r/techsupport • u/Flimsy-Usual8891 • 0m ago
Open | Software Windows 11 briefly freezes, mouse and audio stop responding, and Xbox Game Bar repeatedly crashes. Anyone else experiencing this recently?
Just a heads-up, this is going to be a fairly long post, but I want to be as detailed and precise as possible about what I've experienced. Hopefully, the extra information will help others recognize similar issues or narrow down what might be causing them.
Hi everyone!
I'm trying to figure out whether I'm experiencing a Windows or Xbox Game Bar issue, a graphics driver problem, or potentially something wrong with my laptop.
I recently purchased a high-end ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 gaming laptop, and over the past few days I've experienced a couple of unusual freezes. I've also noticed that Xbox Game Bar has repeatedly been crashing or becoming unresponsive according to Windows Reliability Monitor.
I've searched online and found people describing similar problems, but many discussions are several years old. I'm particularly interested in hearing whether anyone has experienced something similar recently.
My laptop specifications:
- Model: ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2026), G835LWG-TQ285W
- CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU, 16 GB GDDR7, up to 175 W
- RAM: 64 GB DDR5-6400
- Storage: 2 TB NVMe RAID 0
- Display: 18-inch 3840 × 2400 Mini LED, 240 Hz
- Operating system: Windows 11
- GPU configuration: NVIDIA Advanced Optimus / MUX switch
- Power: Always plugged in when gaming
Windows, NVIDIA graphics drivers and the laptop BIOS have all been updated recently.
Issue 1: Temporary system freezes
I've experienced two similar incidents over the past few days.
First incident:
I was playing Satisfactory on my laptop's internal display while watching a YouTube stream on an external monitor.
Suddenly, the system appeared to freeze for approximately one second. The audio stopped, and my mouse seemed to become unresponsive before suddenly jumping forward.
Everything returned to normal almost immediately, and I continued using the laptop without further problems.
I checked Windows Reliability Monitor afterward, but the only warning I initially found was an unsuccessful Microsoft GameInput installation with error code 1603. I don't know whether that was related.
Second incident (October 26):
I was watching a YouTube video when the video suddenly froze.
I pressed Space because I initially thought I might have accidentally paused it, but nothing happened. I then tried moving my mouse, but the cursor didn't respond.
A moment later, the system became responsive again. The YouTube video paused, apparently registering my earlier Space keypress, and the mouse cursor suddenly moved.
I immediately opened Windows Reliability Monitor and found a critical event involving Xbox Game Bar at 18:39, which was very close to when the freeze occurred.
The error details were:
- Application: Xbox Game Bar
- Problem: Stopped responding and was closed
- Problem Event Name: MoAppHang
- Application: GameBar.exe
- Package: Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay
- Application version: 7.326.8061.0
- Date: October 26, 2026, 18:39
Looking back through Reliability Monitor, I noticed that Game Bar has repeatedly been crashing or hanging over the past several days.
I cannot confirm whether Game Bar is causing the freezes or simply becoming unresponsive because something else is happening.
Issue 2: Cyberpunk 2077 graphical corruption and severe FPS drop
I also experienced a strange graphical problem while playing Cyberpunk 2077 on October 25.
The game was initially running normally at approximately 80–100 FPS.
Suddenly, certain parts of the game's graphics became black, and my FPS dropped dramatically to around 20–25.
The game remained playable, and its underlying logic appeared to continue functioning normally, but everything felt unusually slow, almost worse than the reported 20–25 FPS.
Interestingly, when I alt-tabbed out of Cyberpunk, Windows itself was completely responsive.
I could open my browser, watch YouTube and use the laptop normally without any noticeable performance issues.
However, as soon as I returned to Cyberpunk, the graphical corruption and severe FPS drop were still present.
I eventually closed Cyberpunk and launched it again. Everything immediately returned to normal.
I subsequently played several other games that day without experiencing any problems.
I also noticed a Game Bar crash recorded on the same day, although I haven't established whether it happened at the same time as the Cyberpunk incident.
I'm not necessarily assuming these two problems are related, but I thought it was worth mentioning both.
Additional information
I generally run the laptop in ASUS Armoury Crate's higher-performance modes, which allow increased power consumption and more aggressive fan cooling.
I haven't manually overclocked the CPU or GPU.
The laptop is designed for high-performance gaming, and I haven't experienced any consistent performance issues, unexpected shutdowns or blue screens.
Apart from these incidents, the system has been running extremely well.
What I'm trying to find out
Has anyone else experienced any of the following recently?
- Xbox Game Bar repeatedly crashing or hanging in Windows Reliability Monitor, even when you're not actively using its overlay.
- Brief system freezes where video and mouse input stop responding, followed by delayed input being registered when the system recovers.
- Similar problems on newer ASUS ROG laptops or systems using NVIDIA RTX 50-series GPUs.
- Sudden graphical corruption and severe FPS drops in Cyberpunk 2077 that disappear completely after restarting the game.
I'm particularly interested in whether this could be related to a recent Windows update, NVIDIA driver update or Xbox Game Bar update.
I'm planning to investigate Event Viewer and test whether disabling Game Bar makes any difference, but I'd really appreciate hearing whether anyone else has encountered similar symptoms.
Thanks in advance!