computer freezing - processor 100%, network adapter turned off, occasional WHEA blue screens

[timshardwear]

My laptop, an Acer, has been freezing multiple times a day recently. Sometimes I get a blue screen eventually that tells me there's been a WHEA error, sometimes none of that. Yesterday, I kept staring at the screen for a while instead of restarting, and eventually it recovered. I could see the processor activity climb to 100%, and that interrupts claimed up to 14% of the activity. Afterwards, the network adapter (Qualcomm Atheros AR956x) was turned off, apparently because of a 'code 12' - 'insufficient available resources'. That problem was only resolved after a restart. When I shut the computer down, I got a screen telling the computer was being 'prepared' for a long time - sometimes I also see a blue screen showing the installation of updates at start-up, even if none were waiting to be installed. The drivers for the network adapter are up to date, version 10.0.0.318 (apparently dating from May 2015). I'm quite sure this is a software issue - 'chkdsk' doesn't find any problems, nor does 'sfc /scannow'. And a friend of mine with an Apple laptop running Windows 10 (we've never exchanged USB sticks or anything) has exactly the same problem since installing Windows 10 (different network adapter however, and seems to have improved recently). Does anybody know how to solve this? Many thanks!

 

[basroil]

Sounds like a bad driver or a virus (macs are breeding grounds for viruses because the users are more ignorant about viruses in general). Try doing a clean install of all of the drivers (not just wireless).

 

[timshardwear]

This problem keeps coming back, especially after a new update, so the past two weeks have been pretty horrible. As I described above, it is most likely not a virus, and the drivers of the network card are up to date. I think it rather has to do with the way Windows' new approach to updating tends to corrupt the image, or at least interferes with the proper functioning of my network adapter. Any ideas?

 

[basroil]

This problem keeps coming back, especially after a new update, so the past two weeks have been pretty horrible. As I described above, it is most likely not a virus, and the drivers of the network card are up to date. I think it rather has to do with the way Windows' new approach to updating tends to corrupt the image, or at least interferes with the proper functioning of my network adapter. Any ideas?

No, that just sounds like bad drivers... Turn off Windows's automatic driver update and manually reinstall them.

 

[timshardwear]

I have, but it hasn't helped. Also, they're hard to get, since Qualcomm Atheros refers you to the Acer website, and the Acer website doesn't list any drivers anymore for my laptop (even though it's less then 3 years old). But I did find a more recent driver recently at softpedia or download.com or so (when the problems were already ongoing) and that, I believe, was installed succesfully. (I have version 10.0.0.329 now.) But still, the problem keeps coming back, sometimes with very short intervals.