Hello everyone, I hope I can get some help from you regarding an issue I’m experiencing with my new laptop. I'll be extremely honest, on my machine i'm using cracked plugins.

For many years I used a setup with a Ryzen 2700x and an Asus X-370 Pro motherboard. I was running Cubase 9 with several cracked libraries. The system was always super stable, without any crashes or BSODs.

I recently purchased a new laptop with an i9-14900HX running Cubase 14 and Windows 11, using the exact same plugins. On this new setup I often get BSODs and Cubase crashes. Is this because Windows 11 is much more “strict” when it comes to cracked plugins?
All tests i did on hardware were ok such as memtest86.

Thank you so much for your honest answer.

 

Ryzen often requires a BIOS update.If you've updated the BIOS, check your motherboard manufacturer's website and install the latest drivers. If you get a blue screen, it would be helpful to write down or photograph the error message.

Install this program and run it and post the result here:LatencyMon 7.31

The LatencyMon software analyzes and identifies which device, which driver or which service is causing audio dropouts or malfunctions. Real-time audio suitability checker for Windows 10/8.1/8/7/2016/2012/2008 (x86 and x64)
Scroll Down to: System Monitoring Tools /www.resplendence.com/downloads

 

thanks so much for your reply. The issue is on the laptop with the intel i9-14900HX.
(My old setup with Ryzen is already doing fine.)

Anyway , i'll do the test with the program you mentioned

 

If you have the patience/willingness, WinDbg will get you pretty far when analysing crashes - assuming it's not a random hardware fault.

This was written by Dell, but works the same on all systems:

https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000149411/how-to-read-mini-dump-files

You may need to enable writing crash dumps in "advanced system settings > start up and recovery" if you can't find the dmp files mentioned in the article.

 

Oh sorry about the Intel Ryzen confusion.

Check Logs: In Event Viewer (search in Start menu), look under Windows Logs > System for errors around crash times.
Note the BSOD code (e.g., via WhoCrashed tool) for specifics. www.resplendence.com/whocrashed

Is your laptop getting too hot and shutting down?

Blue screens are generally not software related but hardware issues.
First thing I'd do is to set your BIOS to default settings and then see how it goes.

 

Last edited: Sep 2, 2025 at 2:44 PM

here's a quick dump i have.

When i re-open Cubase i see crashes were made by Kontakt 8 and sometimes by Fab-Filter Saturn 2 or MB. These are all the same plugins which i have on the old setup and they run perfect.

 

Have a look into windows own reliability tool. There it logs what happened. Like I once found out that the GPU had a hardware damage and made the GPU driver crash. And the log showed that some module of that driver was the issue.
It's most certainly not about the cracks, I'm on windows 11 with ancient cracks and it's all fine. It would not bluesceen anyway. if it wouldn't like the software it would just not run it.
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com...eliability-monitor-for-troubleshooting/372962

 

0x1a_61941_Page_Table_Reserved_Bits-Set_Image_hardware_ram

" When a 0x1a61941PAGETABLERESERVEDBITSSETIMAGEhardware_ram error occurs, it means that the system has detected an invalid page table entry in the RAM. This can be caused by a hardware issue or a driver issue. To resolve this, you should first check if the hardware is functioning correctly, then check the driver for the RAM for any conflicts or issues. You may also need to reset the system BIOS settings and/or update the BIOS to the latest version. "

Have you checked the RAM sticks to see if they are firmly in place?
Did you buy the RAM sticks according to the manufacturer's recommendations?

You should also reset your BIOS to factory settings.
Have you installed the latest drivers from the manufacturer?
What type of laptop is it - please give the full name?

Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files
Run System File Checker: In the Command Prompt window, type the following command, and press ENTER:

sfc /scannow

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...em-files-79aa86cb-ca52-166a-92a3-966e85d4094e

 

Last edited: Sep 2, 2025 at 3:46 PM

Do all your app dumps have "hardware_ram" in their FAILURE_BUCKET_ID? What does it say for your BSOD dumps? Can you run Prime95 "blend" torture test without crashing?

 

such problems are usually caused by corrupt drivers, mostly chipset or network,
check laptop' manufacturer website for exact drivers and make sure Windows updates are not overriding those,
or maybe it's an overheating problem (that shouldn't happen with new laptop), make sure power management in BIOS is set to OS/Windows and make sure power management and schemes in Windows are configured properly

 

Great that you've checked RAM with MemTest. So we know the hardware is OK. It must be a driver problem then. I would first check latest updated Intel GPU driver, and if that doesn't work or you have the latest *stable* (not beta) GPU driver check for latest Intel Chipset driver.

As a side note, some latest Win11 Microsoft fix/patch can cause bluescreens, too. Check it if you have the latest *stable* (not beta) Intel drivers installed.

Cheers!

 

It kind of sucks to open a brand new computer, but RAM modules being incorrectly seated are one of the more common problems with a brand new machine. it usually results in more "strange behaviors" than a straight up BSOD'd Windows, but it can.

The first thing I would check is what release of Cubase is this? I mention this because the appearance of "memory errors" like null point dereference, etc can often show up this way with k'd software. Without the actual release and specific version, it's easy to jump straight to suspecting the problem is hardware. (especially with a new computer). Installing a different release of Cubase might be the easiest check you could do, after looking at user comments for the release.

This mini dump could contain some more pertinent information, too. Most of the crashdumps from Cubase I have looked at have been much larger in information/data. How Windows users generate them, idk; but ai suggests using procdump.
procdump64 -e -h -t Cubase14.exe

Most of them I have looked at have actually ended up being problems with nVidia drivers being out of date. A full crashdump and output of hwinfo can be helpful. free windows version: www.hwinfo.com/download

actually, this is what was suggested:

Spoiler

I’ve taken a look at the crash report image you shared, and here’s what it reveals:

Crash Summary

• Process crashed: Cubase14.exe (so it’s Cubase 14)
  
  
• Faulting module: hardware (with image name hardware_ram)
  
  
• Exception name: Related to a page table reserved bits / memory handling error:
  
  • FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: 0x1a_61941_PAGE_TABLE_RESERVED_BITS_SET_IMAGE_hardware_ram
    
• Platform: Windows 10, x64
  
  
• Stack trace includes errors like:
  
  • KeBugCheckEx (kernel bug check)
    
    
  • MmAccessFault (memory access violations)
    
    
  • MiPageFault (page fault handling)
    All pointing to a serious low-level hardware or OS memory issue.
    

In short, this is not a typical application crash—Cubase tried to access memory in a way that triggered a kernel-level fault, likely due to either faulty hardware, buggy drivers, or corrupted system files.

What Could Be Causing This?

1. RAM or Hardware Instability
   
   • Faulty or mismatched RAM modules can cause memory corruption and page faults.
     
2. Drivers or BIOS Issues
   
   • Outdated or corrupted drivers for your audio interface or motherboard may lead to memory handling faults.
     
3. Overclocking or BIOS Settings
   
   • If you have RAM or CPU overclocked, unstable settings can trigger serious faults.
     
4. Software Conflicts at the Kernel Level
   
   • Security software, audio drivers (e.g. ASIO), or virtual audio utilities might be causing conflicts.
     
5. Memory-Intensive Plugins or Processes
   
   • Something in your Cubase project or external tools may be overloading memory or causing fragmentation.
     

Recommended Troubleshooting Steps
Step What to Do Why
1. Run memory diagnostics Use Windows Memory Diagnostic or MemTest86 to test RAM stability To rule out faulty RAM
2. Reseat or swap RAM Take out RAM modules, clean contacts, swap slots, or test one stick at a time To eliminate hardware slot/module issues
3. Update system drivers and BIOS Focus on motherboard chipset, memory controller, and audio interface drivers Stability improvements and bug fixes
4. Disable overclocking Restore BIOS/UEFI to default (stock) settings Ensures system stability and correctness
5. Test with a clean Cubase project Isolate whether a specific plugin or project is causing the crash, or try without third-party VSTs To isolate software-level root causes
6. Check Windows Event Viewer Look under Windows Logs → System/Application around the crash time for errors To gather more context
7. Run sfc /scannow and DISM To repair corrupted system files Helps with OS-level memory/driver integrity issues, if any
Next Steps

• Start with memory diagnostics: A memory fault is the most likely suspect here.
  
  
• If memory passes: Move on to updating drivers and BIOS, then test Cubase in a simplified environment.
  
  
• Let me know how it goes at each step—especially:
  
  • Whether diagnostics flagged any errors
    
    
  • If crashes persisted after defaulting BIOS settings
    
    
  • Any driver or plugin updates you applied
    

Once we know what’s ruled out, we can narrow it further down.

 

Yes, even when it's a laptop, you never know if RAM is properly seated, and it doesn't hurt to check it. Although, it would probably show on a MemTest86+. It's pretty reliable tool in my experience.

Regarding BIOS, he probably didn't change it too much, if at all, since it's a laptop. BUT it would be a good idea to check for a BIOS update.

 

I've seen that poorly seated RAM situation pass every test people have thrown at it in threads like this, and the only thing that is 100% is actually reseating it. It's the one someone gets recommended when everything else has already been suggested and tried. Maybe that is even the best order to do it in (last); but just from the minidump you can see that the suggestions heading toward memory are not wild guesses either.

Even when you find a machine with it, you can't even tell visually. The modules are clipped in and not loose. Maybe it is dust or "manufacturing material", but I've seen it with custom machines that have never even been bounced around in shipping.

 

One pretty important thing is having NET Framework(like 4.5+). I am not running Windows 11 but on Windows 10 some plugins needed NET Framework 3.5 to be enabled -> via control panel/programs/turn windows features on and off, which will get them downloaded afterwards.

Also, some plugins need vcredist2005-2025 as they do not come shipped with them and most of the time on our older rig we either played like PUBG/Steam or something like that and had to install bunch of stuff like this which we do not follow on with the next setup...worth checking.

Fab Filter i think comes with their own DLL´s i think so i´m not sure about that, but some can fail to show GUI without proper DLL´s or just start at all...like msvcr120.dll etc.
https://www.techpowerup.com/download/visual-c-redistributable-runtime-package-all-in-one/

So one more thing to add to the new pc checkup i´m afraid, but good luck.