[SOLVED] USB device freakouts + BSODs

[raindrops1]

Speccy Minidumps

I'm happy to tip whoever can help me resolve this issue with cryptocurrency. You'd be saving me valuable time and I'd ensure my gratitude for your time is shown.

For well over a year, I've had two problems with my computer:

1. BSODs: These most often occur when I am mining. Interestingly, they rarely happen when gaming or doing other intensive power actions, such as utilizing my VR headset. The codes are typically 'IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL' or 'DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION', though I have less frequently got 'SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION', 'PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA' and a couple of others I can't immediately recall. What is bizarre is that there seems to be no identifiable way to replicate these errors: I've had mining going for two days without issues, and had mining going for two minutes with a subsequent BSOD. Mining isn't the only thing that causes this, but the most frequent -- I've had these BSODs as my computer is only being utilized for light activity (web browsing or writing in Google Docs) or even sitting idle.
2. USB device power/connectivity issues: These occur most often when mining or, much more often, when utilizing one or both of my external hard drives heavily. However, this is not isolated to use of the external hard drives. I will hear Windows do the 'disconnect' device sound, and random USB devices will lose power/cease functioning. Sometimes, devices reconnect shortly thereafter. Other times, I need to unplug/replug them. Often, when this is my mice and keyboard (frequent victims) the inputs become "messed up" -- clicking won't work or will do a different function, and random text will just be spammed on wherever I'm typing until I unplug both the mouse and keyboard and plug them back in. Sometimes, I need to hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete which remedies this, and on other times, I need to stop/restart explorer.exe to remedy this. In fact, even when just typing quickly (as in, just now, when typing this) my keyboard ceased providing input + turned off (with the Windows unplug sound) and began spamming the last character in the text field until I manually unplugged and replugged the mouse and keyboard.

Additionally, I've noticed that in Device Manager, I've always had (at least) one device labeled 'Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed). No particular device I utilize seems to be malfunctioning (when "connected" of course) and I currently see two of these devices.

Some of the steps I've taken, and this is likely far from comprehensive:

• Set up two UPS battery stations -- one for just the computer/monitor, one for peripherals/etc, in order to ensure inadequate power from the wall is ruled out
• Set up wall power to ensure adequate power from wall
• Clean install of Windows (as a result of getting rid of M.2 NVME
• Tried plugging in the mouse and keyboard directly to USB ports on the back of the computer (same issues)
• Downloaded latest Nvidia drivers, did a clean install (and even utilized some cleanup utility, in safe mode, to ensure the cleanest possible install)
• I've replaced the following components since these issues began:
  • Motherboard
  • CPU
  • GPUs
  • RAM
  • PSU
  • HDD (went from Samsung M.2 to a Samsung SSD I used to use for extra storage and is now the C drive)
  • I might be forgetting some components, but essentially, I've replaced every component except the one HDD since these issues began
• Installed powered USB hubs (x3 high speed, high quality ones, as well as a hub for the HDDs on microusb.) No combination of hubs or devices or what they're plugged into (even directly into the computer) resolves the issues.
• Gradually removed some USB devices from the USB hubs and, instead, plugged them into wall power directly (such as headphone charger, phone charger, etc)
• Tried to automatically update the Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed) drivers; nothing found
• Tried to disable the Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed) device(s) -- no change, issues still happen
• Tried to disable MSI Afterburner and revert to pre-Afterburner autotune settings; no change

What I have not done yet:

• Booted into another OS, like Linux, and tried mining to see if there are any similar issues (software vs. hardware diagnosis.)
• Installed a new M.2 NVME SSD (I have one on hand.) I'd like to do this eventually, but work is rather busy right now and I'd prefer not to need to do this to resolve the issue in the coming weeks unless necessary -- particularly since it's not confirmed this will resolve the issue (although it would replace the one piece of hardware, the SSD, that has not been replaced since the issues began.)
• Underclocked my GPUs or restored to OEM clock speeds (they come pre-overclocked as they are water-cooled)
• Removed each and every USB device to diagnose the issue (done about half, but the issues stay constantly present)
• Migrated all items on the small, non-externally powered HDD to the large externally powered HDD (in process, but whenever I try to do this, the USB issues make my computer essentially unusable.) I'll likely have this complete in the coming days and completely deprecate the smaller 1TB non-externally powered device, utilizing only the 4TB externally powered one.
• Connected both externals to another computer (one of my laptops) to see if backup or other heavy use causes issues

I'm unsure of if this is one or two issues. If it helps provide useful context, the BSOD issues have been ongoing for what feels like a little while longer than the USB issues, and the USB issues have noticeably worsened in the past months.

Please let me know if there is any other information I could provide that would be useful

 

[raindrops1]

Update: when trying to copy files from one external HDD to the other, I'm now getting 'Device I/O' errors. Will try to reboot and see if it resolves. Ugh.

 

[raindrops1]

So a reboot fixed this, but yeah, even backing up the stuff on the one external is a hell of a painful process with these issues.

 

[raindrops1]

And the transfer speed is currently going at an impressive 30KB/s this thing is fubar.

 

[raindrops1]

2.67 KBs -- lost cause, lol. Rebooting would likely briefly fix it, but not fix it long enough to get the files off of it and ultimately deprecate the drive.

 

[raindrops1]

Past two days, no BSODs, and only sporadic USB "panic attacks." Of those USB "panic attacks" only one or two resulted in needing to unplug/replug my mouse/keyboard.

Didn't make any changes.

Prior to that, it was pretty much BSOD or USB device "panic attacks" multiple times per day, nonstop, for a week. Not a chance in hell the computer would last overnight, and I'd be lucky to go a few hours at a time without issues.

Been mining overnight, no issues.

I'm not holding my breath, as this has been a cycle.

 

[raindrops1]

So yesterday I unplugged everything from my desk and redid cable management. Ended up removing a power strip that wasn't needed, as well as some extension cables (both power and USB.) Also, fully removed the 'other' external HDD.

Had a DPC Watchdog Violation error that same night, after a few days of no BSODs. sigh

 

[raindrops1]

Installed a new SSD + reformatted a few weeks ago. Since then, I've had one BSOD, no USB device issues.

I've experienced some obnoxious slowdown when mining which is removed by ctrl/alt/delete and opening task manager, though I attribute this more to a likely hasty setup of mining software and as separate from prior issues.

TL;DR -- replacing the SSD seems to have resolved it.