BSOD Errors, temporarily solved previously but shutdown/crashes started again.

Question

Hello, I have been getting repeated BSOD errors and am unsure what the issue is. I had a few early last year and then they almost entirely stopped until around the end of November of last year and have persisted into this year. Sometimes there are no minidumps created, but I have updated my motherboard BIOS and also ran the sfc /scannow and come up with no errors in that but no solution to my problem. The crashes are intermittent, and I have placed the 4 minidumps that have been created below. There are more crashes than these, but these are the only ones that have created a file. I have used bluescreenview but am not really sure what I am looking for, and checking the errors there people say it is likely hardware such as a power supply.

These are the only minidump files that were created

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WXE3WddndQSeXkZ6b995rw8M7P5rsULL/view?usp=sharing

On a previous post a kind advisor had told me to reinstall my graphics drivers, which I did and ran a PowerShell repair as well, and saw no corruption. This had just about completely resolve the issue except for one day where my computer froze and I needed to hold the power button to restart it, but this afternoon after I turned my PC on from its sleep state, it immediately froze and restarted itself. After checking the reliability history, as no minidump was created and Event Viewer showed it as a 'Critical Event 41 Kernel-Power' crash, I can see that at the same time my Windows shut down, an event called "Microsoft GameInput" and "Successful application reconfiguration" occurred at the same exact time as the shutdown. I am not sure if this caused the error, or happened immediately after the crash but it is the only other source of information I have about this. Any advice would be appreciated, and please let me know if I can provide anything else that would also help.

Answer 1

Hi ,

If it is a laptop or desktop, if possible, could you provide the laptop model or your desktop configuration?

Thanks

Answer 2

Event ID 41 (Kernel-Power) with intermittent BSODs or sudden restarts indicates Windows is seeing an unexpected loss of power or a stop error caused by hardware, drivers, or low‑level software. Because minidumps are not always written and SFC shows no corruption, troubleshooting should focus on hardware, drivers, and basic OS health.

Follow these steps in order:

1. Basic Windows 11 stop‑error checks

• Remove or disconnect any recently added hardware (USB devices, external drives, new PCIe cards) and test stability.
• Ensure at least 10–15% free space on the system drive so Windows can write dumps and use the page file.
• Install all pending Windows 11 updates:
  • Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.

2. Boot in Safe Mode to isolate drivers

• Boot into Safe Mode as described in Start your PC in safe mode in Windows 11.
• Use the system in Safe Mode for a while:
  • If crashes stop in Safe Mode, a third‑party driver or software (GPU driver, peripheral driver, overclocking/monitoring tools, game overlays, etc.) is likely involved.
  • If crashes continue even in Safe Mode, suspect hardware (PSU, RAM, motherboard, storage).

3. Check Device Manager for driver issues

• Right‑click Start > Device Manager.
• Look for any device with a yellow exclamation mark (!).
• For each such device:
  • Right‑click > Update driver.
  • If that fails, temporarily Disable device and test.
• Pay particular attention to display adapter, storage controllers, and any gaming/USB devices.

4. Run core hardware diagnostics

• Memory:
  • Run Windows Memory Diagnostics (Control Panel > search “Memory” > Diagnose your computer’s memory problems). After reboot, check Event Viewer for MemoryDiagnostics-Results.
• Disk/file system:
  • Run a disk check on the system drive: right‑click the drive in File Explorer > Properties > Tools > Check.
  • This aligns with the “Scan disk” guidance for file system errors.

5. Check for power/PSU or hard‑hang behavior

• For cases where the system freezes and must be powered off, and Event ID 41 has BugcheckCode = 0 or is missing:
  • This pattern is consistent with possible power supply or power delivery issues.
  • Verify:
    • No power outages or loose power cables.
    • For desktops, that the PSU is adequate for GPU/CPU and is not faulty.
• If the system is completely unresponsive during freezes (Caps Lock light does not toggle), this is a “hard hang” and strongly suggests hardware (PSU, motherboard, RAM, or GPU) rather than normal application crashes.

6. Remove or update problematic software and drivers

• Uninstall or update any:
  • Overclocking utilities, RGB/board control apps, or vendor “tuning” suites.
  • Third‑party antivirus or low‑level security tools.
  • Game overlays or capture tools.
• Since a previous graphics driver reinstall helped, ensure the GPU driver is fully up to date and that only one graphics driver package is installed.

7. Use general bug‑check troubleshooting practices Even when a specific stop code is not visible, apply the standard guidance:

• Remove or update any recently added device drivers or system services.
• Check Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System for critical or error entries around the time of each crash to identify a specific driver or device.
• Confirm any recently added hardware is compatible with the installed Windows version.
• Run a reputable antivirus scan to rule out malware that can cause kernel errors.

8. If crashes persist

• If, after:
  • Running memory and disk diagnostics,
  • Verifying PSU/power and cabling,
  • Updating/removing suspect drivers and utilities,
  • And testing in Safe Mode, the system still randomly restarts or freezes with Event ID 41 and no useful bugcheck code, treat this as likely hardware:
  • Test with another PSU (desktop) if possible.
  • Test RAM modules one at a time.
  • If under warranty, consider having the system board and PSU professionally checked or serviced.

These steps align with Microsoft’s guidance for repeated blue screens, stop codes, and Event ID 41 where dumps are missing or zeroed.

---

References:

• Troubleshooting Windows unexpected restarts and stop code errors
• Bug checks (stop code errors)
• Advanced troubleshooting for Event ID 41: "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first"
• Stop errors and unexpected restart troubleshooting guidance