Game randomly crashes (exception code 0xc0000005)

[Fenrir Lelourd]

Hi all,

I started playing (well, sort of) Elden ring about 10 days ago, but since day one, the game has been crashing constantly anywhere between a few seconds and 30 minutes after loading (most of the time I get a CTD after 10-15 minutes).
I have tried a number of solutions to no avail, including :
- disabling EAC, Windows defender, overlays, Windows game mode, xbox bar...
- Running game as admin
- checking that BIOS, graphic card, Windows are up to date, deleting GPU drivers with DDU, installing older ones...
- increasing the game priority in task manager, manually setting it to "high performance"
- uninstalling softwares I do not use, the EGS launcher, any gamepass games
- no RGB softwares installed
- installing the game on the same drive as the OS
- unpluging unnecessary devices, even KB+mouse
- lowering game settings and/or resolution, RTX is disabled
- testing RAM with memtest, checking RAM and drives health - fine
- tried running RAM normal / XMP
- monitoring temperatures and power output values - everything's fine
- stress-testing CPU/GPU
- clearing content of the temp folder
- repairing Windows 10
- Steam file integrity check (apparently Steam fails to validate one file everytime a crash occurs)

I might be forgetting a few ones, it has been a troobleshooting heavy week ^^.

Here are my system specs :
CPU : Ryzen 5 3600X
MB : X570UD
Windows 10 professional 22H2
32 Go RAM
GPU : RX 6800 XT
PSU : Corsair TX750M

And here is the latest event viewer report :

Faulting application name: eldenring.exe, version: 1.9.1.0, time stamp: 0x642e6380
Faulting module name: eldenring.exe, version: 1.9.1.0, time stamp: 0x642e6380
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x0000000001bb0944
Faulting process id: 0x21bc
Faulting application start time: 0x01d9a37e92783b89
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ELDEN RING\Game\eldenring.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ELDEN RING\Game\eldenring.exe
Report Id: d266ba70-ec32-42b2-8e75-bdaf9b966cf8
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:

At this point I'm starting to consider a complete reinstall of windows (which hasn't happened in a while), but I'd rather avoid it since it would be a real pain. Any help would be appreciated ^^

[dark-breed]

Could be a Windows damage, a c++ redistributable damage, the use of specific gpu driver optimisations, game file damage and finally a directx damage.

You could try to do a complete System repair (except directx).


Reinstall the game

Do this in one run

Open command prompt as Administrator and run

dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
After this is finished
Sfc /scannow

Reinstall/repair c++ redistributables
https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x86.exe
Restart Windows
https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe
Restart Windows
Delete temporary files and shader Cache

If the problem appears again at this point there are two possible options:

-The directx is damaged or get manipulated by a Background app
-instable overclock/undervolt or the use of Tools like process lasso

[Fenrir Lelourd]

Hi Dark-breed, thanks for your answer.
I already tried reinstalling the game and doing a system repair, but that was on separate occasions. I will try the complete sequence in one go, as suggested and report back (probably won't have time for that before this WE though).

For the record, everything is running on standard settings here, no over/underclock, and I don't use Process lasso.

[dark-breed]

Originally posted by Fenrir Lelourd:

Hi Dark-breed, thanks for your answer.
I already tried reinstalling the game and doing a system repair, but that was on separate occasions. I will try the complete sequence in one go, as suggested and report back (probably won't have time for that before this WE though).

For the record, everything is running on standard settings here, no over/underclock, and I don't use Process lasso.

so no EXPO profile in use ?

finally if this does not solve the problem, there are only two things left (so far no background app interfer with directx or the game), a hardware problem or a damage at directx 12 and a complete clean windows installation would be needed to find out if it is a hardware related problem or a damage at direct 12 (sadly there is no way to reinstall directx 12_0/12_1 featurelevels and if a damage in some way at a directx process is the cause the windows installation would be damaged in a way where no repair is possible)

[Wimpzilla aka gRAVE]

Is this issue occuring only when playing elden ring?

0xc00005 memory access violation, points toward a program memory access fault, or a memory hardware fault.
I checked the Fault offset: 0x0000000001bb0944 on google, no result known, which mean that it is not a common place where the program usually crash.

You already checked a lot of things, not much i can add to the list, aside keeping windows up to date, and trying with only one monitor, if using a dual screen setup.

The next step would be to check in depth the crash file using WinDbg, the windows debugger tool.

[SenMithrarin85]

Originally posted by Wimpzilla aka gRAVE:

Is this issue occuring only when playing elden ring?

0xc00005 memory access violation, points toward a program memory access fault, or a memory hardware fault.
I checked the Fault offset: 0x0000000001bb0944 on google, no result known, which mean that it is not a common place where the program usually crash.

You already checked a lot of things, not much i can add to the list, aside keeping windows up to date, and trying with only one monitor, if using a dual screen setup.

The next step would be to check in depth the crash file using WinDbg, the windows debugger tool.

that error is pretty common. I have several games (bamco ironically) that log that error in windows each time they're closed down. Nothing ive tried has fixed them and google is absolutely useless

[dark-breed]

Originally posted by SenMithrarin85:

Originally posted by Wimpzilla aka gRAVE:

Is this issue occuring only when playing elden ring?

0xc00005 memory access violation, points toward a program memory access fault, or a memory hardware fault.
I checked the Fault offset: 0x0000000001bb0944 on google, no result known, which mean that it is not a common place where the program usually crash.

You already checked a lot of things, not much i can add to the list, aside keeping windows up to date, and trying with only one monitor, if using a dual screen setup.

The next step would be to check in depth the crash file using WinDbg, the windows debugger tool.

that error is pretty common. I have several games (bamco ironically) that log that error in windows each time they're closed down. Nothing ive tried has fixed them and google is absolutely useless

To analyse such errors (i do not think you get the same error, this is impossible) it needs some tech knowledge and you can not google such stuff.

[Fenrir Lelourd]

I read somewhere that the Fault offset code could give some pointers as to what would cause the issue, but it seems to be a different one everytime.

And yes, I might have forgotten to mention it : the problem only occurs with Elden Ring. I installed Nioh 2 a couple of days ago (someone needs to get beaten up here I know), a few hours in and its running flawlessly.
Funny thing : everytime ER crashes, it seems that Steam integrity check fails to validate the same 1,5 Mo file and needs to redownload it. It doesn't prevent launching the game, I can't figure out what it is though.

[LA FIEBRE MOSTAZA]

Hi! Sorry if I bother, but I hasnt played ER since a couple of months, and now when I play it it keeps crashing, or being more specific, just closing. No error code, no nothing. Sometimes it just freezes then closese, and others it just closes. Anyone got this issue? I'm in Liurnia, if that could be something (pardon my english, im from argentina)

[dark-breed]

Originally posted by LA FIEBRE MOSTAZA:

Hi! Sorry if I bother, but I hasnt played ER since a couple of months, and now when I play it it keeps crashing, or being more specific, just closing. No error code, no nothing. Sometimes it just freezes then closese, and others it just closes. Anyone got this issue? I'm in Liurnia, if that could be something (pardon my english, im from argentina)

deactivate raytracing.

[LA FIEBRE MOSTAZA]

Raytracing is off, and I didnt played the game since this raytracing patch was added (a couple of months I guess). I'll try to run an older gpu driver (RX 6600 XT; R5 3600; 16ram 3000mhz)

[dark-breed]

Originally posted by LA FIEBRE MOSTAZA:

Raytracing is off, and I didnt played the game since this raytracing patch was added (a couple of months I guess). I'll try to run an older gpu driver (RX 6600 XT; R5 3600; 16ram 3000mhz)

verify gamefiles, restart windows, verify again
if the problem persists i need the windows event log about the crash

[Wimpzilla aka gRAVE]

Originally posted by Fenrir Lelourd:

I read somewhere that the Fault offset code could give some pointers as to what would cause the issue, but it seems to be a different one everytime.

And yes, I might have forgotten to mention it : the problem only occurs with Elden Ring. I installed Nioh 2 a couple of days ago (someone needs to get beaten up here I know), a few hours in and its running flawlessly.
Funny thing : everytime ER crashes, it seems that Steam integrity check fails to validate the same 1,5 Mo file and needs to redownload it. It doesn't prevent launching the game, I can't figure out what it is though.

Fault offset is what differentiate the different kind of 0xc00005 memory access violation.
In your case, this offset is not known, which means, for example, it's not a known gpu or windows fault offset issues.

And, as rightly pointed out by Dark-Breed, usually you want to reinstall the C++ redistributable, the DX files, and .net framework files.

You can start by checking the content_log.txt in steam/logs/, it should provide the name of the file that always fail to validate.

Googling around and looking at your symptoms, i would suppose that something is bothering the elden ring install, as the anti-cheat, the antivirus, elden ring mods, issues with files rights ownership.

[dark-breed]

Originally posted by Wimpzilla aka gRAVE:

Originally posted by Fenrir Lelourd:

I read somewhere that the Fault offset code could give some pointers as to what would cause the issue, but it seems to be a different one everytime.

And yes, I might have forgotten to mention it : the problem only occurs with Elden Ring. I installed Nioh 2 a couple of days ago (someone needs to get beaten up here I know), a few hours in and its running flawlessly.
Funny thing : everytime ER crashes, it seems that Steam integrity check fails to validate the same 1,5 Mo file and needs to redownload it. It doesn't prevent launching the game, I can't figure out what it is though.

Fault offset is what differentiate the different kind of 0xc00005 memory access violation.
In your case, this offset is not known, which mean, for example, it's not a known gpu or windows fault offset issues.

And as rightly pointed out by Dark-Breed, usually you want to reinstall the C++ redistributable, the DX files, and .net framework files.

You can start by checking the content_log.txt in steam/logs/, it should provide the name of the file that always fail to validate.

Googling around and looking at your symptoms, i would suppose that something is bothering the elden ring install as the anti-cheat, the antivirus, elden ring mods, issues with files right ownership.

sadly there is no way to reinstall directx 12_0 and 12_1, what means if there the problem is located the windows is doomed to a complete wipe

[JellyPuff]

That error-code also pops up in Event-Viewer, when the game crashes, due to the pagefile not being large enough or there not being enough space on the drive for it. The game's memory-management is not optimized at all and needs the pagefile for some reason, which can get fairly large during gameplay.

If you have set a custom pagefile-size in Windows, try setting it back to "System-Managed". If it is already and the volume with the system-managed pagefile (<C:\> by default) is close to being full, try freeing up some space on that drive.

[Fenrir Lelourd]

Thanks for the input Jellypuff, it was already on "system managed", I tried manually specifying a 20Go pagefile a few days ago, but unfortunately no improvement there.

Dark-Breed contacted me this morning to try a bunch of things including C++ redistributables repair and getting rid of potential culprits in the task manager, I just gave it a try but the game crashed almost instantly.
I am planning on doing a fresh install of Windows in the near future anyway, so I won't spend more time trying to solve the problem for now, hopefully a clean Windows installation will fix it.

And if it doesn't, well...let's not think about that ^^