Windows 10: BSOD constantly happening even while idle or happening while playing games....

I've tried resetting my PC before and it still doesn't work. There are no minidumps I can provide since windows will not dump anything because it either just turns into a black screen or just bluescreens and instantly restarts a couple seconds after. After looking deeper into it, I can go into Event Viewer and see that Windows is missing some core files that it needs to call to sometimes and fail to call to it since it does not exist. Also seems that Registry has been changed in such a way where it tries to find something and cannot find what it is looking for. I have tried cmd sfc /scannow an

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CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT (BSOD) happening on Windows 10 constantly

I built this computer back in 2015 and it's been as powerful as it has been frustrating to maintain and constantly troubleshoot. I'm using it as a gaming PC, and lately it has started freezing then crashing to a BSOD with a "CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT". Anecdotally, it seems to happen after it has gone to sleep and then woken back up. However, restarting does not bypass this issue.

I can't specifically recreate it other than just playing a videogame for 15-20 minutes. It's not limited to a single game, either. When it freezes, I'll hold down the power button and restart the computer. Often it'll crash again on startup, but then load to the desktop after that (and then eventually freeze again).

Some more (possibly red-herring clues):

• A few years ago I used OBS to record my gameplay and it would cause a freeze like this- however, at the time I had always restarted it not knowing it would eventually trip to a BSOD, so I can't say for sure it was a CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT. But it looked exactly the same as what's happening now.
  
• I stopped using OBS, but Nvidia GeForce has since introduced a feature that records gameplay. Even though I've disabled it, I have a hunch in the back of my mind that it could be the culprit.
  

If I just let Windows sit at the desktop (or do normal computer-related things), this problem will never happen- it appears to only be when gaming.

What I've done to troubleshoot this (this is the part where I complain about how awful Windows is):

• I've tried booting into Safe Mode, but apparently all the USB ports on my computer don't work on the screen where it asks what number I want (in order to finish booting into Safe Mode). My wired keyboard is completely unrecognized on this screen.
  
• I ran "sfc /scannow" and it found corrupted files, but could not fix, so I tried DISM but it could not find the source files... So a tutorial said to configure it in the Local Group Policy Editor, but apparently my computer doesn't have that...? (May be a non-issue- see below)*
  
• I just finished completely reformatting and reinstalling Windows 10 and I thought that solved the problem because the computer lasted for hours afterwords. However, after coming back to it (after it had gone to sleep) it froze and crashed just like before (15ish minutes into gaming).
  
• *I've since ran another "sfc /scannow" after re-installing Windows and this time it says it did not find any integrity violations.
  

Since I've reformatted, I'm certain my drivers are all up-to-date, but I'm open to other suggestions there. I really don't want to install third-party tools all willy-nilly unless it's absolutely necessary.

Any idea how to narrow this issue down? My complete guesses are that it's either Nvidia's software or something to do with Windows 10 sleep. If it's hardware, what parts are typical culprits?

I'll try to answer any follow-up questions as best as possible. My primary computer is a Mac, so admittedly I'm not very intuitive (or patient) with Windows. I'm trying to enjoy gaming as a stress-reliever, but instead it only spikes my stress levels.

Here are the specs of this PC:

• Intel Core i7-4790K
  
• Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD7 TH Motherboard
  
• Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB RAM (2x8GB)
  
• Samsung 850 EVO SSD (x2)
  
• 3TB HDD
  
• Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970
  
• Corsair Carbide 500R Case
  
• Corsair 760 Power Supply
  

Edit: To add to it, I got a SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION the last time it froze/crashed to BSOD.

Edit 2: I re-flashed the BIOS, but the error still happens. I also tried disabling broadcasting in Steam just for good measure. Still no luck. I'll keep updating this as I try other things in case it could possibly help anyone else sometime.

 

BSOD When playing games

Hi Jackson,

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Community.

Please share the information requested below:

• Does the BSOD occur while playing a particular game?
• Is the game downloaded from Windows Store?

I suggest you to update the Graphic Card drivers by following the steps provided below and check if it helps.

• Press Windows key + X, select Device Manager.
• Expand Display Adapters.
• Right click on the driver and select Update Driver Software.
• Follow the on-screen prompts to update.

Refer the link below for more information:

Troubleshoot blue screen errors

Hope this helps. Keep us posted on the status for further assistance.

 

BSOD - Happens only during gaming

I am encountering BSOD whenever i tries to play any game on my computer for >1minute.

The error i encountered was as follow, not limited to:

• BAD_POOL_HEADER
• IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
• PFN_LIST_CORRUPT
• VIDEO_MEMORY_MANAGEMENT_INTERNAL
• REFERENCE_BY_POINTER

My Minidump, MSinfo32 is as linked:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OmgNyA8A2n8UbGMeXF6F_DRVw2uJNWxj?usp=sharing

Im using Asus Z170 Pro Gaming MB, i5 6600k and 8gb kingston ddr4 ram. 2 Samsung Evo 256gb SSD and 1 WD Hard Disk.

Please help with the error.