It appears that DCToolsLib.dll is getting blocked by windows because it doesnt have a signature.   

When i try to link my machine, using edge or firefox, it will attempt to launch the DriversCloud application but nothing will happen.  I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling, manually setting DCToolsService.exe and DriversCloud.exe to always run as administrator, however the DCToolService fails to appear in task manager.  I know it is attempting to launch because the windows pop-up for running DCToolsService in administrator mode pops up when i click link my machine.  This used to work on previous versions.  I also turned windows defender real-time protection off and reinstalled driverscloud.  It also appears that the application itself wont launch on my desktop either.  I tried looking for logs in C:\ProgramData\driverscloud.com, but there is no logs folder. 

An incompatible, outdated, or corrupted graphics driver is indeed one of the most common software causes of a black screen followed by a complete freeze. During such a crash, the driver (or the GPU itself) stops responding, causing the display to freeze before the video signal cuts out completely. 🛠️ Hardware Causes If the problem is hardware-related, the freeze followed by a black screen usually occurs when components are under heavy load (video games, video editing, etc.): • Overheating (CPU or GPU): If the graphics card or processor exceeds a critical temperature (often above 90–100°C), the system shuts down or freezes as a safety measure to prevent irreversible damage. • Insufficient or defective power supply: If your power supply unit (PSU) is failing or lacks the power needed to handle the graphics card’s peak load, the system crashes instantly (loss of signal or general freeze). • End-of-life graphics card: A physically damaged component on the GPU (such as a capacitor or defective VRAM chips) causes persistent video signal loss. • RAM instability: A memory module that is not seated properly, is defective, or an unstable overclocking profile (XMP/EXPO) in the BIOS can cause Windows to freeze completely. 💻 Software Causes If the hardware is not at fault, the operating system or its direct components are to blame: • Graphics driver conflict or crash: The GPU driver crashes in the background (TDR error—Timeout Detection and Recovery), freezing the image before the display goes blank. • Corrupted Windows update: A recent system update may cause a serious conflict with the architecture of your existing drivers. What should you do immediately when your computer freezes? 1. Reset the graphics driver: Press the Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B keys simultaneously. Your screen will flicker and emit a beep. This forces Windows to restart the graphics driver without shutting down the PC. 2. Check if Windows is still running: Press Ctrl + Alt + Del. If the blue screen of death appears, the PC isn’t completely frozen at the hardware level; Windows Explorer has crashed. You can then open Task Manager to restart the explorer.exe process.   The fact that the crash occurs only while gaming or when running resource-intensive applications confirms that the system is overloaded. This strongly points to a hardware issue or instability related to power supply. When components are running at full capacity, they consume more energy and generate significant heat. Here are the three main areas to check in your situation, listed from most likely to least likely: 1. Overheating (Thermal Throttling / Safety Shutdown) This is the number one cause. Under heavy load, the graphics card (GPU) or processor (CPU) heats up. If the cooling system is inadequate or obstructed, the component activates a safety shutdown to prevent it from burning out. • Symptom: The PC runs fine for 10, 20, or 30 minutes, then the screen goes black, and the fans sometimes start spinning at full speed (100%) right after the crash. • The solution: Download free software like HWMonitor or HWiNFO to monitor temperatures while gaming. If the GPU exceeds 85°C or the CPU exceeds 90°C just before the crash, you’ll need to clean out the dust or replace the thermal paste. 2. Insufficient Power (PSU Failure) A modern graphics card consumes a tremendous amount of power during peak computational loads (such as explosions in a game or 3D rendering). If your power supply unit is underpowered, aging, or of poor quality, it cannot provide the required amperage. • Symptom: The system crashes instantly and abruptly as soon as a resource-intensive action begins on the screen. Sometimes, the PC restarts on its own without displaying a blue screen. • The solution: Check the power rating in watts of your power supply (you’ll usually need to open the case to read the label). If you have a powerful graphics card paired with a generic power supply rated at less than 600W, that’s most likely the source of the problem.   3. Graphics Driver Crash (TDR Crash) Even if the problem is triggered by a heavy workload, the software may be to blame. Windows has a safety feature called TDR (Timeout Detection and Recovery). If the graphics card takes more than 2 seconds to respond due to an unstable or corrupted driver, Windows disables the driver, causing a black screen. • The solution: Perform a clean removal of your drivers. Use the free Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) software in Safe Mode to remove all traces of the old driver, then cleanly reinstall the latest stable version downloaded from the official NVIDIA or AMD website. https://www.guru3d.com/download/display-driver-uninstaller-download/ One last simple software check To find out if Windows logged the exact cause, open the Windows Event Viewer (type it into the search bar). 1. Go to Windows Logs -> System. 2. Look for a critical error (red icon) at the exact time of the crash. 3. If you see the error “nvlddmkm” or “amdkmdap,” the driver crashed. If you see a “Kernel-Power (Event ID 41)” error, the PC lost power suddenly. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Thank you guys for helping out!  1. I changed the sleep settings to 'never'. Fast startup wasn't enabled. 3. I will try only using one monitor. I also had the AMD FreeSync settings for both monitors disabled previously. 5. The GPU cable connecting to the PSU is indeed one cable split into two connections. I'll see if I can use two separate cables instead. I did monitor my temps, and as far as I could tell, neither the CPU nor GPU overheated. I ran 'sfc /scannow' in command prompt and there were corrupt files Windows Resource Protection repaired. Also, I forgot to mention the crashes only happen when gaming/under heavy load. Thanks again, hopefully I'll be able to pinpoint the issue. 

Hello. Since two opinions are generally better than one, here are the leads Gemini suggests: "A black screen with a complete system freeze and a mechanical buzzing noise usually points to a graphics card (GPU) driver crash, GPU or CPU overheating, or unstable power/RAM connections. [1, 2, 3] Common Causes & Actionable Fixes Graphics Driver Crash / TDR Event: A corrupted or outdated driver can lock up the display and loop the audio buffer into a buzzing sound. Fix: Boot into Safe Mode and use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to completely wipe your old Nvidia, AMD, or Intel graphics drivers, then download and install the freshest version directly from the manufacturer. You can also try a quick hardware driver reset shortcut by pressing Windows Key + Ctrl + Shift + B at the same time. [1, 2, 3, 4] Overheating (GPU, CPU, or VRAM): If components get too hot, the system shuts down or locks up to prevent permanent damage, sometimes causing fans to spike or audio to buzz. Fix: Download monitoring software like HWMonitor to check your idle and load temperatures. Ensure your heatsink fan isn't blocked and that thermal paste/pads are functioning well. [1, 2, 3] Loose Hardware or Cables: Even if you recently dusted the PC, a power cable (such as the 8-pin GPU or PCIe power cable) or a RAM stick might be slightly loose or misaligned. Fix: Power down completely, open the case, and firmly reseat your RAM sticks and all power cables leading to your graphics card. [1] Corrupted System Files or Windows Updates: Background OS conflicts can freeze input controls. Fix: Open Command Prompt as an administrator and run sfc /scannow to repair damaged Windows files, and check Settings > Windows Update for pending system patches. [1, 2] To help narrow this down: Does this happen only when gaming/under heavy load, or randomly while idle?"

As for the noise in the PC, it's probably a cable that's caught in the fan. You'll need to open it up and check. If you don't know how to do that, you'll have to take it to a repair shop.

Hello, I submitted your issue to Claude along with your system configuration. Your graphics card is known to have sleep mode issues. And indeed, the event logs retrieved from your system configuration show that your system goes into sleep mode right before it crashes. Here is the detailed report. I recommend that you follow the recommendations, especially #1. Ignore #2—you’re up to date, and I doubt an older driver would fix the problem. Do #3 and check #5. As for the BIOS, I don’t think that will solve your problem.   Thanks for the config and the event log, they help a lot. What you describe (black screens, full freeze, a buzzing sound that loops until you force restart) is a “hard hang”: the system locks up so completely that the audio buffer keeps repeating its last fragment. Your event log confirms it. It shows two unexpected shutdowns on October 12 (around 4:54 PM and 5:45 PM), with no crash report, no hardware error (WHEA) and no graphics driver timeout logged. Windows simply froze before it could record anything. One detail stands out: right before the 5:45 PM freeze, Windows logged the network link going down and the Intel Management Engine being disabled. That usually happens when the PC is entering sleep or a power-saving state. Your graphics card, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, is well known for black-screen freezes during these power transitions (sleep, monitors turning off, waking up). Here’s what I’d try, in this order: Disable sleep and monitor power-off for testing: Settings > System > Power & sleep > set both “Screen” and “Sleep” to Never. Also disable Fast Startup: Control Panel > Power Options > “Choose what the power buttons do” > uncheck “Turn on fast startup”. If the freezes stop, we’ve found the trigger. Clean reinstall the AMD driver: you already have the latest Adrenalin (26.9.2), which is good. But leftovers from older versions can still cause trouble, so a clean install is worth it. Remove the driver with DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) in safe mode, then reinstall 26.9.2, choosing “Driver only” if you don’t need the full software. If the freezes started after a driver update, you can also try an older version from AMD’s site. Simplify the display setup: you have two DisplayPort monitors, one of them a 144 Hz FreeSync screen. Disable FreeSync and Enhanced Sync in Adrenalin. If freezes continue, test with only one monitor connected for a few days. Update your BIOS: you’re on version F9 from 2019. Your event log also shows Secure Boot key update errors, which a recent BIOS from Gigabyte’s support page (Z390 AORUS ELITE) should fix. Check the GPU power cables: the 5700 XT needs two PCIe power connectors. Use two separate cables from the PSU rather than one cable with a daisy-chained connector. The other entries in your log (DCOM 10016, certificate and WMI warnings) are harmless and unrelated, you can ignore them. Could you also tell us: Were you away from the PC (or was it idle) when the freezes happened on October 12? Your power supply brand/model and wattage (DriversCloud can’t detect it) If none of this helps, testing with another graphics card would confirm whether the card itself is failing.

Hello, I've been having issues with my monitors going black with my PC freezing and not taking any inputs. Sometimes there is also a mechanical buzzing noise that doesn't stop until I force restart. I just recently dusted my PC, although the issue was occurring before as well.  Config: https://www.driverscloud.com/en/configuration/s8kn43v8g0z-1/key  Drivers: all up to date, no download suggestions after detection. System crash analysis: https://prnt.sc/xR6Q7wfx9Im2 Please let me know if additional info is needed.  Thanks!

Super

Bonjour, oui, ça va mieux cette fois merci encore