Black Screen Crash

Seearbe · 2025-02-28T17:29:36+0000

Hi everyone.

I've got a headscratcher of an issue here. PC keeps black screen crashing - I lose display and don't have the ability to hold the power button down to kill the computer and essentially have to switch off at the wall. I've checked that the '5-second hold' powers down normally, which it does. Crash can happen at any time - working on spreadsheets or using web - but is guaranteed to happen whenever I open or edit a large photo in Darktable. It doesn't crash whilst gaming (although Forza Horizon will occasionally crash to desktop - it's just the game the kids are playing at the moment so could well happen in other games too). No warnings pop up on reboot.

Things I've tried:
- Replacing PSU
- Reseating GPU
- Cleaning GPU with compressed air (although it's not dusty)
- Mobo BIOS update
- Remove GPU drivers with DDU and reinstall
- Windows+Ctrl+Shift+B to reset display driver (doesn't work)
- Screaming and shouting at the thing
- Setting power profile in Nvidia control panel to maximum

It's not a heat issue - system runs pretty cool. No overclocking on the system.

Any ideas how I can figure this one out before I take extreme action and buy a new motherboard and GPU!?

Firegod · 2025-02-28T17:34:34+0000

Does the event log capture anything of use? Have you tried checking windows over with an SFC /scannow and a DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth?

Also have you tried resetting BIOS to defaults (I know you say it has been updated) and also tried x1 DIMM ram?

Minibiker · 2025-02-28T17:34:47+0000

RAM sticks been checked one at a time?

Seearbe · 2025-02-28T18:00:26+0000

Firegod said:
Does the event log capture anything of use? Have you tried checking windows over with an SFC /scannow and a DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth?

Also have you tried resetting BIOS to defaults (I know you say it has been updated) and also tried x1 DIMM ram?

Event Log doesn't seem to be showing much, other than Teams Updater not working. I've uninstalled and reinstalled Teams because that's easy! Otherwise I'm never really sure where to look in all these log files.

Never used the SFC and DISM things before but doing it now.

Only setting I changed in BIOS after flashing was to enable XMP profile. Everything else is default.

Will try RAM next. At least I know Darktable can cause the crash instantly, so will be a quick test!

Thanks

Minibiker · 2025-02-28T18:44:51+0000

Also, have you been tweaking the PC at all, Overclocking or Enabling XMP for RAM?

Seearbe · 2025-02-28T19:07:39+0000

Minibiker said:
Also, have you been tweaking the PC at all, Overclocking or Enabling XMP for RAM?

As I mention above, only enabling XMP for RAM.

Scannow found some errors and fixed them.

C:\Windows\System32>DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.26100.1150

Image Version: 10.0.26100.3194

[==========================100.0%==========================] The restore operation completed successfully.
The operation completed successfully.

C:\Windows\System32>sfc /scannow

Beginning system scan. This process will take some time.

Beginning verification phase of system scan.
Verification 100% complete.

Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
For online repairs, details are included in the CBS log file located at
windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For example C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For offline
repairs, details are included in the log file provided by the /OFFLOGFILE flag.