nvlddmkm.sys

[Allgoodi]

Hello,

I have an HP Omen 15-ek1000 laptop with an RTX 3070 Laptop GPU. I am experiencing stability issues during gaming.

Symptoms:

Games randomly crash during GPU load.

The issue happens more often with Ray Tracing enabled, but sometimes crashes also happen without it.

Windows logs show errors related to nvlddmkm.sys (NVIDIA driver).

During OCCT testing, I noticed unstable behavior: sometimes VRAM usage/load suddenly drops to 0.

When starting some GPU tests, the screen briefly turns off.

Recently, while playing Overwatch, the laptop suddenly powered off as if the power was disconnected. After turning it back on, the issue looked like a power interruption.

I have already tried:

Clean Windows reinstall.

Full NVIDIA driver removal using DDU.

Testing different NVIDIA drivers:

537.58

566.36

Testing with different graphics settings.

Checking temperatures — no critical overheating detected.

Checking SSD health — everything looks normal.

I also noticed that the original HP power adapter gets very hot during gaming.

Could this issue be related to:

The power adapter or unstable power delivery?

The laptop power system?

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @Allgoodi,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

Thank you for providing such a detailed description of the issue and the troubleshooting you've already completed. It is very helpful.
 

Based on the symptoms you've described, especially:

• Random game crashes under GPU load
• More frequent crashes with Ray Tracing enabled
• nvlddmkm.sys events in Windows logs
• Occasional display blackouts during GPU testing
• Sudden power-off while gaming
• VRAM behavior appearing unstable during stress testing
• The power adapter is becoming very hot during heavy load

It is possible that the issue could be related to power delivery, but we'd like to gather a bit more information before concluding.
 

Could you please confirm:

1. What BIOS version is currently installed on the notebook?
   • You can check this by pressing Windows + R, typing msinfo32, and looking for BIOS Version/Date.
2. Does the unexpected shutdown occur only while connected to AC power, or have you observed it while running on battery as well?
3. Are you using the original HP power adapter that shipped with the notebook?
4. Have you noticed whether the charging LED remains on when the adapter becomes hot during gaming?

As a next step, we recommend checking whether the system is running the latest BIOS available for this platform. The latest BIOS currently available for the OMEN 15-ek1000 series appears to be from 2022, and there have not been any newer BIOS releases since then.
 

Please review and install the latest BIOS from the HP support page if your system is running an older revision: HP Renew OMENLPT 15-ek1439no PC (38A77EAR) Software and Driver Downloads | HP® Support
 

After updating the BIOS, test the system again and let us know if the behavior changes.

Additionally, if you have not already done so, we recommend running the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI:

• System Extensive Test
• Power Adapter Test
• Battery Test

If any component fails, please provide the Failure ID.
 

The sudden power loss you described during Overwatch is particularly important because that behavior can sometimes indicate a power delivery issue rather than a driver issue alone. The results of the BIOS version check and hardware diagnostics will help determine whether we're dealing with a software, power adapter, motherboard, or GPU-related concern.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!