Frequent crash shutdowns explained

Operating system (OS) crash shutdowns are unexpected and abrupt terminations of an OS, often resulting in the loss of unsaved work and potential system instability. These crashes can be caused by a variety of factors, including but not limited to:

Software bugs: Errors or flaws in software applications or services can cause the OS to crash. These bugs might trigger a fatal error in the system, leading to a crash.
Hardware failures: Issues with hardware components such as the hard drive, memory, or CPU can lead to system crashes. For instance, a failing hard drive might result in data corruption, causing the OS to crash.
Driver conflicts: Incompatible or outdated drivers can cause conflicts leading to system instability and crashes.
Lack of system resources: If the system resources like memory or CPU usage reach their maximum capacity due to heavy applications or processes, it can result in a system crash.

When a crash occurs, the OS typically generates an error code or a crash dump file, providing insights into what caused the crash. In addition to Applixure Analytics, tools like the Event Viewer in Windows can be used to view these error codes and crash dumps.

Understanding and investigating these crash shutdowns involve a systematic approach of identifying the error codes, researching potential causes, and implementing solutions. This could range from updating software or drivers, replacing faulty hardware, or optimizing system resources.

Leverage Applixure Analytics

If the crash shutdown was caused by a Bluescreen of Death, Applixure catches the error code from the Event Log. You can go to the device’s page in Applixure Analytics and find the crash event in the Issues event history. As you hover over the issue, you can see the error code.

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An alternative approach is to use the Rewind to history feature on the device page within Applixure Analytics. This allows you to trace back the sequence of events leading up to the crash. The timeline displays changes made to the device prior to the crash. Frequently, the root cause of the crash can be traced back to an update in the device driver or a similar modification.

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With the error code available, you can investigate potential causes of the crash independently without causing any inconvenience to the end-user. This approach allows for efficient troubleshooting while maintaining a seamless employee experience.

Analyze the event logs

In addition to Applixure Analytics, you can also find the crash event in Windows Event Viewer. Crash logs are found in Windows Logs > System.

Look for events labelled BugCheck to find more information about the cause of the crash.

Here you will be able to find the error code to start investigating the crash. In our example below, the error code is 0x000000ef, which can easily be searched online to find the following article with steps to resolve the issue in Microsoft Learn: Bug check 0xEF: CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED.

In addition, the Event Viewer also logs the location of the crash dump file location, if the crash needs to be investigated further in the next section.

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Analyze crash dumps

If Applixure Analytics and Event Viewer do not give you enough information about the crash, the next step can be to analyze the dump files.

Crash shutdowns often generate a crash dump file in C:\Windows\Minidump. The exact name of the dump file can be found in the Event Viewer using the method described in the previous section.

You will need to download an application called WinDbg. The application can be found in Microsoft Store.

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Or downloaded directly from https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/.

To learn how to use WinDbg, check the following sites for instructions:

Update drivers

A good general action to attempt to fix crash shutdowns is to update the device drivers and firmware. The best way to do this is to use the manufacturer’s proprietary software to perform the updates.

Below is a list of the most used manufacturers’ software:

Run hardware checks

Another cause for crash shutdowns can be failing hardware. Hardware failures can occur in any component of the system, including the hard drive, memory, processor, power supply, and more.

Here are some ways to investigate hardware issues:

Memory Test: Tools like Windows Memory Diagnostic or Memtest86 can be used to check for RAM errors. These tools work by writing data to each sector of the RAM, then reading it back. If the read data doesn’t match the written data, it could indicate a problem with the RAM.
Hard Drive Check: Tools like CHKDSK (Check Disk) in Windows can be used to check for hard drive errors. CHKDSK checks the integrity of your file system and file metadata to ensure they’re internally consistent. For more information on CHDSK, visit Microsoft Learn.
Processor Stress Test: Free tools like Prime95 or CineBench can be used to put your CPU under heavy load. This can help identify issues with the CPU or cooling system.
Power Supply Check: Power supply issues can cause system instability and crashes. While there’s no software tool to test a power supply, physical inspection or using a power supply tester can help.
Temperature Monitoring: Overheating can cause hardware to fail and result in crashes. Tools like Open Hardware Monitor or HWMonitor can be used to monitor the temperature of various components in your system.
Hardware Diagnostic Tools: Some manufacturers provide hardware diagnostic tools that can check the health of various components in your system. These tools can often be accessed during the system boot process.

Applixure Analytics warnings and alerts

This issue is associated with the following Analytics alerts and warnings: