Windows 10: BSOD Happening constantly

I've been having frequent BSODs lately and have tried a bunch of the usual things to resolve to no avail.Help would be much appreciated.
Here's a link to the latest minidump file https://www.mediafire.com/file/erin78qvzofeqqf/041220-48750-01.rar/file


If there's anything else I need to upload just let me know.

:)

 

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.

 

Edge Search Does Not Permit Change of Region


I got these suggestions from the Microsoft Community forum.No. 1 worked for me:

Thank you for posting the query on Microsoft Community. I am glad to assist you on this.
We have reproduce the issue here and we are able to access non-regional search for google using Microsoft Edge.
I would suggest you to try the below steps and check if it helps.
Step 1:
Clear browsing data option of Microsoft Edge and check if you face the issue. To do so perform the steps below.

1. Click on the More actions icon next to the feedback icon present on top right corner of the Project Spartan homepage.
2. Select Settings and click on Choose what to clear.
3. Check the boxes Browsing history, Cookies and saved website data and Cached data and files and click on Clear.

Step 2:
I suggest you to create a new user account and check if the issue occurs.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Choose Accounts and then select Family and other users.
3. Select add someone else on this PC.
4. Enter a user name and hit next.
5. Click on Finish.
6. Sign out from the current Account and Log into the new account.

Step 3:
It could also happen because of network issue. I suggest you to try with different network connection and check if it helps.

 

Random BSOD while browsing internet


BitDefender is nothing special. mwac.sys causes BSODs anywhere.
A tiny documentation can be found here: Solved Random BSODs - Windows 10 Forums
In that very thread, the suggested action apparently worked.

The storage and network filters of any third party antivirus can cause BSODs. Neither MBAM nor BitDefender is any special. For a regular antivirus, it may be shifted to an alternative; but MBAM has no alternative. So a clean install of the said program is the most feasible first step.
As far as the first step is not failing, it is better to not think for the second step. Because the BSODs are not universal, failure at the first step is not universal; and success at the second step is also not universal.
That is why I posted that my suggestion may work, or may not. Let us see where it goes.