Audio Service isn’t running, can’t run certain .exe files

Troubleshooting System Instability and Service Failures on Windows 10: A Case Study

Introduction

Experiencing unpredictable application crashes and system stability issues can be frustrating and concerning. Such symptoms often point to underlying hardware or software malfunctions that require systematic diagnosis. In this article, we explore a real-world scenario involving application crashes, blue screens, and critical service failures, providing a detailed approach to troubleshooting these issues effectively.

Case Overview

The user reports that, over the course of a week, various applications—including Chrome, Spotify, Discord, and multiple Steam games—ceased functioning randomly without clear error messages. The disruptions were interspersed with frequent blue screen errors, indicating serious system stability concerns.

Following a particularly disruptive blue screen and system restart, the Windows Audio Service stopped functioning entirely. The built-in Troubleshooter recognized the issue but was unable to resolve it automatically. Booting into Safe Mode yielded the same problem, suggesting a persistent core issue.

Additional symptoms included failures to update or install graphics drivers, with error messages such as “An unknown error has occurred.” Attempts to reinstall the NVIDIA graphics driver and the NVIDIA GeForce Experience application were unsuccessful. Furthermore, Steam failed to fully load, hanging during the login process despite appearing to initiate properly.

System Specifications

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Elite
Processor: Intel Core i9-9900K
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
Memory: 32GB RAM
Operating System: Windows 10

Troubleshooting Approach

Given these symptoms, a systematic diagnosis should encompass the following steps:

Check for Hardware Issues
Run Hardware Diagnostics: Use built-in or third-party tools to test RAM, storage devices, and the CPU for faults.
Monitor Temperatures: Ensure that overheating isn’t causing the crashes, especially under load.
Inspect Connections: Verify that all hardware components are properly seated and cables are secure.
Review System Event Logs
Utilize Windows Event Viewer to identify recurring errors or warnings around the time of crashes and service failures.
Focus on entries related to device drivers, system services, and critical errors.
Address Driver and Software Conflicts
Standardize Driver Installations: Use the latest official drivers from manufacturers’ websites, avoiding third-party drivers.
Use Safe Mode for Installation: Perform driver updates in Safe Mode to bypass processes that may interfere.