Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 Issues Persist After Multiple Clean Installs

Hey everyone,

A month or so ago I started having this weird issue with Windows 8.1. A portion of the interface became unresponsive to mouse clicks. I fact I detailed some of these issues in an earlier thread, which I assumed would be remedied after a clean install, but unfortunately it wasn't. http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/random-taskbar-window-freezes.778557/#post-10051633

The most notable issues are:

• Taskbar Icons
• The options under "PC Settings"
• Every program window (random)
• The scroll feature in Internet Explorer
• And others little things throughout the OS

I'll go into more detail with each point, but before I get into that I'd like to point out my "hotfix." Pressing the Ctrl+Alt+Del combination occasionally makes some things a bit more response to the mouse, as well as resets the random issues with program windows.

• Regarding the taskbar the icons are occasionally unresponsive. To fix I would use the Ctrl+Alt+Del combination. I haven't noticed this issue cropping up recently however.
• When clicking "PC Settings" under the right charms menu, a metro window will pop up with all the PC settings on the left hand side. These are unresponsive and no amount of restarting, shutting down, pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del or even doing a clean install will fix this issue. If I need to do anything under this menu I have to navigate it using the arrow keys and tab/enter. It's a partial solution, but I'd like to be able to use my mouse pointer. I will point that the occasionally a clean install will allow me to click on options under this menu, but only for a few moments before it becomes unresponsive again (whether I'm online or not).
• Fairly frequently my program windows become unresponsive to mouse clicks. By that I mean; I can't select windows, move them, resize them, close them, minimize them or select any links within them. This also applies to full screen windows like browsers and video games. It's random in frequency, occurring hours or minutes apart. The only way to regain responsiveness it to use the Ctrl+Alt+Del combination. This doesn't fix every window however...........
• Internet Explorer has a lot of issues, which like PC Settings I can sort of work around but not fix. Now I'd like to point out that I barely use IE, but the issues it has remain even after a clean install so that when I'm trying to setup the computer initially I have to deal with them. The main issue is that I can't scroll. Neither a mouse wheel, touchpad controls or mouse cursor (clicking on the sidebar and dragging it) will allow me to scroll on a web page. I though I'd be unable to even google for help after because of this issue, until I realized that I can still navigate webpages with the arrow keys. Unfortunately even they are unresponsive occasionally (requiring the Ctrl+Alt+Del fix). I also can't click on certain windows and pop ups within IE (or Windows overall) such as the pop up for downloads. If I want to open a downloaded file I have to navigate to the folder instead of simply clicking "run," "open," or "open folder."
• That brings me to my last point. All sorts of little links and icons are unresponsive to mouse clicks. The Ctrl+Alt+Del combination can fix some but not all of these problems I come across throughout Windows 8.1.

As I mentioned at the beginning I have done multiple clean installs of Windows, and before that multiple system restores. When the issues first cropped up I tried doing a system restore. It actually worked for a few moments before the issues returned. Then I tried a clean install. I actually wiped my drive with Partition Wizard (booted from a USB drive) and then installed Windows 8.1 from another USB drive. That didn't help. So I tried again, this time offline so that if some random update or virus was causing the issue it would be able to connect to the internet. That didn't help either. So I just decided to live with it for a few weeks until Windows 10 was released. At that point I decided to try another fresh install after upgrading. So I upgraded to Windows 10, installed it and guess what? The issues remained. I wasn't too surprised, so I set up a Windows 10 USB and tried a clean install. That didn't work either. So I tried it again, this time offline. It actually worked! Until I connected to the internet, after which the issue popped up soon after. So I did another clean install, this time remaining offline. It worked until the computer when into sleep mode, after which the issues came back. So I did another clean install offline and everything worked until I rebooted the computer. So I did another clean install, this time online, and the issues were present immediately. Getting desperate, I setup a Windows 8.1 USB and did a clean install of that instead. The issues remained, so I tried again. After multiple fresh installs, online and offline, I gave up on 8.1 and tried 10 again. That didn't work of course, so I went back to 8.1 and of course the issues are still there.

So now I come to you, is there anything I can do to fix this nightmare? I'm currently typing this from my last clean install of 8.1. Using IE, I'm fighting with the arrow keys and Ctrl+Alt+Del just to even type this. Am I dealing with a particularly resilient and stealthy virus? One that evaded and remained undetected by Avast, Malwarebytes and Windows? Is there some other underlying issue with my computer? I will point out that even during the clean installs (of both Windows 8.1 and 10) the windows and link within the installation would be occasionally unresponsive until I pressed Ctrl+Alt+Del. So it maybe an issue outside the OS.

I'll add in the first and last five errors as displayed by the Event Viewer with this clean install. Hopefully it's enough information this time @octiceps but let me know if there's anything else I can provide.

 

I can only upload 5 screenshots per post, so here are the others:

 

Google "DWM error ID 9020"

 

What pointing device are you using/having issues with? Also PC model etc., the one in signature? and what other USB devices?

 

Hmm as far as I can tell this issue seems to be related to iGPU drivers, and results in flickering screens and crashes. I don't have hat issue, not do I have an iGPU. Unless there was something else you wanted me to take note of.

It's not a specific pointing device, this issue is universal. As in both my touchpad and external mouse are not able to click the things I have detailed, no matter what drivers are installed. Yes the PC is the one in my signature, and the only USB device inserted into it is the logitech receiver for the Performance MX mouse.

 

What happens when you remove the second GPU? Which vBIOS does it have?

 

• What happens when you remove the second GPU? - Nothing whatsoever, the issues persist as per usual.
  
• Which vBIOS does it have? - Here are screenshots of both GPU details via Nvidia Inspector

 

You're using svl7's mod on both cards?

 

That's correct. I've had the mod for ages however.

 

No Error Code 43 on 2nd GPU in Windows 8.1/10 Device Manager? OC works?

 

I always have that error right after a clean install, but it goes away after I update my drivers (the initial ones after a clean install are 327.XX). I pretty much ran a constant overclock on both cards since I've had the laptop until the first reinstall (about 2 or 3 days ago).

 

Did the issues appear out of the blue or after some significant system change(s)?

 

Hmmm actually I had recently installed windows before all this cropped up. I'd say it was a couple of weeks or so before the issues arose. However by that time I had all my drivers and programs installed. The last program I installed before these issues popped up was Morrowind. So when I started noticing these issues, I did a system restore to the point right before I installed Morrowind. As I noted in the OP, that worked for only a few moments before the problems returned. I've had them ever since, with them disappearing on random occasions after a clean install but only for a few moments or until sleep mode/a reboot is initiated as I stated in the OP.

 

Did you move from Windows 7 > 8.1 > 10?

It can't be a virus if you cleaned and reformatted the drive. Hardware malfunction is possible. Maybe also try older GPU drivers from a year ago.

 

Since the trackpad on most is tied to the USB bus I put my money there. Either hardware, bios or drivers.

 

Nope, I've never used Windows 7 on this machine. It was originally 8, and later 8.1 after that was released until a couple of days ago when I started doing these multiple clean installs and tried Windows 10. I've literally used 8.1 for a couple of years before this popped up, with no issues whatsoever. As for the older GPU drivers, ones I have after a clean install (327.XX) are from 2013, so that hasn't helped either.

I suppose something could be malfunctioning, but what save the motherboard would cause these sort of issues? I've had hard drives fail before, including the original 1TB drive that came with this machine, and nothing like this happened before.

 

Hmm perhaps, but what hardware? The motherboard?

 

OK, it only happen on 10 or also on 8.1? also remember the drivers are probably the same on 8.1 and 10. If it only happens on 10, not 8.1, try those other drivers (this may actually be the MB chipset drivers too).

Edit; too be sure there ae no USB hubs or what not?

 

The issues happen on both Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, after clean installs on both. There is nothing plugged into my USB ports save the logitech mouse. I doesn't matter if the mouse is present or not however, and I've had it for over a year so I doubt it would suddenly cause these issues.

 

but while you had it working properly it was on 8.0 or 8.1?

 

I purchased my computer February 2013, so it shipped with Windows 8. I used that until Windows 8.1 was released in October 2013. I upgraded immediately and used Windows 8.1 up until about 2 day ago when I first tried out Windows 10. These issues only cropped up a month or so ago.

 

With the upgrade to 10 you more than likely lost any restore points from that month ago or so. What you may want to try, to eliminate it being a hardware issues, is a live Linux DVD like Mint 17.2. With the DVD booted to test out Linux you should use it a while to see if problems return. If they do then the ports could have been damaged by say using a high sample rate or the hardware could just be defective.

 

Hmmm that's actually a pretty decent idea. I'll try out a version of Linux or two and see how that works for me. I'll start with Ubuntu and then perhaps Mint. I'll let you know how those go. That all being said however Linux is a completely separate OS so issues present in Windows may not show up there. Guess I'll find out.

 

I actually do not expect to trouble shoot the drivers only to see there is no issue with the hardware with proper drivers etc..