Question:

How to fix frequent blue screen errors on a Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR YD laptop while gaming?

I have a Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR YD laptop that has been crashing with blue screen errors for the last month. The errors occur when I play games such as GTA online, Red dead online, Rust, The Sims, etc. The stop codes I get are:

• DRIVER_VERIFIER_DMA_VIOLATION
• DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION
• MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION
• CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

I have tried various troubleshooting steps, such as:

• Checking the event viewer for the cause of the errors
• Running system file checker, DSIM, Mem test, crystal disk info, and other checks as admin
• Replacing the C drive with a new M.2 (Samsung 980 Pro) and installing a fresh Windows 10 from a known good PC
• Installing all the latest drivers from Gigabyte website while offline
• Installing all the Windows updates after reconnecting to the network
• Tearing down the laptop and reseating the RAM Dimms
• Removing and cleaning the fan/ cooler assembly and repasting the CPU and GPU dies
• Updating the BIOS to the most recent version
• Testing each RAM Dimm individually

None of these steps have resolved the issue. I have attached the link to the mini dump files from the most recent crashes for reference.

The

laptop is out of warranty, so I need some expert advice on how to fix this problem. Thank you for your help.

Answer:

Blue screen errors, also known as stop errors, are serious system crashes that indicate a problem with the hardware, software, or drivers of your computer. They can be caused by various factors, such as overheating, power supply issues, memory errors, driver conflicts, malware infections, etc. In this article, we will discuss how to troubleshoot and fix frequent blue screen errors on a Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR YD laptop while gaming.

The Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR YD is a high-performance laptop that features a 17.3-inch 4K HDR display, an Intel Core i9-11980HK processor, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, 32 GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 1 TB PCIe SSD. It is designed for gaming, content creation, and professional work. However, some users have reported experiencing frequent blue screen errors when playing games on this laptop, such as GTA online, Red dead online, Rust, The Sims, etc. The stop codes they get are:

• DRIVER_VERIFIER_DMA_VIOLATION: This error indicates that a driver has violated the rules of the Driver Verifier, a tool that detects and identifies faulty drivers.
• DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION: This error indicates that the system has detected a delay in the processing of deferred procedure calls (DPCs), which are tasks that run in the background to handle hardware and software events.
• MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION: This error indicates that the system has detected a fatal hardware error, such as a CPU malfunction, a memory corruption, or a bus error.
• CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT: This error indicates that the system has detected a deadlock condition, where one or more CPU cores are stuck in an infinite loop and do not respond to interrupts.

These

errors can be frustrating and difficult to resolve, especially if they occur frequently and randomly. However, there are some steps that you can take to troubleshoot and fix them. Here are some possible solutions that you can try:

– Check the event viewer for the cause of the errors: The event viewer is a tool that records and displays the system events, such as errors, warnings, and information messages. You can use it to find out more details about the blue screen errors, such as the time, date, source, and parameters of the errors. To access the event viewer, press Windows + R, type eventvwr.msc, and press Enter. Then, expand the Windows Logs section and click on System. Look for the events that have a red icon and a level of Error. You can double-click on them to see more information. You can also use the Filter Current Log option to filter the events by the event ID, which is the number that identifies the type of error. For example, the event ID for DRIVER_VERIFIER_DMA_VIOLATION is 11, for DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION is 133, for MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION is 18, and for CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT is 101. You can use the information from the event viewer to narrow down the possible causes of the errors and search for solutions online.

– Run system file checker, DSIM, Mem test, crystal disk info, and other checks as admin: These are some tools that you can use to scan and repair the system files, the disk image, the memory, and the hard drive of your computer. They can help you detect and fix any corruption, errors, or bad sectors that may cause blue screen errors. To run these tools, you need to open an elevated command prompt, which is a command prompt that has administrator privileges. To do that, press Windows + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin). Then, type the following commands and press Enter after each one:

– sfc /scannow: This command will run the system file checker, which will scan and repair the system files. It may take some time to complete, so be patient and do not interrupt the process. If it finds any corrupted or missing files, it will try to replace them with the cached copies. If it cannot repair some files, it will report them in the command prompt. You can also find the log file of the scan in the C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log folder.

– DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth: This command will run the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool, which will scan and repair the disk image of your Windows installation. It may also take some time to complete, so be patient and do not interrupt the process. If it finds any corruption or errors, it will try to fix them by downloading the fresh files from the Windows Update servers. If it cannot repair some files, it will report them in the command prompt. You can also find the log file of the scan in the C:\Windows\Logs\DISM\dism.log folder.

– mdsched.exe: This command will run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool, which will test your memory for any errors. It will prompt you to restart your computer and run the test. The test may take several minutes to complete, depending on the amount of memory you have. If it finds any errors, it will report them on the screen and in the event viewer. You can also access the results of the test after you log back into Windows by opening the event viewer and looking for the events that have a source of MemoryDiagnostics-Results.

– chkdsk /f /r: This command will run the Check Disk tool, which will scan and repair your hard drive for any errors or bad sectors. It will prompt you to schedule the scan for the next time you restart your computer, as it cannot run on a drive that is in use. Press Y to confirm and restart your computer. The scan may take a long time to complete, depending on the size and condition of your drive. If it finds any errors or bad sectors, it will try to fix them or mark them as unusable. You can also find the log file of the scan in the C:\Windows\System32\LogFiles\Chkdsk folder.

– CrystalDiskInfo: This is a third-party tool that you can download from [here](https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskinfo/). It will show you the health status and the SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) data of your hard drive. It can help you identify any signs of failure or degradation of your drive, such as high temperature, high reallocated sector count, high pending sector count, etc. If your drive shows any warning or bad status, you should back up your data and replace your drive as soon as possible.

– Replace the C drive with a new M.2 (Samsung 980 Pro) and install a fresh Windows 10 from a known good PC: This is a drastic step that you can take if none of the above steps work and you suspect that your C drive is faulty or corrupted. You can replace your C drive with a new M.2 SSD, such as the Samsung 980 Pro, which is a fast and reliable SSD that is compatible with your laptop. You can follow the instructions from [here](https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/upgrade-laptop-nvme-ssd) to install the new SSD in your laptop. Then, you can install a fresh Windows 10 from a known good PC, which is a PC that does not have any issues or infections. You can follow the instructions from [here](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10) to create a bootable USB drive with the Windows 10 installation media. Then, you can plug the USB drive into your laptop and boot from it. Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows 10 on your new SSD. Make sure you have your Windows 10 product key or digital license ready to activate your Windows 10 after the installation.

– Install all the latest drivers from Gigabyte website while offline: This is a step that you can take to ensure that you have the correct and updated drivers for your laptop. Drivers are software components that enable your hardware devices to communicate with your operating system. Having outdated, incompatible, or corrupted drivers can cause blue screen errors and other issues. You can download the latest drivers for your laptop from the Gigabyte website [here](https://www.gigabyte.com/Laptop/AERO-17-HDR–Intel-11th-Gen/Support#support-dl-driver). Make sure you select the right model and operating system for your laptop. You can download the drivers to a USB drive or another storage device and transfer them to your laptop. You should install the drivers while offline, which means that you should disconnect your laptop from the internet and disable any antivirus or firewall software that may interfere with the installation. You should install the drivers in the following order:

– Chipset driver: This driver is responsible for the communication between the CPU and the other components of your laptop, such as the memory, the graphics card, the USB ports, etc. It is essential for the stability and performance of your laptop. You should install the chipset driver first, before any other drivers.

– Graphics driver: This driver is responsible for the display and the graphics performance of your laptop. It is especially important for gaming, as it enables the GPU to render the graphics and the effects of the games. You should install the graphics driver second, after the chipset driver.

– Audio driver: This driver is responsible for the sound and the audio quality of your laptop. It enables the speakers and the microphone of your laptop to work properly. You should install the audio driver third, after the graphics driver.

– Network driver: This driver is responsible for the internet and the network connectivity of your laptop. It enables the Wi-Fi and the