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How do I fix various BSOD that does not point to a specific driver?

TroubledUserWithBSODIssue 0 Reputation points
2026-04-28T13:24:23.4533333+00:00

Hello there, I have been facing numerous BSODs 5-6 times on the daily basis and followed many guides and steps from users who faced BSODs too. However, I have yet to find any to actually resolve it all for once. WinDbg and BlueScreenView always pointing to ntoskrnl.exe and I get varying bugchecks like IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL and ATTEMPTED_EXECUTED_OF_NOEXECUTE_MEMORY. The following are the steps I have done:

  1. sfc /scannow - every scan always says no corruption
  2. dism /online /cleanup-image/ scanhealth @ restorehealth - same for this too, no corruption whatsoever
  3. chkdsk /f /r - no issue here either, the result is always clean
  4. memtest86 - multiple attempts always yield 8/8 passes
  5. Windows Memory Diagnostic - same as memtest, bought to shop for physical inspection in case RAM was faulty but nothing came up
  6. System > Recovery > Fix problem using Windows Update - reinstalling Windows does help a bit but ultimately leads to BSOD after several hours of usage
  7. Clean up unused programs and leftover drivers - mostly for learning like networking and programming like Wireshark
  8. Uninstalled both GPUs (Nvidia and AMD) using DDU and reinstalled the recommended version by Asus - this was major improvement as BSODs were more significant prior to this (every hour BSOD)

As mentioned by almost every BSODs experiencers, I am at my wit's end (I know we are very dramatic), but a professional help will definitely help to elevate the pain faced by my six years old laptop. The following link is a OneDrive link that contains my 5 recent dumps along with the system information NFO. (https://1drv.ms/f/c/77fc8750f32ae7f6/IgA6nO0W2XL9TpNkAOM4FkHMAZDuupqLIevhA53XYxBYkAo) I'd appreciate any help and guidance. Thank you very much.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
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  1. David-M 114.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-04-28T14:04:42.5433333+00:00

    Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you.

    I checked the minidumps you shared. They all mention only a generic system file (ntkrnlmp.exe). Just as you said, no drivers are mentioned, and I didn't notice a pattern that could lead to the root cause of the problem.

    In this case, I think it's a good idea to use the Driver Verifier utility. This utility is used to force the system to show the driver causing the problem.

    Before turning on Driver Verifier, I like to create a restore point just in case. I suggest doing the same.

    https://support.microsoft.com/windows/system-protection-e9126e6e-fa64-4f5f-874d-9db90e57645a

    Turn on Driver Verifier, let the system crash 3 times, then turn off Driver Verifier. Share the minidumps that the crashes created.

    1. Press Win + R, type verifier, and press Enter;
    2. Select Create custom settings (for code developers) and click Next;
    3. Check these options:
    • Pool Tracking
    • I/O Verification
    • Deadlock Detection
    • DMA Checking
    • Security Checks
    • Force pending I/O requests
    • IRP Logging
    • Miscellaneous Checks
    • DDI compliance checking
    1. Select Select driver names from a list;
    2. Sort by Provider and choose all non-Microsoft drivers;
    3. Click Finish and restart (not shutdown) your computer. Driver Verifier will now monitor the selected drivers.

    (Pay attention to the blue screen that is displayed. Sometimes, it may contain useful information.)

    After the system crashes at least 3 times, follow the procedure below to disable the Driver Verifier.

    1. Open Start and type cmd, right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
    2. Run the following commands at the Command Prompt one at a time:
    verifier /reset
verifier /bootmode resetonbootfail
    1. Then, (not shutdown) restart the PC.

    If the system no longer starts due to BSOD caused by the Driver Verifier, start it in Safe Mode and perform the above procedure to disable Driver Verifier.

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-startup-settings-1af6ec8c-4d4a-4b23-adb7-e76eef0b847f

    Looking forward to your reply.

    Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-04-28T13:24:42.1633333+00:00

    Given the wide variety of bug checks and that tools only show ntoskrnl.exe, treat this as a generic stop-code problem and proceed with systematic troubleshooting that goes beyond SFC/DISM and memory checks already performed.

    1. Apply basic stop‑code troubleshooting
    • Remove any recently added hardware from the laptop and test.
    • Boot into Safe Mode and run the system for a while. If BSODs stop in Safe Mode, suspect third‑party drivers or services rather than core hardware.
    • In normal mode, open Device Manager and look for any device with an exclamation mark (!). For each such device:
      • Right‑click → Update driver.
      • If that does not help, try Disable device or Uninstall device and reboot.
    • Ensure there is at least 10–15% free space on the system drive. Low free space can cause instability and bug checks.
    • Install all pending Windows Updates: Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
    1. Check logs and event data around the crashes
    • Open Event Viewer and review System logs for Critical or Error events that occur at the same time as the BSODs. These can point to a specific driver, storage issue, or power problem.
    • For memory‑related stop codes (such as IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL), also review Application and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > MemoryDiagnostics-Results to confirm no memory errors are reported (Event ID 2001 indicates no memory errors).
    1. Focus on drivers and services Even when ntoskrnl.exe appears as the faulting module, the underlying cause is often a third‑party driver or service:
    • Remove or update any recently added device drivers or system services. Think of VPN clients, monitoring tools, overclocking/“optimization” utilities, RGB or vendor control software, and similar.
    • For a six‑year‑old laptop, verify that all chipset, storage (SATA/NVMe), and network drivers are the latest versions offered by the laptop OEM for Windows 11. If a device has only Windows 10 drivers, prefer those over generic drivers if they are more stable.
    • If any vendor “control center” or overclocking/boost software is installed (for example, OEM performance/armory tools), temporarily uninstall or disable it and test stability. Similar cases show such tools can cause BSODs and instability; removing them and doing a clean OS install restored stability.
    1. Run hardware diagnostics beyond RAM Since RAM and file system checks are clean, check other hardware:
    • Run the hardware diagnostics provided by the laptop manufacturer (often available in firmware/BIOS or as a downloadable tool). Let full CPU, GPU, and storage tests run.
    • If the OEM tool reports disk or controller issues, consider replacing the drive.
    1. Use advanced debugging only if comfortable If BSODs persist and minidumps are available, advanced analysis can help:
    • Configure the system to generate full or kernel memory dumps.
    • On another machine, install Debugging Tools for Windows (WinDbg) from the Windows SDK.
    • Set the symbol path to the Microsoft public symbol server (https://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols).
    • Open the crash dumps and use !analyze -v to look for recurring patterns (same driver, same stack, same type of memory corruption). Multiple dumps with similar characteristics can point to a specific faulty driver or subsystem.
    1. If repeated attempts fail If all of the above steps (driver cleanup, OEM diagnostics, Safe Mode testing, full updates) still do not resolve the issue, and BSODs continue with varying codes and no clear driver, the remaining likely causes are:
    • Intermittent hardware failure (motherboard, CPU, or storage controller) that does not show up in basic tests.
    • A persistent driver or firmware incompatibility on older hardware running Windows 11.

    At that point, options are:

    • Engage the laptop manufacturer’s support with the dump files and event logs.
    • Reimage the system drive completely and install Windows clean, then:
      • Install only OEM‑supplied drivers.
      • Avoid installing vendor “tuning/optimization” utilities.
      • Add applications gradually and monitor for BSODs to identify a triggering component.

    References:

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  3. TroubledUserWithBSODIssue 0 Reputation points
    2026-05-02T03:18:35.92+00:00

    Hello David, thank you for the tip. Here are the five recent BSODs I got after turning on Driver Verifier. https://1drv.ms/f/c/77fc8750f32ae7f6/IgCifiY9h-6SRJ7gEq2WISeRAdb89r6JcS3Gz_TxeQP4x-g.

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