Following advice by @BSODHunter - I've uninstalled the graphics software and rolled back to my older nvidia drivers. Got another blue screen (0x000000EF, as usual - followed by "A required device isn't connected or can't be accessed" 0xc000000e, as usual.
Still no dump files created (mini or regular).
I've updated my motherboard bios to latest as advised, installed Samsung Magician SSD software, and updated my SSD firmware with it. Waiting to see if it happens again.
... and it happened again! I actually watched it happen this time - had Windows Explorer open as I was looking at an update to my disk controller (according to ASUS i'm running ASM1480 – PCI-E Switching, ASM1042 – Additional USB 3.0 Connectivity .ASM1061 – Additional SATA 6 Gb/s Connectivity, ASM1442 – TMDS level shift ICs for HDMI)
... and my C:\ drive just disappeared! A few moments later the OS froze and I got the familiar blue screen!
Gah! Noted that the D:\ drive stayed... going to see if there is a switch so I can get the dumps written to d:\
Attachment 152930
Last edited by dtolman; 12 Sep 2017 at 08:34. Reason: zip file
Have you checked the cable connections to the disk drive and SATA ports? Its almost as if there is an intermittent break in the cable.
Plugged the system drive into a new SATA port, with a new cable, and... blue screen, as before.
(0x000000EF, as usual - followed by "A required device isn't connected or can't be accessed" 0xc000000e, as usual on soft boot - hard stop/start allows system to startup normally).
Should I be getting a new system drive next? Not sure where else to go from here...
Decided to go with new disk and new install of OS. Will report back if that resolves issue after letting it run for a few days (unless, of course, it blue screens again)
Final update (?)
I loaded my old system drive as a data drive on my new OS (loaded on a new SSD). After a few minutes... it disappeared. Unplugging/replugging the data cable did not fix it. So it appears to be some kind of power problem on the drive - a hardware problem that no hardware scan reported to me
Thanks for the advice and suggestions everyone.
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