I'm getting constant BSODs with IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL + ntoskrnl.exe

Question

In case you need to know, these are the specs of my system:

• CPU: i9-14900k
• GPU: MSI RTX4090 Suprim X
• PSU: 1000W Corsair HX1000i 80Plus Platinum
• RAM: 64 GB Corsair Vengeance (2x 32GB)
• Mainboard: Z790 Aorus Master X
• HDD / SSD:
  • 1TB Samsung 990 Pro M.2 PCIe 4.0 (is the Drive for Windows Installation)
  • 2TB Samsung 990 Pro M.2 PCIe 4.0

I was almost done with a whole lot of information for this thread when I got another BSOD of Doom with "SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION".
Since it's like 2 am in the morning, i'll simply give the link to my dropbox for the Minidump Collection I got since 3rd of March 2025 and go to bed..

I'll provide more Information tomorrow when i'm awake so please forgive me for this completely short opener. I'm heavily frustrated so I think
sleep would be the best option now..

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/vr5mki6a8v7fg96y5xlla/ADHhK5knVtgBWPBFXLidPME?rlkey=t8djnvnq937nbv2wkvmn0tu8m&st=ukpuc6gy&dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/o9tw0490xs8duklktgpa1/030925-8609-01.zip?rlkey=x5ywmtypvrpmiyfzsirylxqjn&st=hw6slkw5&dl=0AsAs the title says, i'm getting constant BSODs with in the title mentioned things. They happen randomly and in rare cases, it's something else like
"INTERRUPT_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED" or "SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION" etc..

Thank you very much for your time and support!!

Answer 1

Hi, thank you for that information. I’m thinking the same — since you have performed multiple clean installations and the issue persists, this appears to be a hardware-related problem, possibly involving the CPU or motherboard.

To help diagnose the issue, please follow the steps below. However, please note that the test may not detect all hardware issues, as some problems require a local technician to perform a physical hardware inspection.

Method 1. Run Intel Diagnostic tool:

Go to this link: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/downloa...

Then download and run the tool.

Suppose there is any failure on the test. In that case, that means there is a hardware issue on your processor, which you need to contact Intel support or a local technician for the next step, which might be a processor replacement or board, depending on the diagnosis of the hardware.

Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Additional note: If the issue persists, I suggest contacting a local technician to physically check the device for any hardware-related issues.

Answer 2

Hi Bernard,

thank you very much for your reply! As promised here's what happened in total which lead from a smoothly running system without any BSOD for
almost a year to constantly getting spammed with BSODs:

On the 1st of March, I got a random BSOD that Windows is not function properly anymore. Somehow I wasn't able to repair it or with an external
USB so I simply decided to make a clean install of Windows 11 again.

This was where the BSODs kicked in. I started getting random BSODs while trying to install Windows 11 when it reached a maximum of 85%
during the installation process. So the list of things I tried were as followed:

• Updated Bios from F8 to F9b (latest Version) from the Gigabyte Homepage
• Used two different USBs for Media Creation to make sure it's not USB related
• Disconnected all external devices while trying to install Windows 11, except for Mouse and Keyboard (wireless fromLogitech)
• Removed the RAM and put them back in (for unknown reasons it helped in some cases while I was googleing for answers)
• I tried using one RAM Stick at the time and tried installing Windows 11 to make sure, the problem is not RAM related
• Ran several MemTest86 tests
• CMOS Reset
• Created a Win10 USB with the idea to install Windows 10 and upgrade to Windows 11 once Win10 is installed
  • The Win10 Installation went through but then I got the same BSOD (0xc000021a) over and over again which made it
    impossible to get to the login screen
• Tried installing Windows 11 on the 2 TB M.2 drive to make sure the problem is not drive related with the same BSOD kmod exception

Iit was just impossible to install Windows 11. I was about to send my Computer to the seller since it's slighty more than one year old and turned
the switch on my PSU to off. The next day, I was about to get everything packed so I decided to give it one last try with the expectation that it'll
fail as it did and turned the switch on my PSU back to on. I used the same USB, the same USB-Port and started the installation. For unknown reasons
the installation went through without any BSODs so at least I was able to install Windows 11 again.

Once Windows 11 was installed, I got spammed with BSODs (kmod exception, IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL and ntoskrnl.exe) again. So the first thing
I did was getting all my drivers for my external hardware up2date while Windows 11 is on the latest version. Guess what happened?
Literally nothing and the BSODs kept appearing. So I used BlueScreenView in hope to get any smarter with the BSODs but no chance. So I googled
and found WinDbg from the Windows Store which gave me a bit more Insight in the things. It still was difficult for me to get a hang of what every
parameter means and stands for but it occured that "MEMORY" was listed quite often. So even after several MemTest86 tests, I decided to replace
my RAM. So I replaced my 64 GB DDR5-5600 CL 40 Corsair Vengeance (2x 32GB) to 32 GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5-6000MHz CL30 since they
were the only ones I had to test with.

After replacing it, the installation went smoothly and the BSODs seemed to happen way less and after updating everything to the latest version, it
seemed to run fine. The next thing I decided to try was to make a clean install of Windows 11 two times. The first reinstall happend on the 3rd of
March and the 2nd on the 6th of march. The Installation process went smoothly on both days without any BSODs at all and I was even able to
update all drivers without getting interrupted with any BSODs.

But still...

My system is now running since the last clean install of Windows 11 (6thof march) with everything up2date, the clean unfortunately didn't fix it and
the BSODs keep appearing which was never the case in the last 13 months. Somehow I have the feeling that something with my CPU could be
wrong since the 14th Gen are having a lot of problems but honestly I don't know. Is there a tool were I can check my CPU for any failures or
something?

Answer 3

Hi Brian, thanks for reaching out. My name is Bernard, a Windows fan like you. I'll be happy to help you out today, my timezone is UTC +8.

I understand the issue you have, there is nothing to worry I am here to assist, As per checking and analyzing the DMP files you have, there is an error portcls.sys, this is a file which powers up the device, and is caused by corrupted system files and driver, for us to fix the issue kindly follow the steps below:

Method 1. Run system file checker.

On Powershell(admin), copy, paste, and enter each command below:

sfc /scannow

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Once done restart the PC and check.

Method 2. Do clean boot:

A “clean boot” starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, so that you can determine whether a background program is interfering with your game or program.

• In the search box on the taskbar, type msconfig and select System Configuration from the results.
• On the Services tab of System Configuration, select Hide all Microsoft services, and then select Disable all.
• On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select Open Task Manager.
• Under Startup in Task Manager, for each startup item, select the item and then select Disable.
• Close Task Manager.
• On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select OK. When you restart the computer, it's in a clean boot environment.

Troubleshooting reference: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/929135...

Note: If the issue persists, we will run a system repair on the affected device.

Let me know how it goes and I hope that helps.

Bernard