How to fix random freeze with stop code critical process died

Alexandre Neko 0

Pc randomly freeze then Critical process died stuck at 0 percent

Hello! Recently i came across an issue where randomly (i could be playing Minecraft, drawing or just texting on discord) and my pc will randomly freeze, then crash completely with the BSOD "critical_process_died" being stuck at 0 percent for hours, so my only solution is to hard shut down (by pressing the button) my computer and boot it back up, but most of the time it says "no bootable device" so i go f2 to open the set up and do escape, sometime it will work to boot windows up sometime it won't and i have to do it two to three times. And it will do it once more randomly. It's been like that for almost two to three months and im honestly getting tired because i basically cant do anything without it crashing all the time randomly.

Here is my specs :

Operating system :

Window 11 profesional 64-bit

Cpu :

Intel core I5 @ 3.00GHz

Coffee Lake 14nm Technology

Ram :

16.0 Go

Motherboard :

Dell Inc. 0NC2VH (U3E1)

Graphics :

Intel UHD Graphics 360

2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030

Storage :

465GB Toshiba DT01ACA050 (SATA)

2047MB intel ssdpekkf256g8l

i really don't know what to do anymore i went into the Event Viewer which gave me as a critical error Kernel power 41 (63) multiple time and i dont have any minidump files i even went to the point of resetting fully my pc and the error is still there and there is no answer anywhere on the internet to solve this

Jahangir Akram 0 Reputation points

2025-08-29T19:59:40.72+00:00

That sounds super frustrating — random freezes with Critical Process Died can sometimes point to failing storage or driver issues. Since you’ve already tried a full reset, I’d recommend checking your SSD health with CrystalDiskInfo, running sfc /scannow and DISM commands, and making sure your BIOS/graphics drivers are fully up to date. If the errors keep showing up, it may be worth testing your RAM with MemTest86 as well.

On a lighter note, when my own rig acts up and I can’t play PC games properly, I usually switch to mobile titles for a while. Lately, I’ve been hooked on the Shades latest Shadow Fight game 2025 — it’s a nice way to get some gaming in without stressing about crashes. Hopefully your setup gets stable soon!

6 answers

David-M 82,120 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-08-29T19:40:19.8433333+00:00
Thanks for the clarification.

In this case, I have 2 suspicions about the cause of this problem.

A severe corruption of Windows.

A hardware problem.

I think it's a good idea to try the SFC (System File Checker) to fix possible corrupted system files before trying anything more intrusive.

Open Start and type cmd, right-click on "Command Prompt", and select "Run as administrator".

Run the following commands at the Command Prompt one at a time:

dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup sfc /scannow

Note: Pay close attention to the results of the commands. This will help you determine whether the procedure was completed successfully or if there was a problem. If you get any errors, let me know the error message that was displayed.

Restart the PC.

After restarting the PC, see if the system will work stably.

If the crash occurs again after doing this, please let me know.

Feel free to ask back any questions.
Please sign in to rate this answer.
Alexandre Neko 0 Reputation points

2025-08-29T19:47:37.81+00:00

So, i was doing the first command, and it crashed right at 46.1% im gonna try doing it again to see if it changes anything UPDATE: it still crash with critical process died

David-M 82,120 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-08-29T19:51:49.6233333+00:00

The corruption may be more severe than DISM and SFC can fix, or it may actually be a hardware issue.

If the crash occurs again in the same scenario, please clarify the following:

Are there any objections to performing a clean install of Windows?

Clean Installing Windows will remove all data stored on the system. Therefore, you will need to back up your personal files on an external drive or cloud storage service.

I'm considering suggesting you do this because instability problems don't survive a clean install unless the problem is caused by hardware.

I await your reply.

Alexandre Neko 0 Reputation points

2025-08-29T19:53:25.3533333+00:00

So, I've done it before, a full on window reinstall, it's my second one in less then two weeks and the problem still persist, so i think it might be a hardware issue, but now what could be the cause ? I don't even know

David-M 82,120 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-08-29T20:04:39.86+00:00

This type of issue can be difficult to diagnose through software alone. A physical inspection of the hardware may be necessary to identify the root cause.

You've already run Crystal Disk Info, which didn't report any issues. However, the problem might be something that falls outside the scope of what it, or similar software, can detect.

What you can test now is the RAM.

I suggest you use the free MemTest86 tool for a deep check of your RAM.

https://www.memtest86.com/download.htm

The deep scan can take a long time, depending on how much RAM you have. So do it at a time that suits you.

Feel free to share a photo of the test result.

Let me know the result.

Feel free to ask back any questions.

Standard Disclaimer: There is a link to a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Alexandre Neko 0 Reputation points

2025-08-29T20:14:52.8333333+00:00

What do i do if it crashes while i was doing the scan? It told me "image writing complete" and crashed with the same error as usual (critical process died 0xEF)

David-M 82,120 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-08-29T20:17:45.31+00:00

It told me "image writing complete"

Was this during the creation of the USB with MemTest86?

I await your reply.

Alexandre Neko 0 Reputation points

2025-08-29T20:19:18.0633333+00:00

Yes it was, im trying once more to see if it crashes again right now, but i might have to do a hardware check i believe

Alexandre Neko 0 Reputation points

2025-08-29T20:20:55.65+00:00

Okay so update, the imaging was completed fully

David-M 82,120 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-08-29T20:22:37.73+00:00

Alright, go ahead and run the MemTest86 test to check whether the issue is related to your RAM.

Let me know the result.

Feel free to ask back any questions.

Alexandre Neko 0 Reputation points

2025-08-29T23:11:41.41+00:00

So it's not the ram either
Sign in to comment

Use comments to ask for clarification, additional information, or improvements to the question.

Share via

How to fix random freeze with stop code critical process died

6 answers

Your answer