Laptop Locks While Gaming

Cameronx26 · ‎08-26-2024

When i play games after a few minutes my laptop will lock the screen and ill have to retype the password in to get back into the game and continue. it does it frequently. Monitoring the temperatures and the CPU along with its fans, it would get to around 190. i noticed the fans werent kicking on even with manual mode and max mode. so i reinstalled omen gaming hub. This got the fans to turn on and worked for me for about a day. The next day i got back on and the fans were kicking on still but the fan speed rpm wasn't showing. I started getting the issue again where it would lock the screen again the same day. This time i decided to update drivers (problem persisted) i then reset the whole system with fresh download of windows and wiping everything. After wiping everything now while playing the screen will turn black and they keyboard and touchpad do not work, almost like the whole pc is not doing absolutely anything (but it is). The laptop with a screen plugged in, a external keyboard, and mouse, it does actually work, i can see and play with external keyboard mouse and monitor. the only issue is the laptop keyboard, screen, and touchpad are not working at all the only way for me to fix this issue is using the external mouse and turning it off in the windows menu on the bottom of the desktop. i tried rolling back the gpu driver two drivers ago but still giving me issues. Ran a system check an extensive one and everything checks out. checked the fan test, that was good to. not sure whats going on but when i play my screen goes black or logs me out

ps, i checked all sleep modes to make sure everything was set to never.
At this point temps and fans run fine but it still locks the screen randomly.

Nal_NR · ‎08-29-2024

Hi @Cameronx26,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

I'd be glad to help you!

Splendid analysis and remarkable patience were shown. It is immensely appreciated.

If your OMEN by HP 16.1-inch Gaming Laptop PC 16-xf0000 is locking or freezing while gaming, and you've already tried various troubleshooting steps like diagnostics, sleep mode adjustments, and GPU driver updates, the issue may be deeper. Here are some advanced steps to help resolve the problem:

1. Check for Overheating Issues:

Use a monitoring tool like HWMonitor or MSI Afterburner to check your CPU and GPU temperatures while gaming.
If temperatures exceed 85-90°C, your laptop may be thermal throttling, causing it to lock up. Follow the steps in the previous response to improve cooling (e.g., undervolting, power settings adjustments, external cooling pad).

2. Run a System File Check and Disk Check:

3. Check for Windows Updates and Patch Compatibility:

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and make sure your system is up to date.
Some Windows updates or patches may cause conflicts with certain games or drivers. Check if there are any known issues or patches for the games you're playing.

4. Disable Game Mode and Background Apps:

Go to Settings > Gaming > Game Mode and turn Game Mode off.
Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and disable any unnecessary background processes or apps that may interfere with gaming performance.

5. Adjust Power and Performance Settings:

Go to Control Panel > Power Options and select the High Performance plan.
Under Advanced power settings, ensure the settings for Processor power management are set to 100% for both minimum and maximum states.

6. Check Event Viewer Logs:

Open Event Viewer (type Event Viewer in the search bar).
Look under Windows Logs > System and Application to see if there are any critical errors or warnings that correspond with the times your laptop locks up.
Look for any clues, like errors related to graphics drivers, hardware issues, or power events.

Please find the remaining steps in the next post.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

Nal_NR-Moderator
I am an HP Employee

Nal_NR · ‎08-29-2024

Hi @Cameronx26 ,

Please find the remaining steps below.

7. Test with Different Games or Benchmarks:

Run different games or a benchmark tool like 3DMark or Heaven Benchmark to see if the issue is specific to certain games or universal across different software.
If the laptop locks up during all intensive tasks, this indicates a deeper system problem.

8. Check for Hardware Issues:

RAM: Run Windows Memory Diagnostic or MemTest86 to check for faulty RAM.
SSD/HDD: Check the health of your storage device using tools like CrystalDiskInfo to rule out any storage-related issues.
Battery/Power Supply: Ensure your laptop is plugged in properly with the original charger and that the power supply is stable.

9. Reset BIOS to Default Settings:

Enter the BIOS/UEFI setup by pressing F10 (or the relevant key) during boot.
Reset the BIOS to its default settings and save changes. This can resolve any misconfigured settings that may cause instability.

10. Clean Install GPU Drivers:

Use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to completely remove your current GPU drivers.
Go to the official NVIDIA/AMD website and download the latest driver for your GPU.
Install the driver using a clean installation option.

11. Update or Roll Back BIOS:

Check the HP Support website for the latest BIOS update for your specific model.
If your BIOS is already up to date, consider rolling back to a previous version, as newer BIOS updates sometimes cause compatibility issues.

12. Check for Malware:

Run a comprehensive scan with Windows Security or trusted antivirus software to ensure no malware is causing the issue.

13. Perform a Clean Boot:

Type msconfig in the search bar and press Enter.
Go to the Services tab, check Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable all.
Go to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.
Disable all startup items.
Restart your computer and check if the problem persists.

These steps should help identify the root cause of the issue or provide a temporary fix.

If all else fails, there could be a hardware issue such as a failing GPU, a power delivery problem, or a motherboard fault. It might be best to contact HP phone support for a thorough hardware diagnostic and potential repair.