One place you can look for driver changes is in Device Manager.  There is a tab called 'Events' that lists time stamped changes to the device such as driver updates.

My device events lists always seem to reset to begin from the date of my last major Win 10 update, such as the date I upgraded to Creators Update here.  Any other changes following that date should be listed as well.  Windows can and does update some drivers if it thinks a newer one is the best, but I typically only see this during the major feature updates where it seems to refresh the drivers.

One possible issue is that your PC may run better with the original OEM or 3rd party drivers from your manufacturers site.  You could always compare the original versions available for download from your PC support site with the ones installed by Windows.

Microsoft does get drivers from the device manufacturers, as it does not write device specific drivers.  The drivers signed by Microsoft are usually generic drivers that will work, but not always optimal for your hardware configuration.  Sometimes they are all that is available for your OS, especially if you are running older hardware with the latest Windows.

This free utility shows info for all the drivers installed.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/driverview.html
 

If crash dumps are enabled on your computer, you should see some .dmp files in the crash dump directory: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump
 
You can download this free utility WhoCrashed that will analyze your blue screen dumps and let you know if it concludes that any particular 3rd party drivers are at fault. Just scroll down the report screen for the dump analysis and conclusion.
http://www.resplendence.com/downloads
 
 

This is the setting in 'System Properties > Startup and Recovery' to enable the crash mini dumps if they are not already setup,  Select 'Small Memory Dump', rather than automatic memory dump, and ensure that it is set to go to the Minidump folder.  This will enable WhoCrashed to analyze any existing or future blue screen crashes.
 

 

Also check 'Advanced Power Settings' via Control Panel.  There is a setting for 'USB Selective Suspend'.  Make sure that is disabled.  I have seen some reports that can cause problems.
 
The thing is, you may have checked power settings in the past, but a Microsoft update could have switched them back to defaults.
 

Blimey! Thanks for all that John... Quite a bit to take in...
 
cheers,
 
andy
 
 

Try a different USB port for all your USB things.
 
Unplug everything not required <Printers or whatever>
 
See if you can replicate with your interface off.
 
See if you can replicate with your USB in a different USB port.

gswitz
Try a different USB port for all your USB things.
 
Unplug everything not required <Printers or whatever>
 
See if you can replicate with your interface off.
 
See if you can replicate with your USB in a different USB port.

Okay, Geoff, will do.
 
Not that I have much connected.
 
My laptop has one USB 2 port, which I always use for my OCTA-CAPTURE, because that is what you are always told to do for some reason.
 
I then have three USB 3 ports.
 
I connect my BENQ monitor, which acts as a USB hub, to the third USB 3 port and then I plug my keyboard and mouse into that, as well as my laptop cooler base. So, perhaps there is a problem here somewhere.
 
The reason I do that is because I need a port to connect my MOTU MIDI interface and my Keystep into, although, at the time of the crashes, the MIDI interface and Keystep were not connected.
 
 
cheers, and thanks again for your input.
 
andy

All good suggestions here! 
 
When you get around to running the crash dump tool, let me know what it says.  It may point to a specific driver as the likely suspect.  That is the first thing I look at when I have a rare crash!
 
Or if your USB device power saving settings were causing the issue before, maybe you are good to go now!  Let's hope so! 

I'd try simplifying however it makes sense.
 
Trying only using your laptop and the octa-capture might be one way to simplify.
 
If you can simplify it to the point where you don't have the problem, then grow back, adding things one at a time and testing until you discover if you have a bad item.
 
Is your monitor plugged into the same power-strip as your laptop? It shouldn't matter, but having a single path to ground might help reduce grounding issues.
 
If you aren't getting anything in your system logs about over-heating, and it sounds like you are not, then your problem may have to do with power saving features on some of your devices.
 
This is a video in which I show how to check items in device manager for power saving settings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOVuzOja-yE