BSoD when opening Steam

Question

BSoD when opening Steam

Anonymous

It started March 28 when I tried opening Steam, it went to the updating window then after it extracts and finish installing the update, the window closes then I encounter the BSoD. After restart, I see the Steam icon on my desktop and when I click it (even if I run it as administrator) the update window appears, closes, then BSoD, restart. This issue seems to be common with Steam and I looked up at many community posts (Steam, Reddit, and Microsoft) regarding this and tried the solutions given but I still encounter the BSoD.

Things I've done so far, in no particular order:

Run Steam as administrator
Uninstall and reinstall Steam (Already done this for like around 15 times and every time I reinstall, guess what, yep, BSoD)
Delete Steam folder in ProgramFiles/CommonFiles
Update GPU drivers on NVIDIA GeForce Experience
Uninstall Display adapter driver then restart
Check for Windows updates in Settings
In-place upgrade of Windows 11 (Optioned to keep my files. I tried it thrice, first try failed and showed error code 0xC1900101 - 0x2000c then freed up some space to around 113Gb on the C:\ drive. Second try failed with the same error code then I tried to uninstall Bitdefender and Malwarebytes antivirus. The third try went haywire and experienced error code 0xc0000225 and corrupted something with the boot files)
CMD for sfc scan and DISM (No errors found)
Used Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool (No errors found)
Installed WinDbg to see dump files. It was my first time to try and check dump files and too dumb to understand things written in there but I saw something about steamxbox.sys
Used Autoruns.exe to disable/untick the steamxbox.sys driver (I encountered a much worse problem wherein after removing the driver then restarting my laptop, it went to sign-in screen but neither the keyboard or trackpad or external keyboard and mouse worked so I can't use it but keyboard and trackpad works after 2 or restarts and entered a blue screen where I can go for system restore and choose a restore point. After system restore, steamxbox.sys is ticked again) Since I can't even open Steam, I can't remove steamxbox.sys under the xbox controller support settings in Steam. I also manually checked the Device Manager and saw that every driver under Human Interface Device have the steamxbox.sys listed on their driver details.
Reinstalled antiviruses and did a complete system scan and came out clean (This procedure may be irrelevant with my problem but an article suggested it since I also experienced Wdf01000.sys BSoD)

NOTE: My laptop is undervolted to -0.120V using Intel XTU since I experience temp issues when gaming but I've reset it back to default 0V and done all the solutions mentioned above (except Autoruns) but still experiencing KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED BSoD whenever I try to reinstall Steam.

Here is the dump file and msinfo file: Minidump

The dump files from March 28 and 29 are missing from the minidump folder and only 5 dump files are present which is dated March 30. So some of the BSoD I encountered throughout experimenting to fix this might not be recorded on the dump files I uploaded. To list some that I can still remember, I had WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR, IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, and UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP BSoDs.

Please help me with this problem. I only want to play my games on Steam.

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5 answers

Answer 1

Hello,

Regarding resetting, yes, it will reuse the system files even if you choose to keep nothing. You need to perform a clean reinstallation to ensure that the previous system files do not affect the new system.

Regarding licenses, you do not lose the license if you perform a clean reinstall. If you have a 25-digit product key, simply input it again when the installer asks for it. If your WIndows is pre-installed or purchased from the Microsoft store, you need to log into the Microsoft account you used to activate Windows for the first time, and run the activation troubleshooter to transfer the license. Since your laptop comes with Windows 10, the license should allow you to activate both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Regarding backups, you only need to back up your personal data (like photos, documents, software projects, and such) since the system files will be replaced with a clean version. To do so, simply copy the files to the external drive, and copy them back when done. You do not need a cloning tool. If drive C and D are on the same physical disk, you need to back up both. Regardless, it is always a good idea to keep additional copies of your personal files on an offline storage location.

Answer 2

So I guess I'm stuck with either a clean reinstallation of Windows or send my laptop to a service center.

Since you mentioned "Resetting the system", I just want to clarify, does the Reset this PC then Remove everything option still reuse the current system files, same as Keep my files option? Because I'm worrying maybe some other error would arise during reinstallation using the UEFI and a USB flash drive installation media. Also, if I use the UEFI method, what would happen with my Windows license? Is it going to be deleted and I need to buy Windows again? or does it keep the license? Another concern, since my laptop came out with Windows 10 by default and upgraded for free to Windows 11, do I use the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool you have provided or do I look for Windows 10? What would happen if I use the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool? Can I still upgrade it to Windows 11 for free?

Regarding with backing up my files, since I have 2 drives C:\ and D:, do I only backup the data from what drive the Windows is installed with (which is the C:\ drive)? Do I manually select the files I will backup to an external drive? or can I use a cloning tool to clone C:\ drive to a new drive for my backup? Does it also clone the errors from the original C:\ drive to my backup drive?

Apologies for asking too many questions at once, but I hope it can be answered so I know the steps I should do. Thank you!

Answer 3

Hello,

Resetting the system will reuse the system files from your current system (even if you choose "Cloud download"), so the system is not in a stable state after the reset and it is likely that the issue will persist. That is the reason I suggest a clean reinstallation.

Answer 4

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out here in the Microsoft Answers Community.

Based on the dump files, it seems that the issue is caused by unreliable memory. If you have set up other overclocking or undervoltage in the system (including XMP), please revert them. You can also try resetting BIOS settings to their default values, and see whether the issue persists.

Disclaimer: Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites or any support related to technology.

If you are going to modify BIOS Settings, please back up all your personal files first to ensure you do not lose data.

If the issue persists, since you have mentioned that the issue persists after performing an in-place upgrade, I recommend backing up all your personal data to offline media (like USB sticks, external hard drives, and memory cards), and perform a clean reinstallation, which will wipes all the data and starts from scratch. If that also does not help, we are unable to perform further troubleshooting without access to the hardware, so please contact your local repair shop for a hardware check if that is the case.

To do so, please prepare a USB stick that is at least 8 GB in size (do not use the one with your backups, since it will be erased), then download and run the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool on another computer. Follow the instructions, and when selecting the media type, please select "USB stick", and then select the drive letter the USB stick is in.

After creating the installation media, please plug it into your computer, and boot from it in UEFI mode. The exact procedure differs among motherboard manufacturers, so please refer to the user manual for details.

After booting, please select "Install now". Follow the instructions, and when selecting the installation type, select "Custom: Install Windows only". On the next installation screen, please delete all the partitions (including EFI, reserved, and recovery ones) in your system disk. Select the unallocated space and select "Next". The installer will partition your system disk automatically.

Please refer to the "Clean install of Windows 11 using installation media" section of this support article for further details.

Disclaimer: At this point, we have exhausted all troubleshooting and I recommend that we try to perform a clean install to get your computer back into a working condition. Please ensure that you backup any important data, including Documents, Pictures, Videos, and more.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Best Regards,

Johann - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Greetings Johann,

Thank you and I appreciate your effort to address my concern.

I did reset to default values on Intel XTU which was the only program I use for undervolting my laptop. I never tried enabling XMP before but I searched if my model support it and it doesn't. Also went to BIOS and set to default values. After restarting, I double checked Intel XTU if voltage offset was set to 0 and Default and it did. I tried reinstalling Steam and to no avail, I still saw that dreadening KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED BSoD (I can provide the minidump file again for this if someone would like to check again if maybe it can provide more details to the cause of this error).

For now I would postpone your suggestion for a clean reinstall, since I still don't have the means to backup all my files.

Is it ok to proceed with the Settings>System>Recovery>Reset this PC and Keep my files option as an alternative for this? Is there a chance that this will solve my issue?

Answer 5

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out here in the Microsoft Answers Community.

Based on the dump files, it seems that the issue is caused by unreliable memory. If you have set up other overclocking or undervoltage in the system (including XMP), please revert them. You can also try resetting BIOS settings to their default values, and see whether the issue persists.

Disclaimer: Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites or any support related to technology.

If you are going to modify BIOS Settings, please back up all your personal files first to ensure you do not lose data.

If the issue persists, since you have mentioned that the issue persists after performing an in-place upgrade, I recommend backing up all your personal data to offline media (like USB sticks, external hard drives, and memory cards), and perform a clean reinstallation, which will wipes all the data and starts from scratch. If that also does not help, we are unable to perform further troubleshooting without access to the hardware, so please contact your local repair shop for a hardware check if that is the case.

To do so, please prepare a USB stick that is at least 8 GB in size (do not use the one with your backups, since it will be erased), then download and run the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool on another computer. Follow the instructions, and when selecting the media type, please select "USB stick", and then select the drive letter the USB stick is in.

After creating the installation media, please plug it into your computer, and boot from it in UEFI mode. The exact procedure differs among motherboard manufacturers, so please refer to the user manual for details.

After booting, please select "Install now". Follow the instructions, and when selecting the installation type, select "Custom: Install Windows only". On the next installation screen, please delete all the partitions (including EFI, reserved, and recovery ones) in your system disk. Select the unallocated space and select "Next". The installer will partition your system disk automatically.

Please refer to the "Clean install of Windows 11 using installation media" section of this support article for further details.

Disclaimer: At this point, we have exhausted all troubleshooting and I recommend that we try to perform a clean install to get your computer back into a working condition. Please ensure that you backup any important data, including Documents, Pictures, Videos, and more.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Best Regards,

Johann - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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BSoD when opening Steam

5 answers