Solved Win11, Updates nuking computer? 'CRITICAL_PROCESS DIED', Boot loop

Windows update nuking computer several times.

Hi All, hoping someone here might know whats up. I have an ASUS Rog Strix 2022 that I've had since early 2022. Windows 11 v 10.0.2600.1

In February this year one day as normal when closing it down I noticed it was stuck shutting down, ie the screen was black and it wasn't turning off after a minute or 2, I thought maybe it had frozen so I decided to cold power it off. I woke up the next morning to the infinite boot loop, couldn't get into Windows at all. There was no blue screen, it just kept looping until it attempted to diagnose, fail and then goes to the 'we couldn't repair your computer' jive. To keep it concise, none of the standard repair and recovery methods worked.

-Safe mode and all the other modes - Nope (when I tried to get into Safe mode it would give a blue screen 'CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED'
-Uninstall latest updates - Nope
-System Restore - Nope (didn't have it set up)
-CHKDSK, SFC scannow - Nope
-DISM - Nope (I didn't manage to execute this properly the first time but this latest time I've tried it and it fails)
-Removing peripherals -Nope

So after a day or so of trying to work it out I just went with a new SSD and kept the original drive as a data drive, it works fine, no errors in crystal disk or chkdsk. Still works fine.

One thing to note was when this happened I think Windows was updating itself or at least that's what I recall, and checking logs from eventviewer and CBS it shows activity going on regarding updates around the time.

So 2 weeks ago again, this time I didn't cold power off the computer, just a normal day I get up and turn on the computer in the morning and the boot loop has returned, another day of testing different things, no luck, decided I'd either format the drive or just reinstall windows, I went to reinstall windows assuming it would erase everything but thankfully it kinda just loaded over (This is new to me, I haven't installed many systems and used win 7 for a decade until 2022) and I went about my business.

I'm not sure why this occurred but I believe once again, Windows had installed updates again, unfortunately I didn't think of copying the log files from event viewer before the old windows folder was overwritten by an update but I did click on to this idea this 3rd time)

Now yesterday, in the middle of the day while I was actually using the computer, I'd been using it all morning then stepped away for an hour while it was left on, processing some stuff and as I came back to it to get back to work, I noticed windows explorer was freezing when openingit (the circle icon would just circle round and you couldn't select anything) so I killed the process in taskman and tried again repeatedly and each time the same issue so at this point I was concerned and I decided maybe rebooting would work and then BOOM, again.the loop was back.

Now I am sick and tired as I don't know what exactly is causing this, the computer worked fine each time after reinstalling, the only significant thing seems to be updates and funnily enough after the 2nd time it did this I paused updates but apparently Windows likes to continue updating behind the scenes.

I'm assuming it was an update but I checked the CBS.log files from the time in February and this most recent time (I don't have the files from the 2nd time) and both show some system file activity around the time of the failure) it's like I am switching it off when Windows is updating but I don't know that windows is updating? or Windows updates are just bad and corrupting things?

This very last time when the computer restarts I get a 0x00012c stop code on launch and then it restarts, the last times it would just restart and then I'd get the critical process died but only really when attempting to access via one of the special modes (safemode etc).

So basically I'm now at the mercy of Windows Updates nuking my computer? When I reinstalled everything I made sure all my drivers were up to date. BIOS is up to date too and I reflashed it as somewhere I saw someone with an apparently similar issue have it work for them, no luck here.

Unfortunately, I don't have any memory dumps, just eventviewer logs, srrt logs,cbs logs.

Some things I found:

From February before it crashed there was some tussle between some nvidia file 'nvlddmkm' and some touchpad thing, though I don't know if this is a symptom or a cause? At the same time it was trying to update so maybe related?

In May there was a note of some file corruption.. once again when Windows was doing something in tbe background, apparently. When it restarted it did a file check scan but then just begun the loop.

Some things I've tried today:

DISM from command prompt, tried it on the original drive but it can't find the source files from the Windows installer (install.wim) USB or from the windows drive.
Remaking the BCD, on the old drive by the end of it, it states the boot folder in C: isn't found.
Removed Ram and reinserted.

I want to try a memory test but memtest86 doesn't boot despite the USB being recognised by the computer it just doesn't work.

I'm so annoyed because I don't know specifically what is causing it, I guess at worst I will reinstall Windows, create a restore point and turn on minidumps for the next time this happens (when, next week?) but really I'd like to understand the root of the problem.

That's all a lot but has anyone else experienced this, does anyone else see a pattern or have any suggestions of where to look. To my understanding this is Microsofts poor updates or some clash between my HW and these updates. I don't understand how it can completely cripple the OS.

I will add that the laptop gets ran pretty much all day as a Music and AI Laptop but I do have the power mode on Balanced so it is not working at full throttle, only sometimes and I'm aware it is a laptop and they don't last very long. I'm thinking it is possibly the RAM, I hope to figure out a way to get it working but every single of the remedies above is a day of frustration alone trying to get them to work, I thought I'd ask here incase anyone might have any strong suggestions. I've added some pictures of logs from the last working shutdown.

TLDR:

Feb: Windows manually powered down while it was 'busy' doing something(updating I think or at least logs show it had updated a few hours before hand) during shutdown, next morning wont load, keeps looping back to 'cant fix device' and only notification of error is via safe mode or others with 'CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED' BSOD, no real solution found, reinstalled Windows.

18May: Started up in morning as normal and initiated boot loop, same looping as above and 'CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED' BSOD when attempting to boot, none of the above worked, 'solution' reinstall windows. (Unfortunately hadn't considered logs at this point)

28May: First time performance got poor while using it, came back to poor performance and windows explorer freezing, decided to restart and the bootloop came again, logs show it was updating or had just updated and a HD corruption was mentioned though CHKDSK found no issues and SMART shows no issues(I can't even run the SMART self test that is optional in my BIOS that is supposed to launch at startup, I checked SMART with my UBUNTU live USB). The difference this time is there is a BSOD at launch and it is showing the '0x00012c' code which is apparently generic.

I digress, any help advice?

I've attached some pics.

Thanks.

This guide contains instructions to fix the CRITICAL PROCESS DIED BSOD error message in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

FreeBooter said:

This guide contains instructions to fix the CRITICAL PROCESS DIED BSOD error message in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Click to expand...

Hi thanks for the reply, when I saw the video thumbnail I was thinking it will just be another of the same videos i've watched (i've been watching all i can find) but there was something different here with the advanced scannow sfc and searching other windows folders, which did find corrupt files and was unable to fix them meanwhile when I would jsut do 'SFC /SCANNOW' it says it found corrupt files' and will fix them after their restart but it doesn't seem to, when I launch back up its the same problem and then if i run scannow again it repeats that it has found and fixed them.

So your command showed something different, what should I do if those files are corrupt? Should I go onto the DISKPART thing (I tried it already but perhaps your guide is better, I ask because I dont want to mess something up if its not going to be the solution)

Thanks.

EDIT WOW, IT BOOTED UP!!!

YOU MIGT WELL BE A LEGEND!! Im going to try your process on the first drive that got corrupted in febryuary and see if t recovers that too

I'll report back.

EDIT2: IT worked!! The original drive loaded too.

From your video I used the 'SFC /Scannow /offbootdir.......' command and then the regular'SFC /Scannow', I've no idea if the second part was necessary but I had never seen anyone show the first bit and I think that was the key!!

If you have a crypto wallet feel free to DM your address and I will send you some beer money, I had a little wallet on one device and you will have saved me having to buy new RAM and or SSDs..


Of course to this end the question is what i causing this, at least I have a solution now but it would still be great to know what is causing it, i will be turning on memory dumps for sure now.

Thank you very much!! :)

I'm glad to know problem resolved.

FreeBooter said:

I'm glad to know problem resolved.

Click to expand...

Yes, thank you so much! You're a legend!

Do you think it is possible that it is just windows update causing this and this solution will work again?

I hope this post will help someone else if they come across this and I've been referring people to your video solution on the videos I watched regarding this issue that didn't help. I wish I'd found your video sooner heh but glad to have met you here.

Have a look at Reliability Monitor to see what info, if any, is showing.

jumpingperon said:

Yes, thank you so much! You're a legend!

Do you think it is possible that it is just windows update causing this and this solution will work again?

I hope this post will help someone else if they come across this and I've been referring people to your video solution on the videos I watched regarding this issue that didn't help. I wish I'd found your video sooner heh but glad to have met you here.

Click to expand...

Thanks, the reason for your case can be found with the action you took to fix the boot problem i think the Windows 11 update won't cause the boot error.