Windows 10 or 11 occasionally stops working smoothly while you're using it.
Windows 10 or 11 occasionally stops working smoothly while you're using it.
Hey everyone, yesterday I shared my experience about purchasing a used laptop and the model I chose was the "Asus Zephyrus G14." It’s in decent condition. I checked temperatures using "Crystal Disk Info," "Crystal Disk Mark," and "HW monitor" while running the "PowerMAX" CPU and GPU via "CPUID." Everything showed normal readings. After buying it, I transferred Windows 10 media installation tools from another PC to my USB drive. The setup completed without issues, and I booted into Windows smoothly. I also installed network drivers via a USB and followed up with the Windows Update to fix remaining software. Once everything was set up, I removed pre-installed apps, added Chrome and GeForce Experience, updated drivers, and then faced a problem.
When I powered on the laptop, it would freeze after about 5 to 12 minutes. During this time, the mouse and keyboard stayed responsive but the screen displayed an image. The issue didn’t resolve by simply closing and reopening the system. I attempted to delete the AMD software, but that didn’t fix it. I also tried removing all files linked to "Armory Crate," yet the problem persisted.
The freezing started right after booting into the desktop. It took roughly 5-12 minutes for the issue to appear. Once it did, the mouse and keyboard worked, but the display remained unresponsive. I held down the power button and forced a shutdown, which eventually resolved it. I tried uninstalling the AMD software and removing associated files, but nothing helped.
I’m currently using Windows 11 and have run MemTest86 successfully—no memory errors detected. So far, I suspect it’s not a hardware fault, but rather something related to software or driver conflicts. My main concerns are: the "Armory Crate" feature, Nvidia GeForce drivers, and possibly third-party utilities.
I’m open to sharing screenshots, videos, or further tests. Please advise on what might be causing this issue. Thank you all for your help!
No such alert appears on any device in Device Manager. The BIOS is current to the latest release. No additional system or driver updates are present. During testing, the laptop functioned normally with the seller. The freezing issue began after formatting and installing a new Windows 10 installation. I’m considering driver problems but don’t know the exact driver. Should I reinstall Windows 11 again? The updater should handle everything, but I fear repeating the same problem this time.
The only setting I could turn off in the BIOS was the ROG logo startup sound, while there wasn’t anything similar as you described.
Yes, you're asking if your system has Radeon software and an Nvidia card installed.
Confused about these terms? Just skip the ones you don’t need. Only install your GPU’s driver. Avoid Armory stuff—turn it off in BIOS.
It seems the update process automatically installs the necessary drivers along with other components due to the Ryzen CPU's built-in graphics. The Asus drivers for this model also include a download link, though I removed it. The issue persists whether or not the software is present. Several background tasks labeled as AMD crash defender service, AMD external Events client, and AMD external events service are running.
Windows sets it up automatically and ASUS also suggests installing it. However, issues still arise whether or not you use the AMD tool. My ROG Strix G15 with Armory Crate works well, and I prefer using the software for fan management—silent mode, performance tweaks, turbo settings.