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puzzlezaddict's avatar
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
2 years ago

Re: Playing the Sims causes a BSOD on my computer.

@Eudoxia1  I don't see any BSODs in your dxdiag, and thanks for providing it by the way, but that could be because the newer errors crowded them out.  I do see a few Windows errors that should be addressed.  So please run a couple of basic checks of your Windows system files:

  • Hit Windows key-X
  • Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
  • Inside the window that appears, copy and paste “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” without quotes, and enter
  • The system will start validating soon. If it throws an error, please list it here
  • After it reaches 100%, hit Windows key-X again
  • Again, choose “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator)”
  • Inside the window, copy and paste “sfc /scannow” without quotes, and enter
  • Post the message you receive here

Restart your computer, hit Windows key-i, select Update & Security, and click the box to check for updates.  If any install, restart again afterwards.

Next, update the Nvidia graphics driver, which is from 2020.  (The Intel driver is similarly old but is probably fine.)  Acer doesn't offer a newer driver for your laptop, but you can use the more generic Nvidia-provided driver instead:

https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/218741/en-us/

Run the installer as an admin: right-click the download and select "Run as administrator."  Choose the Custom (not Express) install method, and check the box to perform a clean install.  Don't install GeForce Experience, at least not yet; you can always download it later.  Restart your computer after installing and before trying to play.

If and when you get another BlueScreen, please provide the associated crash dump.  Go here:

C:\Windows\Minidump

Find the newest file or files, right-click them and select Copy, and right-click your desktop and select Paste.  (I'm only interested in files from after you've done everything else listed here.)  From the desktop, you can zip the files together if you have more than one, upload to a third-party free filesharing site (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.), and link it here.

5 Replies

  • Eudoxia1's avatar
    Eudoxia1
    2 years ago

    Hello ^^
    Thank you for your help.

    I did what you asked me to do with PowerShell (Administrator), which told me :

    The Windows Resource Protection program found no integrity violations.
    PS C:\Windows\system32>.

    Then I restarted the computer. There were two small updates to do and I did them, then I restarted the computer.

    I then installed the new Nvidia graphics driver that you indicated and then restarted the computer.

    Now there have been changes:

    My computer always causes a BSOD only when I'm playing the Sims, but I can play it for longer before it happens (before I could only play it for about ten minutes and yesterday after the changes, I was able to play it for about 15 minutes, and today I was able to play it for 10 minutes, then about 3 hours).

    The BSOD error code has changed, before it was :
    Unexpected Store Exception (This was the only error code I had for each BSOD).

    Now, the three BSODs I've had have the error code :
    Critical Process Died

    As you asked, I have tried to supply the Minidumps but it seems that my computer refuses to produce them. I don't know why. tried to change a few things in my settings to see if I can get the Minidump to work for the next BSOD.

    I've run Dxdiag again I've attached it to my message. (I don't know if it's of any use to you but I'd rather give it to you just in case).

    I checked Windows system files again after the last BSOD I got the same result as yesterday. That is: 

    The Windows Resource Protection program found no integrity violations.
    PS C:\Windows\system32>.

    That's it, I hope I'm clear enough in what I'm explaining and thank you again for your help, I don't understand much about computers and I'm a bit lost.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @Eudoxia1  Do you see a MEMORY.dmp file in C:\Windows?  If so, I could take that instead.  It would also need to be copied to the desktop before you could upload it anywhere.  The "critical process died" message is helpful to some extent, but I'd need like to know what process it is that's dying before I can tell you how to go about fixing it.

  • Eudoxia1's avatar
    Eudoxia1
    2 years ago

    Hello ^^

    I tried yesterday and this afternoon to get a minidump or memorydump file, but my computer won't create them after a BSOD.
    I've had 5 BSODs in all, three with critical process died and the other two I don't know because I was gone when they went off.

    Is there any other way of finding out where the BSOD problems comes from?

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @Eudoxia1  There are ways that involve real-time debugging, but I'm not equipped to do that over the internet, and you wouldn't want to expose your computer like that over a network anyway.  If there is another approach, I don't know about it; the file either gets written or it doesn't.

    What I would suggest here is to run a malware scan, just in case, and then do a repair install of Windows.  I'm not saying your computer has a virus, only that when files disappear or aren't being created, malware is a reasonable possibility and should be accounted for.  Download Malwarebytes (the free trial is fine) from here:

    https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download

    Open it, click Scan > Custom Scan > Configure Scan, check all the boxes both for all scan types and for your C drive, and let it do its job.  This could take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the amount of data and whether the scan finds anything., so you may want to set it to run while you're doing something else.  Please attach its report so I can take a look.

    Here's how to run a repair install:

    https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/16397-repair-install-windows-10-place-upgrade.html

    This shouldn't delete any of your data, but if you get to step 13 and are NOT asked to keep personal files and apps, back out and start over.

    Once you've done this, it's possible that the BSODs will have been addressed.  More likely is that they keep happening, but hopefully in that case you'll be able to find a corresponding minidump or MEMORY.dmp.  If not, I would suggest having someone look at your computer in person, whether it's a tech savvy friend or a nearby repair shop.  For the latter, a shop may offer you a free or low-cost diagnostic service, and you can choose to engage with them further or not depending on what they find.

  • Eudoxia1's avatar
    Eudoxia1
    2 years ago

    Hello ^^

    I did what you told me. The Window 10 repair seems to have worked for the moment. I was able to play it yesterday and today without encountering any BSODs.

    I'll see if it continues like this and if I get any more bugs I'll go and get my computer fixed. I spoke to my brother-in-law about it and he said that a friend could help me if I had a problem.

    Thanks again for your help I was a bit desperate not to know what was going wrong.

    Have a nice day/evening and take care of yourself. ^^

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