Question Wide variety of BSODs persist after reinstalling Windows

jimfreeman92

Reputable
Oct 5, 2018
13
0
4,510
Hello, long time lurker here who is motivated to post tonight because of a frustrating pattern of BSODs that I've been experiencing. I will try to keep this post short and informative - thanks in advance for your help and please advise if additional info would help diagnose.

System built in November 2018 and I've upgraded the graphics card and RAM kit since then. I've experienced a few odd BSODs over the past 3-4 years - usually no more than 1 or 2 per year - however, system has been increasingly unstable over the past 6 months. In the past month or so it has gotten to the point where I can't game for more than 20 minutes without BSOD'ing. Doesn't matter what game I play. It had even gotten to the point where I could BSOD just checking my email, etc.

At my wits end, I reinstalled Windows 10 yesterday, proceeded to reinstall my applications, thought I was fine, I was able to game for 90 minutes straight yesterday - then, tonight, bam, ntfs.sys BSOD while playing Planet Zoo. Clearly there is still something wrong.

Here is my DXdiag.
Here is the Windows Event Log from this evening's crash.


At this point I suspect either faulty RAM or C:/ Drive but I am no expert - hence this post.

Here are few of the different BSODs I've experienced over the past few months, increasing in frequency and severity over the past ~month:
  • IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL
  • SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION (with or without "win32kbase.sys" added)
  • Kernel Security Check Failure
  • Page Fault in Nonpaged Area
  • Unexpected Kernel Mode Trap
  • Vlflt.sys ( < does this have to do with BitDefender which I use?)
Here are some additional background facts, and 1 question:
  • Nothing is overclocked. RAM kit is @ 3200 @ 16-18-18-18-36. I was flirting with 3466 speeds in the past and noticed no correlation with BSODs. Stepping down the speeds (e.g. 2800) doesn't seem to help either.
  • I ran System File Checker and the DISM tool via command line both pre and post Win10 reinstall. No errors were found ever.
  • Pre OS reinstallation, Memtest 86 froze on Test 10 for a solid hour. I have not tried to run MT86 a second time.

  • After I reinstalled Windows yesterday, I was surprised to find (relatively) current drivers already installed for all my devices within Device Manager (for example, a GeForce driver from April of this year). Is this to be expected? Did Windows Update grab these from the internet as part of the reinstall process, or during one of the first Windows Update updates?
That's all folks. Thank you in advance for your help.
TL;DR I have tons of BSODs and reinstalling Windows didn't fix it. Please see the DXdiag and Windows Event Log linked above.

Cheers
James
 
Last edited:

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
Can you follow option one on the following link - here - and then do this step below: Small memory dumps - Have Windows Create a Small Memory Dump (Minidump) on BSOD - that creates a file in c windows/minidump after the next BSOD

  1. Open Windows File Explore
  2. Navigate to C:\Windows\Minidump
  3. Copy the mini-dump files out onto your Desktop
  4. Do not use Winzip, use the built in facility in Windows
  5. Select those files on your Desktop, right click them and choose 'Send to' - Compressed (zipped) folder
  6. Upload the zip file to the Cloud (OneDrive, DropBox . . . etc.)
  7. Then post a link here to the zip file, so we can take a look for you . . .

Was this how you reinstalled as the driver thing is odd, as far as I know the Nvidia driver that comes with WIndows is still from 2020
https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq/how-to-do-a-clean-installation-of-windows-10.3170366/

I would run memtest again overnight and see if it unfreezes on test 10. Bad ram can cause all sorts of BSOD. And blame perfectly working drivers.
 

jimfreeman92

Reputable
Oct 5, 2018
13
0
4,510
Can you follow option one on the following link - here - and then do this step below: Small memory dumps - Have Windows Create a Small Memory Dump (Minidump) on BSOD - that creates a file in c windows/minidump after the next BSOD

  1. Open Windows File Explore
  2. Navigate to C:\Windows\Minidump
  3. Copy the mini-dump files out onto your Desktop
  4. Do not use Winzip, use the built in facility in Windows
  5. Select those files on your Desktop, right click them and choose 'Send to' - Compressed (zipped) folder
  6. Upload the zip file to the Cloud (OneDrive, DropBox . . . etc.)
  7. Then post a link here to the zip file, so we can take a look for you . . .
Was this how you reinstalled as the driver thing is odd, as far as I know the Nvidia driver that comes with WIndows is still from 2020
https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq/how-to-do-a-clean-installation-of-windows-10.3170366/

I would run memtest again overnight and see if it unfreezes on test 10. Bad ram can cause all sorts of BSOD. And blame perfectly working drivers.

Hi, thanks, Colif.

Minidump files per your instructions: https://easyupload.io/x6ee9z

That isn't exactly how I reinstalled Win10, either - I didn't create any installation media and I wasn't asked for a product key at any point. I reinstalled from Windows itself, like this article:
  • Provided your computer can boot into Windows 10, open the Settings app (the cog icon towards the bottom-left of the Start menu), then click on Update & Security. Click on Recovery, then ‘Get started’ under ‘Reset this PC’.
  • I then performed a Local Reinstall as opposed to a Cloud Download
Did I "reinstall Windows" yet all my drivers were kept intact? I simply wiped all data? (n) FYI, I also noticed my drive partitions were kept intact through reinstallation.

I'll let you know how Memtest 86 goes again tonight, thanks!
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
resets aren't the same as clean installs, they just touch C drive and replace windows, keeping drivers

I would try a clean install as per link and see if they fixes it. If not, I will look at it the errors you are getting then.
 

jimfreeman92

Reputable
Oct 5, 2018
13
0
4,510
Ahh. Well that's a little misleading, I suppose I didn't read into this carefully enough. Thanks for the FYI.

FWIW, I ran memtest86 again overnight last night and woke up to it frozen on test 10 (Pass 1 of 4) again with 10 minutes 36 seconds on the clock.

I have a super busy September but I'll take it as my next step to (totally) reinstall windows. Unless my results with memtest86 tell you anything new.

Thanks again
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
I looked at dumps as I was curious what BIOS version you have. As it turns out, Both of the BSOD was caused by Nvidia drivers
Top BSOD mentions them and the victim in crash 2 tells me, as dwm.exe - Windows Desktop Manager. It sits between applications and GPU drivers.

File: 082922-14531-01.dmp (Aug 30 2022 - 10:41:22)
BugCheck: [KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE (139)]
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for nvlddmkm.sys
Probably caused by: memory_corruption (Process: ProductAgentService.exe)
Uptime: 0 Day(s), 0 Hour(s), 00 Min(s), and 18 Sec(s)

File: 082822-7937-01.dmp (Aug 29 2022 - 05:23:13)
BugCheck: [SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION (3B)]
Probably caused by: memory_corruption (Process: dwm.exe)
Uptime: 0 Day(s), 0 Hour(s), 22 Min(s), and 30 Sec(s)

The nvlddmkm.sys file is a NVIDIA graphics card driver. There are a few things you can do to fix this problem. First off, try a full uninstall using DDU in Safe Mode then re-install the driver (more information). Or try getting the latest version of the driver. Or try one of the 3 most recent drivers released by NVIDIA. Drivers can be found here: http://www.nvidia.com/ or you can allow Windows Update to download the driver for you, which might be a older/better version.

Results

ONly keep testing ram if the BSOD continue after replacing GPU drivers. Same goes for updating BIOS

Are you testing 1 stick at a time in memtest?

it can take a long time, it might not be frozen as such. Just actively doing the test. Memtest itself can take 12+ hours to run 1 pass. Think it depends on speed of PC.

https://www.memtest86.com/tech_freezing-lockups.html

One reason for freezing on memtest is old BIOS, and well, you missing a few (about 12). You on version 1.2, current version stop counting numbers at 1.9 and started letters.
MSI name your BIOS - 7B89v12
Newest of their naming system is 7B89v1I
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450M-MORTAR/support
there is a link at top of BIOS page to a YouTube video that shows how to update BIOS
Being so far behind can be a reason. PC might behave differently afterwards as well.
 
Last edited:

jimfreeman92

Reputable
Oct 5, 2018
13
0
4,510
Thanks again for your post and for verifying the Nvidia driver is the cause of one or more of the BSODs.
  • Before creating this thread, I had already uninstalled the GPU driver that I had in place with DDU in Safe Mode, as you suggested. I then installed the April 2022 Nvidia driver which I referenced earlier. I've tried several drivers released across 2022 lately but they've all had issues for me.

  • Based on your advice and what I've already done, I will now uninstall the current Apr '22 driver with DDU in Safe Mode, then allow Windows Update to find a replacement GPU driver.

  • Are you suggesting that if I fix the GPU driver BSODs, the Windows Desktop Manager-related BSOD ought to also resolve itself?

  • I am not testing one stick at a time in Memtest - it's the whole 2x 8GB kit. Something tells me I won't get a different result going one stick at a time, but I'm happy to try when time permits & if new GPU drivers don't work.
So from your latest post, I take it my order of operations is:
  1. Uninstall GPU driver with DDU in Safe Mode & allow Windows Update to choose new ones for me
  2. Update BIOS
  3. Try Memtest 86 one stick at a time to determine if we have a hardware issue
I'll tell you what though, if the BSODs disappear and I bother to update the BIOS, that may be a fine excuse for me pick up a 5600X & a new 32GB 3200mhz kit 🆒

I'll update you here, thanks again for your time.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
Testing one stick at a time means that if any error messages occur, you know its in that stick. If you test 2 at once, it doesn't tell you which stick caused error.

  1. Uninstall GPU driver with DDU in Safe Mode & allow Windows Update to choose new ones for me
  2. Update BIOS
  3. Try Memtest 86 one stick at a time to determine if we have a hardware issue
sounds good.

both bsod could have been caused by GPU drivers. The driver from Windows update is probably 2 years old and is stable with most cards. I had been using it myself until recently.

just don't try to add 32gb to your already existing 16gb as that can lead to errors. Combining sets can cause BSOD.
I am tempted to get a 5800x3d once the new CPU are out, assuming prices drop.
 

jimfreeman92

Reputable
Oct 5, 2018
13
0
4,510
Hey Colif, thanks again for your help here - my super busy September is behind me and I'm back at it.
  • Upgrading BIOS to latest version was a huge help with overall system stability, thank you.
  • After the BIOS upgrade, I tested each stick of RAM individually with memtest86 and then together as a pair, and received a PASS with zero errors all three times
I've gone from BSOD'ing every 20 minutes while playing any game, to BSOD'ing (or merely CTD'ing, hooray!) every 2-3 hours while playing only certain games. It's progress.

Here's the deal though, I don't explicitly remember whether I Uninstall(ed) GPU driver with DDU in Safe Mode & allow Windows Update to choose new ones for me or not. But checking in Device Manager, I have 30.0.15.1215 from 3/17/2022. This appears to be the most recent version Windows Update is pushing. I'm also confident that I would have taken care to update my driver with DDU in Safe Mode properly, etc, there's no way I would have forgotten and just downloaded/installed it casually.

Curious as to whether you have more thoughts on how to solve this. I'm tempted to try a different driver than 512.15 now that my RAM is evidently OK and I've made the BIOS the "best" that it can be.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
Conversion of dumps

report - Click run as fiddle to see report

File: 100322-9921-01.dmp (Oct 4 2022 - 06:50:58)
BugCheck: [MEMORY_MANAGEMENT (1A)]
Probably caused by: memory_corruption (Process: Civiliza)
Uptime: 1 Day(s), 16 Hour(s), 51 Min(s), and 51 Sec(s)

File: 100322-8265-01.dmp (Oct 4 2022 - 12:22:47)
BugCheck: [MEMORY_MANAGEMENT (1A)]
Probably caused by: memory_corruption (Process: Civiliza)
Uptime: 0 Day(s), 4 Hour(s), 51 Min(s), and 53 Sec(s)

File: 100122-7265-01.dmp (Oct 2 2022 - 00:34:13)
BugCheck: [KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (1E)]
Probably caused by: memory_corruption (Process: ICEsoundService64.exe)
Uptime: 0 Day(s), 1 Hour(s), 27 Min(s), and 46 Sec(s)
one dump was empty

Its not the same now.

its morphed into something else... or at least, its not clearly blaming Nvidia this time.
Processes named are victims.

top 2 show same processes being run,
ffffb080f7461958 fffff8037782bb16 : 000000000000001a 0000000000061941 0000000000000001 000000000000000d : nt!KeBugCheckEx
ffffb080f7461960 fffff8037780715e : 000000005c726dd6 ffff800251a72080 ffffb08000000000 ffff800200000000 : nt!MmAccessFault+0x1f2536
ffffb080f7461b00 000000014078ec52 : 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : nt!KiPageFault+0x35e
000000000013fef0 0000000000000000 : 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : 0x00000001`4078ec52
order of operations is FILO (first in, last out) meaning top action was last one.
Page fault = CPU didn't have info it needed in its onboard cache and needed to look at ram
Access fault = CPU tried to look in ram it didn't have permission to access.

CPU followed instructions that were wrong. so likely a driver error

3rd one might be fixed by: updating chipset drivers - https://www.amd.com/en/support/chipsets/amd-socket-am4/b450
I should have suggested them same time as BIOS.
 

jimfreeman92

Reputable
Oct 5, 2018
13
0
4,510
Hi @Colif , long time no post. Appreciate all your help. I am still triaging this issue. I can’t seem to run my RAM kit at the advertised 3200mhz speeds without running into a BSOD within 1 hour of playtime, no matter the game. As a workaround, I’ve downclocked to 2666mhz which is the fastest speed I appear to be stable at. I’d love to figure out what is keeping me from 3200; my kit is on the compatibility list for my MSI mortar B450m but perhaps I should buy a different kit for testing purposes.

Again, in summary here’s what I’ve done so far to try and eliminate the BSODs:
  • Accidentally RESET Win10, wiping my drives and keeping drivers intact , as opposed to performing clean reinstall of Win10, lol - is it still worth a reset?
  • Upgraded BIOS to latest version
  • Tested both sticks of RAM with MT86, both together and individually. No errors
  • I’m now running very current and updated NVIDIA drivers - no longer afraid and sticking with those Windows Update default 2020 ones
  • Updated chipset drivers per your last post
  • At the advice of a friend, monitored my temps. Benchmarked the computer with Civilization 6 and Red Dead 2, both max settings 3440x1440 for one hour and noticed that CPU never exceeded 60C and GPU never above 70C.
I’m at a loss. Many thanks if you have additional thoughts.