the system regains stability.

Random shut downs without a BSoD would be due to two reasons;
1| An overheating issue
or
2| Your PSU is failing.

3 year old HP OMEN 25L
Can you pass on an SKU to your HP Omen 25L? Personally I've told people to avoid that prebuilt as they had cases that were horribly designed, the PSU would falter and due to the case's construction, the system would incur overheating issues.

Moved thread from Systems section to Prebuilt & Enterprise section.

 

[mimoche]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

Can you get into BIOS and remain there indefinitely? Does the innards of your prebuilt require dusting off of dust/debris? If so, do that first and see if the system regains stability.

Random shut downs without a BSoD would be due to two reasons;
1| An overheating issue
or
2| Your PSU is failing.

3 year old HP OMEN 25L
Can you pass on an SKU to your HP Omen 25L? Personally I've told people to avoid that prebuilt as they had cases that were horribly designed, the PSU would falter and due to the case's construction, the system would incur overheating issues.

Moved thread from Systems section to Prebuilt & Enterprise section.

My PC is rather dusty so I will try to clean it tomorrow, hopefully it will help. I’m still not sure what to do about the RAM error though.
When I’m on the hardware diagnostics page/bios settings/safe mode my computer will run indefinitely.

In terms of overheating, something about this issue confuses me which is that my computer will turn itself on from hibernate without my interaction and shut down with the kernel 41 error while absolutely nothing is open or running on my computer. Also it usually does have a blue screen for a second which says “we ran into an error and have to restart” with a QR code but it always goes away too fast to capture an image of the code. Right now it is not giving me any blue screen, occasionally it comes back on but when I try to restart it does the flickering light with no monitor activity again. It has the CMOS error every time it comes on.

When I play demanding PC games I can feel my computer heating up, but it has never once shut down during playing video games and it has never felt hot during the times it has shut down with any other program running.

My SKU is 6477877, and thank you for replying!

 

[Misgar]

I was able to open it with hardware diagnostics and ran a boot related issues scan which came up with a “memory fast check: failed” in memory module 1 DIMM1.

If this was my machine, the first thing I'd try (with the computer disconnected from the AC mains) is to unplug the DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module) and plug it back in again.

Sometimes the gold plated contacts get tarnished and the act of unplugging and plugging back in restores normal operation.

Take care. Memory is subject to ESD damage and mishandling can result in hidden damage that only surfaces at a later date. Try not to touch the gold contacts. Touch the PC case metalwork to discharge any static built up on your body, before handling RAM.

will the PC work if the stick is moved into another slot?

There is usually a "preferred" default slot for the first (and second) DIMMs, but on some machines, you can plug the RAM into any slot and the system will work. If your Omen is "fussy" it will only boot with RAM in the "preferred" slots.

My next test would be to download a copy of MemTest86, burn it to a USB memory stick, boot the computer from USB and run a full set of tests (several hours) to see if the RAM is good or bad. Even a single error in MemTest86 means you have a memory problem and should try new RAM.
https://www.memtest86.com/

I only have 1 stick of RAM

This is not ideal and is an example of HP's "penny pinching" attitude. Modern CPUs contain two memory controller channels and most people fit DIMMs in pairs, not singly.

With two DIMMs (or four) the computer will run faster in Dual Channel mode. With only one DIMM, the computer will run slower in Single Channel mode. It's not a huge difference but worthwhile. Maybe 30% faster in Dual mode.
https://umatechnology.org/ram-single-channel-vs-dual-channel/

For a machine with 16GB total, I would have picked 2 x 8GB to enable Dual Channel mode, rather than 1 x 16GB and Single Channel. HP probably saved $3 by fitting a single 16GB DIMM instead of two 8GB DIMMs. It all adds up when you're building thousands of machines.

If you decide to buy more RAM if your 16GB DIMM turns out to be bad after testing with MemTest86, you could buy 2 x 8GB for 16GB total, or 2 x 16GB for 32GB total.

We'd need to work out the "speed" and "type" of your existing DIMM before suggesting suitable replacements. With a 3-year old PC, you might have older DDR4 RAM or more modern DDR5. The two types are physically incompatible so you must buy the correct version. You cannot plug DDR5 RAM into a DDR4 motherboard and vice versa.

Some programs benefit from 32GB RAM, but if your programs are "happy" with 16GB total, a pair of 8GB DIMMs will be cheaper.

You pay extra for "faster" memory and it's advisable to check with HP before buying, to see if the RAM is on their Qualified Vendor List.

A cheap kit of DDR4-3200 RAM m(2 x 8GB):
https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-3200MHz-PC4-25600-Downclockable-Compatible/dp/B08C53LL9J

A similar kit of cheap DDR5-4800 RAM (2 x 8GB):
https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-4800MHz-Desktop-Memory-CT2K8G48C40U5/dp/B09HWDB1F8

When I play demanding PC games I can feel my computer heating up

Heat is a normal by-product of work. If the case gets too hot, I take off a side panel (or tweak the fan settings in the BIOS).