Question Random BSODs in the past months?
Question Random BSODs in the past months?
The USB booting issue seems linked to these random BSODs. I just noticed my system has an i9-13900K CPU, which has known problems (see Tom's site) with similar issues. A recent BIOS update (2301) includes fixes for this. If applicable, I’d consider updating to that BIOS and checking the situation. Also, the two 32GB RAM sticks aren’t in the QVL for the motherboard, which could contribute to RAM-related BSODs.
I would participate in an Intel community about the i9-13900K concerns and let your perspective be heard. It's challenging to determine what to recommend when we already suspect a hardware issue. I'm uncertain about the effectiveness of those BIOS fixes, as it seems Intel and the motherboard manufacturers are still pointing fingers at each other.
Even though this appears to be a hardware-related concern, it could still be beneficial to activate Driver Verifier. In the rare case that a malicious driver is present, Driver Verifier should detect it—though success isn't guaranteed.
Driver Verifier evaluates selected drivers (usually third-party ones) with additional tests each time they are invoked. These checks aim to identify drivers that are acting erratically. Should any driver fail these evaluations, Driver Verifier will trigger a BSOD. The resulting minidump should provide sufficient details to pinpoint the unstable driver.
Therefore, it's crucial to retain all minidumps generated while Driver Verifier is active.
To activate Driver Verifier:
1. Create a System Restore point or capture a disk image of your system drive using tools like Acronis or Macrium Reflect. Driver Verifier might cause a BSOD during boot if certain drivers are loaded at startup. If this occurs, you may become trapped in a boot-BSOD cycle.
If you encounter a boot-BSOD situation, restart using the Windows installation media to restore from the point you saved, thereby removing Driver Verifier and allowing normal operation again. Alternatively, use the same backup media to recover your disk image.
Do not overlook this step—it's essential for resolving the boot BSOD issue.
2. Launch the Driver Verifier setup by typing 'verifier' in the Run command box or command prompt.
3. On the initial screen, select the option for 'Create custom settings (for code developers)' and proceed to the Next button.
4. In the subsequent dialog, enable the checkboxes for the following tests: Special Pool, Force IRQL checking, Pool Tracking, Deadlock Detection, Security Checks, Miscellaneous Checks, Power framework delay fuzzing, DDI compliance. Then click Next.
5. On the next screen, choose 'Select driver names from a list' (the final option) and click Next.
6. In the following dialog, select the 'Provider' heading to organize drivers in this column, which helps isolate Microsoft drivers.
7. Confirm all drivers that do not have Microsoft listed as the provider (i.e., review all third-party entries).
8. Then, within the same dialog, verify the following Microsoft driver names: Wdf01000.sys, ndis.sys, fltMgr.sys, Storport.sys. These are top-level Microsoft drivers that control lower-level third-party drivers we can't otherwise detect.
9. After completing these steps, click Finish and restart your PC. Driver Verifier will be activated.
Please note that Driver Verifier must remain enabled after reboots and shutdowns; it can only be turned off manually.
Also, anticipate BSODs—this is necessary to capture the problematic drivers. Ensure you disable any disk cleanup software during this process.
10. Keep Driver Verifier running for 48 hours. Use your PC normally during this period, but attempt to trigger a BSOD whenever possible. Test all games and applications you usually run, especially those where BSODs have occurred before. If Windows doesn't automatically restart after each BSOD, simply reboot and continue testing. The BSODs generated by Driver Verifier include:
0xC1: SPECIAL_POOL_DETECTED_MEMORY_CORRUPTION
0xC4: DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION
0xC6: DRIVER_CAUGHT_MODIFYING_FREED_POOL
0xC9: DRIVER_VERIFIER_IOMANAGER_VIOLATION
0xD6: DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_BEYOND_END_OF_ALLOCATION
0xE6: DRIVER_VERIFIER_DMA_VIOLATION
If any of these codes appear, you can disable Driver Verifier early, as it has already identified a problematic driver.
Please be aware that because Driver Verifier performs additional checks each time a third-party driver is loaded, you may notice reduced performance. This trade-off is necessary to detect unstable drivers. Also, remember that Driver Verifier only tests drivers that are currently active—ensure all third-party applications are enabled to capture them properly.
11. To deactivate Driver Verifier, run the command 'verifier /reset' in the Run command box or command prompt and restart your PC.
To verify whether Driver Verifier is active, open a command prompt and type 'verifier /query'. If drivers appear in the list, it's enabled; otherwise, it's not.
12. Once Driver Verifier is turned off, go to the folder C:\Windows\Minidump and locate all .dmp files from when Driver Verifier was running (check timestamps). You can compress these files or upload them to the cloud with a public link.
Thank you for your assistance. I've also added driver verification to my Intel forum account and enabled it.