Windows 10 CTD

[Joat_Mon]

For those of you using Win 10 1703 & up that have experienced random CTD's that don't have any apparent cause:

 

I suggest that you disconnect any external drives and thumb drives that are connected via USB, also remove any disks from your optical disk drive, while gaming.

 

Microsoft has changed some of the ways it touches/handles removable drives in a way that appears to lead to a CTD if it happens while you are in game.

[deltaminds]

What exactly is a CTD?

[GSDFan]

A CDT is a "Crash to the Windows Desktop" while in the game. Basically your game disappears and you are left looking at your wallpaper.

[justjam]

So that's the reason why my PC games crashed for no apparent reason. I thought my laptop had a major problem.

[Shadriss]

No... it's ONE possible problem. There are a large number of things that can cause it... the OP just named one that worked in his particular case. Depending on which game, how it's installed, and what mods you have installed, there's a large number of other possible reasons as well... very few of them OS related. Most relate to memory in some way (though not so much in SSE or, likely, FO4). So, which the OP was able to solve his CTD problems this way, this is very much a YMMV situation.