Zero error codes to go off of for bad_system_config

monteblack7 · March 17, 2019

I'm using an i7-7700k processor, 16gb ddr4-3000 G.Skill trident-z memory, EVGA GTX 1060 6gb all on an MSI Gaming Pro Carbon Mobo. So I upgraded my computer case about a year ago (this is when this all started happening...) and quite often now when I start up my computer i'll give me a BSOD and say bad_system_config but will not give me a single error code. If I keep rebooting and trying, I can eventually get my PC to boot up properly and it's fine until I turn it off again. So I'm not sure if I messed something up when transferring the components to the new case but it doesn't make much sense to me that my computer would sometimes boot and stay on as long as I used it, but not consistently...

Nebari · March 17, 2019

First, what OS? (I'm assuming you're using 10)

If you just moved all the existing components over but didn't change any hardware...

Try a system restore.
Try unplugging and reseating everything (Cables / RAM). Maybe there's a loose connection somewhere.
If you've got a spare HDD/SDD, unplug the drives in the case, plug in the spare to do a fresh Win10 install. After its done, reboot it a few times to see if you get the same error on the spare drive.

If it's not a connection issue, Microsoft's KBs point to a coruption with the system hive. Best case, use the installer to repair the OS. Middle case, reset Win10. Worst case, you'll need to back up everything and reinstall Win10. Worst worst case, your OS drive is dying and corrupting data.

monteblack7 · March 17, 2019

Cool, I'll try out those things. Thanks.

Nebari · March 19, 2019

Any luck?

monteblack7 · April 11, 2019

I've been a bit busy so I just got around to trying out your suggestions. So far I've only tried reseating everything and doing a system restore. No luck.. So now I'll try a fresh windows 10 install on my spare HDD. After messing around with some things I've noticed I only get the BSOD when I touch the graphics card at all. Then after a couple failed attempts I can get the computer to boot properly and it won't have the issue till I mess with the graphics card again. So I tried a different graphics card, got the same BSOD. So at this point I'm really hoping that it's windows and not a hardware issue with the pcle x16 slot because I really don't want to buy a new motherboard. I'll keep you posted with what goes on.

monteblack7 · May 13, 2019

Okay so it's all fixed. I ended up having to do a fresh install of Windows. Weird enough, the problem was caused by my riser cable for my graphics card and it somehow caused a permanent problem with windows wanting to boot. So after getting a new riser cable and doing a fresh install of Windows, I have not had a problem since. Thanks for the help!