Severe system freezes / kernel deadlocks caused by Razer Synapse on Windows 11 25H2 (Build 26200) | Razer Insider
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Severe system freezes / kernel deadlocks caused by Razer Synapse on Windows 11 25H2 (Build 26200)

  • January 16, 2026
  • 0 replies
  • 11 views

LasseXTC

Hello everyone,

I would like to share a serious stability issue related to Razer Synapse, which caused severe system freezes and kernel deadlocks on two completely different PCs.

I’m posting this both as a bug report and as a warning for other users, because the symptoms strongly resemble hardware failure and are extremely hard to diagnose.

Systems affected

  • OS: Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (Build 26200)

  • Two independent systems

  • Completely different hardware (CPU, motherboard, RAM, GPU all different)

  • The only common factor on both systems was Razer Synapse

Symptoms

On both systems, the following issues occurred randomly (idle and under load):

  • Full system freezes / kernel deadlocks

  • Black screens on all monitors

  • LiveKernelEvents (e.g. 141, a2000002)

  • GPU sometimes not detected after reboot (Device Manager error Code 31)

  • Forced reboots instead of clean BSODs

  • Crash dumps often could not be written (deadlock during crash path)

The behavior looked exactly like failing hardware.

Hardware exclusion (important)

Extensive testing was done to rule out hardware defects:

Inside Windows:

  • BIOS reset to defaults (no overclocking)

  • Different PCIe generations tested

  • Multiple RAM configurations tested, MemTest passed

  • GPU drivers fully removed (DDU) and reinstalled

  • Temperatures and voltages normal

Outside Windows (key point):

  • Full hardware testing using Hiren’s Boot CD

  • CPU stress test at 100% load outside the Windows environment

    • Stable operation, ~60 °C

    • No freezes, no crashes

  • No issues at all outside Windows

No reproducible hardware defect could be found on either system.

Critical observation

After completely removing Razer Synapse, including:

  • Software

  • Services

  • Drivers

  • Device Manager entries

  • Driver cleanup tools

Both systems became fully stable:

  • No more freezes

  • No LiveKernelEvents

  • No black screens

  • GPU initializes correctly every time

  • Stable under heavy load and normal daily usage

This behavior is reproducible on both systems.

Conclusion

Based on:

  • Cross-system reproducibility

  • Full stability after removing Synapse

  • Successful hardware tests outside Windows

  • Kernel-level deadlock behavior instead of clean bug checks

This strongly suggests a serious compatibility or driver issue in Razer Synapse with Windows 11 25H2 (Build 26200).

It appears very likely that a kernel-level driver or filter component of Synapse can cause system-wide deadlocks under certain conditions.

Why I’m posting this

I am not asking for compensation or blaming hardware.
I am posting this to:

  • Make Razer aware of a potentially critical issue

  • Help other users who may be troubleshooting similar “hardware-like” crashes

  • Encourage investigation by the Synapse development team

Once Synapse was removed, both systems have remained stable.

Thank you for reading and for any feedback from Razer staff or other affected users.

Best regards
Lasse