Understanding Persistent BSOD “CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED” in Windows 11: A Hardware and Software Troubleshooting Guide
Introduction
Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors can be particularly frustrating, especially when they occur repeatedly without generating dump files for analysis. One such persistent issue is the “CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED” error on Windows 11, often accompanied by a constant 0% progress indicator during boot recovery attempts. This article explores a real-world example of this problem, detailing the hardware configuration, troubleshooting steps undertaken, and potential causes—aiming to assist users facing similar issues.
System Overview
The affected system is a high-spec gaming and productivity PC with the following components:
- Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi II
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (used for 4-5 years)
- Cooler: Noctua DH-15
- Graphics Card: ASUS ROG STRIX OC EVA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB LHR
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3200 CL16
- Storage: Western Digital Black SN770 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD
- Power Supply: Super Flower Leadex V Platinum 850W 80+ Platinum (fully modular)
- Operating System: Windows 11 Pro
Timeline of Events
Initial Transition and Hardware Issues
The user previously operated the system with similar hardware but with Windows 10 and a different motherboard (Gigabyte B550 I Aorus Pro AX). After a system restart, the PC entered a boot loop, failing to start Windows. Attempts with Windows Repair and advanced troubleshooting led to an inaccessible BIOS, ultimately resulting in a diagnosis of a dead motherboard. Replacement with an Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi II motherboard restored basic Windows functionality, but intermittent BSODs persisted after restarts.
Upgrade and Reinstallation Process
Following the motherboard swap, the user performed a clean installation of Windows 11, which initially appeared successful. However, issues arose during driver installation and general usage—lagging behavior when launching applications, and increased frequency of BSODs during system startup and program execution. Notably, the system would often display “Critical Process Died” errors with the reboot getting stuck at 0%, showing no dump files generated.
Hardware Diagnostics and Testing
To isolate hardware causes, the user conducted several tests:
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