Blue screens can sometimes be hard to troubleshoot as they can be caused by hardware issues. Before you consult with a technical expert, we've prepared some steps you can follow to take a jab* at fixing this.
*Taking a jab is a figure of speech. Please, do not stab the Blue Screen as this may result in permanent damage of your monitor and Ekko will not be able to fix it for you.
Standard Troubleshooting
Run System Health Check
This will find and repair corrupt Windows files.
- Open Command Prompt as an Administrator
- Type sfc /scannow
- Press Enter
- When it finishes, type DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and press Enter
- Finally, type chkdsk /f /r
- Press Enter
- Type Y and restart the PC to let this run
Scan for Malware
Run a full system scan with a reputable tool like Malwarebytes or the built-in Windows Defender.
- Update your Windows
- Update your Graphics card
- Update Motherboard BIOS (as advised below)
13th/14th Gen Intel CPUs - vgk.sys errors
If you encounter vgk.sys errors and your CPU is a 13th or 14th generation Intel CPU, such as the i7-13700 or i7-14700k, following these steps may resolve your issue:
Enable Memory Integrity
This Windows feature can resolve software conflicts with vgk.sys.
- Open the Start Menu and search for Windows Security
- In the app, go to Device security
- Click on Core isolation details
- Find the Memory integrity setting and toggle the switch to On
- Restart the computer and test the game
Adjust CPU Ratio via Intel XTU
If the crash continues, it's a hardware stability issue. We can try a software workaround first.
- Download and install Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU)
- Open XTU and go to the Basic Tuning section
- Find the Performance Core Ratio (it may show a multiplier like 55x)
- Lower this multiplier to 54x. Click Save
- Test the game
-
If the game still crashes, try lowering it again to 53x
- Note: The PC may crash once while applying this. This is normal. Just restart and confirm the setting.
Update Motherboard BIOS
This is the most complex step, but it is the official fix from manufacturers for the root-cause instability.
- Visit your motherboard manufacturer's website (e.g., ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte)
- Locate the support page for your specific motherboard model
- Download the latest BIOS version
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions to update it (this usually requires a USB flash drive)
If you're unsure of what who your motherboard manufacturer is or what model your device is running:
- Press Windows Key 🪟 + R
- Type in msinfo32 - this opens up your System Information
- Under System Summary, locate the manufacturer and model under BaseBoard Manufacturer and BaseBoard Product
If the steps to update your BIOS feels too daunting, don't hesitate to reach out to your motherboard manufacturer for guidance!
Still stuck after trying out all the steps? Scroll down and submit a ticket, our Support Team will be ready to jump in and get you back in the fight.