PC experiences unexpected shutdowns at unpredictable moments.
PC experiences unexpected shutdowns at unpredictable moments.
Hello,
My computer occasionally freezes unexpectedly. This means the display becomes stuck, eventually shutting down completely. There’s no sound, and when I press the caps lock or num lock on the keyboard, it doesn’t light up as if it were enabled. Even though the fans are running and the keyboard feels responsive, everything seems to be operational. The only way to restart it is by manually pressing the shutdown button on the case.
I’ve tried several solutions already:
- Running memtest with all 4 drives in, which passed.
- Performing Prime95 small and long FFT tests, both completed successfully.
- Checking sectors and SSD health, everything appears normal.
- Updating the BIOS to the latest version.
- Reapplying thermal paste on the CPU.
- Using driver verifier.
These attempts didn’t resolve the problem. I also ran a minidump via MediaFire, but it only generated errors related to manual shutdowns, which seemed normal to me.
I reinstalled Windows 10 multiple times and checked the Event Viewer for issues. The last system shutdown was unexpected, and the Kernel Power 41 (63) error might have been caused by manually pressing the shutdown button.
I updated all drivers that aren’t essential for daily use, such as Intel chipset drivers, using DriverEasy. However, this didn’t fix the issue.
Temperatures are normal—CPU at 30°C, VGA at 47°C during idle.
This problem began at least two years ago. I’ve ignored it most of the time, spending hours trying to fix it without success. Sometimes the PC freezes with the described symptoms, other times it works perfectly for 3–6 months without any issues. It’s frustrating because it can happen up to five times a day.
It doesn’t matter whether I’m playing a game or keeping the computer idle. The issue persists regardless of state. No minidumps are generated during freezes.
PC specifications:
- Bought 3 years ago.
- CPU component in a small black box, not the original one.
- Custom-built water cooling (Corsair Hydro H55 CW-9060010-WW).
- PSU: Seasonic Focus+ SSR-750FX 750W 80+ Gold modular.
- Motherboard: Asus TUF B360M-PLUS GAMING.
- RAM: 4 x 8GB DDR4 2666MHz HyperX FURY (HX426C16FB3K2/16), total 32GB.
- VGA: Gigabyte RTX2060S 8GB Aorus Super.
- CPU: i7 9700K.
- SSDs (all over a year old):
- Kingston SUV400S37240G 240GB
- Samsung SSD 970 EVO 500GB
- Kingston NV2 SSD 1TB
- Old Western Digital HDD with low health, which started acting erratically and deleting files. Removed it from the system but didn’t reinstall Windows.
- Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Lite 5 RGB MCW-L5S3-KGNN-02.
That’s all I can think of right now.
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
RAM: Kingston 2x8GB DDR4 2666MHz HyperX FURY (HX426C16FB3K2/16) x 2 Total: 4 sticks 32GB RAM
Have you tried using two sticks in slots A2 and B2?
You didn’t mention the processor in your setup?
In fact, I did this when these deadlocks occurred multiple times daily, and I even encountered a deadlock during memtest.
That suggests a RAM problem.
Reinstalling Windows 10 several times
Where did you get the installer for your OS? Did you install it offline? Did you manually install all drivers with the latest version using an elevated command?
Ahh sorry, updated it with the CPU.
Have you tried using two sticks of RAM in slots A2 and B2?
I haven't done it yet. Would you suggest testing it for a memtest only, or overall, to check for deadlocks?
Where did you get the installer for your OS?
My installer is a bit outdated, but I remember there was a media creation tool that produced it as a pendrive a few years ago. I also used it for reinstalling Windows on my friend's computer, and they didn't have this problem.
Did you install the OS in offline mode?
Yes, I always do.
Did you install all drivers manually with the latest version using an elevated command?
Umm, no, I'm not sure what you mean by that. When I reinstall Windows, I usually use DriverEasy to get the drivers, so I don't want to deal too much with Ethernet, chipset and similar drivers. But I do manually install the NVIDIA driver, which means there are exceptions.
Visit your motherboards support page at the provided link. Download each driver separately and install them. Drivereasy might have caused an issue; this isn't necessarily the main concern, but it's helpful to rule it out before moving forward.
I believe it's not possible since the freeze began after I simply reinstalled the windows, without any changes being made. However, I went through them again and reinstalled them.