Computer crashing while gaming need help please

Jeffery Paulson 1 Reputation point
2026-10-11T16:36:33.28+00:00

Hi my computer keeps crashing attached is my computers reliability reports if someone could help me fix this i would really appreciate it.

Reliability reports.XML

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
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  1. Emma1-N 13,695 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-10-13T03:38:56.5+00:00

    Welcome Jeffery Paulson,

    Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum. I understand your Windows 11 computer keeps crashing while gaming.

    When the crash occurs, does the entire PC restart or show a blue/black screen, or does only the game close? Does this happen with every game or only one particular game?

    Please make sure you already tried the Q&A Assist steps. In addition, please try the following:

    1. Install all available Windows and driver updates.
      • Open Settings > Windows Update and check for updates.
      • Install available updates, including applicable optional driver updates, then restart the PC.
    2. Check Device Manager.
      • Right-click Start and select Device Manager.
      • Check whether any device has a yellow exclamation mark.
      • If one does, update its driver.
    3. Repair Windows system files.
      • Open Command Prompt as administrator.
      • Run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
      • After it completes successfully, run sfc /scannow
      • Restart the computer when finished.
    4. Check the system memory.
      • Save your work and close all applications.
      • Press Windows + R, type mdsched, and press Enter.
      • Select Restart now and check for problems (recommended).
      • Allow the memory test to finish and check whether it reports errors.

    Looking forward to your update.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-11T16:36:47.8233333+00:00

    For gaming-related crashes on Windows 11, the supported next step is to collect the crash data that Windows may already be generating and use it to identify whether the issue is graphics-driver related or another driver problem.

    1. Check for minidump files:
      • Open File Explorer.
      • Go to C:\Windows\Minidump.
      • If files are present, copy them to another folder and zip them.
    2. If there are no minidumps, check for Live Kernel reports:
      • Open File Explorer.
      • Go to C:\Windows\LiveKernelReports.
      • Look for Watchdog dump files in the subfolders.
      • Copy those files to another folder and zip them.
    3. If Reliability Monitor shows LiveKernelEvent codes such as 117 or if gaming causes black screens, freezes, or restarts, that points to a graphics/driver-related crash path in the provided cases.
    4. If dump files are not being created or only memory corruption appears, a supported troubleshooting path is to enable Driver Verifier to force Windows to identify failing drivers more clearly.
      • Before enabling Driver Verifier, create a system restore point.
      • If the system becomes unable to boot afterward, start Windows and as soon as spinning dots appear, hold the power button for 5 to 10 seconds to force shutdown.
      • Repeat that two or three times to enter the Recovery Environment.
      • Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Option > Startup Settings and select Restart.
      • Press 4 to enter Safe Mode.
      • Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:
        • verifier /reset
        • verifier /bootmode resetonbootfail
    5. If the crashes happen mainly during games and the dump analysis later points to a specific driver, remove or update that driver. One provided case identified SteamStreamingMicrophone.sys as the cause.

    The most useful immediate action is to collect the files from C:\Windows\Minidump first, then C:\Windows\LiveKernelReports if Minidump is empty.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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