Windows crashing

Question

I have recently purchased Dell workstation tower PC. It's crashing/shutting down itself. In a day or two. Also its crashing one of another installed software, thats radio station automation software. Software is compatible with windows 11. We also have all the updates installed. We also tried reinstalling windows but the issue still persist.

Answer 1

Hello Vijay Shinde, just checking in to see if you have been able to isolate the cause of the crashes on your Dell workstation. To briefly recap, since the operating system reinstall did not resolve the issue, the root cause is almost certainly hardware or firmware related. It is critical to confirm if the Dell F12 ePSA diagnostics returned any 2000-series error codes regarding the memory or power components. Additionally, checking the Reliability Monitor (perfmon /rel) for any non-zero Bugcheck codes associated with the shutdowns will definitively tell us if this is a driver conflict (often caused by the Dell Optimizer suite) or a physical hardware failure requiring a warranty claim.

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VP

Answer 2

Hello Vijay Shinde,

Since you have already reinstalled Windows and the issue persists, we can reasonably rule out general OS file corruption. This behavior points strongly towards a hardware defect—likely RAM or the Power Supply Unit—or a critical firmware incompatibility on the new workstation. Your first step must be to isolate the hardware using the Dell ePSA (Enhanced Pre-Boot System Assessment). Restart the workstation and repeatedly tap the F12 key at the Dell logo until you enter the One-Time Boot Menu, then select Diagnostics. Let the initial scan run; if it passes, I strongly recommend checking the option for the "Thorough" test specifically for Memory. Faulty RAM often manifests exactly as you described: specific heavy applications crashing followed by random OS instability. If the diagnostic returns an error code (typically format 2000-xxxx), that confirms a hardware failure requiring a warranty repair.

If the hardware diagnostics pass, we need to identify if the shutdowns are thermal or software-driven kernel panics. Open the Reliability Monitor by pressing Win + R and typing perfmon /rel. Look for the red "Critical Events" at the times of the crash. If you see "Windows was not properly shut down" with no preceding error, this is a Kernel-Power Event 41. If the BugcheckCode inside that event (viewable in Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System) is zero, the system is losing power instantaneously, which confirms a faulty PSU or motherboard. However, if there is a hex code there, or if you see "Stop error" in the Reliability history, the system is BSODing and rebooting too quickly for you to see it. You should disable "Automatic restart" in sysdm.cpl > Advanced > Startup and Recovery to catch the specific error code on the next crash.

Finally, ensure your BIOS is updated to the absolute latest revision found on the Dell Support site for your specific Service Tag. Workstations often sit in inventory and ship with early firmware versions that may have stability issues with the latest Windows 11 updates (22H2/23H2). Additionally, check if the "Dell Optimizer" software is installed; this utility attempts to dynamically adjust power and network settings for "performance" but is notorious for interfering with real-time applications like radio automation software. Uninstalling Dell Optimizer is a recommended troubleshooting step for production environments.

I hope you've found something useful here. If it helps you get more insight into the issue, it's appreciated to accept the answer. Should you have more questions, feel free to leave a message. Have a nice day!

VP