Think of what you ran just before the crash: CPU-Z, Speccy, HWMonitor-style tools, RGB or fan controllers. Update them to the latest version or uninstall them. Use the minidump to find the exact driver if you're unsure.

SECURE_PCI_CONFIG_SPACE_ACCESS_VIOLATION, explained

On PCs with virtualization-based security (VBS) and a supporting BIOS, Windows blocks drivers from mapping PCI configuration space directly; they must use the proper bus interface. Drivers that bypass it trigger SECURE_PCI_CONFIG_SPACE_ACCESS_VIOLATION.

Reported cases include older CPU-Z and Speccy drivers. Microsoft's documentation lists this as bug check 0x1EA.

Symptoms

  • Blue screen with “SECURE_PCI_CONFIG_SPACE_ACCESS_VIOLATION”.
  • Crash right after opening a system-information or monitoring tool.

What causes SECURE_PCI_CONFIG_SPACE_ACCESS_VIOLATION

  • Outdated hardware-monitoring or tuning drivers.
  • Other drivers accessing PCI config space incorrectly.

Try these fixes

  1. Remove or update monitoring toolsUninstall or update CPU-Z, Speccy, older hardware monitors and RGB/fan utilities.
  2. Find the driverOpen the newest file in C:\Windows\Minidump with WinDbg and run !analyze -v; the named .sys file is the culprit.
  3. Update drivers and BIOSInstall current chipset drivers and BIOS.
  4. Keep security features onTurning off Memory Integrity/VBS can stop the crash, but it lowers protection. Prefer updating or removing the driver.
How to tell it worked: The tool or workload that triggered it no longer crashes Windows.

Avoiding it in future

Use up-to-date monitoring tools from their official sites.