Random Restarts - Fresh BIOS & Windows Install

Question

As in the title, I have recently flashed the BIOS and reinstalled Windows 11 Home. After this, my PC will randomly restart itself, taking ~30s to POST. There are no BSODs, no EventViewer logs to indicate the cause, and checking the "Minidump" folder as suggested here the folder is completely empty.

Thus I have no idea what could be causing the issue, other than one EventViewer log immediately after the restart which reads "Connectivity state in standby: Disconnected, Reason: NIC compliance".

Also as suggested in the linked Q&A, I've pulled the EventViewer logs and SysInfo file. Please help, if you can. Files here

Answer 1

Hi Garrett O'Meara,

Thank you for sharing the detailed logs and system information.

Based on the Event ID 41 details (BugcheckCode = 0, no Minidump files, and no BSOD), Windows did not encounter a software crash. This behavior indicates the system restarted due to a hardware or firmware‑level reset, which occurs below the operating system. In these cases, Windows is only able to record that power was lost unexpectedly after the system restarts.

The “NIC compliance” message you noticed is informational and appears after the restart; it does not trigger the restart itself.

Please try the following steps in order to test and resolve the issue:

1, Fully reset BIOS power states

• Enter BIOS > Load default settings > Save and exit
• Power off the PC, unplug the power cable, then hold the power button for 10 seconds
• Reconnect power and boot normally

2, Disable deep CPU power‑saving features (BIOS)

• Disable CPU Global C‑States
• Disable Package C‑State limit
• Disable PCIe ASPM / ErP (if present)

3, Stabilize CPU behavior (BIOS)

• Disable Precision Boost / Core Performance Boost
• Ensure CPU voltage is set to Auto (no undervolting)

4, Check BIOS version

• If this issue started after a BIOS update, consider installing the previous stable BIOS version provided by the motherboard manufacturer

5, Adjust Windows power settings

• Set Power Plan to Balanced
• Turn off Fast Startup
• In Device Manager, disable “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” for network and USB devices

You’ve already done thorough troubleshooting, and the information you provided was very helpful in narrowing this down. Please try the steps above and monitor the system behavior.

Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Answer 2

Hi Garrett, Welcome in community

Are you sure that the system is configured to create minidump files in appropriate way?

Press the Windows key + R, then type in:

Sysdm.cpl

Then hit OK, now Select Advanced > Under Startup and Recovery select Settings

Under Write debugging information > Select "Automatic memory dump"

Under the Dump file, type in:

%SystemRoot%\MEMORY.DMP

Then hit OK and restart the PC

Then, be sure to remove any overclock applied to the system

Let me know

Elvis

 

Answer 3

Random restarts without BSODs, minidumps, or clear Event Viewer errors typically indicate a hardware, power, or low‑level firmware issue rather than a Windows crash.

Based on the provided context, the recommended approach is:

1. Check for Event ID 41 and related events

• After an unexpected restart, open Event Viewer and look under Windows Logs → System for Event ID 41 (Kernel‑Power).
• If Event ID 41 is present but shows BugcheckCode = 0 and other error code values as zero, or if Event ID 41 is missing entirely, this strongly suggests:
  • Power interruption (PSU, power cable, wall power, UPS), or
  • Hardware issue that prevents Windows from writing error codes or dumps before the restart.

2. Treat it as a hardware/power stability problem (Scenario 3) When the system is unresponsive or randomly restarts and Event ID 41 has zero codes or is not recorded, follow these steps:

1. Disable overclocking

• In BIOS/UEFI, reset CPU, RAM, and GPU to default (non‑overclocked) settings.
• Save and retest. Instability from overclocking is a common cause of random restarts.

2. Check memory (RAM)

• Use a memory checker to verify RAM health and configuration.
• Ensure all modules run at the same speed and are correctly configured in BIOS.
• Faulty or mismatched RAM can cause reboots without BSOD or dump.

3. Check the power supply

• Verify the PSU has sufficient wattage for CPU, GPU, drives, and peripherals.
• If new hardware was added (GPU, extra drives, etc.), ensure the PSU is sized appropriately.
• Check for loose power cables to motherboard and GPU.
• If there are power outages, unstable mains power, or the PC shares a circuit with heavy loads, consider testing with a different outlet or an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

4. Check for overheating

• Monitor CPU and GPU temperatures under idle and load.
• Ensure fans spin correctly, heatsinks are seated properly, and dust is not blocking airflow.
• Overheating can trigger hardware‑level resets without Windows logging a bugcheck.

5. Consider virtualization/heartbeat scenarios (if applicable)

• If this system is actually a Hyper‑V VM or another virtual machine:
  • Check whether a heartbeat monitoring feature or clustering is configured to automatically restart the VM when it appears unresponsive.
• If it is a physical machine in a server environment, check for any Automatic Server Recovery (ASR) or similar hardware watchdog that might be restarting it.

6. Check for crash dump initialization issues

• If Event ID 41 shows all values as 0 and there is an Event ID 46 (volmgr: “Crash dump initialization failed!”) around the same time, verify pagefile configuration and dump settings, because a bugcheck might still be occurring but Windows cannot write the dump.

3. Apply basic Windows 11 stop‑error troubleshooting Even without visible BSODs, apply the standard stability steps:

1. Remove any recently added hardware

• Temporarily disconnect any new internal cards, USB devices, or external drives added around the time the problem started.

2. Boot into Safe Mode

• If restarts are less frequent or disappear in Safe Mode, that points to a driver or software component.
• See Start your PC in safe mode in Windows 11 for the exact steps.

3. Check Device Manager

• Right‑click Start → Device Manager.
• Look for devices with an exclamation mark (!), especially network adapters, storage controllers, or system devices.
• Update drivers for any flagged devices; if that fails, try disabling or uninstalling them temporarily and test stability.

4. Ensure sufficient free disk space

• Keep at least 10–15% of the system drive free so Windows can create swap files and operate normally.

5. Install the latest Windows 11 updates

• Once stable enough to stay running, go to Start → Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates and install all available updates.

6. Consider a system restore or recovery option

• If the issue started immediately after the BIOS flash and reinstall, and persists after hardware checks, use one of the Recovery options in Windows 11 (for example, System Restore or Reset this PC while keeping files) to return to a known good state.

4. Interpreting the “Connectivity state in standby: Disconnected, Reason: NIC compliance” event

• That event indicates a network adapter power/standby compliance state and is not, by itself, a root cause of unexpected restarts.
• Focus on Event ID 41 behavior and the hardware checks above; treat the NIC event as secondary unless network driver changes clearly correlate with the restarts.

If, after disabling overclocks, validating RAM, PSU, and thermals, and confirming there is no Event ID 41 bugcheck code, the random restarts continue, the behavior is consistent with a hardware fault (PSU, motherboard, or RAM) and the next step is to swap‑test components where possible.

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References:

• Troubleshooting Windows unexpected restarts and stop code errors
• Advanced troubleshooting for Event ID 41: "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first"