Problem: An iBUYPOWER gaming computer repeatedly crashed with Windows blue-screen errors and could not complete a Windows installation. Fix: After testing the RAM, SSD, cooling system, and BIOS configuration, I disabled Intel Turbo Boost Technology and reduced the Windows maximum processor state to 95%.

Gaming Computer Repeatedly Blue Screens

A customer recently brought me an iBUYPOWER gaming desktop that repeatedly crashed with Windows blue-screen errors. The customer was fairly sophisticated with computer troubleshooting (in fact, one of the most sophisticaed I’ve seen recently) and he had already attempted to reinstall Windows and had updated the motherboard BIOS, but the computer continued crashing. He did other troubleshooting but was at a standstill.

The computer was equipped with an Intel Core i7-13700F processor, ASRock B760M-C motherboard, 32GB of ADATA XPG DDR5 memory, an ASUS GeForce RTX graphics card, liquid CPU cooling, and a Neo Forza NVMe solid-state drive.

When I attempted to boot from my Windows installation USB drive, the computer crashed and gave a BSOD error before Windows Setup could even load.

Several different errors appeared during testing, including 0xC0000145, SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION, and CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED.

Because I regularly use this Windows installation media on other computers without problems, I suspected a hardware stability issue rather than a problem with the Windows installer.

Checking the BIOS and Cooling System

I started by examining the motherboard BIOS and checking the processor temperature, cooling system, and memory configuration.

The ASRock motherboard was running BIOS version 12.01, and the Intel Core i7-13700F processor was correctly identified.

The CPU temperature was approximately 31 degrees Celsius, which was excellent. The cooling system appeared to be operating normally, with no obvious indication of overheating.

With CPU temperatures looking good, I continued investigating other possible hardware failures.

Testing the DDR5 Memory

The computer had two 16GB ADATA XPG DDR5 memory modules. I removed one stick and attempted to boot from the Windows installation USB using only the remaining module.

The computer blue-screened again.

I then swapped the memory modules and repeated the test with the other stick installed.

Unfortunately, the computer continued crashing.

Because both memory modules produced similar problems when tested independently, a defective individual RAM module became less likely. However, these tests did not completely eliminate memory-related instability.

Testing the NVMe Solid-State Drive

My next suspicion was the original Neo Forza NVMe SSD. I replaced it with a Crucial SSD to determine whether the storage device was responsible for the failures.

The computer continued producing blue-screen errors.

Another important clue was that Windows was crashing while booting directly from known-working installation media, before the operating system could even begin installing.

I tested ram, NVME SSD, PSU, graphics card, checked for slot failure, USB port failure, etc. At this point, the Intel processor and motherboard became my primary suspects.

Intel 13th-Generation Processor Instability

The Intel Core i7-13700F belongs to Intel’s 13th-generation desktop processor family.

Intel has acknowledged instability problems affecting certain 13th- and 14th-generation desktop processors. These problems can produce symptoms including application crashes, operating system failures, system freezes, and repeated Windows blue screens.

Intel identified an issue involving elevated operating voltages that can contribute to processor instability and degradation. This issue is commonly referred to as Vmin Shift Instability.

Although not every 13th-generation Intel processor is affected, the symptoms on this computer made processor instability a serious possibility.

Rather than immediately replacing the processor, I decided to investigate whether reducing its operating frequency would improve stability.

Other Intel 13th-Generation Processors That May Experience Instability

Although this particular repair involved an Intel Core i7-13700F, Intel has acknowledged instability issues involving other 13th-generation desktop processors as well.

The following Intel 13th-generation desktop processors are included in Intel’s extended-warranty program related to processor instability. I think it is five years now. They recommend to call the manufacture first if your problem processor is in a computer you purchased at a retail store and then call them secondarely.

Intel Core i9 Processors:

• Intel Core i9-13900KS
• Intel Core i9-13900K
• Intel Core i9-13900KF
• Intel Core i9-13900
• Intel Core i9-13900F

Intel Core i7 Processors:

• Intel Core i7-13700K
• Intel Core i7-13700KF
• Intel Core i7-13700
• Intel Core i7-13700F
• Intel Core i7-13790F

Intel Core i5 Processors:

• Intel Core i5-13600K
• Intel Core i5-13600KF

Being included on this list does not mean every processor will develop problems. However, owners experiencing repeated blue screens, application crashes, unexplained freezes, or Windows installation failures should investigate the possibility of processor-related instability.

Intel has also extended warranty coverage for eligible affected processors. Warranty eligibility depends on the processor, purchase date, and whether the computer was purchased as a prebuilt system.

For more information, see Intel’s official processor warranty information.

Possible Fix for Unstable Intel 13th-Generation Processors

I entered the ASRock motherboard’s UEFI BIOS and navigated to the processor configuration settings.

The setting was located under:

OC Tweaker > CPU Configuration > Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel Turbo Boost Technology was enabled.

This feature allows Intel processors to increase their operating frequency above the base clock speed when additional performance is needed.

As a diagnostic experiment, I disabled Intel Turbo Boost Technology, saved the BIOS configuration, and restarted the computer.

The results were immediate.

Instead of producing another blue-screen error, the computer successfully loaded the Windows installation screen.

As far as I know this is the first published fix.

This was the first time Windows Setup had loaded successfully during my troubleshooting session.

The difference was significant. Before disabling Turbo Boost, the computer repeatedly crashed during startup. After disabling it, Windows Setup finally loaded.

This strongly suggested instability associated with the processor’s higher operating frequencies, although it did not conclusively establish permanent CPU damage or eliminate the motherboard as a possible contributing factor.

Windows 11 Successfully Installed

With Intel Turbo Boost disabled, I proceeded with a clean installation of Windows 11.

The installation completed successfully.

Once Windows loaded, I connected the computer to the internet and began downloading Windows updates.

The computer continued running normally without the previous blue-screen failures.

As an additional precaution, I opened Windows Power Options and changed the Maximum Processor State to 95% under the Balanced power plan.

This provided an additional processor performance limitation, although the main improvement had already occurred after disabling Turbo Boost in the BIOS.

After these adjustments, the computer continued operating without additional blue-screen crashes during the remaining time available for testing.

Is Disabling Intel Turbo Boost a Permanent Fix?

Disabling Intel Turbo Boost may provide a useful stability workaround for certain computers experiencing processor-related crashes.

However, this does not mean every unstable Intel processor can be repaired through BIOS adjustments.

Intel has acknowledged that certain affected 13th- and 14th-generation desktop processors can experience degradation associated with voltage-related instability. If a processor has already suffered permanent degradation, changing BIOS settings cannot reverse the physical damage.

Disabling Turbo Boost also reduces available processor performance, particularly during CPU-intensive tasks and gaming.

Intel recommends using updated motherboard BIOS firmware containing microcode 0x12F or later and following Intel Default Settings. These updates are intended to address the underlying instability mechanisms and should not be replaced by simply disabling Turbo Boost.

For additional technical information, see Intel’s official 13th- and 14th-generation processor instability advisory.

If instability continues or returns, additional CPU and motherboard testing may be required, and processor replacement may ultimately be necessary.

For this particular computer, disabling Turbo Boost allowed Windows 11 to install and operate normally during the observed testing period.

The Final Result

When this iBUYPOWER gaming computer arrived, it could not reliably boot Windows or even load the Windows installation environment.

After testing the RAM modules independently, investigating the SSD, checking the cooling system, and examining the BIOS configuration, I identified a strong connection between Intel Turbo Boost operation and the repeated blue-screen failures.

Disabling Turbo Boost allowed Windows 11 to install successfully, while reducing the Windows maximum processor state to 95% provided an additional performance limitation.

The computer was running normally without further observed blue-screen crashes at the conclusion of the repair session.

Extended stress testing was not performed, so long-term stability could not be guaranteed. If the crashes return, further processor testing and possible CPU replacement would be recommended.

This repair demonstrates how systematic troubleshooting and carefully changing one BIOS setting can sometimes make the difference between an unusable computer and one that can successfully run Windows again.

Experiencing Intel CPU Blue Screens or Gaming PC Crashes?

If your computer repeatedly blue-screens, freezes, or crashes during Windows installation, the problem may not be Windows itself.

Unstable processors, memory failures, motherboard problems, and other hardware issues can produce similar symptoms.

At On-Site Louisville Computer Repair Company, we diagnose and repair gaming computers, custom-built desktops, laptops, and business computer systems throughout Louisville, Kentucky, and Southern Indiana.

Chris Calkins owns On-Site Louisville Computer Repair Co. in Louisville, Kentucky, and writes about the computer, networking, and cybersecurity problems he encounters on real service calls.

Problem: IBUYPOWER prebuilt Gaming PC would not power on. Fix: Reset CMOS and update the BIOS.

 
PC Won’t Turn On
 
I recently worked on an IBUYPOWER Windows 11 gaming computer that initially appeared with no activity: no lights, fans, or anything. Pressing the case’s power button wouldn’t start the computer. This was a fairly powerful prebuilt IBUYPOWER PC that had an ASUS PRIME B650M-A AX II motherboard with an AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12-core processor, 32GB of DDR5 memory and a 2TB Solidigm NVMe SSD. Once the computer Clear CMOS/RTC pins where jumpered per ASUS instructions on the ASUS website it came on. I was suspicious it needed a BIOS update (or a PSU).
 
Finding a Very Old BIOS
 
The computer was running, I entered the ASUS BIOS and found that the PRIME B650M-A AX II was running BIOS version 2413, dated February 2, 2024.The system correctly detected the Ryzen 9 7900X, 32GB of DDR5 memory and its 2TB Solidigm NVMe SSD.I checked the available BIOS versions for this exact motherboard and found BIOS version 3881, dated June 17, 2026.
 
That represented more than two years of BIOS revisions. On a modern AMD AM5 platform, BIOS updates can include changes involving compatibility, memory support, stability, security and AMD AGESA firmware.
 
With the computer now operational enough to work on, bringing the motherboard firmware up to date made sense.
 
Getting the Correct BIOS
 
Motherboard model numbers are especially important when updating firmware.
 
This motherboard was specifically an ASUS PRIME B650M-A AX II. ASUS makes several B650 motherboards with similar names, so I verified the exact model before downloading anything.
 
Get the newest version of BIOS you can get that is non-BETA. See the photo inserted for a visual of this. I downloaded BIOS 3881. There was also a BETA version that was newer but I don’t want to do a BETA version of BIOS so I used the last Non-BETA version and extracted the ZIP file to a USB flash drive formatted in Fat32. Inside was the BIOS .CAP file, ASUS BIOSRenamer utility and a configuration file.
 
The BIOS file was:
 
PRIME-B650M-A-AX-II-ASUS-3881.CAP
 
You can ignore any other extraced files from the BIOS update you download from ASUS. The “cap” file is the only one you need. I copied it to the USB flash drive.
 
When the USB Drive Didn’t Show Up
 
I restarted the computer, entered the ASUS UEFI BIOS, switched to Advanced Mode and opened:
 
Tool → ASUS EZ Flash 3 Utility
 
Initially, the USB flash drive wasn’t appearing as expected.
 
It would have been easy to start troubleshooting the flash drive format, BIOS download or file itself. The actual problem was much simpler.
 
I hadn’t pushed the USB flash drive completely into the USB port.
 
Once I fully seated the drive, ASUS EZ Flash detected it and displayed the BIOS file normally.
 
It’s a good reminder that even when working on a complicated computer problem, it’s worth checking the simple things first.
 
Checking BitLocker and Loading Default BIOS Settings
 
Before updating the BIOS, ASUS warned me to back up the BitLocker recovery key and suspend encryption because BIOS or TPM changes can sometimes trigger a BitLocker recovery prompt. Instead of ignoring the warning, I rebooted into Windows and confirmed BitLocker was not enabled. ASUS also recommended loading the motherboard’s optimized defaults before updating, so I did that and returned to EZ Flash 3. I proceeded with the update.
 
Updating the BIOS
 
Once the BIOS update started, I left the machine alone.
 
Interrupting power while motherboard firmware is actually being written can potentially leave a computer unable to boot, so this isn’t the time to shut it down or start pressing buttons.
 
ASUS EZ Flash completed the update and restarted the computer.
 
On the next startup, the American Megatrends POST screen displayed:
 
ASUS PRIME B650M-A AX II ACPI BIOS Revision 3881
 
The update had succeeded.
 
First Boot After the Update
 
The POST screen also showed that the motherboard correctly detected the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, 32GB of DDR5 memory and the Solidigm NVMe SSD.
 
Because the BIOS settings had been reset, the computer instructed me to press F1 and enter Setup.
 
I entered the BIOS again and verified that BIOS 3881 was installed, the processor and memory were detected, the NVMe SSD was present and Windows Boot Manager was still listed as the boot device.
 
Everything looked correct, so I saved the settings and exited.
 
Windows 11 Loaded Normally
 
The computer restarted and booted directly into Windows 11.
 
There was no BitLocker recovery prompt, no missing boot device and no problem getting Windows to load.
 
At this point I had taken a gaming PC that wouldn’t initially power on from its case controls, manually started it by jumpering the motherboard’s BIOS reset PINS and discovered that its motherboard firmware was more than two years out of date and successfully updated it from BIOS 2413 to BIOS 3881.
 

Chris Calkins owns On-Site Louisville Computer Repair Co. in Louisville, Kentucky, and writes about the computer, networking and cybersecurity problems he encounters on real service calls.

 

Problem: Scammers locked a Dell Inspiron 3030 Windows 11 PC with password-protected software so not even Windows could be accessed. Fix: Backend manual disable and removal.

 
I recently worked on a Windows computer after the owner had been involved in a tech support scam. He stated that after he refused to do what scammers expected they put an app on his computer that locked his machine. It was Dell Inspiron 3030 tower with Windows 11.
 
When I arrived on-site the scammer had installed Lock My PC Free Edition 4.9.5. You can see the image above I took as soon as I arrived. The program was password protected, which created an additional problem during cleanup: I couldn’t simply uninstall it.
 
When I attempted to remove Lock My PC through Windows Installed Apps, the uninstaller displayed: “To continue uninstall, you must enter the Lock My PC Administrator’s password.”
 
There was also a password hint (see photo above it was QQQQQQ I think), but the computer’s owner hadn’t installed or configured the program and obviously didn’t know the password the scammer had used. I tried the usual stuff “123456” etc. Nothing worked.
 
Rather than trying to guess the password further I tried to remove it with normal windows uninstaller which failed. Then, I booted into safe mode and attempted removal. What transpired is next:
 
Booting the Computer Into Safe Mode
 
My first step was to disconnect the computer from the internet and boot Windows into Safe Mode.
 
To get there, I used:
 
Shift + Restart
 
Then after the computer restarts: Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart → Safe Mode
 
I initially hoped that running the uninstaller from Safe Mode might prevent Lock My PC’s protection from loading.
 
It didn’t.
 
Even in Safe Mode, attempting to uninstall Lock My PC produced the same administrator-password request.
 
That told me I needed to find out what Lock My PC was loading in Windows rather than continuing to fight with its uninstaller.
 
Finding the Lock My PC Windows Service
 
I opened:
 
Windows Key + R → services.msc
 
I was looking for anything in the “L’s” related to the software. I found a service named Lock My PC Service. Eureka, that was probably it, I thought.
 
The service was actually running even though Windows was in Safe Mode. That explains why it won’t uninstall either from Windows Settings as a modern app or through the control panal as traditional software is removed. (I tried both).
 
Opening the service’s properties provided the information I needed:
 
Service name: LmpcService
 
Path to executable: C:\Program Files\Lock My PC 4\LmpcServ.exe
 
Startup type: Automatic
 
I stopped the service and changed its Startup Type from Automatic to Disabled.
 
I then tried the normal Lock My PC uninstaller again.
 
It still demanded the administrator password.

So the password requirement wasn’t simply being imposed by the running service. It was part of the program’s uninstall process.
 
Removing the Lock My PC Service Manually
 
From an Administrator Command Prompt, I used:
 

sc stop LmpcService

 
Since I had already stopped the service manually, Windows reported that the service had not been started.
 
I then entered:
 

sc delete LmpcService

 
Windows responded:
 

[SC] DeleteService SUCCESS

 
At this point, the Lock My PC service was no longer registered with Windows.
 
Removing the Lock My PC Program Files
 
Next I went to the installation directory:
 
C:\Program Files\Lock My PC 4
 
The directory contained the Lock My PC executables and supporting files, including LmpcServ, lockpc, LockLib.dll, the LockScreens directory and the unins000 uninstall files.
 
Because the service had already been removed and the password-protected uninstaller wasn’t useful, I removed the Lock My PC installation directory manually.
 
Windows initially reported:
 

Folder In Use – The action can’t be completed because the folder or a file in it is open in another program.

 
That indicated that a Lock My PC component was still loaded in memory.
 
After terminating the remaining Lock My PC process, I was able to delete the entire C:\Program Files\Lock My PC 4 folder.
 
Lock My PC May Still Appear Under Installed Apps
 
After manually removing the program, Lock My PC Free Edition 4.9.5 still appeared in Windows Installed Apps.
 
That doesn’t necessarily mean the program is still installed and functioning.
 
Windows maintains uninstall information separately from the application’s actual program files. Because I deliberately bypassed the password-protected uninstaller, its old uninstall registration remained behind.
 
The important components; the running service and Lock My PC program files had been removed.
 
The orphaned Installed Apps entry can subsequently be cleaned up separately.
 
Removing Lock My PC was only part of the scam cleanup. I would not consider a computer clean simply because Lock My PC was removed.
 
In this case, its presence was evidence that someone who should not have had control of the computer had been able to install software on it.
 
After removing Lock My PC, the next job is determining what else was changed or installed during the scam session.
 
The only other problem I found on the machine was several instances of remote access software the scammers used to access the computer, in this case: AnyDesk, TeamViewer, ScreenConnect/ConnectWise, and UltraViewer, which I removed normally.
 
I also performed a manual inspection for malware and a malware scan until I was satisfied the machine was infection and remote user free.
 

Chris Calkins owns On-Site Louisville Computer Repair Co. in Louisville, Kentucky, and writes about the computer, networking and cybersecurity problems he encounters on real service calls.

Problem: 900 Mbps down / 3 Mbps up over ethernet after upgrade to 2000 MBPS symmetrical. Fix: Disable Large Send Offload v2 IPv4 and IPv6.

If your ethernet connection gets full download speed but your upload speed is extremely slow, the problem may not be your internet provider, router, or ethernet cable. Incidentally, this may also apply to other routers even though this post is specfically a remedy for a problem with the Spectrum Askey SBE1V1K WiFi 7 Router.

I recently encountered a strange example after installing a new Wi-Fi 7 router on a symmetrical gigabit internet connection.

The symptoms were:

Ethernet: approximately 900 Mbps download (deemed normal as paying for 1000 so 90% in normal range [I consider normal range considered 70-100% based on thousand of field tests I have personally conducted over >20 years]) but only 3 Mbps upload.Wi-Fi: approximately 900 Mbps download and nearly 1,000 Mbps upload.

At first glance, an upload speed of only 3 Mbps might look like an ISP or router problem. But some further troubleshooting isolated the problem to the ethernet adapter in the Windows PC.

How I Isolated the Problem:

The first important clue was that Wi-Fi worked correctly. The computer could access nearly the full symmetrical gigabit connection wirelessly.

Next, I connected a laptop to the router using ethernet.

The laptop achieved more than 900 Mbps download and 900 Mbps upload.

That essentially eliminated the internet connection, router, and ethernet cable as the primary suspects.

The problem was specific to the desktop computer’s wired network connection.

The Ethernet Adapter:

The affected computer was using a Killer E2600 Gigabit Ethernet Controller.

I checked the adapter’s advanced settings in Windows Device Manager.

Energy Efficient Ethernet and Advanced EEE were already disabled, so those weren’t responsible.

The setting that made the difference was Large Send Offload v2 (LSO).

The Fix:

Open:
Device Manager → Network adapters → Ethernet adapter → Properties → Advanced

Locate:
Large Send Offload v2 (IPv4)
Large Send Offload v2 (IPv6)

Set both to:
Disabled

Click OK and allow the ethernet connection to reconnect.

I immediately ran another speed test.

The upload-speed problem was gone.

Instead of approximately 3 Mbps upload, the wired connection was once again capable of taking advantage of the high-speed symmetrical connection.

What Is Large Send Offload?

Large Send Offload is a networking feature designed to reduce CPU workload.

Normally, Windows has to divide large amounts of outgoing network data into smaller packets before transmitting them. LSO allows some of that work to be handed off to the network adapter.

When everything is working correctly, this can improve efficiency.

But network-adapter drivers, hardware, firmware, and networking equipment don’t always interact perfectly. In this case, disabling LSO eliminated an enormous ethernet upload bottleneck.

LSO isn’t inherently bad, and I don’t recommend disabling it on every computer. This is a troubleshooting step for a specific type of networking problem.

How to Tell Whether You Have the Same Problem:

Run a speed test using ehernet.

Run another speed test using Wi-Fi.

If Wi-Fi upload is dramatically faster, connect another computer to the same ethernet cable.

If the second computer gets normal ethernet upload speeds, concentrate your troubleshooting on the original computer.

Check the ethernet adapter’s driver and advanced properties.

As a diagnostic test, disable Large Send Offload v2 for IPv4 and IPv6 and retest.

If nothing changes, you can return the settings to their previous values and continue troubleshooting.

Don’t Automatically Blame Your ISP

This case is a good example of why computer and networking problems need to be isolated systematically.

A connection delivering approximately 1,000 Mbps download but only 3 Mbps upload certainly looked like an internet problem.

But Wi-Fi delivered nearly 1,000 Mbps in both directions, and a second computer delivered more than 900 Mbps in both directions over ethernet.

Those tests narrowed the problem to one computer.

In this case, disabling two Large Send Offload settings in the Windows ethernet adapter immediately solved the problem.

Please feel free to share this post if you found it helpful.
 

Chris Calkins owns On-Site Louisville Computer Repair Co. in Louisville, Kentucky, and writes about the computer, networking and cybersecurity problems he encounters on real service calls.