Multiple BSODs and program crashes; often memory or driver related errors

Question

Hi all,

I've been having this issue for a while of having BSODs and programs crash. Most often the BSODs have error codes relating to memory or driver issues. The BSODS happen the most while my computer is idle, especially if I leave it for a bit after booting it up; they still do happen while I am actively using it but it is not as common. Additionally, I have been having issues lately with Windows having to undo changes when trying to update.

Some error messages I have seen:

Paging Exception

Kmode Exception

CI.dll System Exception Error

Here are some Minidumps: https://1drv.ms/u/c/37bbce957cfc63c1/IQAEZ8uP33vRQoXIArPKuo1mAaPND3slLM0AwFdTtdCoKqw?e=S5vYVX

The five from yesterday are all while I was away, the computer was Idle after being used no issue for hours before and I never logged back in between any of them.

Things I have tried:

SFC Scannow

DISM Cleanups (componentCleanup, ScanHealth, RestoreHealth)

Memory Diagnostic

ChkDsk

Replacing memory

Switching memory to other slots

Updating Drivers (Chipset, Graphics, etc)

System Specs:

Windows 11 Pro (25H2)

CPU: Intel i9-14900K

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

RAM: Corsair Vengance DDR5 32GB (2x16GB)

Motherboard: MSI PRO z790-A MAX WIFI

PSU: Corsair RM850

Thank you in advance,

Nathan

Answer 1

Your minidump files just indicate generic errors, no specific cause of the crashes is listed

I do see a Corsair utility listed in two of the minidump files, what Corsair utility(s) do you have installed on your PC?

Answer 2

The minidumps and symptoms match general Windows stop code behavior where a hardware device, its driver, or related software is corrupting memory and causing repeated bug checks.

Given that SFC, DISM, Memory Diagnostic, CHKDSK, RAM replacement, and driver updates were already attempted, the next steps should focus on isolating faulty drivers/hardware and checking system logs.

Follow these steps in order:

1. Check for faulty or incompatible drivers and devices
   1. Open Device Manager (right‑click Start > Device Manager).
   2. Look for any devices marked with an exclamation point (!).
   3. For each such device:
      • Right‑click > Update driver.
      • If updating does not help, temporarily Disable or Uninstall the device and test stability.
   4. Pay particular attention to recently installed or updated drivers (chipset, storage/NVMe, GPU, antivirus/security, overclocking or tuning utilities).
2. Remove or roll back recent changes
   1. Uninstall any recently added hardware (USB devices, PCIe cards, etc.) and test with only essential components connected.
   2. Uninstall or disable any overclocking or OEM tuning tools (for example, vendor utilities that change CPU/GPU frequencies, fan curves, or power profiles). These tools are a common cause of memory corruption and BSODs.
   3. If BSODs started after a specific driver or software install, roll that back or uninstall it and retest.
3. Check Event Viewer for critical errors around each BSOD
   1. Open Event Viewer.
   2. Navigate to Windows Logs > System.
   3. Look for Critical or Error events with timestamps matching the BSODs.
   4. Note any device, driver, or service repeatedly mentioned around the time of crashes; disable or update those components.
4. Run deeper hardware diagnostics Even though RAM has been replaced and basic tests passed, the bug checks still indicate possible memory or structure corruption.
   1. Run the Windows Memory Diagnostics tool again from Control Panel (search for Memory > Diagnose your computer's memory problems) and let it complete a full pass.
   2. After it finishes and Windows restarts, open Event Viewer and navigate to Event Viewer (Local) > Application and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > MemoryDiagnostics-Results > Debug to confirm whether any memory errors were detected (Event ID 2001 means no errors).
   3. If available from the system or motherboard vendor, run their full hardware diagnostics (CPU, motherboard, storage, etc.).
5. Confirm hardware compatibility
   1. Verify that all installed hardware (especially RAM and NVMe SSD) is on the motherboard’s supported list and compatible with the installed Windows 11 version.
   2. If any component is marginal or overclocked (including XMP/EXPO memory profiles), test with all overclocks disabled and BIOS set to defaults.
6. Address repeated Windows Update failures Repeated “undoing changes” after updates can be both a symptom and a cause of component store corruption.
   1. After stabilizing drivers/hardware, run Windows Update again.
   2. If updates still fail, use the recovery options:
      • Go to Settings > System > Recovery.
      • Use Go back (if available) or System Restore to revert to a point before the failures.
      • If necessary, use one of the options under Recovery options in Windows 11 to repair or reset Windows while keeping files.
7. If crashes persist, perform advanced bug check analysis For persistent CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION or similar memory/driver-related bug checks:
   1. Use WinDbg and the !analyze extension to inspect the crash dumps and stack traces.
   2. Look for any recurring driver or module names.
   3. If a specific driver is identified, disable it or replace it with a known-good version.

If, after all of the above, BSODs still occur with different memory/driver-related codes and no clear driver is identified, the remaining likely causes are:

• Intermittent hardware faults (motherboard, CPU, storage controller) that only manifest under certain idle power states.
• A faulty or incompatible device/driver that only becomes active when the system is idle (for example, power management, security/AV, or telemetry drivers).

In that case, continue systematically disabling or removing non-essential drivers/devices until the system remains stable.

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References:

• Troubleshooting Windows unexpected restarts and stop code errors
• Bug checks (stop code errors)
• Bug Check 0x109: CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION
• How to fix Error 0xA: IRQL_not_less_or_equal