Windows 11 BSOD when installing software or running commands

Firstname Lastname 20 Reputation points
2026-08-10T19:03:54.6266667+00:00

For some time, my computer has randomly experienced BSODs at the rate of one every few days. In the Reliability Monitor, these were often coupled with failures in Windows utilities like Antimalware Service Executable.

I reinstalled Windows 11 to see if that would fix it, but am still seeing the issue. They seem to happen randomly, but I can fairly reliably trigger a BSOD by installing new software or running commands like DISM.

Here's some BSODs from me running DISM commands, a week after reinstalling the machine:

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And here are some BSODs from trying to install Visual Studio:

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I'm trying to figure out if there's anything I can do to stop these from happening, or use the information from the crash reports to track down the issue/offending part if it's a hardware issue.

Things I've attempted:

Updating drivers

Running sfc /scannow (no errors)

Running DISM commands (usually fail with RPC error or BSOD)

Running memtest86 (no errors)

Running Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool (usually fine, occasional crashes but hard to distinguish from the background noise)

Any assistance would be appreciated, thank you.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
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Answer accepted by question author
Ivan B 123.4K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-08-10T19:38:54.28+00:00

Hi ,

Search for msinfo32.exe in the search bar, take a screenshot, and post it here so we can see the correct laptop model or desktop configuration.

Access the c:\windows\minidump folder, copy the files to your desktop, then upload them to OneDrive or Google Drive and post the link here for analysis.

Thanks

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  1. Firstname Lastname 20 Reputation points
    2026-08-10T20:38:34.7666667+00:00
    1. No problem devices.
    2. I'm no Event Viewer expert, but I do see the crashes with output similar to this:
    The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck.  Possibly related driver: FLTMGR.SYS.
The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck.  The bugcheck was: 0x00000050 (0xfffff80693e06330, 0x0000000000000003, 0xfffff8062578e8d9, 0x0000000000000002). A dump was saved in: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\081026-13281-01.dmp. Report Id: cfc355b0-1cf2-49ee-94d6-4b1d82ec3290.
    1. The Windows Memory Diagnostic tested the computer's memory and detected no errors
    2. Ran chkdsk on reboot, got the output via PowerShell:
    Windows has scanned the file system and found no problems.
No further action is required.
    1. Windows is up to date.
    2. No recent hardware changes.
    3. 3.44TB free on C:

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-10T19:04:23.5166667+00:00

    Because the crashes continue after a clean Windows reinstall, and can be triggered by heavy system activity such as DISM or software installation, the most likely causes in the provided guidance are a faulty driver, hardware device, storage issue, or another hardware problem rather than normal Windows file corruption.

    Recommended next steps:

    1. Check Device Manager for problem devices
      • Right-click Start > Device Manager.
      • Look for any device with an exclamation mark (!).
      • For any flagged device, try Update driver first.
      • If that does not help, try Disable device or Uninstall device and test again.
    2. Check Event Viewer around each crash
      • Open Event Viewer.
      • Review the System log for critical errors that occurred at the same time as the BSOD.
      • Look for entries that point to a specific device or driver.
    3. Run Windows Memory Diagnostics even though MemTest86 was clean
      • In Control Panel, search for Memory.
      • Select Diagnose your computer’s memory problems.
      • After the test, open Event Viewer and check the System log for MemoryDiagnostics-Results.
    4. Check storage health and repair disk errors
      • Open Command Prompt as administrator.
      • Run: chkdsk /f C:
      • Restart when prompted so repairs can run.
      • This is relevant because disk corruption can contribute to stop code errors.
    5. Install the latest Windows updates and drivers through Windows Update
      • Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
      • Microsoft specifically recommends using Windows Update first for updated drivers.
    6. Remove or disconnect recently added hardware
      • If any hardware was added before the issue started, remove it and retest.
      • Hardware changes are a common trigger for stop code errors.
    7. Check free disk space
      • Keep roughly 10% to 15% free space available.
      • Windows and applications need free space for swap files and related operations.
    8. If the issue still occurs after reinstalling Windows, treat hardware as a strong possibility
      • The provided troubleshooting guidance states that stop errors are often caused by third-party drivers or hardware.
      • A Microsoft Q&A case with crashes continuing after reinstall also concluded the issue was likely hardware.
      • If crashes happen before Windows fully loads, or during basic operations like DISM and installer activity, that further supports checking hardware and motherboard/storage diagnostics from the PC manufacturer.
    9. Use recovery options if the problem started after a recent change
      • If the crashes began after a driver, app, or update change, use System Restore or another recovery option.

    About the crash reports:

    • The stop code and any module or driver name shown on the blue screen are the most useful clues.
    • If a specific driver name appears repeatedly, focus on updating, disabling, or uninstalling the related device/software.
    • If no consistent driver appears and the system still crashes after reinstalling Windows, hardware becomes more likely.

    Caution:

    • chkdsk /f C: and other repair actions can require a restart and may interrupt work in progress.
    • Advanced command-line repair steps should only be used if comfortable working in an elevated command prompt.
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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