Setting up Windows 11 leads to system crashes.
Setting up Windows 11 leads to system crashes.
Installing Windows 11 led to frequent BSODs for several days. I attempted a clean reinstall, removed old partitions, formatted the SSD, and used the latest ISO from Microsoft with Rufus. After the first restart I encountered a BSOD stating "system thread exception not handled." Additional error codes appeared before reinstalling: Kernel Security Check Failure, system thread exception not handled, System service exception, Kmode exception not handled, Attempted execute of noexecute memory, Registry error. I repeated the USB installation process on different drives and even tested one RAM stick with Memtest86, which showed no issues. However, using only that RAM stick still triggered the BSOD. I also removed my GPU and switched to using just the RAM stick, which worked for booting into Windows. Still, reinstalling with that configuration resulted in the same error loop. My hardware includes four 16GB DDR5 7200MHz Trident Z5 TZ5RS modules (automatic speed in BIOS, tested with both XMP disabled and enabled).
It seems you've already followed many troubleshooting steps successfully. Next, I recommend checking for a BIOS update for your motherboard to ensure compatibility and stability. If that doesn't resolve the issue, try reseating the CPU and inspecting the socket. If problems persist, consider using a RAM stick with a lower clock speed. As a last resort, verify the power supply is functioning correctly. If none of these work, a faulty CPU might be the cause. Although rare, this has happened before.
Understanding the faulty module helps, but I’d begin by checking another drive if possible. It doesn’t need to be high-end, just needs to function correctly. I’ve experienced drives that perform well initially but then fail during read operations. This can lead to many troublesome issues. Which firmware version is your system using? Asus indicates the latest release is 1801 (released 2023/12/22) and support for the 14th gen i9 was introduced in 1303 (released 2023/08/25). Based on your motherboard’s production date, this might be relevant: 1402 includes an update for 14th gen processors, while an earlier version supports certain DDR5-7200 RAM kits. It’s been quite a busy period since I performed memory tuning, but I know that increasing the number of modules can slow down clock speeds. If my assessment holds, lowering it to 4200mhz could be a good starting point for testing. This setup is verified, so it shouldn’t be the main cause. I’d recommend trying a couple of modules just to see what works.
They attempted a single stick as a troubleshooting measure already, and it passed testing with MetTest86 prior to use. I also tried another SSD/HDD just as a test step. Perhaps reseating the drive or connectors could help. Even though the filesystem and drive appear to fix errors, it might be that something is corrupting the drive in a way that triggers unusual behavior.
Which NVMe brand and model are you working with? The Samsung Pro models have encountered problems with suicidal firmware, and you're looking to use Samsung Magician for an update—without a RAID setup.