F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop Issue of flickering black screen combined with system freeze (no BSOD, kernel error 41) during a new Windows 11 setup?

Issue of flickering black screen combined with system freeze (no BSOD, kernel error 41) during a new Windows 11 setup?

Issue of flickering black screen combined with system freeze (no BSOD, kernel error 41) during a new Windows 11 setup?

U
UnRuliness
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42
12-21-2025, 06:06 AM
#1
TL;DR
New Windows 11 install with 4800 MHz RAM, PBO off, and stable temperatures – but still faces random freezes (black screen, Kernel Error 41).
Reseller suggests it’s probably software-related, though hasn’t encountered this before.
Occurs mainly when idle; ruled out unstable RAM, Afterburner, Malwarebytes, and bad USB drivers.
Looking for clues on whether this points to firmware/AGESA, power issues, or a low-level driver/BIOS problem.

I’m dealing with an intermittent system freeze that keeps happening even after a complete Windows reinstall. Any insights would be greatly appreciated — I’ve already tried a lot of troubleshooting steps but the problem persists.

System Specs
CPU: Ryzen 5 7500F (with DeepCool cooler)
Motherboard: ASRock A620M-HDV/M.2 (BIOS v3.50, latest)
GPU: Colorful RTX 3070 Tomahawk
RAM: 32 GB Lexar DDR5 6000 MHz (operating at 4800 MHz, EXPO/XMP disabled)
PSU: Fortron 750 W 80+ Bronze
Storage: NVMe SSD (Windows) + SATA SSD (secondary)
OS: Windows 11 Pro 22H2 (fresh install, fully updated)
GPU Driver: NVIDIA 32.0.15.8180 (official)

Background
The system was bought prebuilt from a reputable local reseller (over 110 positive reviews). The GPU is new, but the rest is brand new and under warranty. I contacted the reseller who confirmed no prior cases of this issue in his builds and offered to test the machine himself, though admitted that such intermittent freezes are hard to reproduce.

Original Problem (Before Reinstall)
At first, BSODs like SECURE_KERNEL_ERROR (0x0000018B) appeared, referencing files such as wow64con.sys, storport.sys, AGESA!V9, rtcore64.sys, mwac.sys. Following Reddit advice, I:
- Disabled Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO)
- Set RAM to 4800 MHz (JEDEC standard)
- Ran a clean Windows reinstall
Since then, the BSODs stopped, but now I experience random hard freezes with no BSOD or minidump.

Current Issue (After Reinstall)
System freezes → black screen → completely unresponsive
Occurs both when idle and under light load; keyboard/mouse stay on but no input works
Needs manual restart
Event Viewer shows only Kernel-Power 41, no dump file generated
Troubleshooting steps completed:
✅ BIOS updated to v3.50 (latest)
✅ AMD chipset and GPU drivers reinstalled fresh
✅ Memory Integrity, VBS, Credential Guard disabled
✅ RAM downclocked to 4800 MHz
✅ PBO manually turned off
✅ SFC / DISM reports healthy
✅ Full clean reinstall of Windows 11 (on a different SSD)
✅ Removed MSI Afterburner low-level IO driver
✅ Uninstalled Malwarebytes
✅ Removed cheap Wi-Fi/Bluetooth USB dongle (caused earlier crash)
✅ Enabled Secure Boot (previously off – caused CA/key errors in logs)
✅ Tested different power cables/sockets. Avoid UPS or similar
✅ Latest: Disabled all case fans’ RGB will check after work if still crashing; PC remains idle

Despite all these efforts, the freezes continue occasionally.

Logs / Clues
Before enabling Secure Boot, I noticed:
After enabling it, those messages stopped, but freezes persist.
Thermal readings are normal (GPU ~70°C under load, CPU stable). PSU rails remain solid during stress tests.
Symptoms: Random freeze → black screen → total lockup
More likely after being idle overnight
No BSOD or dump file, just Kernel-Power 41
Temperatures normal, stable under testing.

Goal
Determine if this is caused by firmware/AGESA, power delivery issues, or a low-level driver/BIOS conflict.
Achieve full stability before applying a mild, long-term undervolt of ~1740 MHz @ 0.875 V (average under both Steel Nomad 20 loops and Fire Strike Extreme).
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U
UnRuliness
12-21-2025, 06:06 AM #1

TL;DR
New Windows 11 install with 4800 MHz RAM, PBO off, and stable temperatures – but still faces random freezes (black screen, Kernel Error 41).
Reseller suggests it’s probably software-related, though hasn’t encountered this before.
Occurs mainly when idle; ruled out unstable RAM, Afterburner, Malwarebytes, and bad USB drivers.
Looking for clues on whether this points to firmware/AGESA, power issues, or a low-level driver/BIOS problem.

I’m dealing with an intermittent system freeze that keeps happening even after a complete Windows reinstall. Any insights would be greatly appreciated — I’ve already tried a lot of troubleshooting steps but the problem persists.

System Specs
CPU: Ryzen 5 7500F (with DeepCool cooler)
Motherboard: ASRock A620M-HDV/M.2 (BIOS v3.50, latest)
GPU: Colorful RTX 3070 Tomahawk
RAM: 32 GB Lexar DDR5 6000 MHz (operating at 4800 MHz, EXPO/XMP disabled)
PSU: Fortron 750 W 80+ Bronze
Storage: NVMe SSD (Windows) + SATA SSD (secondary)
OS: Windows 11 Pro 22H2 (fresh install, fully updated)
GPU Driver: NVIDIA 32.0.15.8180 (official)

Background
The system was bought prebuilt from a reputable local reseller (over 110 positive reviews). The GPU is new, but the rest is brand new and under warranty. I contacted the reseller who confirmed no prior cases of this issue in his builds and offered to test the machine himself, though admitted that such intermittent freezes are hard to reproduce.

Original Problem (Before Reinstall)
At first, BSODs like SECURE_KERNEL_ERROR (0x0000018B) appeared, referencing files such as wow64con.sys, storport.sys, AGESA!V9, rtcore64.sys, mwac.sys. Following Reddit advice, I:
- Disabled Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO)
- Set RAM to 4800 MHz (JEDEC standard)
- Ran a clean Windows reinstall
Since then, the BSODs stopped, but now I experience random hard freezes with no BSOD or minidump.

Current Issue (After Reinstall)
System freezes → black screen → completely unresponsive
Occurs both when idle and under light load; keyboard/mouse stay on but no input works
Needs manual restart
Event Viewer shows only Kernel-Power 41, no dump file generated
Troubleshooting steps completed:
✅ BIOS updated to v3.50 (latest)
✅ AMD chipset and GPU drivers reinstalled fresh
✅ Memory Integrity, VBS, Credential Guard disabled
✅ RAM downclocked to 4800 MHz
✅ PBO manually turned off
✅ SFC / DISM reports healthy
✅ Full clean reinstall of Windows 11 (on a different SSD)
✅ Removed MSI Afterburner low-level IO driver
✅ Uninstalled Malwarebytes
✅ Removed cheap Wi-Fi/Bluetooth USB dongle (caused earlier crash)
✅ Enabled Secure Boot (previously off – caused CA/key errors in logs)
✅ Tested different power cables/sockets. Avoid UPS or similar
✅ Latest: Disabled all case fans’ RGB will check after work if still crashing; PC remains idle

Despite all these efforts, the freezes continue occasionally.

Logs / Clues
Before enabling Secure Boot, I noticed:
After enabling it, those messages stopped, but freezes persist.
Thermal readings are normal (GPU ~70°C under load, CPU stable). PSU rails remain solid during stress tests.
Symptoms: Random freeze → black screen → total lockup
More likely after being idle overnight
No BSOD or dump file, just Kernel-Power 41
Temperatures normal, stable under testing.

Goal
Determine if this is caused by firmware/AGESA, power delivery issues, or a low-level driver/BIOS conflict.
Achieve full stability before applying a mild, long-term undervolt of ~1740 MHz @ 0.875 V (average under both Steel Nomad 20 loops and Fire Strike Extreme).

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C
CalculatorD
Member
Find
217
12-21-2025, 06:06 AM
#2
Reset BIOS
Use the flashback BIOS feature to reinstall BIOS
Test various GPUs
Experiment with different PSUs
Identify the exact model of the Fortron 750 W bronze
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C
CalculatorD
12-21-2025, 06:06 AM #2

Reset BIOS
Use the flashback BIOS feature to reinstall BIOS
Test various GPUs
Experiment with different PSUs
Identify the exact model of the Fortron 750 W bronze

Reply
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I
iSapiant
Member
Find
76
12-21-2025, 06:06 AM
#3
PSU:
Fortron 750 W 80+ Bronze
What is the age of your PSU? To clarify, Fortron refers to the brand, the 750W is the claimed power rating, and 80+ Bronze indicates the efficiency rating we're targeting. We require the model number in addition to its age.

OS:
Windows 11 Pro 22H2 (just installed, all updates applied)
Where did you obtain the installation file for the operating system? We are currently using 25H2.
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I
iSapiant
12-21-2025, 06:06 AM #3

PSU:
Fortron 750 W 80+ Bronze
What is the age of your PSU? To clarify, Fortron refers to the brand, the 750W is the claimed power rating, and 80+ Bronze indicates the efficiency rating we're targeting. We require the model number in addition to its age.

OS:
Windows 11 Pro 22H2 (just installed, all updates applied)
Where did you obtain the installation file for the operating system? We are currently using 25H2.

Reply
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2
29Joker29
Junior Member
Find
8
12-21-2025, 06:06 AM
#4
Reinstalled the BIOS, repositioned the GPU and RAM into their slots, and verified all connections were tight. No dust detected; everything is neatly organized. The PSU is the Fortron VITA BD 750W, 80 Plus Bronze, Black | 9PA750A001. I'm keeping an eye on the situation. Also, I ran memtest86 without any issues, though it stalled during the "Hammering" test for several hours—likely around the same failure rate.

Side note: During the BIOS reset, a prompt appeared asking to install an auto-installer. When I booted into Windows, it suggested updating the AMD chipset drivers, which seemed outdated.

The PSU is nearly a year old. It runs Windows 11 Pro N (European version without media pack; installed separately). I suspect I misread the version—possibly 22H2 instead of 25H2.

Windows Update is stuck on:
2025-11 Security Update (KB5068861) – 26200.7171
Error: 0x800f081f

I attempted to install it via the Windows catalog but got no response, citing unsupported status and failure messages. It failed even after multiple tries.

If none of these solutions work, could this be a driver-related problem? I have an AliExpress Wi-Fi dongle that might be the culprit—it appears the driver wasn't removed automatically from Device Manager, though it's no longer visible. Its Bluetooth/Wi-Fi works fine, but I found some unknown entries under "other devices" like GFPSTEST, serial port, and wireless IAP. I turned off all network devices in Power Management.

I also gathered several hours of sensor data using hwinfo running quietly. The crashes seem to occur around the 5-hour mark, which matches reports from similar forums about RAM issues.

TL;DR: Back to basics again. I'm at my limit. Anyone who fixes this will earn my admiration.

Update at approximately 06:57—around the time I left it—it restarted successfully. It hasn't frozen or become unresponsive, and a minidump was created. The issue points to:
Bugcheck:
0xC2 (0x99, 0x0010000000000000, 0, 0)
Cause: Trying to free pool with invalid address (possible memory corruption).
Faulting module: nvlddmkm.sys (NVIDIA display driver)
Process: Registry
Failure bucket:
0xc2_99_nvlddmkm!unknown_function
OS: Windows 10 x64
Hyper-V present: Yes

I reinstalled using DDU in safe mode, but it keeps showing random BSODs. I also tried updating the NVMe SSD firmware, but it's already current.
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2
29Joker29
12-21-2025, 06:06 AM #4

Reinstalled the BIOS, repositioned the GPU and RAM into their slots, and verified all connections were tight. No dust detected; everything is neatly organized. The PSU is the Fortron VITA BD 750W, 80 Plus Bronze, Black | 9PA750A001. I'm keeping an eye on the situation. Also, I ran memtest86 without any issues, though it stalled during the "Hammering" test for several hours—likely around the same failure rate.

Side note: During the BIOS reset, a prompt appeared asking to install an auto-installer. When I booted into Windows, it suggested updating the AMD chipset drivers, which seemed outdated.

The PSU is nearly a year old. It runs Windows 11 Pro N (European version without media pack; installed separately). I suspect I misread the version—possibly 22H2 instead of 25H2.

Windows Update is stuck on:
2025-11 Security Update (KB5068861) – 26200.7171
Error: 0x800f081f

I attempted to install it via the Windows catalog but got no response, citing unsupported status and failure messages. It failed even after multiple tries.

If none of these solutions work, could this be a driver-related problem? I have an AliExpress Wi-Fi dongle that might be the culprit—it appears the driver wasn't removed automatically from Device Manager, though it's no longer visible. Its Bluetooth/Wi-Fi works fine, but I found some unknown entries under "other devices" like GFPSTEST, serial port, and wireless IAP. I turned off all network devices in Power Management.

I also gathered several hours of sensor data using hwinfo running quietly. The crashes seem to occur around the 5-hour mark, which matches reports from similar forums about RAM issues.

TL;DR: Back to basics again. I'm at my limit. Anyone who fixes this will earn my admiration.

Update at approximately 06:57—around the time I left it—it restarted successfully. It hasn't frozen or become unresponsive, and a minidump was created. The issue points to:
Bugcheck:
0xC2 (0x99, 0x0010000000000000, 0, 0)
Cause: Trying to free pool with invalid address (possible memory corruption).
Faulting module: nvlddmkm.sys (NVIDIA display driver)
Process: Registry
Failure bucket:
0xc2_99_nvlddmkm!unknown_function
OS: Windows 10 x64
Hyper-V present: Yes

I reinstalled using DDU in safe mode, but it keeps showing random BSODs. I also tried updating the NVMe SSD firmware, but it's already current.

Reply
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