After a fresh Windows 11 install, I’m getting strange crashes.

Troubleshooting Strange Post-Installation Crashes on a Windows 11 System

Introduction

A clean installation of Windows 11 can sometimes reveal underlying hardware or compatibility issues that weren’t apparent before. Recently, a user experienced persistent and unpredictable system crashes following a fresh Windows 11 setup, prompting a series of troubleshooting steps to identify the root cause. If you’ve encountered similar issues, this case study highlights potential causes and solutions.

Incident Overview

After installing Windows 11 on a custom-built PC, the system operated normally at first. However, during gaming sessions, the PC suddenly became unresponsive, accompanied by abnormal colorful artifacts on the screen. A subsequent restart led to Windows booting into the setup environment, as if the OS had been reset. Repeating the setup process on a different drive resulted in identical behavior, including black screens during installation. In one instance, a “VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE” blue screen appeared. Temporarily switching to the integrated GPU (iGPU) stabilized the system, and reviewing the Event Viewer revealed an error message: “DosMuxSemWait list is not correct.”

Hardware Configuration

The user’s system includes the following components:

• Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
• Processor: Intel Core i9-9900K
• Power Supply: Corsair CX750
• Motherboard: ASUS Prime Z390-A
• Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB 16GB x 2

Troubleshooting Steps Taken

To diagnose the problem, the user performed several standard checks:

1. Ensured all internal connections (SATA cables, RAM modules, GPU) were properly secured.
2. Conducted RAM diagnostics to verify memory integrity.
3. Updated the motherboard BIOS to the latest version.

Analysis and Potential Causes

Given the symptoms and troubleshooting history, several potential causes emerge:

1. Graphics Card Hardware Failure: The RTX 2080 Ti, being around five years old, may be experiencing hardware degradation or impending failure. Artifacts and driver conflicts often originate from GPU issues.

2. Driver or Compatibility Problems: Fresh OS installs can sometimes encounter driver conflicts. Using outdated or incompatible drivers, especially for high-performance GPUs, can lead to system instability.

3. Power Supply Limitations or Failures: Although the Corsair CX750 is generally adequate, potential degradation or insufficient power delivery under load can cause crashes.

4. System or BIOS Configuration Issues: An outdated BIOS or improper settings might affect system stability,