BSOD On Power Up

[sky27709]

Been using TS for at least a year w no problems. In recent months tere have been occasions where I put machine to sleep overnight, and next morning I have BSOD. More recently, the BSOD occurs upon a fresh (cold) boot up, not from overnight sleep. Nothing has changed in my TS settings, so any thoughts on why this has started happening?

 

[unclewebb]

It is normal for CPUs to degrade a little over time. What CPU do you have and what are your voltage settings? What sort of stability testing did you originally do? Some people think that being game stable is good enough but it is not. A CPU that is not 100% stable can start corrupting Windows over time.

If you are living on the edge with your undervolt, it is possible that now you have started going a little over the edge. A BSOD means that your CPU needs more voltage. Post some screenshots if you need help.

 

[sky27709]

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8550U CPU @ 1.80GHz 1.99 GHz
NO stability testing - no gaming. Just simple daily stuff, browsing, spreadsheet

 

[unclewebb]

NO stability testing

If you did not do any stability testing after originally adjusting your voltage then there is no way to know whether your original settings were 100% stable or not.

I find very little reason to undervolt the Intel GPU or iGPU Unslice. To try to find out what is causing your BSOD issues, start by setting both of those offset voltages back to +0.0000. I would also reduce the core and cache undervolt to -75 mV. My daughter also has the same 8550U in her laptop. It used to be fairly stable at -100 mV but now it is not. There have been no problems for her laptop at -75 mV.

If you are not big on running a variety of stability tests, at least run the built in TS Bench test and make sure it does not report any errors. Do a few different tests like 2 Threads, 4 Threads and 8 Threads. A few 960M tests will give you some idea if you are stable or not. An unstable voltage setting can start reporting errors within a few seconds of beginning a test. If any errors are reported, stop the test immediately, increase your voltage and test again.

This is what you do not want to see.

Try using ThrottleStop 9.3 or 9.3.1. To update, just copy the new ThrottleStop.exe into your ThrottleStop folder.

ThrottleStop 9.6 Download

ThrottleStop is a small application designed to monitor for and correct the three main types of CPU throttling that are being used on many lapto

www.techpowerup.com

 

[sky27709]

This is the test result

 

[unclewebb]

This is the test result

That is good. No errors being reported is good but that is only a 15 second test. Do a few more longer 960M tests and set it to use a different number of Threads. Light load testing is just as important as full load testing. These CPUs tend to BSOD when lightly loaded if the undervolt is too much.

 

[sky27709]

Updated tests

more test results

 

[unclewebb]

Did you change your undervolt to -75 mV like I suggested?

The TS Bench is a good basic stability test. There are 101 or 1001 other tests. If you have reduced your undervolt then trying using your computer for a week or two and see if there are any more BSOD problems.

 

[sky27709]

Did you change your undervolt to -75 mV like I suggested?

The TS Bench is a good basic stability test. There are 101 or 1001 other tests. If you have reduced your undervolt then trying using your computer for a week or two and see if there are any more BSOD problems.

Changed it. Will let you know how it performs over next few weeks

 

[sky27709]

Updated to 9.5. Has been running fine (I think) and no BSOD since last post. But stangely, when I unlock and set Offset voltage to -95.7 for both Core and CPU, it doesn't show that in the table on the right side like I'm accustomed to seeing. CPU is Intel Core i7-8550U @ 1.80 GHz so not sure if main screen settings are still correct. I must have deleted previous version (9.4) ini.file

 

[unclewebb]

ThrottleStop voltage control does not work when using Windows 11 if you have Virtualization Based Security (VBS) enabled.

How to Disable Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) in Windows 11 to Improve Gaming

Getting frame drops while playing games in Windows 11? VBS might be the reason and here's how you can disable VBS in Windows 11.

beebom.com

Disable VBS including core isolation memory integrity, delete the ThrottleStop.INI configuration file and reboot. Post some updated screenshots after you do that.

If you want your laptop to be extra secure, you will no longer be allowed to adjust the CPU voltage.

 

[sky27709]

Is the trade off in security worth it? I'm not a gamer, just an old fart who using what is now a 6 yr old laptop for basic everyday web surfing and stuff. I have Bitlocker enabled for whole drive encryption, paired up with either fingerprint recognition or a Yubikey to log into Windows. Will any of these be affected if I disable VBS?

Just so I'm interpreting your comment "If you want your laptop to be extra secure, you will no longer be allowed to adjust the CPU voltag" correctly, are you saying it's an "all or nothing" decision, either disdable VBS and core isolation memory integrity (whatever that is!), OR, abandon TS altogether because it won;t work otherwise?

 

[unclewebb]

all or nothing

That is correct. It sounds like the new Windows 11 security features are important to you. Improved security means CPU voltage control using ThrottleStop no longer works.

 

[GerKNG]

VBS/Core Isolation is only a effective protection if you (for example) actively execute ransomware.
for your normal day to day security including malware detection and warnings about it it has no effect.

 

[sky27709]

Thank you both for those explanations. I'm disappointed I have to choose one or the other. I'm very careful about not clicking email links or downloading crap, but I suppose the extra security (at the end of the day) prevents me from a potentially much larger headache if I were to get a virus.

Curious if either of you have VBS disabled so you can run TS?

Should I decide to abandon TS, what is the best way to delete it completely?

 

[GerKNG]

i don't use throttlestop in general but i would recommend to you to just make backups of your most important files on an external drive.
even if ransomware would nuke your system. windows is installed in 10 minutes and your files are safe on your USB Drive.
i have VBS disabled (fully disabled virtualization in the bios) since it costs a good chunk of performance especially in file copy and drive heavy applications.

if you want to clean uninstall software i recommend geek uninstaller (i use this software to uninstall everything since it looks for traces and deletes them too)

 

[unclewebb]

if either of you have VBS disabled

I am running Windows 10 with core isolation memory integrity disabled. Increased security keeps Microsoft's corporate customers happy. I prefer to use common sense.

ThrottleStop is a stand alone program. Exit the program and delete the folder it is in if you want to get rid of it. No special uninstaller program is necessary to get rid of it.

 

[sky27709]

I went back to TS (v 9.5), I'm running WIN 11 so I disabled Core isolation/memory integrity. Without TS, I found that my laptop routinely getting VERY hot and I literally have to put a cold pack (like you use for sports injuries) on the aluminim chassis bottom to lower the temp and keep the fan from running nonstop. That said, the only thing I configured beyond default settings was to set the CPU core and cache at -80, then ran a few 960M tests for 2,4 and 8 threads with no errors. I'm not a gamer - just tend to have a LOT of tabs open in Firefox and maybe a spreadsheet open - that's about as far as I stress my system. I made no other changes to the TS configuration from default installation settings. Two questions:

1. Can I expect to see less heat buildup and need for manual cooling?
2. Based on my chip (i7-8550U) are there any other settings I need to change?
3. Would I benefit from creating more than one profile and if so, how would they differ?

i don't use throttlestop in general but i would recommend to you to just make backups of your most important files on an external drive.
even if ransomware would nuke your system. windows is installed in 10 minutes and your files are safe on your USB Drive.
i have VBS disabled (fully disabled virtualization in the bios) since it costs a good chunk of performance especially in file copy and drive heavy applications.

if you want to clean uninstall software i recommend geek uninstaller (i use this software to uninstall everything since it looks for traces and deletes them too)

I routinely do both full and incremental backups of all important folders and a full system backup mnthly to an external drive as you suggest.

 

[unclewebb]

Can I expect to see less heat buildup

When you undervolt a CPU, yes, there will be less heat produced. You might notice less fan noise depending on how your fan was programmed.

any other settings

I prefer to set IccMax for both the core and the cache to the maximum, 255.75. I also set Power Limit 4 to a value of 0. This combination helps reduce any random EDP throttling.

I also check the MMIO Lock box near the top right of the TPL window. I would clear the Disable Controls check box and I would increase PL1 from 15W to 30W. Your laptop is well cooled so having some extra power available for the CPU when it needs it will increase performance.

If you are already happy how your laptop is running then there is no need to change anything.

 

[sky27709]

Thank you very much for the clear, step by step guidance!!

 

[sky27709]

Uncle - quick question. For some reason when I make changes to my configuration and apply save, the next day TS shows no changes and no voltage adjustments from previous day. Suggestions?

 

[unclewebb]

Post a FIVR screenshot. Did you tell ThrottleStop to save your changes?

 

[sky27709]

I just reinstalled it and was able to save the undervolting settings, although I don;t recall from memory the other settings I had configured for it prior. I welcome any othet suggestions you have based on my processor and this time will write them all down!

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8550U CPU @ 1.80GHz 1.99 GHz

 

[sky27709]

Uncle - Can I get your expert input on settings so I can get back to optimal and then document them (based on my processor)? Would be very much appreciated.

 

[unclewebb]

Scroll up and follow any of the previous advice that I have already posted. Try checking the MMIO Lock box. The rest of your settings look OK. Increase the Long Power PL1 power limit if your laptop has good cooling and you are interested in maximum performance.

It is up to you to decide what settings work best.

Turn on the Log File option to record how your laptop performs. It will show any problems. Attach a log file to your next post if you want me to have a look.