HP victus 15 BSOD Errors

[Rishii252]

I’ve been facing frequent BSODs and system freezes on my HP laptop ( Prod id: 8L084PA#ACJ  , I also had a 8gb extra matching ram  A-Data installed from the seller) for the past year. The errors vary—sometimes it says “Worker Thread Returned at Bad IRQL,” other times it shows “Kernel Security Check Failure” or "ntfs.sys" or just freezes and restarts without a clear message. The most recent crash mentioned Memory

Interestingly, the BSODs usually occur while doing basic tasks like:

• Browsing the internet

• Watching videos

• Idle use

But the laptop never crashes during gaming or high-performance tasks.

During the warranty period, HP support sent technicians multiple times, but the only solution provided was reinstalling Windows, which never fixed the root cause. Due to academic pressure, I couldn't keep following up after each reinstall, and the problem worsened.

Could someone from HP please assist with an official diagnosis and help me diagnose this issue.

[Max3Aj]

@Rishii252, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you. 
You're dealing with a classic case of intermittent BSODs tied to low-level system operations, and the patterns you're describing strongly suggest a hardware-related issue, likely involving RAM compatibility, disk integrity, or driver corruption, not software alone.

Based on your symptoms:

Crashes during light use but stability during gaming suggests:

• Gaming loads the dedicated GPU and uses full RAM, which may bypass faulty memory sectors or unstable drivers.
• Light tasks rely more on background processes and power-saving features, where subtle hardware faults often surface.

The varied BSOD messages:

• WORKER_THREAD_RETURNED_AT_BAD_IRQL → Driver or RAM issue.
• KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE → Often RAM, driver conflicts, or disk errors.
• ntfs.sys → Storage (SSD/HDD) or corrupted file system.
• Freeze without BSOD → Common with bad RAM or disk controller failure.

Steps to Diagnose and Fix:

Remove the Aftermarket A-Data RAM

• Mismatched or faulty RAM sticks are the #1 cause of erratic BSODs.
• Even if “matching,” third-party RAM may not play nicely with HP's firmware.
• Action: Remove the A-Data stick and test stability for at least 48 hours.

Run Full Memory Diagnostic

Use MemTest86 (not Windows Memory Diagnostic – it’s not thorough).

• Download it from https://www.memtest86.com/
• Create a bootable USB and let it run 4+ passes (can take hours).
• Look for red errors = bad RAM.

Check Storage Health

Download and run CrystalDiskInfo or HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) to check SSD status (look for “Caution” or “Bad” SMART data).

Also run:
chkdsk /f /r
 

from an elevated Command Prompt.

BIOS & Driver Updates

Go to HP Support and enter your product ID (8L084PA).

Ensure:

• BIOS is up to date.
• AMD/NVIDIA chipset and graphics drivers are the latest.
• Storage and Intel Management Engine Interface (IMEI) drivers are updated.

Disable Fast Startup and C-States (for testing)

• In Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do > Disable fast startup.
• Optionally, in BIOS, disable C-States if available (affects power saving, but useful for testing stability).

Test with Clean Boot

Perform a clean boot to rule out software conflicts:

• msconfig > Services > Hide Microsoft > Disable all
• Disable all startup items in Task Manager.

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Select "Yes" on the bottom left to say “Thanks” for helping! 

Max3Aj

HP Support