Secdrv causes BSOD?

I started getting BSODs a few weeks ago. Sometimes after just a few minutes of running the computer, sometimes it could go days between them. I checked Windows' Event viever and it looked like SecDrv was the culprit. After looking around on the net, it seemed like I could delete it and so I did.

After deleting SecDrv, the computer ran without issues for a few weeks. But now the BSODs are back. This time it looks like it's because something is trying to call SecDrv and crashes the computer for that reason instead... From what I can tell, the Event viewer doesn't explain which process that still tries to access SecDrv, so I'm a bit in the dark of what to do next.

V2 log file:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aq9xtganr8...21%29.zip?dl=0
My computer specs should be in my profile.

For information, I have both GOG and Steam installed on my computer. Since SecDrv seems to be gaming-related, I imagine they could be involved in some way. However. I haven't played any games via those apps since the BSODs started. I have also unchecked them in the start-up menu, so as far as I'm concerned, they shouldn't be running in the background and make calls to various drivers.

Any suggestions on how to try and find the root cause of my BSODs?

secdrv.sys is a protection system for Optical Discs, Macrovision's SafeDisk, SecureROM etc.
From memory, this is not supported from Windows 10 onwards.

It does take some research on individual games for a solution.

One of mine uses a 64 bit patch/mod for a 32 bit game and an ISO of the original Optical Disk.

Others were installed via Game clients like EA App, Ubisoft Connect etc. by inputting the product license key, and then downloaded/installed from the game client thus avoiding using the original protected Optical Discs.

If there is no generic solution (like updating the driver, changing a setting or something like that), do you have a suggestion on how to figure out which app/game that makes the calls to secdrv that lead to BSOD? All I can see in the Event logger is that something is trying to call secdrv and that crashed the machine. If I knew what, I could try to deactivate or even uninstall that software.

It's dangerous deleting drivers without really knowing why they're there, although secdrv.sys seems to be only required for older games using Safedisc DRM.

One common aspect in all three dumps you uploaded is that the call stacks show calls to ntfs.sys, the Windows NTFS filesystem driver. However, one of the dumps makes a single reference to aswbidsdriver,sys - this is an Avast! driver, yet you don't appear to have Avast! installed?

Have you removed Avast! at some point in the recent past? Did you use the official Avast! tool to remove it?

The aswbidsdriver,sys is definitely loaded in your system...

Code:

3: kd> lmDvmaswbidsdriver
Browse full module list
start             end                 module name
fffff803`64ba0000 fffff803`64c01000   aswbidsdriver T (no symbols)           
    Loaded symbol image file: aswbidsdriver.sys
    Image path: \SystemRoot\system32\drivers\aswbidsdriver.sys
    Image name: aswbidsdriver.sys
    Browse all global symbols  functions  data
    Timestamp:        Mon Dec  5 18:01:26 2022 (638E15D6)
    CheckSum:         00067AA0
    ImageSize:        00061000
    Translations:     0000.04b0 0000.04e4 0409.04b0 0409.04e4
    Information from resource tables:

I would try running the Avast! removal tool and see whether that can remove it.

I have Avast! installed. I've basically used Avast for as long as I can remember and installed it as soon as I bought the computer. As far as I can tell, it runs as it should and shows no obvious warning signs (I only have the free version, so it "obviously" shows marketing about how it can optimize my pc by upgrading to a paid package).

When reading your reply, not completely sure if there is anything I should do or try. Do you think reinstalling Avast would be worth trying?

I do know from experience that third-party anti-malware products like Avast! are a fairly common cause of BSODs, and this wouldn't be the first time I've seen an Avast! generated BSOD. As I mentioned, the common factor in the three dumps you uploaded is that they all contain calls to ntfs.sys, indicating that filesystem operations were in progress in all three.

One of the dumps even flags fileinfo.sys (FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: AV_R_INVALID_fileinfo!FILockExclusiveRelease) and, as mentioned, another references an Avast! driver specifically.

The fileinfo.sys driver is the Windows filesystem driver, but since it's a Windows driver it's not at fault here. Since all three dumps are filesystem related, Avast! must be a suspect here. It's far from unusual for a Windows update to break a product like Avast! that has hooks deep into Windows functions.

If you're prepared to reinstall Avast! I would suggest uninstalling it first, using the Avast! uninstall tool and see whether it still BSODs without Avast! installed. Activate Windows Defender and the WIndows Firewall whilst AVast! is uninstalled, TBH they are all you really need in any case. Be sure to run long enough with Avast! uninstalled to be certain whether it's going to BSOD or not.

I have a feeling you're pointing in the right direction. I haven't really spent a lot of time pondering on the choice of anti-virus. I started using Avast a long time ago. It seemed to work fine and never caused any problems before, so I just took it with me whenever I got a new a computer. But now I have uninstalled Avast (thanks for the link!) and currently rely on Windows built-in anti-virus instead. Hopefully that's the end of this story. Thanks for the help!

Well fingers crossed then. Post another data collection file if it BSODs again.

Unfortunately, I got another BSOD. According to the event logger, it's again something trying to call secdrv that triggered it...
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dy2homdxj7...57%29.zip?dl=0

Avast is gone, so that possibility should be eliminated.

There is no dump in that upload and no evidence of a bugcheck in the System log either. Are you sure it was a BSOD?

BTW. I only read English I'm afraid so I can't make a lot of sense of your logs.