BSOD at random, too inconsistent to pinpoint

Hi there,

After months of trial-and-error fixing attempts and reinstallations of Windows 10, I give up and plead my case to you, handsome and capable reader!

I keep getting BSOD's after a few weeks of usage, after a fresh reinstall of windows 10 they aren't present until two to three weeks of usage, then they keep appearing with increasing intervals, sometimes forcing disk checks or repairs without really solving the issue. I'm suspecting a hardware issue, but my pc isn't a year old yet and I've pretty much had this from the start, besides I've been convincing myself that 'if it would be a hardware issue, the crashes would be more consistent'. the BSOD error codes I'm getting are different each time as well, like BAD_POOL_HEADER or PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA.

I've done memory tests, reinstallations of windows, driver updates and reinstallations (manual and automatic, fresh and overwriting), used different browsers (the most common crashes are during usage of my internet browser), none seemed to help.

Is there any way I can find a solution for my problem, or am I doomed to send in my parts for warranty? Could a hardware problem even be pinpointed with the reports attached?

Here's hoping for news, if I need to clarify or forgot to mention something, please let me know. In return, I present you with an animated gif file of a very confused and distorted Patrick Stewart.

axe0 said:

Please fill in your system specs

Please follow this tutorial and download the tool. The tool will give you detailed information about your system specs, please fill in your system specs more completely including PSU, cooling and other used stuff like mouse, keyboard, monitor, case, etc.
The PSU, cooling and other stuff are NOT mentioned in the tool.

In the left corner below in your post you find 'My System Specs'. After clicking it you can find a link a little below that says 'Update your System Spec', click on this link to get to the page where you can fill in your system specs.

Apologies, done. The only thing I couldn't find was the system manufacturer/model number, hope this is enough.

axe0 said:

Please revert any overclock present on your system.

Does an XML-profile count as an overclock? Now that I think of it, my pc won't boot without enabling said XML-profile. This completely slipped my mind and is probably related.

axe0 said:

An XMP profile is overclocking the RAM, it's also specified on the motherboards specs that the frequency the RAM is running on is considered overclocking.

Thanks for your help so far.

I tried disabling said XML-profile and my pc does indeed not boot without it, it reboots after showing the initial BIOS screen and loading a while. I guess at this point it's pretty safe to say it is in fact a hardware issue, I'll update the thread title accordingly. Edit: it seems I can't.

That said, what are the steps I can take to solve this issue? Would fiddling with BIOS settings solve anything, or do I need to get different hardware? As you have probably noticed I'm not that tech-savvy.

axe0 said:

First thing I would try is reset the BIOS settings to the default.

I have inquired at my retailer about the XMP-profile being a must for using my pc, and I have been informed about the following:

-Reset the BIOS settings to default
-Reboot with only one RAM stick plugged in
-Enable XMP
-Reboot, see if windows loads up
-Turn off PC, plug the other RAM stick in, and turn the PC back on

I've not had a blue screen since I did this, I will do a duration test and report back in two days about the frequency of blue screens. If this has indeed fixed the issue, I will mark the thread as solved.