Error codes BSOD 156 and 257 indicate specific hardware or system issues.
Error codes BSOD 156 and 257 indicate specific hardware or system issues.
Hello, my desktop was assembled in March this year. Since then, I've frequently encountered BSODs with Machine Check errors. After extensive research and attempts to resolve the issue, nothing has improved. I've performed memory integrity tests, updated BIOS and drivers, but temperatures remain stable, rarely exceeding 70°C. In Event Viewer, recent entries show BugcheckCodes 156 and 257. All drivers are current, and I have backup power. The operating system is Windows 11 purchased from a retailer. I never reinstalled the system from March 2024; it came preconfigured with an Intel i5 14600KF, NVidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, Gigabyte B760 GAMING X DDR4 board, BIOS version F11d (updated 09/05/2024), and a power supply from the same brand. I saved some minidump files in a zip at the provided link. When running system diagnostics, it reports collecting data for over 60 seconds, which seems prolonged.
You're encountering Clock_Watchdog_Violation and Machine_Check_Exception errors. The watchdog signal suggests a CPU core became unresponsive, which may stem from an unstable overclock or undervoltage setting. It's likely a hardware concern rather than a software glitch. Removing any overclocked or undervolted components could help. The Machine_Check_Exception points to a CPU hardware fault, though it's unusual since WHEA largely replaced this issue after Windows XP. Exceptions exist if the WHEA setup was incomplete or the error log was empty—though this is rare. Typically, a faulty CPU is the primary suspect. F11d is a beta BIOS version, which I usually avoid unless necessary due to recent Intel problems. The crash logs also indicate issues around F10, suggesting the BIOS might be a beta release that could contribute.
I didn’t increase the CPU speed beyond its default BIOS settings. The problems I encountered with versions F8, F10 and now F11b suggest the issue might be elsewhere. It seems like the problem could be with a faulty CPU rather than the BIOS itself. This likely won’t qualify for warranty coverage. Appreciate the advice!