1 mo PC crashing and restarting instantly when launching a game

Troubleshooting Unexpected PC Crashes When Launching Games: A Comprehensive Guide

Experiencing sudden crashes and restarts on your gaming PC can be both frustrating and confusing, especially when they occur unexpectedly after a period of stable operation. If your system crashes within seconds of launching a game, here are some insights and steps you can take to diagnose and resolve the issue.

Understanding the Symptoms

Many users report that their PCs reboot abruptly when initiating gameplay. Common symptoms include:

• Instant black screens upon game launch.
• No increase in system temperature or fan activity.
• No performance slowdown prior to crash.
• System restarting within 30-60 seconds.

Event logs often indicate a “bug check” (commonly known as a blue screen error). Additionally, some users see warnings related to application-specific permissions, such as “the application-specific permissions setting do not grant local activation permission for COM server applications.”

Common Causes for Unexpected Restarts

While each case may differ, typical culprits include:

• Corrupted or incompatible device drivers (especially GPU drivers).
• Corrupted system files or registry issues.
• Permissions-related errors preventing essential applications from functioning correctly.
• Hardware issues like power supply problems or overheating (though this appears less likely if temperatures are stable).
• Background processes or software conflicts.

Effective Troubleshooting Steps

1. Perform a Clean Windows Reinstallation

You’ve already done a complete reset with a clean installation, which is an excellent starting point. Despite this, the issue persists, indicating the problem may lie elsewhere.

1. Update Drivers and System Software

2. Ensure your graphics card drivers (e.g., NVIDIA, AMD) are current. Use the official manufacturer tools to perform a clean installation.

3. Update Windows to the latest version to incorporate recent security patches and system improvements.

4. Check for BIOS updates for your motherboard.

5. Check Permissions and COM Components

6. The warnings about application-specific permissions suggest that certain system components may not have the necessary rights to function properly.

7. Use tools like Component Services (comexp.msc) to review and modify permissions for COM applications if you’re comfortable doing so.

8. Consider running sfc /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth in Command Prompt to repair system files.

9. Monitor Hardware Stability

10. Run hardware diagnostics to verify the health of your CPU, RAM, and storage.

11. Use tools like Prime95 for CPU stress testing, MemTest86 for