Windows 10 Frequent, Semi-random BSODs (Thread stuck in device driver)

[SpaceKitkat]

As the title says, almost* every time I launch a video game (specifically, a minecraft mod), I get a BSOD with the error "THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER".
I'm also getting them more and more frequently just using google chrome, even just now while trying to get minidump log.
Checking the log, there was something about atikmdag.sys, and my problem seems to be very similar to this thread:
However, that thread's main solution was when someone checked the logs, they listed drivers that needed to be removed, and I don't think I have any of the same drivers.

After a bit of googling, a couple "easy" solutions were to update my BIOS and reinstall GPU drivers.
So I uninstalled all of my display drivers, deleted everything AMD, used DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller), restarted into my BIOS, updated my BIOS successfully, installed the new GPU drivers (Radeon Crimson edition software, for an R9 290), and restart my computer.

I've also performed several Windows diagnostics, including a RAM check, disk checks on all of my hard drives, and a "sfc /scannow" via CMD. All have come up with no errors.
I tried to add the minidump W7F log, but it said the file size was too large.. lol (RIP).
I've uploaded it to
but if it needs to be uploaded elsewhere, just let me know.
If any other logs are needed, I'll supply them ASAP. Any help is very much appreciated, as I work from home and this is currently my only available computer!

 

[sven31415]

Hello Circinae,

it seems that i am back where i started.
When i started tinkering i was not getting BSOD but gettinga black screen when the computer just sits and idle and it will never wake up from that black screen again.

My wife just told me the computer got a black screen again.


Did you also experienced that with that driver ? The black screen is not that frequent.
If it had been i would hae RMA my card more early. Now it is too late for that

The reliability report told me:
AMD External Events Client Module
is not funtional anymore.
I checked some forums and they said it is save to disable. I try this one and see what happens next.


BR

Sven

 

[sven31415]

I give a short update:

With this driver the PC gets a black screen after sitting idle for some time and it can not wake up from that screen.

I also checked the clock blocker but if i activate it during desktop use the GPU heats up to maximum temperatur and the fan spins up to maximum speed. This is not a solution.

I am already checking out GFX card replacement and it will not be an AMD card again.

BR

 

[kemical]

Sven have you tried actually stress testing the card? If not try running Furmark for an hour and note the temps with HWiNFO64

 

[sven31415]

Hello All,

I have new information. I found the root cause of the black screen.
The gfx card is putting the monitor to sleep and can not wake up from it.
It will generate a display timing (monitor gets a signal) but no image data is received by the display so it stays black.

If i disable the power off of the monitor after 10 minutes (default setup of the default power scheme) the issue disappears.

It seems that the BSOD in the newer driver and the black screen are separate issues.

If I put windows to sleep with a key combination (keyboard shortcut to C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState 0,1,0) during the black screen and wake it up again the screen is ok.
This means the software basically could power up the monitor correctly but it doesn't.
This means my card is not faulty but the software.

BR

Sven

 

[kemical]

This means my card is not faulty but the software.

So did you try another driver? Guru3D has a copy of all the most recent versions:
Link Removed

 

[sven31415]

Hello Kemical,

your furmark test is a good idea. I will try that.

Yes i know about the other drivers on Guru3D. I think i will try to find out which driver version breaks it and introduces the BSODs.
This driver version (15.12) is totally crash free.
The only problem i had was the black screen issue but i found out it is due to display switch off as I wrote in my previous post.

I will try a next higher driver soon.
Yes i know your link thank you. This is exactly where i got my current driver. They have also all the change logs, but the question is are they complete or are there some non documented changes.

If I remember correctly the newer drivers also fixed the black screen issue but introduced the BSODs.

 

[kemical]

question is are they complete or are there some non documented changes.

As far as I'm aware the drivers are complete and as new.

 

[sven31415]

Hello Kemical: I meant are the driver change logs complete or are there hidden changes.

My newest idea:

Installed newest driver:
Non-WHQL-Win8.1-64Bit-Radeon-Software-Crimson-16.11.2-Nov4
Downloaded
[Guru3D.com]-RadeonMod
Set
Crimson Power Saving to off inside RadeonMod

I hope now BSOD with new driver are fixed (fingers crossed)

Testing

 

[sven31415]

THe background is, that power managment change that they made in 16.3 has a disable switch. It is not available in the ui for r9 290x users.
With the registry tool it can be disabled.
I hope this will fix it. If it works i should charge them.

 

[kemical]

I meant are the driver change logs complete or are there hidden changes.

Yup I knew what you meant and as i said as far as i'm aware they are complete, drivers and changelogs.

. If it works i should charge them.

LOL! Good luck and let us know how things go..

 

[sven31415]

Hello Kemical 3 weeks of engineering resources would cost them >20k €.
They should improve their regression testing.

Bye the way until now no crash and i let youtube windows running now for 3-4 h (would crash before after sometime).

 

[kemical]

So far so good.. I'll keep me fingers crossed..

 

[sven31415]

Hello Circinae,

if you read this please don't update to the new driver version. Check the registry hack I described first with the old driver version.
If you do that we can be sure that the registry hack is doing the trick and not the new driver.

BR

Sven

 

[sven31415]

No more crashes. I will test some more days then I will write a short wrap up and we can close on this topic.

 

[kemical]

No more crashes. I will test some more days then I will write a short wrap up and we can close on this topic.

Cool although we never close threads in case the user posts back.

 

[sven31415]

Yesterday evening i had a crash exiting a game after some hours of play. I exited it and the desktop never came back.
This behavior is different than it was before and it could be something different.
I keep on testing.

 

[kemical]

Yesterday evening i had a crash exiting a game after some hours of play. I exited it and the desktop never came back.
This behavior is different than it was before and it could be something different.
I keep on testing.

If you have a dump file please post.

 

[Circinae]

Hey folks,

So, I've been running Clock Blocker (name still makes me giggle) with the setting to stop downclocking by default and to auto-start on windows launch. It has eradicated the crash in question, but of course, keeps the card clocks running at their maximum, meaning more heat and energy consumption.

I also tried your Radeon Mod registry change and I believe it would be effective if it actually worked. For me, it failed to actually deactivate the Crimson Power Saving and thus, the clock speeds were still all over the place, crashing my PC after about two minutes.

This is definitely the root of the problem. Using GPU-Z, I've watched my clock speeds during different activities. Not once, even under constant 100% load, did the core clock ever reach its top speed and if you run any graphically intensive program in borderless mode, it'll often just drop the speed to its minimum when tabbed out, hence crashes.

What is very annoying, is how the original pre-Crimson drivers also had a default downclocking system in place that caused none of these issues. i assume because it was straight forward; the clocks would either be at minimum when nothing was happening or maximum when asked to perform a process.

 

[SpaceKitkat]

Hey, sorry for the really late reply. I've been a bit busy with irl stuff, and I probably will be for another week.
For about 6-7 days I hadn't gotten a single BSOD, and then all of a sudden I got a couple the other day, one yesterday, and one this morning. I don't remember if I'd already said this, and I'm too lazy to check, but at least 90% of the time I'm alt tabbing when I get the BSOD. This morning's BSOD happened while I was just watching a video on youtube (in fullscreen), and I alt tabbed to check the time.

There may have been one or two BSODs where I wasn't alt tabbing, but the vast majority of them happened while alt tabbing (whether from Chrome to another application, or to/from a game).

Figured I'd upload the minidumps incase any of them have new information, but I'm not crossing any fingers. I had planned to upgrade my card to either an r9 390 or a 1080 in the next year or two (or possibly whatever the newer cards are), but I may have to do it sooner. Even BSODing while alt tabbing is causing me to lose some of my work.
I've never had BSOD issues before (had the card for over 2 years now), up until a couple months ago, which pushes me to agree that it's either my GPU dying (unlikely?), or an AMD driver software issue.

 

[sven31415]

Hello SpaceKitcat,

can you try to download
[Guru3D.com]-RadeonMod
and set
Crimson Power Saving to off
inside RadeonMod ?

BR

Sven