ntoskrnl.exe causing crashes and BSOD, even in safe mode

Hi Spence,

Ntoskrnl.exe (Short for Windows NT operating system kernel,) also known as kernel image, provides the kernel and executive layers of the Windows NT kernel space, and is responsible for various system services such as hardware virtualization, process and memory management, thus making it a fundamental part of the system. It contains the cache manager, the executive, the kernel, the security reference monitor, the memory manager, and the scheduler.

If you've experienced this error, it might also be related to a driver related issues. We suggest updating all the drivers on your device. You can also run the troubleshooter for blue screen errors.

You can also perform a Memtest. Follow the steps below to know how:

The ntoskrnl.exe BSOD is usually related to memory, possibly caused by a faulty driver. It is suggested that you run the following memory test to verify your memory and find out which driver is causing the problem.

Note: If you are over-clocking anything, please shut them down first before you run the tests. You will need to reboot your computer to perform the test. During the test, you won’t be able to use your computer.

1. Click Start button, then type Windows Memory Diagnostic in the search box and hit Enter.
2. Click Restart now and check for problems(recommended). Be sure to save your work first because your computer will start immediately.
3. Your computer will restart and the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool screen will appear. Just let it perform the test. You don’t need to stay and watch the test finishes.
4. Your computer will automatically reboot and return to the Windows desktop. The test result will show up after you log in. If the result doesn’t show up automatically, you can check it manually.
   Press Win+ R at the same time, then type in eventvwr.msc and hit Enter. Click System option under category Windows Logs on the left pane. On the right pane, click Find….
   Type MemoryDiagnostic in the search box and hit Enter, you will be able to see the result displayed at the bottom of the window.
5. If the result of your memory diagnose shows that there are certain drivers are at fault, or that you see some error, you have bad RAM. It is very likely that you need to get your RAM changed. If you don’t see anything here, your memory is good.

Update us with the outcome so we can provide further assistance.

Hi, Memory Diagnostics came back ok with "The Windows Memory Diagnostic tested the computer's memory and detected no errors"

Thank you for your response. If Memory Diagnostics came back with no errors, then let's try another workaround. If you have antivirus softwares installed on your PC, we recommend uninstalling them. Check for available driver updates as well and install them. You can also refer to this Wiki article created by ZigZag3143 (MS -MVP) to verify and narrow down which driver might be causing the issue.

Keep us in the loop with the results.

Hi

I uninstalled Kaspersky as recommended.  Now only got Windows defender running.  Keep getting crashes every 15 minutes or so.  I followed the links you gave and shared the required minidump files and msinfo.  The latest one should have verifier turned on.  When this was on the PC would not boot.  I had to go into safe mode to turn it off

https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aklij2Qs9tORhQA0pKi9uc7Y_rpY

Thank you for the update. If you keep getting the same issue and it still crashes, we'd like to confirm if you did a quick memory test or a full test. We suggest doing an extended memory test and a hardware diagnostics as the error ntoskrnl.exe is connected to hardware issues as well. For the hardware diagnostics, contact your device manufacturer directly as they are the one performing the test.

Don't hesitate to give us an update on how it goes.

I have no performed the below requested test:

1. Windows 10 Extended Memory Diagnostics - Pass

2. Lenovo Hardware Diagnostics including full memory and HDD Tests - Pass

3. Attempted to start the PC with verifier as per wiki article ZigZag3143 (MS -MVP).  Please see crash dump files as requested in this article, shared via link Crash and system info

I am still seeing a BSOD with Stop code: CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED.  This happens in safe mode also and the PC will not start in standard mode with verifier running.

I have now performed the below requested test:

1. Windows 10 Extended Memory Diagnostics - Pass

2. Lenovo Hardware Diagnostics including full memory and HDD Tests - Pass

3. Attempted to start the PC with verifier as per wiki article ZigZag3143 (MS -MVP).  Please see crash dump files as requested in this article, shared via link Crash and system info

I am still seeing a BSOD with Stop code: CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED.  This happens in safe mode also and the PC will not start in standard mode with verifier running.

@AnneRos-Any update on this? 

I am still seeing a BSOD with Stop code: CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED.  This happens in safe mode also and the PC will not start in standard mode with verifier running.

Hi,

The Driver Verifier appears to have an issue with the covefs.sys which appears to be a driver for DrivePool so you could try uninstalling DrivePool.

Can you provide the following file which has more information on the crash:

C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP

The memory.dmp file will be quite large, you could zip and compress the memory.dmp file with a third party application such as 7-Zip.