New PC keeps freezing and needing reset

F

FraSha

Active member
I got my new PC delivered to me yesterday. Running sfc /scannow found corruptions in Windows files and DISM restorehealth fixed them, but randomly when browsing this forum on Edge or doing other simple Windows tasks with several apps open it just freezes, and I can't close apps on the Task Manager (right-clicking them there won't even bring up a menu). Is there anything that can be done? £4000 is a lot of money for a paperweight.

Specs:

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Promotional Item
Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
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Terms & Conditions
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 24-Core Processor i9-14900KF (Up to 6.0GHz) 36MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG MAXIMUS Z790 DARK HERO (LGA1700, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 32GB) KIT
Graphics Card
24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4090 - HDMI, DP
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
5 x Corsair AF120 RGB ELITE PWM Fan + Controller Kit
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Change to: 4 x Corsair AF120 RGB ELITE PWM Fan + Controller Kit
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence

Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
 
Last edited:
F

FraSha

Active member
I am also getting "USB device is not recognised" intermittently for things like mice and USB sticks in some front and back slots. But not all the time - sometimes part way through copying contents across.
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Please edit your spec above to remove your Windows key, you don't want to publicise that.

There are no dumps and no indications of BSODs so this isn't going to be a simply bad driver issue. I can see a few error 41 messages which indicates that the hardware failed under Windows, that' strongly suggests that this is a hardware problem.

Stuff does move in transit, it happens more often that PCS would like I would think. The first thing I'd suggest then is that you pop both RAM cards out and re-seat them firmly. Then remove graphics card and re-seat that firmly. Then check all cables to ensure they are fully home, at both ends. It would be nice to remove and re-seat the NVMe cards, but since they're underneath heatsinks that will need replacing if you do this, we'll leave that for now.

Can you please download HWMonitor (free) and run that. Find the CPU temperature section and expand that so we see all the cores. Then post a screenshot of the CPU temps both at idle (with nothing running) and at the biggest load you can throw at it.

Then do the same thing but looking at the GPU temps. Post two screenshots, one at idle and one at maximum load.
 
F

FraSha

Active member
ubuysa said:
Please edit your spec above to remove your Windows key, you don't want to publicise that.

There are no dumps and no indications of BSODs so this isn't going to be a simply bad driver issue. I can see a few error 41 messages which indicates that the hardware failed under Windows, that' strongly suggests that this is a hardware problem.

Stuff does move in transit, it happens more often that PCS would like I would think. The first thing I'd suggest then is that you pop both RAM cards out and re-seat them firmly. Then remove graphics card and re-seat that firmly. Then check all cables to ensure they are fully home, at both ends. It would be nice to remove and re-seat the NVMe cards, but since they're underneath heatsinks that will need replacing if you do this, we'll leave that for now.

Can you please download HWMonitor (free) and run that. Find the CPU temperature section and expand that so we see all the cores. Then post a screenshot of the CPU temps both at idle (with nothing running) and at the biggest load you can throw at it.

Then do the same thing but looking at the GPU temps. Post two screenshots, one at idle and one at maximum load.
Click to expand...
Thank you for advising. I checked both RAM cards were firmly seated and they were both solidly clipped in, but I unclipped then pulled them out and reseated them anyway.

I've got Core Temp and Speccy going which didn't show any unusual temperatures but I'll do the HWMonitor. How easy is the graphics card to remove? I don't mind pushing cable ends but don't want to take anything out I can't get back in without tools :)

It seems to happen when something else is running (or idling) and I go to Task Manager, some advice on the web said Powershell 2.0 Engine might have something to do with it and to untick both Powershell 2.0 in the "Turn Windows features on or off" list. I'll see if that does anything, too.
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Be careful following advice on the web, there's a lot of garbage out there. That said, you don't want PowerShell 2.0 installed because it was deprecated by Microsoft some versions of Windows 10 ago, so any vulnerabilities are a potential route in for malware.

If you're not comfortable removing the graphics card then don't. I'm pretty certain that this is a hardware issue of some sort, though it still cold be movement in transit. There's really nothing in the uploaded data that suggests anything else and if your temps are fine then it's not overheating.

You could try starting Windows in Safe Mode. In Safe Mode a stripped-down version of Windows is loaded, with only critical services and drivers loaded. Typically, no third-party drivers are loaded. You won't be able to do anything useful in Safe Mode because most devices won't work properly (or at all), your display will be low-res because you'll be using the Windows basic display adapter. Safe Mode does not cause any harm or risks to any of your hardware at all though.

I would try Safe Mode without networking at first, because that usually doesn't load any third-party drivers at all. What you want to do is use as much of the PC as you can, which won't be much TBH, to try and make it freeze. It's not much fun in Safe Mode but it is a very valuable troubleshooting tool in situations like this, so do persevere for a few hours and do your hardest to make it freeze.

If it won't freeze in Safe Mode without networking then restart in Safe Mode with networking. This will load third-party networking drivers of course, but you'll be able to make a bit more use of the PC. Again try your hardest to make it freeze.

If it freezes in Safe Mode then it's definitely a hardware issue and you'll need to call PCS ASAP after Easter. Point them at this thread in that case.

If it won't freeze in Safe Mode then it's more likely to be a flaky driver. There are other troubleshooting steps we can take to locate that driver.

Since it's Easter Monday tomorrow you don't have anything to lose by trying it in Safe Mode....
 
F

FraSha

Active member
I tried to get the CPU utilisation above 20% but even running Elite Dangerous at maximum settings while watching Twitch, Channel 4, iPlayer and some other things (I don't have any other games installed right now) that's as high as it would go. Here are the minima for GPU and CPU, and the highest I got CPU so far: is there a utility or some other program that is notoriously CPU-hungry, that I could run to test it?,

Everything but the mouse cursor did freeze when I used Alt+Tab, the mouse cursor moved but I could not click on any windows, or close anything on Task manager. Unplugging and swapping mouse and keyboard didn't get it to work, the mouse cursor then froze.

GPU min load.png


CPU min load.png


CPU higher.png


The freeze stopped me getting a GPU-maximum but it was running around 47%, I think -- I might be wrong.

It does seem to be a problem with Alt+Tabbing between apps/windows somehow crashing Windows and/or task manager.
 
F

FraSha

Active member
ubuysa said:
It doesn't look like overheating. Try Safe Mode, but have lots of coffee ready........
Click to expand...
Do I need Bitlocker recovery keys for Safe Mode? I haven't been sent any by PCS, and there are none on my Microsoft account.

That link for starting in Safe Mode says :


From Settings​

  1. Press Windows logo key + I on your keyboard to open Settings. If that doesn't work, select the Start button, then select Settings .
  2. Select System > Recovery .
    Open Recovery Settings
  3. Under Recovery options, next to Advanced startup, select Restart now.
  4. After your PC restarts to the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart. You may be asked to enter your BitLocker recovery key.
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
FraSha said:
Do I need Bitlocker recovery keys for Safe Mode? I haven't been sent any by PCS, and there are none on my Microsoft account.

That link for starting in Safe Mode says :

​

From Settings​

  1. Press Windows logo key + I on your keyboard to open Settings. If that doesn't work, select the Start button, then select Settings .
  2. Select System > Recovery .
    Open Recovery Settings
  3. Under Recovery options, next to Advanced startup, select Restart now.
  4. After your PC restarts to the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart. You may be asked to enter your BitLocker recovery key.
Click to expand...
Have you enabled bitlocker? It wouldn't be enabled otherwise unless you'd manually done it.
 
F

FraSha

Active member
SpyderTracks said:
Have you enabled bitlocker? It wouldn't be enabled otherwise unless you'd manually done it.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure I've never had Bitlocker on any personal account or device. Whew! This is complicated enough with all the phone number text code identification nonsense.
 
F

FraSha

Active member
Having done more reading into this (on the internet, but still...) it does seem there is an issue with Alt+Tab out of games on Windows 11.
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
The problems you described in your OP were not simply Alt+Tab. But if you're happier following questionable advice on the web then I'll leave you to it.
 
F

FraSha

Active member
No, I'm not happy with questionable advice on the web. I am sure you're right, it's not Alt+Tab. It's just happened again as I started typing in this reply.

I had Alt+Tabbed out of a Windowed display of the Elite Dangerous game, but everything froze here and in that too, I will have to stalk to PCS tomorrow though I will be at work so don't know if I can get to them in office hours. Should I email?

Does pressing the reset button cause any long-term damage? Will it corrupt windows? If I'm not running any updates at the time.
 
F

FraSha

Active member
Maybe a silly question, but how can the Max utilization get over 100%? This is straight out of the box and not overclocked.

1713094125018.png
 
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