Clean Boot Guide for Game Troubleshooting
What is this error?
How to perform a Windows Clean Boot to identify which background software is causing game crashes or performance issues.
Common causes
- third-party software conflicting with game
- background service causing crashes
- startup program consuming resources
- driver service interfering with anti-cheat
How to fix it
- Use msconfig to disable all non-Microsoft services and startup items
- test game
- re-enable services one at a time
Too many steps? Crashless can diagnose this automatically — checks your drivers, temps, VRAM, and 400+ known error patterns.
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A Clean Boot starts Windows with only Microsoft services — no third-party software. This is the definitive way to determine if a background program is causing your game crashes.
How to perform a Clean Boot:
- Press Win+R, type 'msconfig', press Enter
- Go to the 'Services' tab
- Check 'Hide all Microsoft services' (IMPORTANT — don't disable Microsoft services)
- Click 'Disable all' — this disables all third-party services
- Go to the 'Startup' tab > click 'Open Task Manager'
- In Task Manager's Startup tab, disable all startup items
- Restart your PC
- Test your game — if the problem is gone, a third-party service was the cause
To find the culprit:
- Re-enable services in groups (half at a time) using msconfig
- Restart and test after each group
- Keep narrowing down until you find the specific service causing the issue
Common culprits: RGB software (iCUE, Synapse), overlay tools, antivirus, VPN services, audio enhancement software, printer services
When done testing:
- Open msconfig > Services > re-enable all services
- Re-enable startup items in Task Manager
- Restart — your PC returns to normal
When to seek help
If this error keeps happening after trying the fixes above, it may point to a deeper hardware or system issue. Consider professional help if:
- The crash occurs across multiple games or applications
- You see the same error after a clean Windows install
- Your PC is less than a year old (could be a warranty issue)
- You smell burning or hear unusual sounds from your PC
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