Devices freezes with increasing frequency

[Bilet]

I have been experiencing my device suddenly becoming unresponsive until I force shut it down on a (semi-)regular basis, usually within a few days. I started noticing this more frequently from around December 2025.

This is what I've noticed:

• Any audio playing will cut off and the lights on the caps lock and mute keys do not turn on when pressed.
• If I do see the system crash, some glitched artifacts will appear on screen before quickly disappearing.
• I usually do not see a blue screen/stop error; the display hangs on what was on screen. If I do get a stop error, the message relates to memory (e.g., MEMORY_MANAGEMENT).
• I remember some crashes happening when I move the device. I don't know if this is a false positive.
• The charging/low battery light still functions when the device crashes.
• When I first encountered the crashes more frequently, the device had 12GB of RAM (a 4GB stick, plus an 8GB stick I installed when I bought the device ~2022). I removed the 4GB stick in response to a recent crash, and the device has crashed twice less than a day later.

The device is an HP 14s-dq2507sa laptop.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @Bilet 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Thank you for sharing such a detailed description and for already trying to isolate the issue by removing the 4GB RAM stick. I truly understand how frustrating it must be to deal with these sudden freezes, especially when they interrupt your flow. 

Let's walk through a few focused steps to help stabilize your HP 14s-dq2507sa and bring back that smooth, reliable experience.

 

1. Memory (RAM) Stability Check

Since you've observed MEMORY_MANAGEMENT errors and already removed one RAM stick:

Run Windows Memory Diagnostic:

1. Press Windows + R, type mdsched.exe, and press Enter.
2. Choose Restart now and check for problems.
3. The system will reboot and scan your memory. Note any errors reported.

Reseat the Remaining RAM:

• Power off the laptop completely and unplug the charger.
• Remove the back panel carefully.
• Take out the 8GB RAM stick, clean the contacts gently with a microfiber cloth, and reinsert it firmly.
• Ensure it's properly seated to avoid intermittent contact.

 

2. Update BIOS and Drivers

Outdated firmware or drivers can cause system instability:

BIOS Update:

• Open the HP App from the Start menu.
• Go to Settings > Updates and check for BIOS updates.
• Follow on-screen instructions to install any available updates.

Update Graphics and Chipset Drivers:

• In the HP App, navigate to Device Support > Drivers & Software.
• Install the latest Intel Graphics and Chipset drivers.

 

3. Check for Overheating or Loose Components

Since you mentioned crashes when moving the device:

Inspect for Loose Connections:

• While the back panel is open, gently check if the SSD and battery connectors are secure.
• Look for any signs of physical damage or corrosion.

Monitor Temperatures:

• Use Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) or a trusted third-party tool to monitor CPU temperatures.
• Ensure vents are clean and unobstructed. Use compressed air to clear dust if needed.

 

4. System File Integrity and Disk Health

Corrupted system files or disk errors can also cause freezes:

Run System File Checker:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Type: sfc /scannow and press Enter.
3. Wait for the scan to complete and follow any repair prompts.

Check Disk Health:

1. In Command Prompt, type: chkdsk /f /r and press Enter.
2. Approve the scan on next restart if prompted.

 

5. Power and Sleep Settings

To avoid power-related hangs:

• Go to Settings > System > Power & Battery > Additional Power Settings.
• Select Balanced or HP Optimized.
• Click Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings.
• Expand Processor power management and set Minimum processor state to 5%, Maximum to 100%.

 

6. Optional: Clean Boot Test

To rule out software conflicts:

• Press Windows + R, type msconfig, and press Enter.
• Under Services, check Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable all.
• Go to Startup > Open Task Manager, disable all startup items.
• Restart and observe system behavior.

If the issue persists after these steps, we can explore further diagnostics. You're doing a great job narrowing this down—thank you again for your patience and for taking initiative with the RAM test. 

Let’s keep at it until your system is back to its best. Would you like to continue with a hardware diagnostic next?

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye

[Bilet]

Hello, I'm giving you an update on the troubleshooting. So far, I have done the following.

• Run mdsched.exe: no errors were reported with the 8GB RAM stick (I believe the same happened with the 4GB and 8 GB sticks installed)
• Clean and reseat the RAM modules (as well as the SSD I have installed)
• Update the BIOS
• Install HWMonitor to check the device's temperatures

I did experience a crash on the day I am posting this. I did not see a stop error, but I did get a dump file. I've viewed and analysed the file in WinDbg, which gave the following.

WIN32K_CRITICAL_FAILURE (164)

Win32k has encountered a critical failure.

Arguments:

Arg1: 000000000000003b, W32_THREADLOCK_MISMATCH

A win32 thread lock was released out of order.

Arg2: ffffd801f3093010, pti

Arg3: ffffc28431c371d8, thread lock item

Arg4: 0000000000000000, 0

Debugging Details:

------------------

KEY_VALUES_STRING: 1

    Key  : Analysis.CPU.mSec

    Value: 4578

    Key  : Analysis.Elapsed.mSec

    Value: 17791

    Key  : Analysis.IO.Other.Mb

    Value: 0

    Key  : Analysis.IO.Read.Mb

    Value: 1

    Key  : Analysis.IO.Write.Mb

    Value: 38

    Key  : Analysis.Init.CPU.mSec

    Value: 2296

    Key  : Analysis.Init.Elapsed.mSec

    Value: 153060

    Key  : Analysis.Memory.CommitPeak.Mb

    Value: 98

    Key  : Analysis.Version.DbgEng

    Value: 10.0.29507.1001

    Key  : Analysis.Version.Description

    Value: 10.2511.5.1 amd64fre

    Key  : Analysis.Version.Ext

    Value: 1.2511.5.1

    Key  : Bugcheck.Code.LegacyAPI

    Value: 0x164

    Key  : Bugcheck.Code.TargetModel

    Value: 0x164

    Key  : Dump.Attributes.AsUlong

    Value: 0x21008

    Key  : Dump.Attributes.DiagDataWrittenToHeader

    Value: 1

    Key  : Dump.Attributes.ErrorCode

    Value: 0x0

    Key  : Dump.Attributes.KernelGeneratedTriageDump

    Value: 1

    Key  : Dump.Attributes.LastLine

    Value: Dump completed successfully.

    Key  : Dump.Attributes.ProgressPercentage

    Value: 0

    Key  : Failure.Bucket

    Value: 0x164_3b_win32kfull!Win32HM_UnlockFromThread_1_

    Key  : Failure.Hash

    Value: {8d4de90c-3f2f-f7fa-2537-2e86abc39a30}

    Key  : WER.System.BIOSRevision

    Value: 15.40.0.0

BUGCHECK_CODE:  164

BUGCHECK_P1: 3b

BUGCHECK_P2: ffffd801f3093010

BUGCHECK_P3: ffffc28431c371d8

BUGCHECK_P4: 0

FILE_IN_CAB:  020726-11140-01.dmp

DUMP_FILE_ATTRIBUTES: 0x21008

  Kernel Generated Triage Dump

FAULTING_THREAD:  ffffc785940b0080

BLACKBOXBSD: 1 (!blackboxbsd)

BLACKBOXNTFS: 1 (!blackboxntfs)

BLACKBOXPNP: 1 (!blackboxpnp)

BLACKBOXWINLOGON: 1 (!blackboxwinlogon)

CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT:  1

PROCESS_NAME:  csrss.exe

STACK_TEXT:  

ffffc284`31c37168 fffff800`46203035     : 00000000`00000164 00000000`0000003b ffffd801`f3093010 ffffc284`31c371d8 : nt!KeBugCheckEx

ffffc284`31c37170 fffff800`46401463     : ffffd802`0a5874a0 ffffc785`961fd150 ffffc785`961fd150 00000000`00000001 : win32kfull!Win32HM_UnlockFromThread<1>+0x35

ffffc284`31c371b0 fffff800`463f3828     : 00000000`00000057 ffffd801`f2f48b28 00000000`00000040 ffffd801`0000006e : win32kfull!xxxTimersProc+0x2d3

ffffc284`31c37240 fffff800`3ee982ab     : 00000000`00000002 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 ffffc284`31bfdde8 : win32kfull!RawInputThread+0xc78

ffffc284`31c37350 fffff800`3ef36fab     : ffffc785`94054000 ffffc785`94054000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000020 : win32kbase!xxxCreateSystemThreads+0x14b

ffffc284`31c37380 fffff800`2679f42a     : 00000000`0000000e 00000000`00000000 ffffc785`940b0080 00000000`00000000 : win32kbase!NtUserCreateSystemThreads+0x5b

ffffc284`31c373b0 fffff800`950b5755     : 00000000`000003d2 00000000`00000000 0000025b`a16b0280 7fffffff`fffffffc : win32k!NtUserCreateSystemThreads+0x2e

ffffc284`31c373e0 00007ff9`47f78ce4     : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : nt!KiSystemServiceCopyEnd+0x25

000000b4`bec3f7d8 00000000`00000000     : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : 0x00007ff9`47f78ce4

SYMBOL_NAME:  win32kfull!Win32HM_UnlockFromThread<1>+35

MODULE_NAME: win32kfull

IMAGE_NAME:  win32kfull.sys

IMAGE_VERSION:  10.0.26100.7623

STACK_COMMAND: .process /r /p 0xffffc78596fe5140; .thread 0xffffc785940b0080 ; kb

BUCKET_ID_FUNC_OFFSET:  35

FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  0x164_3b_win32kfull!Win32HM_UnlockFromThread_1_

OSPLATFORM_TYPE:  x64

OSNAME:  Windows 10

FAILURE_ID_HASH:  {8d4de90c-3f2f-f7fa-2537-2e86abc39a30}

Followup:     MachineOwner

I will add that:

• I've reinstalled the 4GB module, because I've used the 4GB and 8GB modules for a long time and any crashes I've had were either not as frequent or caused by something else.
• I often use Hibernate to turn off my device and resume the applications I've had running. I don't know if using this for prolonged periods increases the risk of crashes.

I would appreciate any further advice or suggestions.

[Deep_World]

Hi @Bilet,
 
Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

Sorry for the inconvenience caused don’t worry let me help you.

To better understand the issue, could you please provide a few more details?

From the information in your crash analysis, the error points to a Win32k subsystem failure involving thread locks. These kinds of issues can sometimes be triggered by driver conflicts, graphics subsystem problems, or even prolonged use of hibernation (as you mentioned). Hibernate can occasionally cause instability if drivers or system threads don’t resume cleanly.

To help narrow this down further, could you share:

• How often the freezes occur (daily, weekly, or only after long hibernation sessions)?
• Whether they happen during specific tasks (gaming, browsing, video playback, etc.) or randomly?
• If you’ve noticed any correlation with external devices (USB peripherals, monitors, etc.)?

Here are a few additional troubleshooting steps you might try:

• Update or reinstall graphics drivers: Since the crash involves win32kfull.sys, the graphics stack could be involved. Try reinstalling the latest driver from your HP Support wbsite .
• Run System File Checker and DISM: Open Command Prompt (Admin) and run
  sfc /scannow
  followed by
  DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
  to repair any corrupted system files.
• Check Event Viewer logs: Look for recurring warnings or errors around the time of the freeze/crash. This can give clues about failing drivers or services.
• Test without Hibernate: Try shutting down or restarting instead of hibernating for a few days to see if stability improves.
• Perform a clean boot: Disable non-Microsoft startup items and services to rule out third-party software conflicts.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 

Best regards,

Deep_World

[Bilet]

Sorry for the late reply. To answer your questions:

• The freezes happen at random with no exact frequency, but at their peak, they tend to happen 1-2 days apart booting up. Sometimes there may be long gaps between freezes (say, weeks), and one time the computer froze within 30 minutes of booting up.
• The freezes are at random (e.g., watching video, left idle). My device tends to have a lot of applications at once so I don't know whether this is contributing.
• I have not noticed any correlation with external devices.

I will apply the suggestions you provided later when I have time. I have been restarting and shutting down my device lately due to showdowns (I don't know if it's related to the freezes).

[Deep_World]

Hi @Bilet,

Since freezes can occur under different circumstances, here are a few additional troubleshooting steps you might find helpful:

• Update Drivers & BIOS: Ensure your graphics, chipset, and storage drivers are up to date. Also check if there’s a BIOS update available for your device.
• Run HP Hardware Diagnostics: Use the built-in HP PC Hardware Diagnostics tool to check memory and hard drive health.
• Disable Fast Startup: In Windows power settings, disabling Fast Startup can sometimes reduce random boot-related freezes.
• Check Event Viewer Logs: Look for critical errors around the time of the freeze. This can help pinpoint whether it’s hardware or software related.
• Reduce Startup Programs: Since you mentioned having many applications open, limiting startup apps may help reduce resource strain.
  
  Take care, and have an incredible day ahead! 

Best regards,

Deep_World