Windows 10 completely freezes. No BSOD.

I have my Windows completely freezed from time to time without any obvious reason. The problem seems to be well known (1, 2, 3) however that doesn't make it easier for me. The only thing that helps when it freezes is hard reset. After reboot in the perfmon reliability monitor I see only "Unexpected shutdown" and cannot figure out the reason of it.

· Windows 10 Pro
· x64
· Windows 10 OEM Home
· OEM upgraded to Pro
· Age of system (hardware): 1 year

·  Age of OS installation: 2-3 months

· Core i5 6300HQ
· Intel HD 530 + GTX 960M

· System Manufacturer: DELL
· i5779

· Laptop

I believe that it's videocard-related (HD-530), because there are video-artifacts on the display at the moment of freezing (see attachments), but I have no strong evidence against it. How to prove that and how to fix that?

I tried vendor drivers from Dell site, I tried Intel drivers from their site, no result. I run Verifier for several days - no faults, BSODs or exceptions. I run MemTest overnight and the same result. All tests were passed brilliantly.

Could it be overheat of CPU? Overheat of GPU? Maybe memory?

Edited by Suncatcher, 03 April 2017 - 04:45 AM.

I've been having the exact same problem on my desktop. This is one of those symptoms that can be caused by a broad number of issues and I've been pulling my hair out trying to resolve it for months. I just joined this board and I'm planning on starting my own thread in hope someone here can help me but below are a few things I've been able to rule out as well as some common issues I've experienced with laptops. Hopefully somethings helps you.

Does your screen stay on after the crash or eventually go to black? The problem usually occurs for me in the middle of a game but it's been happening in Windows as well. At the time of the crash, I get bizarre video and audio glitches for ~5-10 seconds then the screen goes to black and stays there until I force reset.

What to check:

1- Video Card: A likely culprit of this problem and your screenshots are interesting. I see you're using both the on-board Intel video as well as the GTX 960M. Have you tried disabling the on-board video to make sure only the GTX 960M is being used or vise-versa? Plus make sure both the nvidia and intel drivers are up to date if you haven't already.

2- Thermals/Overheating: This could definitely be your problem and can be ruled out relatively quickly. I use HWinfo or Speccy to monitor my system thermals and voltages. It's important to monitor both your idle temperatures and when the system is under full load. If you need help obtaining a system monitoring program or to know if your thermals are too high, let me know.

3- Power Supply & Battery: Does the problem happen on both battery power only and when plugged in? Also try popping out the battery entirely then plug the AC power supply back in (with the battery still out) and run the system on AC power only. Testing all 3 of these can help determine if the problem is with the battery, power supply or with the battery charging system. If you didn't purchase your machine from a known retailer, ensure the power supply isn't a 3rd party replacement.

4- RAM: Another likely culprit but it sounds like it probably isn't yours. I also ran many memtest runs and CPU/RAM blended stress tests but they all seemed to pass too. Just to be on the safe side, I replaced mine with a couple extra sticks I had but the problem continued. I'd suggest trying this as well.

5- Hard Drive: Not likely in a new system but definitely possible. Checking it for problems by running a simple windows chkdsk is never a bad idea. If you're not familiar, load up your windows command prompt and type "chkdsk /f /r". It could take awhile but it's important to let it finish.

*The type of hard drive you have and if you're using any manufacturer program settings, such as Samsung RAPID mode, is also something to consider.

6- Drivers: If this is a manufacturer built laptop, I highly recommend contacting DELL or searching if others with your same model are having similar issues. It's very possible this is a known issue and a fix is known by DELL or the community.

There are a number of other possibilities but it's important to try to isolate it as much as possible. I know it's a very frustrating problem but hopefully we'll both find a solution.

Let me know if any of those seem to point in the right direction for you.

Have you tried disabling the on-board video to make sure only the GTX 960M is being used or vise-versa?

Of course I tried it and this was the first thing I intended to try, but unfortunately it's impossible with the crappy Dell. Discrete graphics is only enabled in games and high-load applications. As I don't play games my GTX 960 is always disabled. Drivers are up to date.

Does the problem happen on both battery power only and when plugged in?

Actually don't know, 'cause I use the AC all time. Will do a test on a pure battery, thanks for advice.

Also try popping out the battery entirely then plug the AC power supply back in (with the battery still out) and run the system on AC power only.

Will do.

As for RAM, I assume the cause is not there. I'll put it away for now, as I am not in those financial state when I have money for another 16 Gb of memory just for test

Not likely in a new system but definitely possible. Checking it for problems by running a simple windows chkdsk is never a bad idea. If you're not familiar, load up your windows command prompt and type "chkdsk /f /r". It could take awhile but it's important to let it finish.

Actually, SSD is the strong suspect here, 'cause *hit happened with it once and in official Dell repair center they have replaced it with the third-party. Now it's not stock SanDisk, as it was from factory, but LiteOn SCH-256V2S. Do you think, replacement is the only mean to exclude this reason? Are there any test tools I can try to check if it's SSD-related?

So, you had this issue for months, weren't you able to resolve it?

Edited by Suncatcher, 06 April 2017 - 02:16 AM.