BSOD boot loop. Need help diagnosing hardware issues. DMP files attach

Hi All,

I first posted this problem on Tomshardware at BSOD boot loop. Need help diagnosing hardware issues. DMP files attached. - Windows 10

The text is copy-pasted below.

I built a new PC a week ago and I am running into a problem where my PC would be stuck in a continuous BSOD loop. The BSODs started appearing two days after (I was playing GTA V). The BSOD error messages were different, with the main ones I remember being MEMORY_MANAGEMENT, IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, or KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE (see dmp files below). I did NOT overclock my CPU or GPU. I did some troubleshooting and I think that I have a hardware issue (see below).

Specs
CPU: Intel i9-9900k
Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix Z390-I Gaming (Latest Bios Version 1004)
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 XC Gaming (Factory Overclocked)
Ram: Corsair Vengence RPX 16GB (2 x 8GB)
PSU: EVGA Supernova G3 750W
Liquid Cooling: NZXT Kraken x52
3 Hard Drives: 500GB m.2; 2 TB Sata SSD; 2 TB HDD
Monitor: Asus 1080p, 144hz

Troubleshooting Steps I Took (None worked)
1. Removed and reconnected all components and cables. All fans turn on and the motherboard does not beep.

2. Removed M.2 and reattached it. Worked for half a day, and then BSOD reappears. (I had originally thought that I had installed the M.2 wrong or had an error with the M.2 drive, but now the BSODs returned, even when running Windows 10 Installation Media when M.2 SSD is removed).

3. Removed everything from build except for motherboard, CPU, RAM, and PSU and tried booting from Official Windows 10 USB Media. Still had BSOD errors. (eliminated GPU and Hard Drives as faulty).

4. Tried booting from a Ubuntu USB. Did not get BSODs, but the computer would freeze shortly after entering "install Ubuntu" or "try Ubuntu."

5. Tried the two Ram slots individually on both the slots. Still BSOD.

6. Memtest86 and Windows Memory Diagnostic both show no errors on 8 passes each for both RAM sticks. (eliminated RAM as the problem)

7. Limited the number of active CPU cores via Bios: When I limit the cores to 3 (or fewer) I was able to boot briefly onto desktop but the CPU is extremely slow and will still BSOD 5 minutes after I log in (but allowed me to copy some DMP files). Limiting the cores to 3 allows me to enter Ubuntu without a crash (still crashes Ubuntu when all cores reactivated).

8. Updated the BIOS to the latest version, updated all drivers from Asus Motherboard page.

9. Ran dskchk, sfc /scannow, DISM.exe when the BSODs stopped for the half-day, but BSOD loop continues. (I cant even boot into Windows ATM).


Questions
I have narrowed down the hardware problem to either the motherboard, CPU, or maybe PSU from troubleshooting steps above. What do you guys think? Any further tests I can do? Are there any forums similar to Tomshardware that I can also post?

As for potential PSU issue, do you guys think 750W is enough? I tried a watt calculator site and inputted my specs, which said my system uses 650 watts).

I don't have spare Cpu, ram, or PSU to narrow down the problem. I can try looking to borrow one or buy a used component for cheap to further test.

I would like some input before I start RMAs. I suspect that the problem lies with the CPU, due to step 4 above. I was able to get to boot into BIOS so I think the problem is not the motherboard. I am hoping that someone could read the DMP files to pinpoint the hardware problem.

Could malware also prevent me from fresh-installing Windows 10? I had Avast Free and did not get any virus warnings.

Thanks in advance for anyone taking the time to read this!

Minidumps + WhoCrashed Analysis
I was able to quickly save some of the minidumps when the PC briefly booted onto windows. The WhoCrashed logs were obtained by copying the DMP files onto my laptop Windows folder and running the test from my laptop. One problematic driver from WhoCrashed is aswsnx.sys (Avast) but BSODs still occur after I uninstalled Avast.

Link to Minidumps
BSOD dump files.zip - Google Drive

Crash dump directories:
C:\WINDOWS
C:\WINDOWS\Minidump

On Tue 1/8/2019 12:05:30 AM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\010819-9656-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: aswsnx.sys (aswSnx+0x8118E)
Bugcheck code: 0xF7 (0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF, 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF, 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF, 0x0)
Error: DRIVER_OVERRAN_STACK_BUFFER
Bug check description: This indicates that a driver has overrun a stack-based buffer.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
A third party driver was identified as the probable root cause of this system error. It is suggested you look for an update for the following driver: aswsnx.sys .
Google query: aswsnx.sys DRIVER_OVERRAN_STACK_BUFFER

On Tue 1/8/2019 12:03:34 AM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\010819-9156-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x64A39A)
Bugcheck code: 0x1000007E (0xFFFFFFFFC0000005, 0xFFFFF80004A6239A, 0xFFFFCB01E94EC6C8, 0xFFFFCB01E94EBF10)
Error: SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED_M
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a system thread generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.

On Tue 1/8/2019 12:01:07 AM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\010819-10531-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x1B1B40)
Bugcheck code: 0xEF (0xFFFFE48014F06480, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a critical system process died.
There is a possibility this problem was caused by a virus or other malware.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.

On Mon 1/7/2019 11:57:49 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\010719-9171-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x1B1B40)
Bugcheck code: 0xD1 (0x0, 0xFF, 0x6E, 0x0)
Error: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode driver attempted to access pageable memory at a process IRQL that was too high.
This bug check belongs to the crash dump test that you have performed with WhoCrashed or other software. It means that a crash dump file was properly written out.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.

On Mon 1/7/2019 11:56:42 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\010719-9609-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x1B1B40)
Bugcheck code: 0x1A (0x61941, 0xE1FECA6030, 0xD, 0xFFFFC18D8DBCCA00)
Error: MEMORY_MANAGEMENT
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a severe memory management error occurred.
This might be a case of memory corruption. This may be because of a hardware issue such as faulty RAM, overheating (thermal issue) or because of a buggy driver. This problem might also be caused because of overheating (thermal issue).
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.

On Mon 1/7/2019 11:31:06 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\010719-10546-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x1B1B40)
Bugcheck code: 0x1A (0x61941, 0x4898FEF6E038, 0xD, 0xFFFFB58BA3E0EA00)
Error: MEMORY_MANAGEMENT
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a severe memory management error occurred.
This might be a case of memory corruption. This may be because of a hardware issue such as faulty RAM, overheating (thermal issue) or because of a buggy driver. This problem might also be caused because of overheating (thermal issue).
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.

On Mon 1/7/2019 11:27:44 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\010719-10515-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x1B1B40)
Bugcheck code: 0xA (0xFFFFA9804093927E, 0xFF, 0x31, 0xFFFFF8005853EB43)
Error: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that Microsoft Windows or a kernel-mode driver accessed paged memory at DISPATCH_LEVEL or above. This is a software bug.
This bug check belongs to the crash dump test that you have performed with WhoCrashed or other software. It means that a crash dump file was properly written out.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.

On Mon 1/7/2019 11:24:34 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\010719-10000-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x1B1B40)
Bugcheck code: 0x139 (0x3, 0xFFFF8088919C2FF0, 0xFFFF8088919C2F48, 0x0)
Error: KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: The kernel has detected the corruption of a critical data structure.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.

On Mon 1/7/2019 11:22:30 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\010719-10562-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x1B1B40)
Bugcheck code: 0x1A (0x61941, 0x485813A29210, 0xD, 0xFFFFDE0041A6BA00)
Error: MEMORY_MANAGEMENT
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a severe memory management error occurred.
This might be a case of memory corruption. This may be because of a hardware issue such as faulty RAM, overheating (thermal issue) or because of a buggy driver. This problem might also be caused because of overheating (thermal issue).
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.

On Sat 1/5/2019 9:55:44 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\010519-10671-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x1B1B40)
Bugcheck code: 0x1A (0x61941, 0xFFFFD5D640E11410, 0x9, 0xFFFF910A835F9780)
Error: MEMORY_MANAGEMENT
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a severe memory management error occurred.
This might be a case of memory corruption. This may be because of a hardware issue such as faulty RAM, overheating (thermal issue) or because of a buggy driver. This problem might also be caused because of overheating (thermal issue).
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.

Conclusion
10 crash dumps have been found and analyzed. A third party driver has been identified to be causing system crashes on your computer. It is strongly suggested that you check for updates for these drivers on their company websites. Click on the links below to search with Google for updates for these drivers:

aswsnx.sys

If no updates for these drivers are available, try searching with Google on the names of these drivers in combination with the errors that have been reported for these drivers. Include the brand and model name of your computer as well in the query. This often yields interesting results from discussions on the web by users who have been experiencing similar problems.

Read the topic general suggestions for troubleshooting system crashes for more information.

Note that it's not always possible to state with certainty whether a reported driver is responsible for crashing your system or that the root cause is in another module. Nonetheless it's suggested you look for updates for the products that these drivers belong to and regularly visit Windows update or enable automatic updates for Windows. In case a piece of malfunctioning hardware is causing trouble, a search with Google on the bug check errors together with the model name and brand of your computer may help you investigate this further.

Need youto follow the direction in the BSOD posting instructions link shown at the top of the forum and at the top of each thread, including this one.

Before posting a BSOD thread, please read the instructions here:

Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Posting Instructions

If you need to add new information, please make a new post in your initial BSOD thread. Please do not make an extra new thread.

Ah, sorry. I read your post but that completely slipped by me, sorry.

I downloaded the dumps from Tomshardware. While I'm looking at them I suggest removing one of the 8GB memory modules and try doing a Clean Install of Windows 10. If you get a BSOD, swap the removed and installed RAM and try again.

I'll post back here when I've finished looking at the dumps.

One dump shows a problem with your Nvidia driver.
Two other dumps show a problem with Avast anti-virus.

I suggest doing a Clean Install of Windows 10 following the directions in this link. Connect only the 500Gb m.2 drive, disconnect both of the other drives until the install has completed successfully.

Delete all partitions on the m.2 drive so it's a raw, empty drive then click Next and let the Windows 10 installer create the partitions it needs. You should be using a Win10 X64 ISO at the 17763.107 1809 level for the install. When it completes immediately do a Windows Update which will bring you up to the 17763.263 level.

Now power off and reconnect the other two drives.

You said:

3. Removed everything from build except for motherboard, CPU, RAM, and PSU and tried booting from Official Windows 10 USB Media. Still had BSOD errors. (eliminated GPU and Hard Drives as faulty).

What about over-clocking or over/under volting? If you are doing any, reset everything to nominal and test. If no help then RMA the motherboard next. See if that is the cause of the problem. If that doesn't resolve it that leaves the CPU or PSU.

That's about all that's left other than the PSU which seems an unlikely cause. Good luck. Please post back with results when you can.