Title: Troubleshooting System Crashes and Freezes When Launching Apex Legends on Windows 10
Introduction
Encountering Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors or system freezes can be a frustrating experience, especially when they occur unexpectedly during gaming sessions. If you’re experiencing frequent BSODs or system hangs specifically when launching Apex Legends on Windows 10, this guide aims to help you identify potential causes and provide effective troubleshooting steps.
Overview of the Issue
Recently, users have reported that attempting to launch Apex Legends results in system crashes, including BSODs with various error codes such as CORE_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT, DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION, KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE, and CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT. In some cases, instead of a BSOD, the desktop stutters and becomes a static image, necessitating a forced reboot.
Common Symptoms:
– BSODs with different error codes
– Desktop freezes or stutters
– Security warnings related to system32 files when launching VRChat
– The issue occurs specifically with Apex Legends, while other applications function normally
Possible Factors Contributing to the Problem:
– Recent system modifications or software installations
– Driver issues, especially graphics card drivers
– Corrupted system files
– Conflicting security or anti-cheat software
– Hardware stability issues
User Environment and Recent Activities
The affected system features:
– Windows 10 Home version 22H2
– AMD Ryzen 7 3700X CPU
– Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite motherboard
– 64GB DDR4 RAM at 3200MHz with XMP enabled
– NVIDIA RTX 3080 10GB graphics card
– 970 EVO Plus SSD as primary storage
Recent activities include downloading a game titled The Finals from Steam and acquiring MP4 files from Google Drive. No suspicious or untrusted applications have been installed recently.
Troubleshooting Steps Undertaken
To resolve the issues, the user has already performed several standard and advanced troubleshooting steps:
– Updated BIOS firmware from version 16 to 19
– Installed the latest GPU drivers (GeForce 580.97)
– Cleared GPU DirectX cache
– Updated chipset drivers
– Reinstalled Apex Legends and verified game files via Steam
– Cleaned driver installations using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller)
– Attempted to repair Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC), though the process didn’t complete successfully
– Ran system health checks using tools like SFC (/
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