Clean W10 install: BSOD - system thread exception not handled 2023

OK. This is a continuation from problems after the March 2023 update mentioned in my MCT not working thread

In short, Media Creation Tool did not work and finally got it to work and tried repair (no dice) and then reinstall (no dice) and then clean install but PC crashed again.

I finally figured out the BSoD error message (why does that disappear so quickly?).
Windows could not load, error "System Thread Exception not Handled".

Summary:
While working Friday evening (Czech Republic, Europe) saw an update screen: "update is ready let us show you around" or something like that.

1. Closed that screen and shortly thereafter shut down PC.
2. Saturday morning: start up and crash. Figured out problem was I switched off after "I am done" message while actually Windows was not done updating yet.
3. PC kept crashing, not possible to roll back or go to restore points.
4. Finally managed to get a bootable drive and tried to repair and then reinstall Windows.
5. No success so cleaned C: SSD drive and did a clean reinstall.
6. Windows seemed ready, so I reconnected to Internet and tried to update: crash.
7. Asked my colleagues at work (academic institution in Czech Republic) to make another fresh bootable Windows install disk.
8. Installed windows: before connecting to internet tried to install latest drive for my GPU: halfway through: crash.
9. Finally managed to identify the error message: Windows could not load, error "system thread exception not handled"

That error message mostly indicates old incompatible drivers (or ???), but this is a clean and fresh install!

Any idea what is wrong and how to continue?
I saw many other people with those problems but most answers start with "in windows, do this or that". However, the problem is, I cannot get into Windows but end up in a reboot cycle.

Any solutions?

PS1: I installed W10 with internet disconnected.

PS2: set-up
This is an old self-built PC, Motherboard Asus P8Z68-V Pro gen 3 ; CPU i7-2600k; 16 GB RAM, ASUS-NVIDIA GTX 570. Samsung EVO 250 GB SSD as OS, 250 GB SSD for video editing, 1 TB SSD for daily data work and pictures, 2 HDDs (1TB+2TB) as data and media backup.

We also have a brand new HP laptop and an older Macbook Air (running mostly windows). To get access to old games and data floppies, also just repaired a Windows 2000 PC and two XP machines out of old stuff laying around here.

BSOD - Posting Instructions

When you reinstalled Windows did you boot the installation media USB and clean install from there, or did you do something else? If you clean installed, did you delete all existing partitions on the system drive?

If you said 'no' to either of the above I suggest you reinstall again, this time by booting the Windows installation USB. Choose a 'custom install' and delete all partitions on the system drive (this may erase user data so be sure to have a backup). Highlight the 'unallocated space' that results and click the Next button. The installer will do everything necessary.

After installation run Windows Update repeatedly, and across reboots, until no more updates are found.

ubuysa: Yes Yes, and I did what you suggested after the questions.

So summary:
Friday 24 Windows updated automatically, showed "I am ready - tour"screen, then I switched off PC.

Saturday 25 - windows crashed at start-up, could net get into normal windows at all. Got into the automatic repair - diagnosis process with repair options. Non worked.

Sunday 26: tried make bootable flash drive both through Media Creation Tool and through rufus. Neither worked.

Monday 27: managed Media Creation Tool via tricks, managed to get bootable drive, actually a 250 GB new SSD connected via adapter.

Tried repair this PC: not possible.
Tried install but leave my files: worked, started up, crashed into auto-repair restart loop.

Now comes the nice part.

- Started up through install drive
- in the install screen, let windows delete all partitions into one large un-allocated area
- then clicked "next" and let windows do the rest. Worked perfect. I was not connected to the net, so choose add key later. Came to ready screen, tried explorer, all looks like OK but without drivers for GPU etc.
Connected to internet, started windows update: crash.

Tried to repair or redo: crashed.

Tuesday 28: let the IT department on my work make a perfect bootable drive on a NEW Kingston 32 GB flash drive.
At home disconnected all other HDDs and SSDs. Used another almost new Samsung SSD, cleaned, empty, formatted.

Insert bootable flash drive, start up. No problem. Goes through the whole spiel again, now with new flash and new drive! Worked, normal screen. Restart (flash disk out) all OK.

I had downloaded the driver for my GPU, so now I first started installing the compatible driver for the GPU. Before end of installing: crashed again.

In all clean install cases the crash error code is: Windows could not load, "system thread exception not handled"

So I cannot run update repeatedly because it crashed before I get there
I could not do ANY command because W10 crashed before I could get there.

What is happening and how can I get around this?

(thanks for trying to help, much appreciated).














- Sunday 26:

Can you start Windows in Safe Mode? See here for details on how to do that. Start in Safe Mode With Networking.

In Safe Mode only Windows internal drivers are used, no third-party drivers are loaded. Because of this many devices might not work as expected, or at all. Your monitor will use a very low resolution too, because that's all the basic display driver in Windows will support. You just have to put up with this temporarily whilst we use Safe Mode to verify whether the system is stable.

If it BSODs in Safe Mode then you're almost certainly looking at a hardware problem.

If it will stay up in Safe Mode then run Windows Update from there, again until no more updates are found.

I am now running a "quick" memtest86, only 1 pass on each of the four sticks. I have Kingston 4 GB 1866 mhz DDR3 ram, now 11-12 years old.

I know that for conclusive results you should do 4-8 passes per sticks, but I want to have a quick look if something is disastrously wrong with the RAM. This I will do tonight, then try to do safe mode and try do a windows dump etc.

I now tried again, and in the repair, it now went back to "win32k.sys page fault in non-paged area" error.

In Safe Mode?

Robo said:

I am now running a "quick" memtest86, only 1 pass on each of the four sticks. I have Kingston 4 GB 1866 mhz DDR3 ram, now 11-12 years old.

I know that for conclusive results you should do 4-8 passes per sticks, but I want to have a quick look if something is disastrously wrong with the RAM. This I will do tonight, then try to do safe mode and try do a windows dump etc.

I now tried again, and in the repair, it now went back to "win32k.sys page fault in non-paged area" error.

that ram is likely the problem due to its age. nothing lasts forever

SPOILER ALERT: found the culprit, solved

The 1-pass memtest on the sticks revealed no serious errors.

So I literally disconnected all the loose-hanging Sata cables (drives were already disconnected) from their ports (should not know, but you never know).
Graphic drivers are mentioned as potential problem in these specific BSoD errors.
So I physically removed the Asus Nvidia GeForce GTX 570 GPU from the motherboard. Had cleaned it some time ago, but now looking close up and inside, there still is a lot of dust.

Only one monitor on the integrated GPU port, one dongle for a mouse-keyboard combo, one almost new 250 GB SSD for OS and a new bootable flash drive. Nothing else, not connected to internet.

Started.
First difference: the little vertical stripes through the start up sentences.

Went through the complete setup, no problem.
Waited some time to make sure install is really ready.
Connected to internet.
Windows update downloaded and installed all updates since 2021, including the 2023 03 update.
Restarted few times in that process: no problem, very smooth.
"You are up to date" :) :)
Installed firefox and bitdefender Internet Security and closed down for the nigh.

This morning: started up without problem, although Control Panel looked oldish.

If it is still running OK tonight I will reinstall the GPU and update the recommended driver for this version manually.

So summary

• shutting down the PC shortly after the 2023 03 update screen mentions its ready caused the system to crash with no options to repair.
• The older GPU almost certainly blocked W10 from installing and get into a running W10. This is probably due to W10 not including compatible drivers for this old system and does not know what to do with it apart from crashing again and again and again?

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions, I will post after having installed the GPU.

Any idea why this happens?

What is the best forum to post this also shortly so MS moderators see it as well?

Robo said:

SPOILER ALERT: found the culprit, solved

The 1-pass memtest on the sticks revealed no serious errors.

So I literally disconnected all the loose-hanging Sata cables (drives were already disconnected) from their ports (should not know, but you never know).
Graphic drivers are mentioned as potential problem in these specific BSoD errors.
So I physically removed the Asus Nvidia GeForce GTX 570 GPU from the motherboard. Had cleaned it some time ago, but now looking close up and inside, there still is a lot of dust.

Only one monitor on the integrated GPU port, one dongle for a mouse-keyboard combo, one almost new 250 GB SSD for OS and a new bootable flash drive. Nothing else, not connected to internet.

Started.
First difference: the little vertical stripes through the start up sentences.

Went through the complete setup, no problem.
Waited some time to make sure install is really ready.
Connected to internet.
Windows update downloaded and installed all updates since 2021, including the 2023 03 update.
Restarted few times in that process: no problem, very smooth.
"You are up to date" :) :)
Installed firefox and bitdefender Internet Security and closed down for the nigh.

This morning: started up without problem, although Control Panel looked oldish.

If it is still running OK tonight I will reinstall the GPU and update the recommended driver for this version manually.

So summary

• shutting down the PC shortly after the 2023 03 update screen mentions its ready caused the system to crash with no options to repair.
• The older GPU almost certainly blocked W10 from installing and get into a running W10. This is probably due to W10 not including compatible drivers for this old system and does not know what to do with it apart from crashing again and again and again?

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions, I will post after having installed the GPU.

Any idea why this happens?

What is the best forum to post this also shortly so MS moderators see it as well?

your older gpu is not the problem.

you have done no technical or troubleshooting to properly test or verify. 1 pass memtest and dusting it out does not qualify.

a dead gpu would only produce errors related to it.

asking for hel and then doing none of it is a excellent way to not get help

Where possible, I tried to follow the suggestions given here.

To repeat myself, the PC crashed and I could not get back into Windows, so letting Windows make a mini-dump from inside windows is not an option. Also starting in safe mode not. No matter what I tried, I could not get beyond that repair-diagnostic-reboot scheme.

I tried a few quick "could it be this" tricks and one of them worked. The only time I get beyond the problem startup was when I took the graphic card out. Since then, the early start-up screen strange effects, before any windows showed up, disappeared and I could get beyond the first install and actually get Windows installed, updated and running normally. For me, that is enough evidence that almost (not 100%) certain the graphic card played a role in this.

If this would not have worked, I would have put the PC on a memtest86 with enough passes for a few days, but as said that was not necessary anymore.

I will continue checking this out, but I also already lost enough time and I need that computer working for my work.