Can anyone help with this stuck in boot loop issue. It's been going on for months, and it's just tiresome now.
Short version: what you’re describing screams
underlying hardware / low-level driver issue (often power/CPU/GPU related) rather than a simple Windows corruption, especially since:
- You’ve reinstalled Windows clean.
- You’ve run SFC, DISM, RAM and drive checks.
- The machine only stays stable if there’s a small game running in the background (that’s a huge clue – it changes how the CPU/GPU/power states behave).
Below is how I’d approach this step-by-step. You don’t have to do everything at once, but I’d start from the top.
1. Rule out Norton completely
Security suites can hook very deep into the system and cause weird boot/crash behaviour.
- Boot into Safe Mode with Networking
- Hold Shift while clicking Restart → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart → press 4 or 5.
- In Safe Mode, uninstall Norton 365 from Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
- Then run the Norton Removal Tool (NRnR) to clean leftovers if you have it or can download it.
- Reboot normally and let Windows use Windows Defender only for a while.
If your boot loop/crashes improve or vanish after removing Norton, you’ve found your culprit (or at least one of them).
2. Test with ALL third-party drivers and startup apps stripped
Goal: get as close as possible to a “pure” Windows + OEM drivers state.
- Disable all non-Microsoft services
- Press Win + R → msconfig → Services tab
- Tick “Hide all Microsoft services”
- Click “Disable all” → Apply.
- Disable all startup apps
- Task Manager → Startup tab → disable everything.
- Reboot and see if:
- It still loops at repair.
- It still crashes once booted without your “small game” workaround.
If the system suddenly becomes stable, re-enable items in small batches (3–5 at a time) until the problem returns – that will point to the specific driver/app.
3. Try a different power/CPU state profile (this fits your “game fixes it” symptom)
A game forces the system into
high-performance power states, which can completely change how the CPU, GPU and chipset behave. If there’s an issue with low-power states, the system may be fine under load but crash when “idle”.
Try this:
- Force High Performance power plan
- Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Power Options.
- Select High performance (or Ultimate Performance if available).
- In Advanced power settings:
- Processor power management → set Minimum processor state to 50–100% (temporarily).
- Disable any CPU power-saving / PCI Express Link State Power Management.
- In BIOS/UEFI (if available):
- Temporarily disable advanced power-saving features like C-States, SpeedStep / Cool’n’Quiet, etc.
- Save & reboot.
Now boot Windows without the game running and see if it still crashes.
If this fixes it, you’re likely dealing with
faulty power management / firmware / chipset or GPU drivers.
4. GPU / chipset focused troubleshooting
Because a small game stabilises the system, I’d look hard at the GPU and chipset path:
- Clean GPU driver reinstall
- Boot into Safe Mode.
- Use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to remove all GPU drivers.
- Reboot.
- Install the latest driver from the GPU vendor’s site (NVIDIA / AMD / Intel), not via Windows Update.
- Update chipset / storage drivers
- Get the chipset drivers from your laptop manufacturer’s support page (Intel/AMD chipset, Intel RST if applicable).
- Update BIOS/UEFI firmware
- Check the laptop manufacturer’s site for a BIOS update, especially if they mention Windows 11 stability, power management, microcode, etc.
- Carefully follow their instructions when flashing.
After doing the above, test again
without the background game.
5. Check crash details (Blue Screen / Event Viewer / Minidumps)
Even if you’re not comfortable debugging, some patterns are easy to spot.
- Press Win + R → eventvwr.msc.
- Check:
- Windows Logs → System
- Windows Logs → Application
- Look for critical errors around the time of crashes (Kernel-Power, BugCheck, disk, driver names, etc.).
- If you have minidump files:
- They’re in C:\Windows\Minidump.
- On a working session, upload one to a crash-analysis site (or a forum member could debug it).
- Note the bugcheck codes (e.g. 0x9F, 0x124, 0xD1) and any driver names mentioned.
If you can share the
BSOD error name/code and any driver it mentions, we can narrow it down a lot.
6. Double-check “clean reinstall” really excluded hardware/firmware issues
You’ve already reinstalled Windows and wiped everything, which is great, but a few gotchas:
- After reinstall, did you:
- Let Windows fully update all pending updates (including .NET, cumulative, feature updates)?
- Install only:
- Windows updates
- OEM drivers (chipset, GPU, etc.)
- Then test before adding Norton / other software?
If a fresh install + fully updated drivers + no third-party apps still crashes, that’s a
strong hint for hardware or firmware.
7. Hardware suspicion: beyond RAM/drive
You’ve checked RAM and drive health, but intermittent issues can still be:
- Motherboard or VRM issues
- CPU faults (rare, but it happens)
- Power delivery issues / battery / charger on laptops
- Overheating, even at boot, due to:
- Bad thermal paste
- Failing fan
- Dust build-up
What you can do:
- Install HWInfo / HWMonitorand watch:
- CPU temp, GPU temp.
- Voltages and throttling flags.
- Test with:
- Laptop plugged in vs on battery.
- Different wall socket/charger if possible.
If it only misbehaves under certain power conditions (on battery vs plugged, or vice versa), that’s another power/board angle.
8. Quick experimental test: “fake the game” with a CPU stress
Just as a diagnostic idea:
- Install Prime95 or even run something like a CPU/GPU benchmark.
- See if keeping the CPU moderately loaded (like your background game does) prevents the crash.
If
any kind of load (not just a game) keeps it stable, that almost confirms a problem with
idle/low-power states or driver/firmware behaviour at idle.
9. What I’d do next in your shoes (concrete order)
- Completely remove Norton (including cleanup tool) and test.
- Perform a clean boot (disable third-party services + startup) and test.
- Force High Performance power plan and tweak minimum CPU state; disable Link State Power Management.
- Clean reinstall GPU driver with DDU + install latest chipset drivers.
- Check & update BIOS/UEFI.
- If still failing:
- Collect BSOD codes / dump info.
- Consider warranty / hardware diagnostics from the laptop manufacturer, since at that point software is unlikely to be the root cause.
If you tell me:
- The laptop model (exact model name/number).
- The BSOD error code(s) you’ve seen (e.g. IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR, etc.).
- Whether removing Norton / using High Performance changed anything.