acer A514-52K-30NA keeps freezing / locking up even after reinstall.

I have an acer aspire 5 a514-54 that keeps freezing and need to a hard reboot every time. I have reinstalled the OS numerous times. Swapped the hard drive with a mechanical and SSD, same thing. Drivers are from ACER and tried windows provided drivers via windows update, same thing. Had another memory stick in it but with or without it same thing. If I leave it alone, it will freeze and lock up. Funny thing is in safe mode, i have left it alone for almost the whole day and it did not lock up. One thing that can recreate the lock up consistently is exporting a video project from capcut but the lock ups happen any time even when not in use (like downloading files, simple browsing, watching youtube videos, etc). Event logs do not point to anything but a critical messages saying that the computer was not shut down correctly. Some DCOM errors. Temperature readings do not indicate over heating and I have also replaced the thermal paste. Any help or suggestions would be helpful. Using windows 10 as this laptop cannot run on windows 11.

[Edited the thread to add model name to the title]

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StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/695882/acer-aspire-5-a514-54-keeps-freezing-locking-up-even-after-reinstall

Have you tried to update the bios to the last bios version as that could stop the freezing. As those freezes happen for a reason and it could come from a driver not being installed, install the IRST (Intel® Rapid Storage Technology) Driver version 18.6.1.1016 for your A514-54 laptop as your boot OS drive should be running on the PCIe3x4 M.2 SSD drive and this Intel driver could rectify your drive problems.

Also and if the basic drive installation that you should have doesn't solve that freezing problem, then you could have a faulty IO chip or even a bios chip which can be reprogrammed or changed but if its the Chipset chip then you need a new mainboard as they are virtually impossible to find and change. Also, this Aspire A514-54 should be running on Win-11 as all its Acer drivers are for Win-11, so be aware of that also and running Win-10 could contribute to the laptop freezing.

Worht

Thanks for the response StevenGen. Sorry the model number is an A514-52K-30NA. The bios version is the latest as per the ACER website. The IRST drivers have been all installed via win update and ACER drivers via the site. Although there is a generic software component that I could not identify and install the drivers from, other than that, all drivers have been installed correctly or have been updated by windows. Should I check around the Intel site for IRST drivers and install them instead?

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1244864#Comment_1244864

Are you perhaps running Windows10 in S mode: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-and-windows-11-in-s-mode-faq-851057d6-1ee9-b9e5-c30b-93baebeebc85#WindowsVersion=Windows_10?
Open the Problem reports in Reliability History that will tell you what Kernel issues you had when crashing. I would boot to Safe Mode and see if that hangs, if OK it is probably a display driver problem. To find out what driver/service is hanging run Safe (Clean) Boot with MSconfig.exe, google how to debug BSOD/hanging with Clean Boot in MSconfig.exe.

Worht

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1244883#Comment_1244883

Thanks for the reply Puraw. No, the laptop is not in S mode. I have run it in safe mode and i have not run into any lock up issues. I have tried running the native windows, ACER provided and Windows updated display drivers and all crashed at some point in my using the laptop. In testing all, I have reinstalled the OS every TS step so as to isolate 3rd party programs.

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1244991#Comment_1244991

Acer states that this model comes pre-installed with Windows10 in S mode, that's why I asked. Did you open the Problem Reports in Reliability History, copy the last one at the time of freezing to Notepad and paste it in your reply, type @Puraw at the top or click on Quote. You may have a mismatch of drivers swapping the mechanical HHD and SSD drives. The fact that Windows10 updates all crash indicates a driver or BIOS problem: If this is a 2020 laptop, consider bringing it to Acer Services in your country to reset the system to factory defaults for a small service fee ($25 in the Philippines). 😉

Worht

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1245013#Comment_1245013

Hi Puraw, I have already used 3 HDs (1 SSD). and when putting in an HD, I reinstall the OS.

Here is one before the Crash but it also occurred 3 other times during the day. This is a new one for today.

Source
IntelAudioService

Summary
Stopped working

Date
‎12/‎2/‎2023 9:46 AM

Status
Report sent

Description
Faulting Application Path: C:\Windows\System32\cAVS\Intel(R) Audio Service\IntelAudioService.exe

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: IntelAudioService.exe
Application Version: 1.0.152.0
Application Timestamp: 5bd0d480
Fault Module Name: StackHash_c1c2
Fault Module Version: 0.0.0.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 00000000
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: PCH_C2_FROM_ntdll+0x000000000009DB34
OS Version: 10.0.19045.2.0.0.768.100
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: c1c2
Additional Information 2: c1c2e544768f004e2ce093ab4a718788
Additional Information 3: 5d4f
Additional Information 4: 5d4feef1186613d859d278874b1bd4bd

Extra information about the problem
Bucket ID: c7ff4ccb2e2e065d4febbd9c46a26dea (2300140513600368106)

and here is the message after the crash

The previous system shutdown at 8:11:16 AM on ‎12/‎2/‎2023 was unexpected.

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1245069#Comment_1245069

You can do 2 things, try to debug the system hanging yourself or bring the laptop to Acer Services in your country.
Debugging is tedious requiring systematic procedures with a lot of patience, if you think you are up to it read this:
https://www.guidingtech.com/a-complete-guide-to-using-system-configuration-tool-on-windows-11/ Skip the Advanced Boot option that tweaks RAM and the kernel. The idea is that you first disable all the non-Windows services and Apply that, reboot; this will be similar to Safe Mode only that the settings remain permanent even if you reboot till you disable Safe boot and click on Apply. Then enable one-by-one or more services at the time, if you know what services won't cause the issue, and click on Apply. Reboot each time till a program hangs/freezes and then in Windows Services you either disable the problem driver/service or change it to Manual start.

Pedros123

If your Acer A514-52K-30NA laptop crashes or freezes even after a clean OS reinstall, there could be several underlying issues besides software ones. First, it's important to check for hardware issues, such as a failing hard drive (especially a traditional hard drive), faulty RAM, or overheating. You can run built-in diagnostics or third-party tools like MemTest86 for memory and CrystalDiskInfo for hard drive health to rule these out. Additionally, overheating can cause system instability, so make sure the cooling system is clean and the vents are not obstructed.

patcummins9711

It sounds like you've done thorough troubleshooting already. Since the issue doesn't occur in Safe Mode, it may be related to a driver, background service, or power setting. Try doing a clean boot to isolate background processes or consider testing with a Linux live USB to rule out hardware instability outside Windows.

rosepetal

If your Acer A514-52K-30NA keeps freezing even after a reinstall, it could be due to faulty RAM, overheating, outdated drivers, or a failing SSD. Run memory and disk diagnostics, update BIOS and drivers, and monitor temperatures. Hardware issues are often the culprit if clean installs don’t solve the problem..

Extra with example:
For example, if the laptop locks up during light tasks like browsing or Word processing, try running Windows Memory Diagnostic to check for bad RAM, or use CrystalDiskInfo to inspect SSD health. One user fixed a similar issue by replacing a faulty M.2 SSD that passed basic checks but caused random freezes.

zaid_34

Since your Acer A514-52K-30NA runs fine in Safe Mode but keeps freezing during regular use, this strongly suggests a driver or background service issue rather than hardware failure. One key step is to disable IntelAudioService, as it showed up in your crash logs and might be triggering instability—go to services.msc, locate it, and disable it completely.

Also, disable Fast Startup via Power Options, as it can cause lockups on some systems with hybrid boot enabled. Run Windows Memory Diagnostic and use CrystalDiskInfo to check for SSD health problems. In Device Manager, enable “Show hidden devices” and remove any grayed-out or ghost drivers. If none of that helps, try booting into a Linux Live USB (like Ubuntu or Mint) and use the system for a few hours—if it freezes there too, it likely points to failing hardware like the RAM slot, SSD port, or chipset. Otherwise, it's likely Windows-related.

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