Random monitor shutdowns, event viewer shows dwm.exe as issue


Recommended Posts

For the last few weeks, whenever I leave my system alone (idle) I have, on occasion, come back to both monitors in standby and do not come back on with mouse/keyboard activity. Up until this one this morning, the event viewer has not shown any possible issues, just the standard Kernel Power events due to improper shutdown, etc. Now today I get about 6 errors regarding dwm.exe, so I ran sfc and no integrity violations were discovered. Power management is disabled for turning off the display, and I have double checked that it is still configured that way. Windows is up to date as is the Nvidia drivers. I am not sure what else can be causing this issue.

Hello,

That would be the Desktop Window Manager (filename: DWM.EXE).  Perhaps a conflict with a third-party start menu, user interface tweaker or wallpaper management program?

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
 

  On 14/04/2022 at 16:36, goretsky said:

Hello,

That would be the Desktop Window Manager (filename: DWM.EXE).  Perhaps a conflict with a third-party start menu, user interface tweaker or wallpaper management program?

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
 

Expand  

Thanks for the response, I was aware of what DWM was, the only program that I have that it might be conflicting with is DisplayFusion, which I use for multi monitor support, but I have been using it for sometime without issue.

something like that more often then not points to an issue with the GPU or display drivers from my experience.

 

which GPU do you have? Could try a clean install of the drivers to see if that makes any difference

  • Like 1

Hello,

Have you tried uninstalling the third-party DisplayFusion app for testing purposes?  Even though it may not have changed, it is possible that Microsoft Windows or your Nvidia video card's device drivers contained a change that introduced an compatibility with the software.

 

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
 

  • Like 1
  On 15/04/2022 at 13:08, Brandon H said:

something like that more often then not points to an issue with the GPU or display drivers from my experience.

 

which GPU do you have? Could try a clean install of the drivers to see if that makes any difference

Expand  

I agree on this. For example, here is an instance where Intel drivers were causing DWM issues https://www.neowin.net/news/new-intel-3001011191-driver-fixes-stability-issues-in-windows-10-and-11-dwm-and-more/

 

Do you have some spare video cards that you can use or borrow from someone?

  On 15/04/2022 at 13:08, Brandon H said:

something like that more often then not points to an issue with the GPU or display drivers from my experience.

 

which GPU do you have? Could try a clean install of the drivers to see if that makes any difference

Expand  

Asus ROG Strix 2080, I do a clean install of the drivers each time a new version is released

  On 16/04/2022 at 05:44, goretsky said:

Hello,

Have you tried uninstalling the third-party DisplayFusion app for testing purposes?  Even though it may not have changed, it is possible that Microsoft Windows or your Nvidia video card's device drivers contained a change that introduced an compatibility with the software.

 

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
 

Expand  

Not yet, as the problem is so random that it has not happened again.

  On 16/04/2022 at 06:41, hellowalkman said:

I agree on this. For example, here is an instance where Intel drivers were causing DWM issues https://www.neowin.net/news/new-intel-3001011191-driver-fixes-stability-issues-in-windows-10-and-11-dwm-and-more/

 

Do you have some spare video cards that you can use or borrow from someone?

Expand  

I do not have a spare GPU, I also really need to RMA this card due to a fan issue, that apparently is common on this specific card, but since I do not have any other GPU, I would be without the system for however long it takes to get the card repaired/replaced.

  • Sad 1
  On 16/04/2022 at 14:36, jnelsoninjax said:

Asus ROG Strix 2080, I do a clean install of the drivers each time a new version is released

Not yet, as the problem is so random that it has not happened again.

I do not have a spare GPU, I also really need to RMA this card due to a fan issue, that apparently is common on this specific card, but since I do not have any other GPU, I would be without the system for however long it takes to get the card repaired/replaced.

Expand  

Just buy a super cheap GPU to enable you to use the PC for basic tasks.

  • 2 weeks later...

So I have had no problems for 2 weeks, then today it did it again while I was away. I have captured the event viewer errors and put them here: https://pastebin.com/kb7wvJ48

It looks like DWM.exe and the Nvidia driver seem to the responsible files.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Totally different vehicles. Uber has partnered with Waymo for level 5 autonomous vehicles. Waymo has completed 10 million trips and to date, there have been 696 accidents in 4 years and of those 16 of them appear to have been due to an error by the car. In total airbags have only been deployed 38 times. The technology should always be under review and continued to be improved on, but this is a totally different animal to Tesla FSD PS. no I don't work for them etc. I am an analyst for a market intelligence firm and we have a lot of interest from clients looking at the connected car space for advertising etc. so I have studied them
    • But it's not full self driving it's level 2 autonomy. Audi, BMW and Mercedes all have level 3 and make far less noise about it
    • Edge for Business gets secure password deployment for organizations by Paul Hill Microsoft Edge for Business now offers organizations secure password deployments as a generally available feature, the Redmond giant said. Instead of users sharing passwords on sticky notes or via email to access certain websites or tools, admins can deploy encrypted shared passwords to specific users within their organization. When a user receives a password, it is stored in their Edge password manager and can be used to log into websites seamlessly using autofill. Microsoft has made this enterprise-grade solution available to customers at no additional cost. How it works and the user experience Administrators have to manage the feature via the Microsoft Edge management service within the Microsoft 365 admin center. From there, they can add, update, and revoke credentials for specific user groups through configuration policies. Once an admin has set it up and shared passwords with users, the users will see the passwords in their Edge password manager and can be used with autofill on corresponding websites. The passwords are tied to work profiles in Edge on managed Windows devices to limit their misuse. Further boosting security, the shared passwords cannot actually be viewed, edited, or deleted (unless the website allows), or exported from the password manager. This is a good addition for security because if an unauthorized user gains physical access to the computer, they cannot learn what the password is. Administrators reading this do need to be aware of an important caveat related to developer tools. A motivated user who wants to reveal the passwords can do so by digging into the developer tools, for this reason, you should consider restricting access to the developer tools by configuring the DeveloperToolsAvailability policy. The underlying security and encryption Microsoft’s new secure passwords feature has been built using the Information Protection SDK. The passwords are encrypted and the encryption is tied to Entra identities which lets organizations enforce them without manual key management. The decryption of the passwords takes place at runtime using the same SDK, validating the user’s identity. Availability and getting started Secure password deployment is available through the Edge management service in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Once in the admin center, you should choose an existing configuration policy or create a new one. Inside the policy, go to the Customization Settings tab and then to the Secure password deployment page. To use this feature you must have a Microsoft 365 Business Premium, E3, or E5 subscription. The feature also requires the Edge admin or Global admin role. Source: Microsoft
    • Is it though?  I built a new rig a few months ago and it was literally impossible to get one without RGB, but within 10 minutes of setting it up, I turned all that crap off.  It was REALLY distracting, and who needs additional heat INSIDE a PC? It's popular on YouTube for sure, it's neat looking and whatnot, but it's about as practical as a coffee cup with a hole in it. As for the price, a non-enthusiast would just see something priced way above what they can get from a retailer brand new...
    • RollBack Rx Pro 12.9 Build 2710971022 by Razvan Serea RollBack Rx is a robust system restore utility that enables home users and IT professionals to easily restore a PC to a time before certain events occurred. In essence, it turns your PC into a Instant Time Machine. Regardless of what happens to your PC your can quickly and easily restore your PC to a previous time. Making it easy to rescue you from any PC disaster - saving time, money and PC trouble. Windows System Restore only restores Windows system files and some program files. In addition, if Windows crashes to a point were Windows itself can not boot up (ie. BSOD*) you would not be able to access your Windows System Restore points. In contrast, the RollBack Rx technology works at the sector level of the hard drive and restores everything! - right down to the last byte of data. It sits below Windows. So even if Windows crashes, there’s a sub-console (mini OS) that boots prior to windows. This allows you to access Rollback Rx and go back to a point in time when your system was working trouble-free. Key Features Go back to any previous point in time within seconds. Go back minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months to any previous snapshot. Does not affect computer performance, uses minimal system resources. Supports unlimited snapshots. Creates a complete system snapshot without having to restart the system. Reverse any system crash within seconds (even if Windows cannot startup). Back out of any failed program, OS updates, and botched updates. Recover from any malware or virus attack within seconds. Works with VMWare and Virtual Machines, both as a host or within the virtual machine as a client. Supports Multi-boot, Multi OS workstations. Lock snapshots to prevent deletion. Intuitive GUI based snapshot manager. Explore, browse, and retrieve files and folders from any snapshot. Drag and drop them into your active system. Roll backwards as well as forwards to any available system snapshot. Allows users to safely test any software. Fast, 100% complete uninstaller. Retrieve files from a crashed PC, even if Windows cannot boot. Access control – manage levels of multiple user and administrative privileges. Automatically schedule snapshots to be taken on a fixed schedule or upon execution of specific files (ie. setup.exe) as well as manually. 256 bit AES snapshot encryption. Prevent unauthorized data theft in case of a stolen laptop. Group Management and Enterprise Network Administration Control (FREE utility). Comes with Stealth Mode where you can hide the RollBack Rx tray icon and splash screen (seen during bootup) Change the startup hotkey for sub-console access (default is HOME). Built-in snapshot defragmenter which will optimize system resources and recover free space. Option to keep files and folders unchanged when you roll-back. Advanced setup configuration wizard for system administrators which will set deployment options and predefined RollBack Rx settings. Offers detailed program operation logging. Supports all industry-standard deployment options including silent installations and pre-installation configuration. Explore RollBack Rx Pro with a 14-day trial, fully functional on Windows 11, 10, 8, and Windows 7 SP1** (32 and 64-bit). RollBack Rx Pro 12.9 Build 2710971022 changelog: General Add PnpLockdown in shieldm.inf Fix registry exclusion problem in Windows 11 24H2 release Add detailed logging for file filter driver Add detailed logging for Windows update Add time stamp to kernel drivers Change kernel driver and Win32 IRP structure Other small bug fixes / typos reported through tech support Endpoint Manager Add client report dashboard Add sound effect when receiving a EPM message. Keep EPM message history Fix bug that oversized Windows symbol files cannot be downloaded Download: RollBack Rx Pro 12.9 | 61.0 MB (Shareware) View: RollBack Rx Home Page Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      somar86 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      somar86 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Apprentice
      Adrian Williams went up a rank
      Apprentice
    • Reacting Well
      BashOrgRu earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • Collaborator
      CHUNWEI earned a badge
      Collaborator
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      505
    2. 2
      ATLien_0
      260
    3. 3
      +Edouard
      188
    4. 4
      +FloatingFatMan
      175
    5. 5
      snowy owl
      132
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!