Does BSOD or random freezing happen only when I'm playing games?
Does BSOD or random freezing happen only when I'm playing games?
Hello,
I own a second-hand ASUS TUF FX505DU gaming laptop that I purchased in 2020. Over the past few months, my machine has experienced freezing or BSOD issues that appear unexpectedly, even when I’m not using it for gaming or anything else. There have been no cases of overheating, malware infections, or problems with the C: drive.
When the laptop crashes, it tends to freeze completely and requires me to shut it down using the power button. Occasionally, a BSOD with the message "DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION" appears before an automatic restart. Sometimes the crash is followed by a significant slowdown, giving me time to examine Task Manager and Resource Monitor. It turns out my CPU usage hit 100% because of a process named ntoskrnl.exe.
I have attempted several solutions without success:
- Updated Nvidia drivers via GeForce Experience
- Ran a Windows Memory Diagnostic
- Reinstalled Windows 11 through settings
- Physically reconnected SSD, HDD, and RAM modules
- Used CrystalDiskInfo to check drive health (both reported healthy)
- Installed drivers through Driver Easy, but the "Search automatically for drivers" option didn’t help
- Tried Kingston SSD Manager to assess SSD status, but no errors or warnings appeared
I’m uncertain whether this indicates a faulty SSD or a counterfeit device and am quite concerned.
Attached are my full specifications generated by CPU-Z and a sample minidump file. Any guidance on interpreting the minidump would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
Update Nvidia drivers through Geforce Experience
You're advised to use DDU to remove all GPU drivers in Safe Mode, then manually reinstall the latest GPU driver in an elevated command.
Reinstall Windows 11 through settings
Recreate your bootable USB installer for Windows 11, then reinstall the OS in offline mode, then manually install all relevant drivers in an elevated command with the latest driver versions. Connect to the internet to update the OS.
Update some drivers through Driver Easy, since Windows 11's "Search automatically for drivers" feature is useless
Never use a third party ap to tell you what is pending an update. You should cross reference your laptop's support site with the latest version and the version installed on your laptop. DriverEasy and some other apps have been known to even brick functioning platforms.
nvlddmkm.sys
Using WinDBG that's what I'm seeing is the fault. It's your GPU drivers.
All references point to nvlddmkm.sys and the Nvidia graphics driver, though for various reasons. One issue involves a 0x9F bugcheck related to a power transition failure, affecting the GTX1660Ti (mobile) graphics card. Laptops often have customized graphics drivers for efficiency and power conservation. The standard Nvidia drivers lack these adjustments, which can lead to complications or even BSODs.
Moreover, laptop graphics setups frequently combine both iGPU and DGPU, even when the DGPU is the active device. The iGPU driver (amdkmdag.sys) is quite outdated, having been released in 2020...
Thank you for your responses. Following Lutfij's advice and my own attempts, I reinstalled the drivers for both GPUs using DDU. I followed these steps: first a system restore, then downloaded the necessary drivers from specific pages, booted in safe mode, removed existing drivers with AMD Cleanup Utility, reinstalled them one by one, and finally tried installing the AMD drivers via the provided software. At this stage, I encountered an Error 182 warning when using the AMD Radeon software, indicating a compatibility issue. After downloading Windows drivers, I managed to install them without further problems. However, my laptop has become increasingly unstable, experiencing more frequent BSODs and freezes. Additionally, Device Manager now lists my GPU under Microsoft Basic Display Adapter instead of its correct name (AMD Radeon RX Vega 10 Mobile or similar). My latest minidump shows signs of further complications. I am worried about damaging my device and feel very anxious. Please assist me, thank you.
I believe you might have reinstalled the previous Nvidia driver. Checking the latest dump from August 11 shows the nvlddmm.sys version is from July 30, 2024. Comparing it with a dump from August 9 reveals the same driver version—identical! On the official Nvidia site, a ready-to-use driver for your GTX 1660Ti (mobile) was released on August 6, 2024 (version 560.81). That’s the driver you should download and install.