Windows 10: Desktop Windows Manager crashes due to DirectX bug

[German]The known bugs in Windows 10 somehow don't comes to an end. Currently Microsoft has to deal with the problem that the Windows Manager crashes because of a DirectX error.

The Desktop Windows Manager (DWM)

The Desktop Window Manager (DWM) was introduced with Windows Vista. The Windows Desktop Composition Service forces applications to draw pixels in video memory instead of the primary display device. It then renders a desktop image, which is then displayed on the screen, possibly after applying visual effects and animations.

Desktop Windows Manager (DWM) crashes

However, some users know the effect that the Desktop Windows Manager (DWM) crashes. You can also kill the DWM in Task Manager – then all visual effects on the desktop are lost. Some users, however, experience the effect that the DWM continuously crashes in Windows 10, as Microsoft explains in this support article from June 24, 2020. In the article titled DWM.exe process stops responding when you repeatedly close and open the lid in Windows 10, Microsoft states when the crashes can occur.

Scenario 1

• You plug a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) monitor into a laptop computer that is running Windows 10.
• The monitor is configured to operate at 4K resolution.
• You repeatedly play a 4K H264 video in Movies & TV on the computer.
• In Control Panel, you open the Advanced settings screen of the Power Options item, and then you set Lid close action as Do nothing.
• While the 4K video is playing back, you repeatedly close and open the computer lid.

Scenario 2

• You connect two 4K monitors to a Thunderbolt 3 docking station.
• You connect a laptop that has a 4K solution monitor to the docking station, and then you configure a triple 4K display configuration in either "clone" or "extend" mode.
• You repeatedly undock and redock the laptop.

These are 'exotic' conditions, but then DWM crashes. This problem occurs with all Windows 10 versions. The cause is a problem in the Microsoft DirectX Video Memory Management (Dxgmms2.sys) component, which is not a hardware problem. Microsoft is working on a fix for this bug. (via)