Windows 10: How to troubleshoot an error that appears only at Restart or Sign out?

I get an error pop-up error message not every, but almost every time I Restart or Sign out. It's the screen with blue background and on top of Restart or Sign out text an error window says:

Explorer.exe - Application error. The instruction at 0x000… referenced memory at 0x000... The memory could not be written.

Sometimes the error code is just zeros, sometimes random numbers. I have tried so much already to troubleshoot this. For example these did not help in any way:

• MemTest86+ (no problems)
• Disabling any Services, Autoruns/ShellExView entries
• Low resolution mode
• BIOS settings are fine, no overclocking etc.
• DISM.exe and sfc
• etc.

However, these do make the error go away:

• End process for explorer.exe before Restart or Sign out
• Safe Mode
• Creating a new user profile (almost the same as clean installing Windows, many full days of work)
• Uninstalling NVIDIA graphics driver (then the card is unusable, of course)
• Disabling Device Manager / Display Adapters / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080

I already contacted NVIDIA and the graphics driver is not the culprit. Something has gone wrong with the user profile as the same driver works just fine in a new profile (and there's nothing wrong with the driver anyway, it's just the Restart or Sign out process that has a problem).

What can I do to fix this? One useful thing would be to have a step-by-step procedure for the Sign out. So that it'd ask before continuing to the next step and list what it's doing. Or if I could just disable whatever it does when the error appears.

:)

 

Windows 10 infinite restart black screen


The tutorials provided are just a list of troubleshooting steps. Use only the steps which apply to you.

Since none of the troubleshooting steps here worked, I'd suggest you do a Clean install.

John

 

Windows Updated(16299.309).KB4088776 Restart is required to complete.


Hi dalchina. Good news, I followed your suggestion and reinstalled the update and now it appears as "installed correctly" *Biggrin Maybe it was not necessary to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter or maybe if necessary. But using it I do not think it could have worsened something. The installation was very fast, unlike the first time it showed step 1 and step 2 completed.

Thanks for the suggestions and for the time to respond Best regards.


And thanks for the tip of that program, I'll have it on my list.

 

Windows 10 infinite restart black screen

Thank you john for all of your help i decided to get the usb my computer came with and factory reset it i didnt have anything that personal or valueable so its ok thanks for the help though i appreciate it