Clicking off main monitor and onto second monitor while Fortnite is running on main monitor causing pc to crash

Question

This has never happened before, and I have always run two monitors. But for some reason today if I have Fortnite running on my main monitor and I click off of it and onto my second monitor, my main monitor becomes a bunch of distorted pixels, my second monitor goes black, and the computer reboots with the critical error that the system rebooted or shut down unexpectedly. Event id 41. I went into event viewer and see the error that is happening during this as - The epic online services terminated with the following service-specific error: the system cannot find the path specified. Event id 7024. But that error could be happening because of the system freezing once I click off the main monitor. I'm really confused because since 2023 with my first pc build, I've always ran dual monitors. The only variable is Fortnite had an update today. If anyone could help with any kind of idea why this would be taking place, I would greatly appreciate it!

cpu - amd ryzen 7 9800x3d

gpu - 9070xt

main monitor - samsung odyssey G8 (240hz)

second monitor - samsung C24F390 (60hz)

Answer 1

Hi,

It could be a Fortnite configuration or update that came with a bug.

First, check if it's only happening with Fortnite?

If it's only happening with Fortnite, test in maximized window mode to see if the problem occurs. If it doesn't, you will need to do the following procedure:

https://www.epicgames.com/help/en-US/fortnite-battle-royale-c-202300000001636/technical-support-c-202300000001719/how-to-fix-fortnite-crashes-after-a-pc-update-a202300000016174

If it still persists, try clearing the shader cache, reinstalling the AMD video driver, and reinstalling Fortnite.

We'll use DDU to remove all AMD drivers.

You can use DDU: https://www.guru3d.com/download/display-driver-uninstaller-download/

Note: DDU is a third-party application to completely delete and reinstall the GPU driver.

1. After downloading, extract ddu to a folder.
2. Run the driver screen uninstaller.exe application, select Model tab, put GPU. After uninstalling the GPU Driver, uninstall it for All GPUs
3. Click on the First option clean and reboot and wait for the process to finish.
4. After running DDU and install driver :

https://drivers.amd.com/drivers/whql-amd-software-adrenalin-edition-26.2.2-win11-b.exe While this is not a Microsoft website, it is the official site of [RX 9070 XT/ AMD].

Open the command prompt (admin) and run the commands: sfc /scannow and dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth, wait for the process to finish and restart the computer.

Then perform a clean boot and if you want to uninstall applications that you do not use.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-execute-a-simple-boot-start-in-windows-da2f9573-6eec-00ad-2f8a-a97a1807f3dd

If the problem persists then it's a bug in Fortnite, contact Epic Games if the problem only occurs in Fortnite.

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Thanks

Answer 2

The symptoms match a system-level crash (Kernel-Power Event ID 41) likely triggered by the GPU/graphics stack when switching focus between monitors while Fortnite is running, not by the Epic Online Services service error itself.

Event ID 41 indicates the system did not shut down cleanly. By itself it does not specify the root cause, but the guidance is:

1. Treat it as a potential hardware/driver stability issue
   • Event ID 41 is logged when Windows detects an unexpected restart or power loss. This can be due to a Stop error (blue screen), power interruption, or the system becoming unresponsive and being forcibly powered off.
   • When this happens without a clear bugcheck code, the documentation recommends checking hardware stability (power, memory, overheating, overclocking) and any components that could cause hangs during graphics-intensive workloads.
2. Check for bugcheck codes and dumps
   • In Event Viewer → Windows Logs → System, open the Kernel-Power Event ID 41 entries and check whether BugcheckCode is non‑zero.
   • If non‑zero, convert the decimal bugcheck code to hex (using Calculator in Programmer mode) and then use the bugcheck reference to identify the specific Stop error and troubleshoot accordingly.
   • If BugcheckCode is 0 and there is an Event ID 46 from volmgr (“Crash dump initialization failed! ”), verify pagefile/dump configuration so Windows can capture a dump for future crashes.
3. Hardware/firmware checks recommended for Event ID 41 scenarios The Event ID 41 troubleshooting guidance recommends:
   • Disable any CPU or GPU overclocking (including vendor utilities) and test at stock settings.
   • Check memory health and configuration (all DIMMs same speed and correctly configured).
   • Verify the PSU has sufficient wattage and is stable, especially with a high-end GPU and dual monitors.
   • Check for overheating (CPU and GPU temps) when Fortnite is running and when switching monitors.
   • If running inside a VM or with any hypervisor/heartbeat/ASR features, ensure nothing is forcibly restarting the system.
4. Multi‑monitor and graphics considerations
   • Multi‑monitor setups can expose driver or OS bugs, especially when 3D applications are running and focus switches between displays.
   • There are known cases where systems with multiple monitors and certain graphics operations can trigger crashes at the OS/driver level.
   • Ensure the latest stable graphics driver is installed (clean reinstall if necessary) and that Windows is fully updated.
   • If the crash only occurs with Fortnite after a specific update, test:
     • Running Fortnite in windowed or borderless‑windowed mode instead of exclusive fullscreen.
     • Lowering refresh rate on the main monitor temporarily (e.g., from 240 Hz to 144/120) to see if the issue is tied to mode switching between 240 Hz and 60 Hz.
     • Temporarily disconnecting the second monitor to confirm the issue is multi‑monitor specific.
5. Next steps to narrow the cause
   1. Confirm whether Event ID 41 entries contain a non‑zero BugcheckCode; if so, decode and follow the Stop error troubleshooting path.
   2. If BugcheckCode is 0, check for Event ID 46 (volmgr) and ensure a pagefile/dump is configured so future crashes can be captured.
   3. Temporarily disable any overclocking or vendor tuning utilities and test again.
   4. Test Fortnite with different display modes and refresh rates, and with the second monitor disconnected, to isolate whether the crash is tied to multi‑monitor focus changes.
   5. If the problem persists only with a specific Fortnite build and all hardware checks out, treat it as a game/driver compatibility regression and monitor for driver or game patches.

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References:

• Advanced troubleshooting for Event ID 41: "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first"
• Troubleshoot external monitor connections in Windows
• Windows crashes when you run applications that use the D3D and GDI Interop surfaces on a computer that has multiple monitors attached and that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2