Causes for 8E
Usual causes: Insufficient disk space, Device driver, Video card, BIOS, Breakpoint in startup without having a debugger attached, Hardware incompatibility, Faulty system service, 3rd party remote control, Memory
Causes for A
Usual causes: Kernel mode driver, System Service, BIOS, Windows, Virus scanner, Backup tool, compatibility
It could very well be a driver, but when you get different causes for the same problem, its usually hardware.
If it is the graphics card its most likely the driver and not the card per se. Update driver.If you have the most current roll back to previous, at least for a test. Go to company website and not Windows updater.