# Windows 10 keeps crashing **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2022, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362 "2022-03-19T22:54:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/1 "2022-03-19T22:54:35Z")
I use a desktop pc that i put together myself about 5 years ago. Then a few days ago i plugged in a pair of headphones i havnt used in a few years. A window for (i believe) realtek audio popped up and asked if i wanted to use the new hardware. I hit yes and within seconds the computer froze. Since then windows will begin to load, and then it will freeze. Sometimes it will make it to my desktop screen, and then freeze. But it freezes before i can do anything. Sometimes it will turn itself off after it freezes. I tried a few things i found online to fix it, but nothing. So i did a clean windows install and reinstalled all the motherboard and graphics card drivers, and it was fine, untill i updated windows. Within a minute of it rebooting it froze and shut its self down. Then everytime i restart it it freezes just like before. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/2 "2022-03-19T23:15:59Z")
Does it have a spinning disk or an SSD? It it’s a spinning disk, my first guess would be bad hard drive. If you can get to the command prompt, the following will check the SMART status: wmic diskdrive get status ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/3 "2022-03-19T23:31:26Z")
Windows is installed on an ssd. But there is also hdd installed. I will try that after dinner. P.S. For this new windows install i bought a new Western Digital ssd. The ssd that has the old windows is not currently installed. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/4 "2022-03-20T01:07:25Z")
Can you get into Safe Mode? If so, I’d try going through an uninstalling the updates. Including any driver updates it may have given you. > **[Start your PC in safe mode in Windows - Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/windows/start-your-pc-in-safe-mode-in-windows-92c27cff-db89-8644-1ce4-b3e5e56fe234)** > > Find out how to boot into safe mode in Windows from Settings, the sign-in screen, and a black or blank screen. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/5 "2022-03-20T01:11:19Z")
I will try this and what wolf said tomorrow and will let you know the outcome. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/6 "2022-03-20T03:45:32Z")
I suspect Windows 10 has an unacknowledged issue with allowing drivers to get outdated without actually admitting it has outdated drivers on board. I’ve had similar issues on several different computers, all running Win10 and these are the only computers I’ve had that behave like yours is. If I manually force a driver update that quite often calms things down–until the next instance. I need to go back to Linux, this shit is too headache. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/7 "2022-03-20T07:39:13Z")
Are you able to monitor your CPU temperature? I’ve read that overheating can cause problems like that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/8 "2022-03-20T11:45:50Z")
So i tried what Wolf said, and it said “status OK OK”. I tried what BigT said, and safe mode runes fine, but i go to Updates and security/ windows updates, and it never loads. I tried several times, letting it go for up to 20 minutes, and it never loads. Every other tab loads fine though. I also tried getting to the updates through the advanced startup, (i read that there is an option to uninstall the updates there) but the uninstall updates option does not appear. And i did check the “other options” ( i think thats its name) and it was not there either. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/9 "2022-03-20T11:48:58Z")
I think i’d need to check the cpu temp in the bios. But if it was cpu temp, wouldnt it happen regardless of the windows update? Or can the update be causing it to run hot? ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/10 "2022-03-20T17:14:21Z")
Yes, I think there’s a way to do that through BIOS, and there are many free programs you can download. > [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](#): > > But if it was cpu temp, wouldnt it happen regardless of the windows update? Or can the update be causing it to run hot? I don’t know enough about computers to answer your question. I just thought I’d suggest checking the CPU temperature because it seems like a very basic thing to consider (a good place to start). Maybe someone else can comment on that. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/11 "2022-03-20T18:28:59Z")
> [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](#): > > But if it was cpu temp, wouldnt it happen regardless of the windows update? Or can the update be causing it to run hot? Very improbable, but possible. An update could install some faulty process that hogs up resources and causes the CPU to run on full load and overheat, but that’s best diagnosed by looking at the process tab in task manager. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/12 "2022-03-20T18:49:46Z")
I would recommend disabling everything running in startup that you can (even the Realtek audio driver). You may need to do that on a Safe Start as mentioned above. You get there in Task Manager, Startup tab. Once EVERYTHING in Startup is disabled (antivirus, the lot…disabling does not uninstall) you can turn them back on, one at a time. Keep going until you get a crash. That is likely your culprit. Note that the Realtek driver will show in there and when disabled you will not get any audio. This is fine, just testing to see what is wrong. You need to reboot to make changes in Startup happen. Turn on Relatek first (and only that) and see what happens. Also, check Device Manager. If anything has no driver or a bad driver it should show in there. Check your motherboard manufacturer’s website for the latest drivers in case you need to fix something in there. And it may be a reach but if you have an NVidia card some have audio drivers. Do a clean install of NVidia drivers and make sure the audio component is not selected (unless you are using it for some reason). ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/13 "2022-03-20T19:29:24Z")
I use a program called Whocrashed to find driver-caused crashes. [Resplendence Software - WhoCrashed, automatic crash dump analyzer](https://www.resplendence.com/whocrashed) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/14 "2022-03-20T20:03:04Z")
Ok, so i turned on my computer for the first time in almost 24 hours, and it seemed fine. I downloaded Core temp to check the cpu temp, and everything was fine for 20 minutes or so, then it froze. I restarted it, and once again it was working fine. But this time i didnt wait for any problems. I opened task manager and disabled everything, and rebooted. Then i enabled realtek, and rebooted. Now i am just watching random youtube videos trying to see if it crashes. But now i am seeing cpu temps spiking into the 80’s C, and one even maxed at 90C. And all i am doing is playing youtube videos. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/15 "2022-03-20T20:07:26Z")
> [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](#): > > But now i am seeing cpu temps spiking into the 80’s C, and one even maxed at 90C. And all i am doing is playing youtube videos. What does task manager tell you? Is there a process that takes up exceptional CPU resources? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/16 "2022-03-20T20:15:10Z")
Did you check the temps while you had the Realtek stuff disabled? Did they also spike from just playing YouTube? It’s possible that the Realtek drivers have some sort of issue. Fortunately, in my experience, Microsoft has some default drivers that will work just fine. That said, your PC should not get hot enough to freeze like this, no matter what. If it is doing so, that means that there is a problem with your cooling. Make sure all your fans are spinning inside the computer, for one thing. And that there is nothing blocking the air intake. Clean them off and test again. If you still have problems, then I’d consider repasting your CPU–remove the cooler, clean off the thermal paste with alcohol wipes (and let it evaporate), then applying new thermal paste and reseating the cooler. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/17 "2022-03-20T20:16:15Z")
The highest cpu usage is Service host: local system. It was running at around 8%, then went into the high 20’s, then dropped back down. And i noticed as i was typing it went back up to near 30%. And right not the system froze. And then it shut down. Unfortunately i will not be able to see the final cpu temp. I do not think it logs it. But other than the spikes to the high 80’s it was staying mostly in the mid 40’s. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/18 "2022-03-20T20:23:33Z")
> [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](#): > > The highest cpu usage is Service host: local system. It was running at around 8%, then went into the high 20’s, then dropped back down. And i noticed as i was typing it went back up to near 30%. AFAIK, service host: local system is a collection of several system tasks that normally uses a good portion of Windows resources, so that’s not out of the ordinary, and 30% CPU usage usually is nothing to be worried about. So I second @BigT 's advice to check if your machine is sufficiently ventilated. ETA: on second thought, I went to task manager on my machine to see how much CPU resources service host: local system uses. It was almost nothing, so the 20-30% it uses on your machine could hint at a problem with your Windows installation. That could also explain why the issue only appeared after an update. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/19 "2022-03-20T20:31:45Z")
> [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](#): > > But now i am seeing cpu temps spiking into the 80’s C, and one even maxed at 90C. And all i am doing is playing youtube videos. > [@BigT](#): > > That said, your PC should not get hot enough to freeze like this, no matter what. If it is doing so, that means that there is a problem with your cooling. As others have mentioned, while you watch YouTube, have Task Manager open and look at the Details tab sorting on CPU to see if anything is gobbling up CPU cycles. While I will say there is no way watching YouTube should get your CPU so hot it should be noted that 80-90C on a CPU is within tolerance. It’s not great though (100C tends to be the limit). Either something is wrong with your cooling and/or something else is spiking your CPU to high temps. Certainly a problem to be sorted if the only thing running is YouTube. As a test, try a different browser. Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Brave…whatever (all are free). See if there are any differences. You also might want to check if your motherboard BIOS (or UEFI) is up to date and getting the latest on there. That can be a bit scarier thing to do though depending on your comfort with PCs. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362/20 "2022-03-20T20:36:16Z")
Ok. Realtek and everything is disabled. I am running two youtube videos, and the temps on the 4 cores are in the 40’s. On the Max list i see that they all did hit the low 60’ at some point. And now there in the 30’s currently. The cpu fan and the two case fans are running. The graphics cards two fans are not running, but i read that they should only kick on if it is being more heavily taxed. I now have the two youtubes playing plus a video from the Hdd on media player, and we went into the high 60’s and 70’s C Edit to add, two cores hit 91 and 92C. It just now froze and shut down. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-keeps-crashing/961362.md?page=2)