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Recurring "0x00000124" BlueScreen after several troubleshooting measures
Recurring "0x00000124" BlueScreen after several troubleshooting measures
- Hi everyone, I've been having a recurring BlueScreen for a couple of months now, and after trying several things to fix it, it still occurs.
Here are my computer specs; I built it myself:
Antec 500W EarthWatts PSU
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Motherboard
Intel Q6600 @ 2.40GHz (Stock Voltage)
2GB DDR2 1066 G.SKILL RAM
Sapphire ATI HD4850
160GB Seagate HDD
Rosewill PCI Wi-Fi card
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
If I've left anything out, please tell me.
This BlueScreen happens at random times. I've had it while browsing the internet, playing games, and just being at my desktop. Here are the things I've done to try and fix it:
- Downloaded the Microsoft hotfix for the STOP code. (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/952681 )
- Analyzed the DMP files with WinDbg, but each time it points to a different process. (left4dead.exe, firefox.exe, avgsrvca.exe, and sometimes just System)
- Gotten the latest drivers for my PCI Wi-Fi card, which may be the problem.
- Updated my BIOS for my Gigabyte Motherboard, and updated/uninstalled Gigabyte's Energy Saver Utility. (GSvr.exe)
- Ran a test with memtest86+ to check for RAM errors, but no errors were found.
- Disabled "C1E" in my BIOS. (http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1451968&SiteID=17 )
- Attempted to install Microsoft's Intel Chipset Reliability Update, which failed. "This update does not apply to your system". (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/936357/en-us )
- Lastly, I reinstalled Windows Vista about a week ago. While it was setting up things for my desktop, (the point where the helpful graphics tell about certain Vista features and below there's a progress bar) I received a BlueScreen with the same STOP code. Edit: This is WinSat.
Other people claim it has to do with audio devices. My motherboard has support for Realtek HD Audio Output, so I'm using speakers through a jack. Regardless, I do have the newest Realtek drivers.
In addition, the Microsoft Hotfix has pointed to PCI cards being the problem. I've used two Wi-Fi cards in this computer, (one and then the other, never both at once), and both have caused a problem, even with updated drivers. As I said, the Hotfix did not help.
My computer runs extremely well besides this small detail, but it's the kind of thing I'd really love to fix, because at some point I'll lose some sort of work from the crash, etc.
I'm able to provide more information if you need it. If you have any tip for me, that would be fantastic. Thanks in advance!
FINAL EDIT: Due to the length of this topic, I'm posting the resolution here. After around four months of troubleshooting, the 0x00000124 "The system has encountered an uncorrectable hardware error" BlueScreen was caused by a faulty Intel Q6600 processor . If you're having this sort of trouble and nothing else works, this could be the problem.- ModificatoCurlyCarlos lunedì 1 giugno 2009 13.47One day, others will read this looking for answers and I added in that the time during the install where it BlueScreen'd was WinSat.
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos domenica 13 settembre 2009 2.22
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Hello Alex, I see that some folks have tried to help. I admire that they root this whole post and try to help. Unfortunately, we pretty much have it down to the processor. It’s an unusual fault, but nonetheless, that seems to be the case. Your best bet, at this point, is to find another suitable processor and substitute with that. You’ll probably need an adjusted chipset as well. That’s the only way we can rule out the processor. I know it seems cruel and unfair but, there it is.
This is worth the read:
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/sys/crash.htm
I was following that from here:
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/comp/mbsys/gen_Failure.htm
It all seems to point at the CPU. You should note that a complete rebuild is probably not in the future, just replacement of failed parts. One in particular, and it’s not likely your mother board.
I still don’t know why Verifier can do what it does. I am now of the opinion that this tool is rather formidable in scope (much more so than I originally believed). It would appear that this tool is capable of drilling through the system and causing anything that can fail, to do so.
Your friend,
Avatar
- Contrassegnato come rispostaCurlyCarlos sabato 12 settembre 2009 21.41
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- Hello CurlyCarlos,
Thank you for posting. You were very thurough in your post. With the exception of the exact model of your PCI card and the bluescreen error, you gave me about all the information I need to offer you the best advice. I highly suggest that you vist the manufacter's support site of your PCI Wi-Fi card and get the latest compatible drivers for Vista 64 bit. You don't really have to worry about having more than one network card install at the same time. I personally have 3 in my machine, one of them PCI Wi-FI card, and they all work together perfectly. Til you can get the correct drivers, let's try to uninstall the cards and test your system for reliability.
Please let me know if this helps you.
Zack
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think. Hello CurlyCarlos,
Thanks for the reply! Regardless of whether they're newer than what I have or not, I installed the latest drivers from Rosewill's website. If you want or need it, the model is the RNX-G300EX.
Thank you for posting. You were very thurough in your post. With the exception of the exact model of your PCI card and the bluescreen error, you gave me about all the information I need to offer you the best advice. I highly suggest that you vist the manufacter's support site of your PCI Wi-Fi card and get the latest compatible drivers for Vista 64 bit. You don't really have to worry about having more than one network card install at the same time. I personally have 3 in my machine, one of them PCI Wi-FI card, and they all work together perfectly. Til you can get the correct drivers, let's try to uninstall the cards and test your system for reliability.
Please let me know if this helps you.
Zack
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to tell whether or not this fixed it for a little while. I thought disabling C1E had fixed it, because I hadn't had a BSoD in a couple of days, but just yesterday I got another one. So, I'll make sure to post back if I get any more crashes, but also if things seem to be running better for extended periods of time.Hello Curly,
One thing that I didn’t see in your first post is the type and amount of memory that is currently installed in your system. I also have a couple of questions about what you might have tried already.
1. Have you tried to use the clean boot process to troubleshoot items that might be causing the Blue Screen? If not us the instruction below.
How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135
2. Have you tried troubleshooting hardware such as cards installed in the system or narrowing down to specific modules of memory that might be causing an issue? While memory may not be the issue, it is important to try every avenue possible to narrow the issue down.
You may have thought of the suggested options above already but we want to suggest every possible solution before going further.
Judd
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.
Ah, I knew I forgot something. I have two strips of 1GB G.SKILL 1066 DDR2 RAM, and I know that they're installed in the correct slots. Although I haven't physically taken one out at a time to see if one causes a problem, I do know that the memtest I ran came out with no errors whatsoever.Hello Curly,
One thing that I didn’t see in your first post is the type and amount of memory that is currently installed in your system. I also have a couple of questions about what you might have tried already.
1. Have you tried to use the clean boot process to troubleshoot items that might be causing the Blue Screen? If not us the instruction below.
How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135
2. Have you tried troubleshooting hardware such as cards installed in the system or narrowing down to specific modules of memory that might be causing an issue? While memory may not be the issue, it is important to try every avenue possible to narrow the issue down.
You may have thought of the suggested options above already but we want to suggest every possible solution before going further.
Judd
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.
Currently I'm on my main laptop; the computer I built is more of a gaming one. So, normally I play it for games. This afternoon, when I have time to troubleshoot, I'll perform the clean boot and try to do different things in Vista that might cause the BSoD. But, like I said, there isn't a pattern of when they come.- Well, I came home just now and when waking up the computer, saw the login screen. I hadn't shut down the computer, and because it has happened before, I knew it was due to a crash. WinDbg points to the process "System" and the STOP code was the same as usual. I have the DMP file available if anyone would like to look at it.
Keep in mind that the BSoDs occur even without the Wi-Fi card's drivers, which makes the computer not able to "see" the card as far as I know. The next thing I'll do is use the Clean Boot, and see what happens.
EDIT: So, I booted into a Clean Boot and I'll leave it running around and such. Part of me doesn't think it will help, though.- ModificatoCurlyCarlos mercoledì 22 aprile 2009 0.02Update
- It's been a while without a BlueScreen while in the Clean Boot environment.
- Okay, back to the drawing board. Even in the clean boot environment, I got a BlueScreen. Again, it happened while I was away. WinDbg pointed to "System" as the process problem. I'm thinking it may now be the Wi-Fi card, and while it's easy to remove, I'm not sure how I'll use the computer without it. As I've said earlier, it's primarily a gaming computer, and most of the games I play with it are online ones.
If I can get any tips on where to go next, that would be fantastic. - Hello CurlyCarlos,
Thanks you for returning. I noticed that you have two strips of 1GB G.SKILL 1066 DDR2 RAM. I've seen some reports that when you have more than 2 chips of 1066 mhz ram, then the total memory bus speed while drop down to something like 1033 or 866 to keep the system stable. If you have your BIOS memory settings on something other than auto could possibly be also causing the problem. Try checking that BIOS setting and see if you still get the Blue Screen errors.
Modifying BIOS/ complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) settings incorrectly can cause serious problems that may prevent your computer from booting properly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the configuring of BIOS/CMOS settings can e solved. Modifications of the settings are at your own risk
Zack
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think. - Thanks for the reply! I've perused my BIOS and found that the only real setting pointing to the RAM (I thought I would see more, but I've looked everywhere) is the option "No-Execute Memory Protect" on Enabled. If Disabled it says it forces the NX feature flag to always return to 0.
Should I turn this off, and see if it works? Again, thanks for all of the help. - CurlyCarlos,
Modifying BIOS/ complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) settings incorrectly can cause serious problems that may prevent your computer from booting properly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the configuring of BIOS/CMOS settings can e solved. Modifications of the settings are at your own risk
Thanks for using the Answers Forum. Please let us know how this works out.
Joseph
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer
Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think. - I looked into that and decided that it wouldn't change anything. I've put a lot of work into trying to fix this bug, but I can't seem to find anything that really works. If anyone else has any ideas, please post them so I can try them. Thank you everyone for the help.
- Sorry if I'm stepping on anyone's toes here but-
C1E BIOS setting is a MB feature that conserves power. It should be safe to allow this feature as long as no other BIOS setting would be pitted against it. I would recommend that you enable/install the Gigabyte's Energy Saver Utility to allow compatibility.
The NX BIOS feature is the Data Execution Protection feature, your CPU has this feature and is worth keeping as it does some mitigation against memory being arbitrarily run in places it should not.
Since your machine BSODs in WinSat (as you explained during a recent install), the performance analyzing component of Vista, Vista sees a performance problem in your hardware-somewhere. Since my Vista machine is curently on sabbitical (one of my hard drives failed in RAID0) I have to recall this from memory, there is a folder, Performance, that has the WinSat folder and a performance assessment (in XML format). You could try reading that for clues.
Another suggestion would be to find all the default settings for your BIOS and make sure that is what is set in BIOS.
The workaround for resetting BIOS to factory defaults, if you cannot find them or cannot set them, would be to remove the battery and power up and down (allowing the system to stabilize in between) at least five times.
I have no idea if this will help but, I thought I would post it nonetheless.
One way to test memory is to do the memory dance. Start with one stick and boot, move that stick to another slot and so on till either the stick and all slots pass (which then you try the second stick, by itself, following the same procedure) or something goes belly up. Be sure you look very closely at the connectors for the DIMMs, ensure that all connections are clean (every pin, what a pain). Having a known good stick would certainly help. I am not sure, precisely, how memtest works, but I have seen a stick pass memtest but fail the dance.
Next steps would checking ALL connectors (unplug and replug) looking for dust, scorch marks, check fans, etc...
Avatar- ModificatoAvatarrrr domenica 31 maggio 2009 17.29typos, grr
- Here's the content of the WinSAT text file; there wasn't an XML one that I could see:
076877 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:2295: --- START 2006\11\2 7:42:19 AM ---
077906 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:2567: > IsFormal=TRUE IsMoobe=TRUE.
077922 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1995: > DWM not running.
077938 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:2051: > EMD device detected to be on. EMD will be restored on exit.
077969 (1984) - mlib\syspowertools.cpp:0872: > Read the active power scheme as '381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e'
077984 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:2108: > power policy saved.
078094 (1984) - mlib\syspowertools.cpp:0904: > Set the active power scheme to 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c'
078094 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:2120: > power policy set to maximum.
078983 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:2756: > IsOfficial=TRUE IsFormal=TRUE IsMoobe=TRUE RanOverTs=FALSE RanOnbatteries=FALSE
078998 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: features ''
083054 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
083086 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: graphicsformal ' -wddm'
085051 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1390: > DWM Assessment completed
085550 (1984) - winsat\processresults.cpp:2109: > Wrote video memory bandwidth to the registry 0
086050 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1408: > DWM Assessment results processing SUCCESS
086128 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
086174 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: media '-input {winsatencode.wmv} -encode {winsat.prx}'
106626 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
106689 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: moobego ''
106704 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: mfmedia '-input {winsat.wmv} -nopmp'
106782 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1243: > No D3D9 Support. Skipping media MF op
106813 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: cpu '-encryption'
119028 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
119075 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: cpu '-compression'
129293 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
129309 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: cpu '-encryption2'
139527 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
139542 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: cpu '-compression2'
149807 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
149838 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: mem ''
154986 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
155049 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: disk '-seq -read -n 0'
165314 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
165345 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: disk '-flush -n 0'
170275 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
170337 (1984) - winsat\processresults.cpp:0672: Total physical mem available to the OS : 1.99 GB (2,146,172,928 bytes)
170353 (1984) - winsat\processresults.cpp:0861: Limiting DWM Score to 1.0 - no DX9 capeability
170368 (1984) - winsat\processresults.cpp:0965: No DX9 capeability - limiting D3D Score to 1.0
170493 (1984) - mlib\syspowertools.cpp:0904: > Set the active power scheme to 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e'
170509 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:2155: > Power state restored.
170524 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:2171: > Successfully reenabled EMD.
170555 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:2196: INFO: DwmpRestartComposition() did not return OK!
170618 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:1752: > Finalized MOOBE key
170633 (1984) - winsat\main.cpp:3216: > exit value = 0.
094177 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:2295: --- START 2008\1\20 18:00:04 PM ---
094380 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:2567: > IsFormal=TRUE IsMoobe=TRUE.
094396 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1995: > DWM not running.
094427 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:2051: > EMD device detected to be on. EMD will be restored on exit.
094458 (1484) - mlib\syspowertools.cpp:0872: > Read the active power scheme as '381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e'
094489 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:2108: > power policy saved.
094630 (1484) - mlib\syspowertools.cpp:0904: > Set the active power scheme to 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c'
094661 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:2120: > power policy set to maximum.
095503 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:2756: > IsOfficial=TRUE IsFormal=TRUE IsMoobe=TRUE RanOverTs=FALSE RanOnbatteries=FALSE
095519 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: features ''
096689 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
096720 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: graphicsformal ' -wddm'
097859 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1390: > DWM Assessment completed
097937 (1484) - winsat\processresults.cpp:2109: > Wrote video memory bandwidth to the registry 0
098031 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1408: > DWM Assessment results processing SUCCESS
098046 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
098046 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: media '-input {winsatencode.wmv} -encode {winsat.prx}'
115175 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
115175 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: moobego ''
115191 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: mfmedia '-input {winsat.wmv} -nopmp'
115191 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1243: > No D3D9 Support. Skipping media MF op
115206 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: cpu '-encryption'
126267 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
126329 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: cpu '-compression'
136547 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
136563 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: cpu '-encryption2'
146734 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
146750 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: cpu '-compression2'
156952 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
156968 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: mem ''
162038 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
162116 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: disk '-seq -read -n 0'
168075 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
168091 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: disk '-flush -n 0'
171601 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
171647 (1484) - winsat\processresults.cpp:0672: Total physical mem available to the OS : 1.99 GB (2,146,172,928 bytes)
171663 (1484) - winsat\processresults.cpp:0861: Limiting DWM Score to 1.0 - no DX9 capeability
171663 (1484) - winsat\processresults.cpp:0965: No DX9 capeability - limiting D3D Score to 1.0
171803 (1484) - mlib\syspowertools.cpp:0904: > Set the active power scheme to 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e'
171819 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:2155: > Power state restored.
171835 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:2171: > Successfully reenabled EMD.
171835 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:2196: INFO: DwmpRestartComposition() did not return OK!
171913 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:1752: > Finalized MOOBE key
171913 (1484) - winsat\main.cpp:3216: > exit value = 0.
410579 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:2295: --- START 2009\4\13 11:49:29 AM ---
411140 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:2567: > IsFormal=TRUE IsMoobe=TRUE.
411171 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:1995: > DWM not running.
411218 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:2051: > EMD device detected to be on. EMD will be restored on exit.
411265 (1940) - mlib\syspowertools.cpp:0872: > Read the active power scheme as '381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e'
411327 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:2108: > power policy saved.
411468 (1940) - mlib\syspowertools.cpp:0904: > Set the active power scheme to 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c'
411515 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:2120: > power policy set to maximum.
412388 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:2756: > IsOfficial=TRUE IsFormal=TRUE IsMoobe=TRUE RanOverTs=FALSE RanOnbatteries=FALSE
412451 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: features ''
414697 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
414931 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: graphicsformal ' -wddm'
416865 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:1390: > DWM Assessment completed
417302 (1940) - winsat\processresults.cpp:2109: > Wrote video memory bandwidth to the registry 0
418145 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:1408: > DWM Assessment results processing SUCCESS
418176 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
418238 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: media '-input {winsatencode.wmv} -encode {winsat.prx}'
429049 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
429111 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: moobego ''
429158 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: mfmedia '-input {winsat.wmv} -nopmp'
429189 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:1243: > No D3D9 Support. Skipping media MF op
429252 (1940) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: cpu '-encryption'
118888 (1828) - winsat\main.cpp:2295: --- START 2009\4\13 11:52:37 AM ---
118919 (1828) - winsat\main.cpp:2305: > Already ran during MOOBE key value = 1
If I knew how to get that into a concise little box I would. Later today I may be able to do the memory dance, and I'll check for any problems with connections. Thanks for the reply, it was really well written and easy to follow. - I began the Memory Dance by taking out my second stick of RAM. Is there anything I should be doing on Vista to stress the memory, or anything of the sort? Because the BSODs are so inconsistent, it may be days or even weeks before anything would happen to prove the stick faulty. However, I can do that if I have to. Luckily, I'm in no hurry.
- From:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc770542(WS.10).aspx
winsat formal runs a set of pre-defined assessments and saves the data in an XML file in %systemroot%\performance\winsat\datastore.
I noted that there were some issues. "No D3D9 Support. Skipping media MF op" in the last, "INFO: DwmpRestartComposition() did not return OK!" the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) failed to restart, "No DX9 capability - limiting D3D Score to 1.0" which may or may not be OK, if you had just installed Vista there might not be any DirectX version lower than 9 on the computer, I'm not sure about that though.
There is no need to stress test the memory at this point as you have already run memtest and it passed. With 2 DIMMS and four slots say, you could complete the memory dance in about 2 hours. If you've done this before, it can be done in as short as the time it takes to switch slots, reboot, stabilize (my system is stable in about 5 minutes, all disk activity done, logs read, registry stored, etc..) repeat for each slot, then for the other stick. And really, you can do this without letting the system stabilize but, that's only if you have a fail to boot issue or you get that dreaded one beep code.
Something else I noted, there was a flash drive in use during each assessment. That's what EMD is, Extended Memory Device.
Might that be part of the problem?
Please remove the flash device and re-run the assessment and post the latest results.
Here's how:
Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to use winsat. The command must be executed from an elevated command prompt window.
To open an elevated command prompt window, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.
Then type:
winsat formal
Please keep us posted.
Avatar - Avatar, your help has been great. Thanks. I re-ran WinSAT with one stick of memory in, (I may be able to start/finish the memory dance now because I understand that I don't have to wait for a BSoD) and it completed without a crash. There wasn't a flash drive in my computer to remove, but the ;results still point to an EMD... could this be my USB wireless mouse or keyboard? I've bolded two lines that may point to something:
19197124 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:2295: --- START 2009\5\31 17:45:28 PM ---
19197217 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:2567: > IsFormal=TRUE IsMoobe=FALSE.
19197249 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1974: > DWM Running.
19200150 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1987: > turning off DWM.
19200213 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:2051: > EMD device detected to be on. EMD will be restored on exit.
19200259 (1272) - mlib\syspowertools.cpp:0872: > Read the active power scheme as '8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c'
19200275 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:2108: > power policy saved.
19200649 (1272) - mlib\syspowertools.cpp:0904: > Set the active power scheme to 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c'
19200696 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:2120: > power policy set to maximum.
19201539 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:2756: > IsOfficial=TRUE IsFormal=TRUE IsMoobe=FALSE RanOverTs=FALSE RanOnbatteries=FALSE
19201570 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: features ''
19202755 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
19202927 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: graphicsformal ' -wddm'
19249290 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1390: > DWM Assessment completed
19249431 (1272) - winsat\processresults.cpp:2109: > Wrote video memory bandwidth to the registry 27061600
19249556 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1408: > DWM Assessment results processing SUCCESS
19249571 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
19249587 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: media '-input {winsatencode.wmv} -encode {winsat.prx}'
19256950 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
19256997 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: moobego ''
19257013 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: mfmedia '-input {winsat.wmv} -nopmp'
19260273 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
19260304 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: cpu '-encryption'
19270975 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
19270975 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: cpu '-compression'
19281473 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
19281489 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: cpu '-encryption2'
19284703 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
19284718 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: cpu '-compression2'
19294936 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
19294952 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: mem ''
19300147 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
19300240 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: disk '-seq -read -n 0'
19310973 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1436: > Assessment completed
19311020 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1161: > Running Assessment: disk '-flush -n 0'
19311051 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:1430: > Assessment FAILED due to an error
19311145 (1272) - winsat\processresults.cpp:0672: Total physical mem available to the OS : 0.99 GB (1,071,333,376 bytes)
19311160 (1272) - winsat\processresults.cpp:0732: Physical memory available to the OS is less than or equal to 1.5GB - limit mem score to 4.5
19311316 (1272) - mlib\syspowertools.cpp:0904: > Set the active power scheme to 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c'
19311332 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:2155: > Power state restored.
19311394 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:2171: > Successfully reenabled EMD.
19311441 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:2193: > Composition restarted
19311504 (1272) - winsat\main.cpp:3216: > exit value = 0.
Now I see the XML file, I can provide that too if you'd like but I'm not sure how to post it. I can also re-run this test with the other stick of RAM if needed.
Edit: I ran it again with the other RAM stick, and everything went fine. Everything's stable. I read the command prompt's play-by-play of it, and it describes the two lines I bolded above:
Running: Storage Performance Assessment via Profiling v1.0.0.0 '-seq -read -n
Error: Failed to properly assess the disk. The drive cannot locate a specific area or track on the disk.
Is it referring to my hard drive here? - Hey Carlos,
What you bolded above does indicate some type of disk issue or issue with Vista and your disk(s). I can't say for sure what it is. I've had that problem myself and recently lost a RAID0 HD. In my case, it was clear that it failed to find a sector on the disk or something like that. Sorry. Getting older by the minute and... Have you seen my bike? Kidding, Sorta :S
So, no flash drive or flash card at all? Windows seems to think so. Offhand, I wouldn't think that a wireless mouse or keyboard would be regarded as EMD devices. I don't use wireless anything so I am at a loss here. Maybe someone else could weigh in about that. Anyone out there? On the other hand, I do know of some all-in-one type (printer, copier, scanner) devices that Windows does see as EMDs. Was one of those things hooked up when you installed Vista?
Oh, and no, I don't need the XMLs. The XML version is what you see when you look at your performance scores. It allows for all the nice resizing when you change the window size. The logs you've been posting are fine.
So, it looks like there are two culprits so far, some disk anomaly (maybe, this seems to be a common error) and that pesky EMD thing.
I'm trying to find out more.
Please keep us posted.
Avatar - To be honest, I hope it's the disk problem because that seems somewhat easy to fix. If I need to, I can buy another drive, but I remember something about Seagate having a recall on certain HDDs that had data corruption problems. I downloaded the wizard to see if I had one of them, but apparently I don't. The model is:
ST3160815A
I can't find a way to make that smaller. Looking on Seagate's website, they talk about drivers but I'm having a hard time finding a link to them. After a quick Google, here's a page that came up that might not be what we're looking for, but who knows:
http://datacent.com/datarecovery/hdd/seagate/ST3160815A
I understand I'm going down the HDD route when that might not be the problem. If it's the EMD thing, I can tell you that there's a keyboard and mouse connected, (both present during the install), the Wi-Fi card inside, with an antenna externally connected, and speakers going through my motherboard with Realtek HD Audio.
And Avatar, thanks for helping so much when no one else seems to be speaking up. - Hey Carlos,
Well. I'm glad to help. I don't seem to be doing any yet.
The issue that strikes me is that your machine BSODed at WinSAT. It could have been just chance.
We can try a few things in WinSAT with your disk, just for laughs.
winsat disk -seq -read -drive c -v (where c is your Windows installation and assesses the sequential I/O read performance)
winsat disk -ran -drive c -v (assesses the random I/O write performance)
winsat disk -flush -drive c -v (assesses the flush performance)
None of these will write data out. But the -v option will enable verbose (extended) output to the screen. Maybe we'll get something.
The issue about drivers would be with the chipset. Windows has it's own disk drivers but the chipset tells Windows how to use these drivers. So, the driver updates you're looking for are are Gigabyte's.
I started looking at your board.
From:
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/FAQ_List.aspx?FAQID=1746
My PC system works unstable after MB BIOS update.
After MB BIOS is updated, please do not forget to get into BIOS setup program, then load "BIOS optimal default setting" (or BIOS default setting) and save the change before exit to the program. If system still works unstable, please try to clear CMOS data later.
And instructions on resetting CMOS:
http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/bios-flashing-how-qflash-guide-27576/
Tedious reading to be sure. It's about half way down the page called:
"Clearing the CMOS"
I would remove the battery. Hope your watch is set right. You'll need that.
To rule out wireless issues with the keyboard and mouse, do you have PS/2 (old style, green and purplish) connectors for the keyboard and mouse on your machine? Is it possible to have a go with them instead of the wireless versions? They would be handy (and preferred) to have for re-installs anyway. I have a PS/2 optical mouse and it works great and a PS/2 keyboard (although I change the keyboard to USB afterward), just in case you were wondering.
Also, after reading and rereading your post I saw that you uninstalled the drivers for the wireless hoping the computer would not see the card. It's not that simple. BIOS may still see the card and alert Windows. The board will certainly see the PCI card anyway. The only way to be sure that cards aren't seen is to remove them, physically. You might be able to disable them in BIOS but the computer will still be aware of thier presence.
I take it that the case is (physical) proximity to your ISP's modem, Wi-Fi, etc... that you are reluctant to remove that card. And I get that.
I'm still trying.
Avatar - Well, I did all three commands and everything seemed to go correctly. No errors to report on.
As for the motherboard, I could clear the CMOS if I wanted to but could I reset the BIOS within the BIOS itself? Could I just clear the user-defined settings or re-select "load optimized defaults"? I don't want to have to deal with getting into the motherboard...
I don't know of any PS/2 components left in my house, which is definitely unfortunate.
And lastly, I'm pretty sure I can disable PCI in the BIOS. I understand what you mean about the board seeing the card, and it isn't hard at all to unplug, but I'd rather disable it in the BIOS.
At this point, I can re-load optimized defaults, and that's about it. I'm not sure what action to take next.
I continue to thank you for your consistent, helpful replies. - Hey Carlos,
That's good that your disk passed WinSAT. As I read it, resetting the BIOS is done by loading optimized defaults. And if that doesn't work then they suggest clearing CMOS.
Here's the hitch about disabling versus removing; if there is an intermittent short, somewhere in that card, the board will still experience that short unless removed. This is what Zack was attempting to isolate. There might also be an intermittent short in the slot. We won't know which it is until we can test with a known good PCI card. But, removing the card should (I hope) remove the possibility of a short since there will be no connection to short out.
I'm sorry to be brief here but, I'm putting my Vista machine back together. When I get that sorted out I'll be back to move forward on your issue.
Avatar - Avatar, I do have an extra PCI card, the first Wi-Fi card I bought before realizing it didn't work with 64-bit Vista. However, it's been sitting on my desk getting freely groped for months. I can give it a shot, along with removing the other one, or placing it in a different slot. The one thing that I just remembered is while my 64-bit card shipped, I used the Windows 7 Beta 32-bit because I couldn't get Wi-Fi on Vista. While on Windows 7, I experienced a couple of BlueScreens, but they were, as far as I remember, while playing games. Windows 7's video drivers were sketchy in the Beta. Back then, I didn't know how to diagnose them with Error Reporting and Solutions or WinDbg (wow, I've learned a lot in the past few months...). So, maybe the different PCI card made a difference, maybe it didn't.
I have some time to work on stuff this morning before I head off to school, so I'll remove my PCI card (along with re-inserting my second stick of RAM, for now I don't think that's a problem) and then go into the BIOS and re-load the optimized defaults. If you'd like me to use the other Wi-Fi card, it's accessable and won't take long to install.
Very lastly, my actual name is Alex, but CurlyCarlos is just a random username. Thanks again for this wonderful help.
Quick edit: I'm done adding the RAM stick, removing the PCI card, and loading optimized defaults. I'm back at the desktop with no internet, but it's stable.- ModificatoCurlyCarlos mercoledì 3 giugno 2009 15.39Update
- Hey Alex,
I have my Vista system back up and running. Guess what? I also have that EMD thingie. I tried to find out more about that, but came up empty. Guess that's not it. Sorry.
That's quite the board you have there. I've looked over the specs and found it impressive.
Just for laughs, I called Rosewill and asked about their certification for Vista. They said it was too expensive to get signed drivers and I couldn't find any mention of them on the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List. This is not a slam on your card. I'm just trying to rule out "issues" as best I can.
It got me thinking about the verifier tool. It's a driver verifier. I've used it and run into some driver problems, but only when the tool ran. Otherwise the system was stable. Eventually I ditched that app even though it never did cause problems. It did lead me to some searching on your behalf.
I found two useful threads that you may have seen. I'll post them anyway:
http://thevistaforums.com/lofiversion/index.php/t6043.html
and:
http://forums.techguy.org/hardware/463533-how-do-you-use-verifier.html
Worth having a look.
Keep me posted.
Avatar - Two other things have crossed my mind. Could be some anomaly in the pagefile. Or it might be some corrupt prefetch entry.
So, you could try removing the pagefile. Windows key and type:
sysdm.cpl
Deal with UAC as required, go to advanced, then performance, then settings, then advanced again, virtual memory, change, select the radio button for no pagefile, reboot but, go into safe mode this time and delete the pagefile, if it's still there. Usually is on my systems. Oh-
How to get the same resolution as normal?
Windows key and type:
desk.cpl.
Should open with the adapter tab up. Choose "list all modes", then select your normal resolution. Rearrange your desktop as it should be (if necessary). I only have one icon on my desktop so, safe mode doesn't mess with it much. Haha. Funny right? Yeah, right.
Then defrag to make sure the new pagefile doesn't get written over the old one. Reboot. Repeat the process to remove the pagefile but, this time, put back a system managed pagefile.
To deal with the prefetch, find the Prefetch folder under Windows, sort by type so that all .pfs are grouped. Delete said .pfs. Empty that Recycle Bin and reboot. It will take around five reboots to get it back to normal. Don't defrag during this time. Defrag uses the layout.ini and the database's to move files around and that depends on what .pfs are there.
I'm still trying.
Avatar
edit: Oh yeah, you have three slots to try. Wouldn't hurt.- ModificatoAvatarrrr giovedì 4 giugno 2009 21.06hope it's obvious
- I'm posting to say that I've read both of your messages and will be able to move forward with them tomorrow. School has finished...
I'll just edit this post with results when they "come in".- Proposto come rispostarileycat venerdì 5 giugno 2009 14.47
- Proposta come risposta annullataCurlyCarlos venerdì 5 giugno 2009 16.59
- I'm not even close to the tech level you guys are, but I will share some experience. I've had my Dell XPS 710 with Vista Ultimate for just over 2 years now. And from the very first week I have been getting bsod, much like you described, several times a week. With extensive research and working with Microsft tech, it seems there is an issue with the Creative Labs sound card, SB X-Fi. CL has known about the issue for more than 2 years and has yet to create a fix. I know your sound card is not CL, but could have same issue. Please let me know if you come up with a fix. I am totally frustrated. Good luck.
- Proposto come rispostammmrambo venerdì 5 giugno 2009 15.13
- Proposta come risposta annullataCurlyCarlos venerdì 5 giugno 2009 16.56
- It seems the RAM is falling short of requirements.
Increase your RAM to 4GB and problem should get solved
2GB is good enough for basic operation. - In order for this to be an "answer", and for me to mark it as one, you'd have needed to tell me what I should do... I can't really think of anything to try with my Realtek setup, it seems to be working fine and I'm not sure how to try and troubleshoot. Even then, thanks for the reply and I appreciate the help.
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos venerdì 5 giugno 2009 16.55I felt a thank you was in good taste.
- (At mmmrambo) Hopefully I'm not the only one who thought of this as... silly. I'm pretty sure Vista has a minimum system requirement of 1GB or RAM, but it could be anywhere between there and 2GB. Regardless, I truly doubt the amount of RAM I have is a problem. The only way you could be onto something is from what Zack said way above about my two strips of 1066 RAM...
Unrelated update: I re-read my first post and saw again two things of interest... firstly, now I remember that others getting the 0x00000124 problem said it had to do with Audio Devices. So, maybe rileycat was onto something, but I'm still not sure how to go forward. Secondly, I read that Microsoft issued the Hotfix for the BSoD due to PCI cards, which has me thinking that the slot on my MoBo may indeed be a problem. I could try putting it into a different slot, but that would include waiting to see if I got a BlueScreen, which as I've said before is tough because it can take time.
I want to try Avatar's latest tips, but the Verifier.exe thing looks unusually confusing, and I'll need some time do clear the prefetch and such. And lastly, I haven't had a reported-in-Windows BlueScreen since April 26th. This was the day after I got a BlueScreen in the Clean Boot environment. Now, I haven't really used the computer since then very much, but a lot of times it happens while in sleep or even on the desktop.
My posts lately have been full of a lot of talk and not much action, so I'll actually do some stuff this time before reporting back with my frivolous words.
Update Again: I've deleted the pagefile and am currently defragging. Avatar, your instructions were vague, to be honest. I'm unsure what to do after deleting the pagefile in Safe Mode and defragging.
Another thought: When I went to change the boot options for Safe Mode, I saw that my computer was still using the selective startup option (Clean Boot) which made me think for a second that the lack of BlueScreens could be from that, although I got a BlueScreen with that option on.
When the defragging is done, I'll delete the prefetch stuff and reboot plenty.
Update: After deleting the prefetch data and rebooting, I was greeted with the Boot Manager. It held two entries that are now non-existent (previous Windows installations that are now uninstalled) and I'm not sure if this will go away on its own, or not at all.- ModificatoCurlyCarlos venerdì 5 giugno 2009 17.15Update.
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos venerdì 5 giugno 2009 17.55
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos venerdì 5 giugno 2009 18.35Update
- Hey Alex,
I'm sorry I was not clear. After reading an earlier post of yours where you mention how much you have learned in the last month, it occurred to me that I might be condescending in my posts with you. I get confused about where people are in relation to understanding Windows. You have my sincere apologies and I will try to make clear what my intent is.
After deleting the pagefile and defragging, you were to set a new pagefile as system managed. This is done the same way as setting the pagefile to none, except now it is set to “system managed” and rebooted. The purpose of deleting and defragging in safemode is to minimize the impact of any other programs on the defragging process. Windows needs and wants a pagefile. It has happened to some that the pagefile gets wrong somehow and causes problems. Since this is fairly simple to remediate (delete and remake), I was just trying, again, to root out other causes. That help that part some?
Some people have cured other mysterious problems by removing prefetch entries as there are no obvious ways to tell if an entry has gone wrong. These are two low hanging fruits that we can exploit. Normally, one doesn’t mess with the Prefetch as it’s job is to increase performance. In your case I think it is worth trying.
The purpose of the verifier is to, hopefully, force a BSOD to see what driver may be implicated. Its use is fairly straight forward initially. Run verifier and accept the default options. Reboot. If it blue screens, hopefully it will point to the driver that caused the blue screen. You would then reboot into safe mode and remove the driver (either through “Programs and Features” or Device Manager), reboot again to see if any other drivers are causing a blue screen and remove them also. You repeat the process until the computers boots clean. If no blue screens happen after the first time(reboot after) you run verifier, you can run it again and select "Delete existing settings" to stop it from running. If you have run into blue screens this way and have run through the course of removing the drivers, you can then re-install drivers for the devices and see if that cures the BSODs from the verifier tool. Here’s a quick link that shows how you do that:
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=827
For lay people like ourselves, there is no way to tell if a driver is corrupt or not. One of the complaints leveled against Device Manager is that it will tell you a device is working properly when it's driver is not. Many times it will tell if there is a driver problem but never will it tell you a driver is corrupt. If I have this wrong, someone please, explain to me how I have this wrong. Links are welcome.
If you want to test a possible driver problem with the on board audio, you should be able to un-install it through "Programs and Features". Then you can re-install the drivers fresh. You could remove the device through Device Manager but that would not remove the drivers. In your case, I would un-install the drivers and then un-install the device, see if Windows redetects it (it should) then re-install the drivers. That should take care of the on board audio. Only if there is a psychical problem with the device itself, would that not cure the on board audio ills. In that case, your board would be suspect.
Although this link seems confusing, its use is fairly straight forward.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392
What you do is boot from the Vista DVD, get into the Recovery Environment, open a command prompt and run:
Bcdedit
Here’s a helpful link on getting to the Recovery Environment:
http://www.lancelhoff.com/how-to-fix-vista-mbr-repair-broken-vista/
This link:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1031300903
Shows someone’s screenshot of an output of BCDEdit. Since you’re using only Vista (right?) the entries of interest are the “stores” in BCD. These are indentified by the top headers such as “Boot Manager”, “Windows Boot Loader” and so forth. The way to fix all BCDEdit problems is to delete the stores and rebuild them. Each store has an identifier, located under the header and in the right column inside the squiggly brackets. From the example above; Boot Manager has {current} as it’s identifier (though what’s in the squiggles may differ).
You use BCDEdit to delete all the stores, such as:
bcdedit /delete {current} /f
bcdedit /delete {default} /f
until all the stores are gone.
Now you use bootrec to rebuild the BCD stores.
Since you don’t have a recovery partition, you can use the /fixmbr and /fixboot options as well.
So you would:
Bootrec /fixmbr
Bootrec /fixboot.
Bootrec /RebuildBcd
And that should cure all BCD ills.
For those reading this that do have recovery partition, /fixmbr will remove access to the recovery partition and leave only the default Vista boot entries.
Here’s a link that covers BCDedit in detail:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2676-bcdedit-how-use.html - Thanks once again for the fruitful reply.
Verifier doesn't detect any unsigned drivers, so unless you want me to try it out with each and every driver I have installed, I'll hold off.
I think I'm able to do the BCDEdit deal, but are "bcdedit /delete {current} /f" and "bcdedit /delete {default} /f" the only commands I need to do for that first part? I don't have any knowledge of commands, code, or anything, so I can't fill in what to do with examples, if that's what you've provided me with. Otherwise, I can go ahead and do that.
Just to be safe, I'll wait for an answer to that question before moving forward. We haven't found a fix yet, but we will. - Okay. Let's work the BCDEdit part. Open an admin command prompt and type:
bcdedit
Click the full screen button so you can see the entire output of BCDEdit, hopefully, it fits on one window. Now, right click the top border and select "edit" then "select all" drag the cursor so that all the output is highlighted, right click the border again and choose "copy" paste it into notepad or Wordpad or whatever text editor you like. Save it, then paste the contents in a post.
Here's mine:
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.0.6002]
Copyright (c) 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
C:\Windows\system32>bcdedit
Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=C:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
displayorder {current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
resume No
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Microsoft Windows Vista
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {2d21202e-4fc8-11de-9094-c57b92f786f3}
nx OptIn
C:\Windows\system32>
There are two stores here; one is Windows Boot Manager and the other is the Windows Boot Loader.
You could have run the command and right clicked in the window and chosen "select all" but your next right click (inside the window) would deselect everything. Hence, right clicking the top border of the command window.
When I can see what's in your boot BCD we can go from there. Verifier later.
Avatar - Alright, here it is:
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.0.6001]
Copyright (c) 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
C:\Users\Alex>bcdedit
Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=D:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
resumeobject {f45b965d-feef-11dd-9a14-db06beaaeaa8}
displayorder {current}
{44bdf3b8-dfa1-11dd-9249-d9d63e5083b4}
{44bdf3bb-dfa1-11dd-9249-d9d63e5083b4}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 5
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Microsoft Windows Vista
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {0513f033-2862-11de-a129-d06eb79edca9}
nx OptIn
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {44bdf3b8-dfa1-11dd-9249-d9d63e5083b4}
device unknown
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {44bdf3b9-dfa1-11dd-9249-d9d63e5083b4}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice unknown
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {44bdf3b7-dfa1-11dd-9249-d9d63e5083b4}
nx OptIn
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {44bdf3bb-dfa1-11dd-9249-d9d63e5083b4}
device unknown
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Vista (TM) Home Premium (recovered)
osdevice unknown
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {f87b5eb9-0692-11de-94d1-806e6f6e6963}
C:\Users\Alex>
I'm ready to do anything you'd like me to do. - That's very interesting that you could run BCDEdit from a non-admin command prompt. My Vista Business machine will not allow that. Notice that in my post the command prompt started in C:\Windows\system32, which means it is an admin (elevated) version.
Anyway, to be sure you have an elevated (admin) command prompt, use the Windows Key (next to ALT) and type:
cmd
cmd.exe should be highlighted in the box.
Then press these keys together:
CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER
If UAC is on you'll get the "Windows needs your permission" or "Continue" box and deal with it as required. In the title bar for the command prompt, be sure it says "Administrator:C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe. That's the proof that the command prompt is running elevated.
Okay, to fix the BCD:
bcdedit /delete {44bdf3bb-dfa1-11dd-9249-d9d63e5083b4} /f
bcdedit /delete {44bdf3b8-dfa1-11dd-9249-d9d63e5083b4} /f
bcdedit /delete {current} /f
bcdedit /delete {bootmgr} /f
Notice I worked from bottom to top. It may fail at {bootmgr} because all the objects {bootmgr} refer to are now gone, no matter. And you can paste the nasty to type stuff instead of typing it out by using the right click border, edit, then paste at the points you need it and you can use the arrow up keys to recall the last command to paste the stuff into. You could also just copy and paste what I've typed s well. The arrow (up and down) keys keep a history for the session.
Now use the bootrec commands:
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuildbcd
That should fix the BCD. Run bcdedit again and copy the output (by your choice) to here again. Don't close the command prompt till we're sure it's OK. - The first four completed successfully, and even if I ran cmd as an admin, it showed up at Alex. So, I used the cd command I knew to get it into System32.
However, it doesn't recognize bootrec as an internal or external command. So, none of those commands have completed successfully.
I'll leave cmd open until I figure out how to fix this... - Alex, I am so sorry. Bootrec Is only available in the Recovery Environment. And that has to done from the Vista install DVD. Please boot from the DVD run the bootrec commands and reboot. Please post the results of the bcdedit so we can see if everything is fixed. If your computer won't boot, use the Start-Up Repair options from the DVD.
From the earlier posting:
Although this link seems confusing, its use is fairly straight forward.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392
What you do is boot from the Vista DVD, get into the Recovery Environment, open a command prompt and run:
Bcdedit
Here’s a helpful link on getting to the Recovery Environment:
http://www.lancelhoff.com/how-to-fix-vista-mbr-repair-broken-vista/
This link:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1031300903
Shows someone’s screenshot of an output of BCDEdit. Since you’re using only Vista (right?) the entries of interest are the “stores” in BCD. These are indentified by the top headers such as “Boot Manager”, “Windows Boot Loader” and so forth. The way to fix all BCDEdit problems is to delete the stores and rebuild them. Each store has an identifier, located under the header and in the right column inside the squiggly brackets. From the example above; Boot Manager has {current} as it’s identifier (though what’s in the squiggles may differ).
You use BCDEdit to delete all the stores, such as:
bcdedit /delete {current} /f
bcdedit /delete {default} /f
until all the stores are gone.
Now you use bootrec to rebuild the BCD stores.
Since you don’t have a recovery partition, you can use the /fixmbr and /fixboot options as well.
So you would:
Bootrec /fixmbr
Bootrec /fixboot.
Bootrec /RebuildBcd
With the relevant part bolded.
I'll be here waiting.- ModificatoAvatarrrr sabato 6 giugno 2009 18.12typos
- Thanks for the reply to clear things up. You don't need to worry about it. Well, I got home after an outing and was greeted with "Windows was unable to start" which makes sense, but I never rebooted my computer. This leads me to believe it could have been another BlueScreen, which just angers me. I guess we'll see when I can boot again.
I'll do the recovery right now, and update this post with the results.
Update: Windows found a problem with my bootup. I told it to fix it and restart, but upon the restart I re-loaded the DVD because I don't think it repaired what I'm going to do.
Update 2: The first two completed successfully, the last one didn't detect any Windows installations (?) but Windows started. I was greeted with the "Windows did not shut down successfully" and am about to login. After seeing if there was a BlueScreen, I'll re-run the command and copy/paste it into here.
Update 3: Windows didn't log a BSoD, which is hopefully good news. I have no proof of how it shut down. Power failure?
Here's the output:
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.0.6001]
Copyright (c) 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
C:\Users\Alex>cd C:\Windows\System32
C:\Windows\System32>bcdedit
Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=D:
path \bootmgr
description Windows Boot Manager
default {current}
displayorder {current}
timeout 30
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Vista (TM) Home Premium (recovered)
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {81f4c495-52df-11de-a834-806e6f6e6963}
C:\Windows\System32>
Noticeably shorter, yes? I'll be here waiting :)- ModificatoCurlyCarlos sabato 6 giugno 2009 21.10Update!
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos sabato 6 giugno 2009 21.20
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos sabato 6 giugno 2009 21.24Update
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos sabato 6 giugno 2009 21.26
- Yes, the BCD seems fixed now. Although I do find it strange that you can't get the normal admin command prompt and the nx option is missing. But I've seen that happen before. We can add it later if you wish.
If you had just left the computer on and gone out, it shouldn't have shutdown. So, either a power failure or another blue screen.
By the way, thanks for the updates. This is a pesky problem which I am most unhappy with so far.
Now it's my turn, gotta eat, be back soon OK? Oh, run disk cleanup and see if you can remove any old versions of Windows or set-up files...
Uhmm, try this: Hit the Windows key and type:
cleanmgr /sageset:80
That should bring up a box with a bunch of cleaning options in it. You can select all the Previous and set-up files plus anything else you might like to remove.
I just use the number 80 to discriminate which version of this I am running.
To run the command, Windows key and type:
cleanmgr /sagerun:80
Maybe there's some pesky older installation file causing problems. - Thanks again for your determination.
I ran the disk cleanup, but let us remember that this problem happened before and after reinstalling Windows. - Yes. I do remember. It puzzles me that anything was left from that last re-install. Had you installed Windows 7 after that? More questions:
Are you back to a system managed pagefile?
What's the current hardware configuration?
Also, have you run the System File Checker (sfc /scannow) lately?- ModificatoAvatarrrr sabato 6 giugno 2009 23.48added sfc
- I'm back on a managed pagefile.
I've got no Wi-Fi card in, but otherwise everything's the same. Same USB stuff plugged in, even though we ruled that out.
I haven't run the SFC thing, but I will now... alright, it's running, I'll update with results when it's finished. - Same USB stuff? Not sure I follow. I was under the impression that you were using wireless keyboard and mouse through the wireless card. So is it the case you use a USB dongle to connect the keyboard and mouse? Please remember I do not use wireless anything. So my skills here are lacking.
- I was just saying that I hadn't changed up the USB stuff, so the same wireless mouse and wired keyboard. The scan found no integrity violations.
- Okay. So you are using a dongle (USB interface for your wireless keyboard and mouse) right? We haven't ruled that out, or, I missed the part where we did.
It's good that sfc completed without errors. So, no Wi-Fi card and still a suspected blue screen happened. Hmmm... This is a toughie.
And the other questions:
It puzzles me that anything was left from that last re-install. Had you installed Windows 7 after that? - I installed Windows 7, then dual booted with Vista, then deleted 7, then reinstalled Vista. If that answers your question...
Also, if Windows didn't report it, how likely is it that that was a BlueScreen? - "installed Windows 7, then dual booted with Vista, then deleted 7, then reinstalled Vista"
Such being the case, it should not have happened that there was an entry for Windows 7 in the BCD. And clearly there was.
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {44bdf3b8-dfa1-11dd-9249-d9d63e5083b4}
device unknown
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
Something went wrong on the install. Or, it was not a clean install. Do you remember how you re-installed Vista? - Oh, now I'm beginning to remember. I'm pretty sure I had my HDD layed out like this:
Windows 7 | Unallocated Space | Windows Vista
When | represents a partition. I wanted to grow Vista's partition, but I couldn't without a better partition manager than the one in Windows. I think I wiped the 7 partition, and this is where it's sort of blurry. I may have relied on Windows 7 right before reinstalling, but I don't think so. So it looked like this:
Unallocated Space | Windows Vista
As far as reinstalling, I must have gone directly over my current install. So, I put in the DVD and chose the Vista partition, at which point it began to install right over it. Then, I remember having the big block of unallocated space, so I used GParted to pull Vista to the left. After GParted, I had to use the Vista DVD to repair the winload.exe, which is to be expected when growing a partition to the left.
Finally, my disk looked like:
Windows Vista
Do you think we may be onto something? This seems like one variable that was the same before AND after reinstalling Vista... something extra in the BCD. - Well. That explains the Windows 7 entry in the BCD as the MBR still had information about the other partitions. The upshot of this, as far as I'm concerned, is that the install wasn't "clean". That's not to say it's the cause of the problems.
Since you were Dual Booting both OSes, I don't think there should have been any driver overlap, or, residue. The rule I follow about drivers is to un-install, then re-install. That way there is no "residue" to worry about.
I'm beginning to get overloaded on all the variables at work here :|
Could GPart have played some role?
Is there something from Windows 7 still here?
Have all the drivers been properly updated or installed correctly?
Is something in CMOS or BIOS playing a part? By the way, grrr on downloading Gigabyte's manual for your MB at 10 KB/sec. Not your fault Alex, just seems excessively slow for a major company. An off night perhaps?
Had it been me, I would have gone into the Recovery Environment and used the diskpart and format commands to make a clean install.
Maybe I'm just to groggy yet.
Did the Reliability Monitor record anything about the disruptive shutdown?
I'm of half the mind to just let Verifier test all drivers and hope we get lucky.
What are your thoughts? - As an Official member of the "try weakly" group ( tri-weekly, try weekly, try weakly, you get the idea) I'm exercising my right right to change my mind.
Hands on hardware checking:
Does the power button work properly and have the right feel? If you put your finger on it and move it around gently does it hold or does the computer freak?
Check ALL connections, unplug and replug.
Check ALL cards for proper connections, unplug and replug.
I would even have a look at the CPU just to be sure.
Clear CMOS. I have the manual, if you want to know, I can post where to get a picture (you can likely see it on the board) and how to do it. It's not that hard. "Load Optimized Defaults" again.
I believe all this can be done in an hour. - I should have time to do this today. I'd really love to not deal with the CPU though...
Does clearing the CMOS involve a lot of timing and such? I'd love it to be as easy as removing something and putting it back in. (Update: After some googling, I found someone say this: "I recently found out that there's no CMOS clear jumper on my Gigabyte mainboard but the way to go is unplugging all power to the computer, taking out the battery for atleast 30 seconds, putting the battery back in and CMOS is cleared." ) I'll check my manual to be sure.
As far as the hour part, I would agree with you there. I'm a bit apprehensive to go in there and re-do EVERY connection, but after I get the feel for things it'll go quickly.
My power button feels fine.
Sorry for the disorganized post.- ModificatoCurlyCarlos domenica 7 giugno 2009 16.28I like to post my first thought or thoughts, and then continue to think it out. This causes me to have new and exciting thoughts that need to be shared! So, I edit my posts.
- Yep. That's what I read in the manual. Pull the battery and wait a minute (to let all the capacitors discharge). Please be sure you re-load "Optimized Defaults" when you boot back up.
Your post is fine. Not to worry ;)
Also, check connection on the outside of the case as well (power cord, USB, etc...).
I'll be here. - So, my computer is back running after opening it up and reconnecting (almost) every plug. The only ones I couldn't get to were a couple of the case jumper ones, and this is because my fist to grab them couldn't fit between the case wall and my video card. If you strongly want me to go back in and reconnect them, I can.
I had to remove the video card to clear the CMOS (to get to the battery) and after removing it, I waited approximately a minute (it was probably a minute five seconds or so) before putting it back in. I reloaded the optimized defaults.
I also reconnected my PCI card in a new slot. It's working, as my computer is connected to the internet once more.
Lastly, I turned up the case fan to "Medium" when it was on "Low". I know we don't have a temperature problem, but it was just something.
- No, I believe you've gotten the major items needed. You know that temps are OK because you're using the HW Monitor that Gigabyte supplies in the Easy Tune 6 Application right? That was going to be one of my next suggestions: monitor computer temperatures.
I'm still wondering what that last unexpected shut down was.
How has your machine been working since you've gotten back online? - It's been working fine, but I haven't used it very much. I haven't played any games on it in a month.
And actually, I don't know that temperatures are okay... I guess I assumed that we'd see different symptoms that were easier to diagnose.
And the unexpected shutdown? If Windows didn't detect a crash, I don't know how likely it was that it BlueScreened. I don't think it was a power failure, though.
Now I just don't know where to look next.- ModificatoCurlyCarlos lunedì 8 giugno 2009 17.32More
- I'd like to think it was a power outage. However brief. That's better than the other explanation, a flaky CPU. If it was a memory problem, Windows would have had some chance at logging it. If the CPU flaked and took out the OS, there would be no chance of Windows logging anything.
We're getting down to the last bits, that I know of, to solve this. So, let's do some temp monitoring and make the machine work and see what happens. Play a game, throw all your malware scanners at it, etc... . Push it some. Let's see what happens. - I'll do some scans, open up several tabs in Firefox, and run an intensive game (Left 4 Dead, probably) in the background.
As far as temperature monitoring, should I be downloading a program? - How about the Easy Tune 6 program? Do you want me to read up about it?
- No, it's fine. I'll go download it now. Thanks, though.
- Should be on your Gigabyte CD.
- Downloading was easier... it's installing now.
- Whatever works, I always say.
- The setup got choked and it's restarting now. The computer is noticeably more sluggish, but still is managing two Firefox windows, a fast AVG scan, and L4D in-game surprisingly well.
Setup is choked again. The program has its spot on the taskbar still, but the window doesn't show up. I tried selecting L4D again and now it's choked on that too, just a black screen.
I "task-manager'd" it to get back to my desktop, and EasyTune just needed some time alone. It's installing normally again now.- ModificatoCurlyCarlos lunedì 8 giugno 2009 18.12
- Black screen with cursor?
- ModificatoAvatarrrr lunedì 8 giugno 2009 18.13cursor
- Oh. OK
- No pointer. Probably a fault of everything running at once, and going in and out of a fullscreen, in-game 3D application.
Install finished and wants a restart. I'm slowly shutting things down and then, I will. No crashes yet, but I had about a 20 second freeze up at the desktop. - Did you get that temp monitor up and running?
- I got it running, but I haven't been able to get a bunch of stuff going due to being busyish.
I had a thought, when googling the stop code:
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=36079
A lot of people are SURE it's for audio devices. I remember that my Antec case has AC '97 audio output, (to the front of the case) and my motherboard has the Realtek HD output.
Somehow, could this be causing a stir-up?
Update: I got the temperature monitor running. At my desktop with maybe one thing open, things were around 95 degrees (Fahrenheit), which was fine according to the program. But when I started a scan, opened up two Firefoxes with flash objects inside, and had L4D running, it jumped to 105, which is one degree above the little marking point on the meter, which I assume is the "safe temperature" sort of marking.
Because the BSoDs have happened with no programs open, I think it's safe to rule out overheating. - I've already suggested that you un-install the audio drivers and un-install the devices, allow Windows to redetect them and install the driver packages again.
I'll quote from an earlier post:
"For lay people like ourselves, there is no way to tell if a driver is corrupt or not. One of the complaints leveled against Device Manager is that it will tell you a device is working properly when it's driver is not. Many times it will tell if there is a driver problem but never will it tell you a driver is corrupt. If I have this wrong, someone please, explain to me how I have this wrong. Links are welcome.
If you want to test a possible driver problem with the on board audio, you should be able to un-install it through "Programs and Features". Then you can re-install the drivers fresh. You could remove the device through Device Manager but that would not remove the drivers. In your case, I would un-install the drivers and then un-install the device, see if Windows redetects it (it should) then re-install the drivers. That should take care of the on board audio. Only if there is a psychical problem with the device itself, would that not cure the on board audio ills. In that case, your board would be suspect."
If you can't remove the drivers from "Programs and Features" then do it from Device Manager.
From the PDF of your mother board:
The HW Monitor tab allows you to monitor hardware temperature, voltage and fan speed and
set temperature/fan speed alarm. You can choose the alert sound from the buzzer or use your
own sound file (.wav file).
It, unfortunately, does not say what hardware temps are monitored.
You cannot rule out overheating just because Windows is idle. Admittedly, most articles point to high CPU use as the event that causes a thermal shut down. However, there are other things that can do that, video cards, power supplies, ambient environment, etc... You should also know that just running the computer for a time can cause heat build up.
Remeber, there is always the "touch test" where you feel the components and judge for yourself. Anything too hot to touch is suspect.
I am trying to be thorough here, suggesting you monitor vital hardware temps.
- I'll handle the audio device drivers later on tonight or tomorrow.
As far as temperatures go, I'll keep looking around at it. As far as the "touch test", are you saying I'm supposed to just open up my case with the computer on and touch? Or, turn it off first, or what?
Also, I know where the hardware temperatures are monitored, it's on that same tab. The only two it showed were "CPU" and "System", I think.
We're both slowing down, which is alright considering how much we've done. I can't thank you enough for this help.
Update: After my computer was idling for about two hours, I re-opened EasyTune6. Not only did it report my System temperature at 107 degrees, (actually higher than during the stress test) but I found a tab showing the temperature of my video card... 118.4 degrees. This can't be right/allowed/safe.
Update: Wait, apparently that isn't that hot, the GPU temp. Taken from http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/171024-33-video-card-temperature:
"Don't frikin worry about it. Both my cards are currently at 58C and 54C. That's 136F and 129F respectively. "
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos mercoledì 10 giugno 2009 1.11Scary Update
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos mercoledì 10 giugno 2009 1.15
- My graphics card normally runs about 74 C (107 degrees F) and thermal choking starts at 135 C (275 degrees F). Phew.
~42 C for System seems rather warm for just idling. My typical idle temp is 29 C.
From the product brief I read, your CPU is expected to hit 62.5 C at full power and thermal shut off is ~83-88 C.
In case you are wondering, my Vista system:
System Manufacturer - HP Pavilion D4650Y NOV, 2006
CPU - Intel Core Duo E6600 Conroe 775 LGA 65nm
MOBO - ASUSTek Basswood 1.05, 1066 FSB
Chipset - P965/G965 Rev. C2
SouthBridge - 82801H (ICH8DH)
BIOS - Phoenix Tech Ver. 3.17 8/21/07
GI - PCI-Express x16
Memory - 2x2048 PC2-6400 (400MHz) DDR2 OCZ
Alt Memory - 4x1024 PC2-5300 (333MHz) DDR2 (Micron and Qimonda)
Seagate 80GB SATAII Barracuda 7200.10 7200 rpm
WD Caviar 80GB SATAII 7200 rpm (now a "refurb" :( )
HD Controller - Intel(R) ICH9R SATA RAID Controller, RAID 0, Gen2
Readyboost - Sandisk U3 Cruzer Micro 4GB
Graphics Card - NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS, 256MB, RAMDAC, Driver 178.13
Sound Card - Creative SoundBlaster Audigy4 WDM, Driver 6.0.1.1370
Power Supply - Hitachi 360W
OS - Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Business 32bit
Version - 6.0.6002 Service Pack 2 Build 6002
DVD/CD - PHILIPS SPD2513P
Network Adapter - Intel(R) 82562V 10/100 Network Connection
Adapter Type - Ethernet 802.3, Driver 9.12.16.0
A note about the memory; since the modules are dual channel, they run at 800Mhz and 667Mhz, respectively.
Not as nice as yours, but fully serviceable.
Keep an eye on those temps for a while, especially CPU, report back and we'll talk about it more OK?
edit: Yes, the touch test means open case and computer on. - I uninstalled the Realtek drivers from Programs and Features, and then uninstalled the High Definition Audio Driver from Device Manager. I guess I'll reinstall now.
As far as the temperatures go, they're looking alright, but it does get a touch hot after idling for a while. What's interesting is that the fan is going a touch slower than it should. It's averaging about 1330 rpm when ET6 says it should be going 1500. This might be due to dust, but I didn't see anything major when re-plugging stuff in.
Update: Sound drivers reinstalled no problem. - Let us remember that there hasn't been a classic BSoD (classic referring to the one that I got each time on this computer) in a month and a half. That is really good news. Even that unknown shutdown, because it didn't report it, that must mean that it was a different type of crash, and it's only fair that we leave it out when considering our progress.
- It kills me to say that when waking up my computer this morning, it was at the login screen. As I've said, a telltale sign of a BlueScreen. Logging on, Windows reported it the same way, same 124 code. WinDbg points to svchost.exe and also mentions a VISTA_DRIVER_FAULT and the problem being hardware related.
I just don't know what to do next. I may open up the computer case and look at my CPU fan; ET6 reports it going only 1200 rpm when it should be going 1500. Maybe that's the problem.
If there's no dust that I can see, I'll inspect the wire and replug it into the motherboard. If it's still slow, I'll tell ET6 to keep it at 1500 even if it's noisy.
Again, it sucks that this happened. - I'm very sorry to hear this Alex. So it's the CPU fan that keeps going slower huh? That's strange. I'm not an electrical engineer but, I would think the fan would draw ever more current to keep it at the speed it's supposed to run. Whatever that is. I'm not sure what to make of this.
Could you explain how WinDbg determines this to be hardware related? To be honest, I've suspected that your issue resides somewhere in hardware. I just haven't been able to pin it down. CPU, Memory or Board. - WinDbg takes the crash dump and analyzes it. The output is pretty cryptic, but one of the lines says something like, "Probably caused by: hardware ".
- Can you check the Windows Logs, System and Application, for any events around the time of the crash to see if anything reveals itself?
- You'd need to direct me to where to find those... Edit: I think I found it, I'll see what's going on.
Also: I just got home from errands, and it BlueScreen'd again. This is after turning up the case fan speed, but the CPU fan is still noticeably short of where ET6 says it should be: 1200 when it should be at 1500.
Windows Logs: There is TONS of stuff here, TONS of errors, some critical. I don't know what to make of all of it. Some of the Event IDs I see are 400, 300, 200, 100, 203, 302... There isn't anything exactly before the latest BlueScreens, but some stuff after that isn't all that descriptive. Here's the text from a critical error occurring this morning, right about the time I woke it up and logged in after the late night crash.
Log Name: Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance/Operational
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance
Date: 6/13/2009 9:19:02 AM
Event ID: 100
Task Category: Boot Performance Monitoring
Level: Critical
Keywords: Event Log
User: LOCAL SERVICE
Computer: AlexKing-PC
Description:
Windows has started up:
Boot Duration : 106942ms
IsDegradation : false
Incident Time (UTC) : 6/13/2009 4:16:15 PM
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event ">
<System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance" Guid="{cfc18ec0-96b1-4eba-961b-622caee05b0a}" />
<EventID>100</EventID>
<Version>1</Version>
<Level>1</Level>
<Task>4002</Task>
<Opcode>34</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x8000000000010000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2009-06-13T16:19:02.419Z" />
<EventRecordID>279</EventRecordID>
<Correlation ActivityID="{00000001-0000-0002-7031-D84642ECC901}" />
<Execution ProcessID="1536" ThreadID="1944" />
<Channel>Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance/Operational</Channel>
<Computer>AlexKing-PC</Computer>
<Security UserID="S-1-5-19" />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data Name="BootTsVersion">2</Data>
<Data Name="BootStartTime">2009-06-13T16:16:15.734Z</Data>
<Data Name="BootEndTime">2009-06-13T16:19:00.048Z</Data>
<Data Name="SystemBootInstance">38</Data>
<Data Name="UserBootInstance">32</Data>
<Data Name="BootTime">106942</Data>
<Data Name="MainPathBootTime">26742</Data>
<Data Name="BootKernelInitTime">16</Data>
<Data Name="BootDriverInitTime">4149</Data>
<Data Name="BootDevicesInitTime">10388</Data>
<Data Name="BootPrefetchInitTime">30259</Data>
<Data Name="BootPrefetchBytes">421523456</Data>
<Data Name="BootAutoChkTime">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootSmssInitTime">4007</Data>
<Data Name="BootCriticalServicesInitTime">731</Data>
<Data Name="BootUserProfileProcessingTime">339</Data>
<Data Name="BootMachineProfileProcessingTime">531</Data>
<Data Name="BootExplorerInitTime">4082</Data>
<Data Name="BootNumStartupApps">3</Data>
<Data Name="BootPostBootTime">80200</Data>
<Data Name="BootIsRebootAfterInstall">false</Data>
<Data Name="BootRootCauseStepImprovementBits">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootRootCauseGradualImprovementBits">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootRootCauseStepDegradationBits">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootRootCauseGradualDegradationBits">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootIsDegradation">false</Data>
<Data Name="BootIsStepDegradation">false</Data>
<Data Name="BootIsGradualDegradation">false</Data>
<Data Name="BootImprovementDelta">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootDegradationDelta">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootIsRootCauseIdentified">false</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>- ModificatoCurlyCarlos sabato 13 giugno 2009 21.29Update
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos sabato 13 giugno 2009 21.41
- Maybe the best way (to get the most tools) is to right click "Computer" from the Windows menu and select "Manage". When the "Computer Management" window opens, there will be many options. You'll see Event Viewer is among them. Clicking the triangle opens more options. Under "Windows Logs" are the logs of most interest, Application and System.
If you haven't disabled automatic restarts, you should. Here's an interesting link on how to do that:
http://vistasupport.mvps.org/disable_automatic_restart_to_read_blue_screen_messages.htm
It's annoying and funny at the same time.
Does ET6 give max and min temps for the CPU? And what kind of temps do you get anyway?
It's really time to touch test some of the components in the computer to see if anything is running hot.
It doesn't surprise me you found nothing useful in the logs. It just hardens the case for a hardware issue.
Besides being frustrated and angry, what are your thoughts? There are a few things left. - My main thought is that I want to have nothing to do with the touch test... throughout my research before building the computer, I read that you cannot touch any of the components while they're on, because you could risk hurting yourself and/or the computer. I know you know more than me, but will feeling them myself make a huge difference?
I'll disable the automatic restarts, I guess. The info that I haven't been able to get is the STOP code extra stuff in the parenthesis, so that may somehow help.
ET6 has a default "safe" temperature mark at 104 degrees (Fahrenheit of course.) Right now, after waking up my computer, it's at only 62 degrees and was 54 a second ago.
In Applications, the only error I'm seeing is from the source "WMI". For System, there's a ssorted errors from Service Control, Dhcp-Client and others. Basically, nothing sticks out and signals to me that it caused a BSoD.
And yeah, it is beginning to be frustrating. A lot of it is frustrating... part of it is the fact that I built it myself and don't want to have anything be wrong with it. Another is that I don't want to have the problem stay because from the start I was considering selling this computer (to a family member or something, to make the dent in my wallet a bit less large) and stuff like that. Lastly, you've been helping so much that it seems that we should be getting close to a fix. Going to this forum was one of my last resorts. - Okay. You should not be forced into something you do not want. My apologies.
Disabling Auto Restarts may help. It may not. From what I've gathered, there is no particular rhyme or reason to these BSODs.
After disabling auto restarts, try an force a BSOD with the Verifier. Use the "Create Standard Settings" and choose all drivers. Let it rip.
Remember, you can always start back up in safe mode, delete the settings and Verifier will run no more. Hopefully, we'll get lucky.
- Good news and bad news... bad news is, it BSoD'd again, before I set it to not auto-restart. Good news is, they're becoming so common that we may be onto something. I've turned up the fan to high, but I don't see how that could cause a problem internally. Do you?
Also, ET6 continues to show the CPU fan being just slow. I don't have any compressed air on hand, but is there some technique to getting dust out of that fan/heatsink combo? That may possibly be the reason. If not, isn't there a second plug on the mobo called "CPU_FAN2"? Could I use that and see if the power is different?
I'll do the Verifier thing now.
Update: It BlueScreen'd, and the line that stuck out was "The system encountered an uncorrectable hardware error ". So why would verifier push it to do so?
Update: I found this unfortunately short forum post with the same problem as me: http://www.flexbeta.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9826
This was after googling "The system encountered an uncorrectable hardware error".
Update: This is pretty much perfect: http://www.faultwire.com/solutions_bsod/The_system_encountered_an_uncorrectable_hardware_error_0x00000124-1289.html
I badly want it not to be my processor. If it's the fan, that's alright, if it's my video card fan, I guess that's alright, if it's the PSU fan, that'd be a pain, etc. If it's my RAM, I could re-do the memory dance (not with all slots, just alternating sticks) and then the verifier to see if by chance that makes a difference. All of a sudden, I'm realizing that the Verifier is what I've been waiting for... a way to see on the spot if the BSoD problem is fixed. Now I'm upset I didn't realize it would do this for me earlier.
If it is in fact the processor, (if we were to diagnose it further), do you by chance have any knowledge of Newegg's return policy on commercial CPUs about six months after purchasing? :P
Yet another thought: Should I run the whole Verifier deal one more time without the PCI card? Or for any component, for that matter.- ModificatoCurlyCarlos domenica 14 giugno 2009 20.58Update
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos domenica 14 giugno 2009 21.01
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos domenica 14 giugno 2009 21.11
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos domenica 14 giugno 2009 21.17Thoughts
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos domenica 14 giugno 2009 21.31
- I don't know the technical details of Verifier. So I can't answer that question. You might be able to get more details at Microsoft TechNet. For your convenience:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/itprovistahardware/threads
I don't think I like Newegg's RMA policy one bit. It surprises me that they only warrant for 30 days.
Unfortunately, I think you're spot on with that page about the "uncorrectable hardware error". The temps you mentioned for the CPU seemed very low. It might be that the fan is not running well, the cooling unit isn't making the contact it should with the CPU or the contact tape/paste is insufficient.
Uhmmm... You're not going to like this, in fact, probably no one here, in their right mind, would, but, I take things out and wash them (when they need it). The only things I haven't washed (yet) are CD/DVD and hard drives. I know I just lost a lot of "cred" by typing that, but, it works for me. I fixed an otherwise useless floppy drive that way... Not that I'm suggesting you... Nawh. Nevermind.
I'm just guessing at this point, maybe the fan was actually the start of this mess. It has since messed up your CPU (heatstroke). If it wasn't for that unexplained shut down, I would still be in a toss up between Memory and CPU.
I'm really sorry Alex.
And no, I think Verifier has done it's job.
Avatar - I'm going to start a new thread at the forum you suggested (thanks, by the way) and state pretty much everything we've tried here. I'll even reference this page. Now that it's a hardware issue, it comes down to what I have to fix in the way of physically modifying or replacing. If you come up with any more ideas, feel free to post them here, but you've already been more of a help than anyone has ever been to anybody on a forum. For that, I thank you.
Link: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/itprovistahardware/thread/82f8c163-18bf-4b0d-a586-bd6dcf739065- ModificatoCurlyCarlos lunedì 15 giugno 2009 4.48Link
- Hey Alex,
Did you ever get anywhere with your problem? - Not any concrete help. The response at the other thread has been a bit underwhelming... but that isn't anyone's fault, we've tried almost everything. I found a forum post saying unplugging the DVD-R drive fixed his problem, (the same problem as mine), so I may try that. I've just lacked the get-up-and-go attitude to get on my antistatic wrist straps and go inside the computer once again.
Edit: I've unplugged it and in the 15 minutes the computer has been on, it hasn't crashed yet. Naturally, this isn't a resolution, yet. I notice the fan speed of the CPU continues to fall which makes me think it may be dust buildup. ET6 has a feature where you tell it to go fast enough to reach X rpm, but it's so poorly presented that I can't exactly figure out how to set it to 1500 or so. I'll keep trying. I had one thought -- the computer BlueScreen'd on the Vista install, when it was reading the disc. Maybe that has something to do with it, maybe?- ModificatoCurlyCarlos venerdì 17 luglio 2009 16.58Update
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos venerdì 17 luglio 2009 16.59
- CurlyCarlos, thank you for posting to the Microsoft forums.
As a system builder I can tell you that Avatarrrr and yourself have done a good job so far. I would just like to throw in some suggestions as I am unsure if any of what I am about to type has been performed or diagnosed so far.
Let us start by looking at the hardware, again. If you are thinking the DVD-R may have an issue with the system then you may be very well on your way to fixing it, if you are still uncertain then please at least ready my advice and consider it.
Assuming the DVD-R is good, are you sure that your Antec Earthwatts 500 watt PSU is OK to run this system? Let me explain, if your +12 volt rail to the CPU fluctuates sometimes you may encounter instability with the system. Something to consider.
DDR2 has a voltage spec of 1.9volts with even the most mediocre DDR2 RAM being able to push 2.0 volts flat DO NOT GO OVER 2.0 volts as I have personally had RAM (OCZ) that indicated I could go as high as 2.1 Volts but died after a couple weeks at 2.1 volts, so through research I have found that 2.0volts is the high standard for the average DDR2 RAM tolerance. Please note that additional voltage may increase stability but decrease the life-span of the RAM itself, not to mention voltage adjustments to RAM are usually only required when OVERCLOCKING comes into play. Though you can use a small increase to aid in STOCKCLOCKS stability.
You can also use the Windows Vista DVD to run a startup diagnostics test to check the RAM for issues. Also within Windows you can use SiSoft Sandra to run stress tests on the system, as well as BurnIn Self Tester. Both of these programs are free and will make any issue very apparent if it is indeed hardware.
You can also use a "Live CD" of a different operating system to determine if your PC can run stable within a different computing environment.
Variable FAN speed control can also cause CPU instability as usually CPU FAN Headers are close in proximity to the CPU causing what is known as "Line Ripple Noise" this sometimes happens when the BIOS hands over control of the FAN speed to the operating system, the operating system then monitors CPU load and temperature, then adjusts fan speed accordingly. This may sometimes cause a system crash/BSOD. Shuttle XPC users have had issues such as this for many years since Shuttle paired their units with 200 watt PSUs, mix this with the devices in the system and variable fan speed control and you would get instability.
So lets try a couple things.
1. In the BIOS disable fan speed control, let the CPU/System Fans run at full speed. Which in this case will give us constant power draw without fluctuation. As of right now you may want to check to make sure the CPU heatsink is not clogged, though in your earlier post indicate temperature is not an issue making me assume it is not clogged.
2.Monitor your line voltages within the OS as monitoring it in the BIOS would not allow there to be a load on the CPU and system.
3.Run a stress test on the system for a couple hours. Do not accomodate the system by removing any case panels as we want to run the system in the average temperature/environment that it will be around constantly. Do not cover the system in a blanket as this will cause even the most stable system to lock up out of sheer internal heat.
If you need the steps for running the built-in Windows Vista Startup Memory diagnostics tests reply to this post indiacting so and we will walk you through the steps. If you continue to have issues and we have eliminated the hardware as the culprit then we may also want to try a "Clean Boot" of the operating system.
If you require further assistance please post back here.
regards,
Aaron Barth - Correction:
DDR2 is stock at 1.8v with the high average for mediocre RAM being 1.95v, and the highest being 2.2v from really good memory makers.
ALSO BE WARNED THE ABOVE VOLTAGE SPECS ARE FOR REFERENCE ONLY, IF YOU CHOOSE TO MODIFY ANY BIOS SETTING OR VOLTAGE SETTING YOU HAVE ONLY YOURSELF TO BLAME IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG.
regards,
Aaron Barth
p.s. my "edit" was messing up my previous post. - Thanks for the helpful posts, Aaron. I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply faster -- sometimes I get a little discouraged from troubleshooting so much and need a break.
I will definitely disable CPU fan control in the BIOS; it sounds like a good thing to try. I'd love to do some sort of diagnostics on the PSU, but I'm not sure where to start. What tools do I need, and what do I do? Is this related to the line voltages? I'm not quite sure what you mean there...
I'll stress test it again, but maybe after we cover those two things above. I can do some diagnostics with the Windows Vista DVD, but do keep in mind that I've already done a memtest among many other tests. The Driver Verifier tool also showed me that a signed driver, when pushed to the limit, is causing a BSoD immediately.
Lastly, a few hours after unplugging the DVD-R the computer BlueScreen'd. It sucks, but, that's that.
Thanks so much for the help, and I hope we can come to a resolution soon. - CurlyCarlos, thank you for posting back to the Microsoft forums.
Your Gigabyte motherboard should have come with a utility called EasyTune. EasyTune can be used to tweak hardware settings, and monitor hardware. If you install EasyTune there will be a button titled "PCHealth" if you click that button it will display voltages, fan speeds, and temperatures.
Try this before disabling fan speed control, boot the system, let it start to the desktop and just sit there and idle for a bit, (a couple minutes) then start EasyTune and monitor your voltages and temperatures as well as fan speeds via the "PCHealth" button. Post back your results of all the items listed in "PCHealth", you do not need to monitor them for along time, just a couple minutes.
Based on the data we will know if your hardware is having a problem. However you should note that this does not reflect the hardwares status when a load is applied to it.
To test the hardware with a slight load applied to it you can run stress tests with either SiSoft Sandra or BurnIn Tester running at the same time as EasyTune, monitoring it all the same. I myself have also ran Quake Live to test this but SiSoft Sandra and BurnIn Tester seem to do a better job of it. Use your favorite search engine to find these programs, they are freeware. Post back your results of the tests.
regards,
Aaron Barth - I've used EasyTune (ET6) a fair bit in the past to monitor temperatures, but I haven't payed much attention the the Voltage part.
Upon bootup, here are some specs:
Voltages:
CPU: 1.264V
DDR18V: 2.080V
+3.3V: 3.296V
+12V: 12.365V
CPU Fan Speed: It started around 1300RPM but is now at 1580. I've never seen it this high since installing ET6.
Temperatures:
System: 114F (It's 87 degrees in my room, warmer than usual, does that matter?)
CPU: 104F
And after a few minutes, the CPU Voltage evened out at 1.280V and the fan sped up to 1730RPM. The System Temperature was 116F and the CPU was 106F.
Update: I'm using Sandra to run a Burn-in Test. I'll post results.
Results: It passed, but when I tried to look at stuff, nothing displayed. It just said it completed successfully. However, ET6 showed that my CPU fan was going around 1830RPM and the System Temperature was about 122F.- ModificatoCurlyCarlos mercoledì 29 luglio 2009 21.15
- CurlyCarlos, thank you for posting back to the Microsoft forums.
Be aware, in my post from Thursday, July 23, 2009 4:06 PM I state 1.95v being the highest setting that most mediocre RAM should ever be run for maximum stability. Be also aware that longevity decreases when you deviate away from 1.8v. Though you should be OK for this testing if I were you I would lower your RAM voltage.
However if you have your BIOS set to automatically detect the RAM settings then SPD data may be telling your motherboard to run it at 2volts, to be sure you should check your BIOS. In the RAM settings if it states AUTO, or by SPD then the actual RAM is telling the BIOS what to run them at and it shouldn't be of concern. Alternatively you can remove the RAM and there should be a label on the RAM itself indicating the specs.
Your +12v line is really really good, and is not a concern.
Your +3.3v line is good
Your CPU voltage is also good
Intel states a maximum voltage of 1.5v for the CPU, something to keep in mind, if you do want to test CPU voltage as being the culprit then always increase the voltage in small increments 1.28-1.3-1.35-1.4-etc. you SHOULD NOT need to go over 1.45v. One of my PCs at home runs at 3.4GHz @ 1.45v and has done so since 2007.
Did disabling fan speed control every increase stability? Keep us posted.
regards,
Aaron Barth - I changed the setting in my BIOS that allows the speed of the fan to change around depending on the CPU temperature. I went ahead and disabled that, because it's the only thing I found. Now it runs right around 2800 nonstop.
As for my RAM, I'll snoop around in my BIOS a bit more and see what I can find.
Update: It was set to SPD, so I think the RAM is correctly voltage'd. Now I guess I'll leave the computer on in this heat for awhile and see if it crashes.
Update: I left it running all yesterday, turned it off for the night, but turned it on again today. Nothing bad has happened at all yet, however, ET6 reports the fan running at around 2020RPM. What does this point to? The BIOS is telling the fan to run at full speed, but it has slowly slowed down. I remember seeing a "CPU_FAN2" port on the motherboard, would it work to plug the fan into that and see if anything was different? Alternatively, is it a possibility that the fan itself is the problem, and I should just replace it?
Still though, no crashes yet. The last time I had it on for extended periods of time, it BlueScreen'd every few hours. However, I was using Firefox instead of just letting it sit like it is now.
Update: It crashed. I'm not sure what to try next.- ModificatoCurlyCarlos mercoledì 29 luglio 2009 21.37
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos giovedì 30 luglio 2009 17.22
- ModificatoCurlyCarlos giovedì 30 luglio 2009 19.48
- CurlyCarlos, thanks for posting back to the Microsoft forums.
One bit of advise, when you click "edit" in this thread no one can see that you replied. So just hit reply to the last name other than yourself (like mine) then we can see that you replied.
Ok now with that out of the way I am 99.99% certain we have a fan/heat issue. You state that your CPU fan rotates at ~2k rpms. What size is the CPU fan? (60mm, 80mm, 120mm?)
If you have either a 60mm or a 80mm then 2k rpms is way low especially if fan speed control was disabled. (which it was)
If you have a 120mm fan then this is a low average for larger fans, as they typically spin around 2200 rpms.
However here is something you may want to consider, you can permanently damage the CPU Fan Header/s if you run a large fan off the motherboard header, or a fan that requires a lot of voltage, such as a 80mm fan that spins at 6k rpms.
Try this before changing the fan connector to another motherboard header, simply remove the case panel and let it run overnight and see if it locks up. If it does not then it is a heat issue and the fan is not adequately cooling the CPU. Even if you do decide to switch motherboard fan connectors then still try the system overnight with the case panel off.
If after you have switched the CPU fan header to another CPU fan header you notice the fan speed up, then that fan has required too much out of the previous fan header and had already damaged it. In other words if you swap the fan connector to the other one you mention and the fan speed jumps to 3500rpms from 2020rpms then you know the previous fan connector was damaged.
If you do choose to change the fans it would be a good idea to change the heatsink compound of the CPU as well, most people use a brand called "Arctic Silver". Arctic Silver is a silver based compound made to promote thermal transfer between CPU and Heatsink. You can find Arctic Silver online, or at various computer specialty shops.
Don't forget to check if the Heatsink is clogged.
Also, this last time that it went to BSOD what was the system doing?
Try the above and let us know, by the time we get done you should have a very stable Quad Core.
regards,
Aaron Barth - The computer was idling (at the desktop/screensaver with the usual processes going) at the time of the crash.
I'm pretty sure my fan is 120mm.
I'll try running it overnight without the case panel on.
Thanks for the help. - CurlyCarlos, thanks for posting back to the Microsoft forums.
No problem, if your CPU fan is a 120mm it is more than likely drawing a lot of power from the CPU Fan Header, monitor that fan as it may kill that header/connector. It should be noted that in most cases when the fan header becomes defective from just being overloaded the RPM sensor will almost always still work.
The reason why I tell you this is because your BIOS will tell you if it does not detect a fan, so you could still use a fan but it would have to have just the RPM wire sent to the header and the power would then be passed by a simple 4-pin molex connector. So do not assume that your motherboard is automatically bad in the event that the CPU Fan1 header dies.
What kind of CPU Fan/Heatsink combo are you using?
Anyway keep those things in mind, and post back with the result of this latest test.
regards,
Aaron Barth - Until I do the overnight test, I might as well say that I'm using the stock fan/heatsink that came with my CPU.
- I couldn't do the test the past two nights, but I turned my computer back on around 3:00 today and so far things are good with the case off. The fan's going around 2090RPM; I haven't yet experimented with different sockets on the mobo.
- It BlueScreen'd. It was idling with the case open and a air-circulating fan pulling air out of it (I thought it was worth a shot). I want to try plugging it into the "SYS_FAN2" plug, which is 4-pin, but I don't want it to be severely underpowered and damage the CPU. I suppose I can quickly go into the BIOS, see the speed, and turn off the computer quickly if I see a problem.
How sure are we that it's a temperature issue? Is the next step going to be a new fan/heatsink?
EDIT: I just tried the SYS_FAN2 plug, the BIOS reported it to be running around 800RPM. I promptly turned off the computer. At least I learned something.
If we think it's temperature, I suppose the next question is if it's the fan or the motherboard. I would really love for it to be the fan, I really don't want to have to rebuild the computer from scratch with a new one. However, if we narrow it down to that, I'll willingly do it, granted that I can get a replacement through the warranty. If not, I'll have to see whether or not I can fund a new one.
Part of me still wonders if it isn't temperature, though.
Another thought: Verifier immediately BSOD's when testing all drivers. Does this mean that it immediately pushes the entire computer to the limits and causes it to overheat? I've done some stress tests and nothing happens that quickly. It's something to consider.
Sorry my thoughts are so fragmented.- ModificatoCurlyCarlos domenica 2 agosto 2009 18.08
- You could try removing one of the wifi cards. How much System RAM do you have?
Hello Alex, I see that some folks have tried to help. I admire that they root this whole post and try to help. Unfortunately, we pretty much have it down to the processor. It’s an unusual fault, but nonetheless, that seems to be the case. Your best bet, at this point, is to find another suitable processor and substitute with that. You’ll probably need an adjusted chipset as well. That’s the only way we can rule out the processor. I know it seems cruel and unfair but, there it is.
This is worth the read:
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/sys/crash.htm
I was following that from here:
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/comp/mbsys/gen_Failure.htm
It all seems to point at the CPU. You should note that a complete rebuild is probably not in the future, just replacement of failed parts. One in particular, and it’s not likely your mother board.
I still don’t know why Verifier can do what it does. I am now of the opinion that this tool is rather formidable in scope (much more so than I originally believed). It would appear that this tool is capable of drilling through the system and causing anything that can fail, to do so.
Your friend,
Avatar
- Contrassegnato come rispostaCurlyCarlos sabato 12 settembre 2009 21.41
- Thanks, Avatar. I haven't been here for the past two weeks, but I'm back now and it looks like I'll be moving forward with getting the CPU replaced.
If I play my cards right, there's no reason I won't be able to get a replacement of my current processor. Could I try that before getting a completely different one? - Oh heck yeah. A replacement is just as good as new in my opinion. It is new right? That's the only thing I consider necessary. Of course, if you could borrow one that works, that would do as well. At least as far as troubleshooting goes.
Let me restate this: Replacement with an equal is fine.
Did I answer your question? - I guess when you said "You’ll probably need an adjusted chipset as well" I wasn't sure.
Either way, you did answer my question. The CPU was purchased probably seven or eight months ago, and as far as I know I have every bit of the packaging and proof that came with it (I got it from Newegg). So I'll go to their website and snoop around a bit, and see what they can do for me.
- While I have the chance to ask, why exactly have we narrowed it down to the CPU?
In other words, why is it not the motherboard? (The Intel chat guy is asking and I'm a bit worried that I don't know how to defend myself. I'm sure I can get an answer and talk to them another time though; it isn't super urgent)
EDIT: I guess I don't really need an explanation anymore because everything's good. This is big news, I think I may be finally resolving the problem. Within two or three weeks, I'll have a new CPU to install and hopefully a perfect computer that I can use. I don’t like this tech’s tactic. S/He’s not interested in helping. S/He wants to off the problem to the motherboard. Check this flowchart:
http://www.fixingmycomputer.com/flowcharts/motherboard-troubleshoot-chart.html
You need another CPU to test the motherboard. The only other reason would be some sort of intermittent short happening at the motherboard. You should not have to defend yourself. This person should know that, short of a “short”, there is no other way to verify the motherboard is the problem. It’s the last item.
- Oops. Good. Haha. My bad.
- Well, I just re-read the entire thread (106 posts, wow-wee) and this is by far the most extensive troubleshooting I've ever done. Today I'm going to the post office to mail the CPU to Kentucky, and when it gets here, I'll post to say how things go.
Avatar, I feel like I should be paying you somehow. Got PayPal? I might be able to make something small happen. Keep in mind I'm only 14 though. - Ha ha. Nope, completely unnecessary Alex. You're 14? Holy cow. You write so well. I had no idea.
- Hi Guys
It has been interesting following your discussion and path to a sollution. Im happy for you Carlos if you at last got your proplem solved - I know how frustrating it can be. For me It has been an educational trip down the hightech lane and I tried most of the tips out - although without succes. But I still want to thank you guys for the insights you have been sharing.
I need to share my path since I´ve had the same issue on my laptop ACER ASPIRE 7520G. The BSOD only appears when playing games like WoW and SIM3. After a memtest that showed issues the mem blocks where replaced without any effect. A tread here suggested it as a possible overheating issue. I ran a test that showed a CPU core temp of 88-92C´ and the same for the GPU. thats 20-25C´ above normal operation temperature. In pure desperation I bought a Targus Chill Mat. It only lowered the temp with 3-5C´ but after a series of strain test over 8+ hours (past the last 3 weeks) the BSOD have disappered.
It might be worth following for other unfortunate Laptop owners. - That's interesting, Haans. I'd like to think that this is just a different case altogether and it doesn't mean I have a temperature problem as well... and I think I'm allowed to think that, because I've seen this STOP code correspond to audio drivers, nVidia drivers, PCI hot-plugging issues and more. If my new processor doesn't fix the problem, I'll look a bit more into temperatures, as well as the CPU_FAN plug on my motherboard, just in case it's somehow faulty.
Regardless, thanks for sharing your experience. - I do agree that this might be a different case altogether - after all the 0x00000124 BSOD migth be triggered by different courses. In my case an overheating issue - in yours (hopefully) a foulty CPU and in a third case maybe the audio driver. Its my experience (regarding this issue) that it has been darn hard to find treads that comes up with clearcut solutions that has proven to work. Other than this thread ofcourse - especially if your operation turns out to work which I really hope it will.
- The CPU came today. Intel shipped it with 2-day air shipping from UPS, but it was the equivalent of overnight because it got here the day after. So that's amazing. I installed it confidently, and it booted up just fine. To celebrate, I've connected a 30" HDTV in my house as the monitor. I love HDMI, audio and video all in one. My ATI card is handling 1080p easily, it seems.
The computer has only been on for around an hour total since the fix, so I can't declare it absolutely fixed. But still, the fact that it hasn't crashed yet is obviously a good sign.
Once it's gone a good week or so with nothing, I'll mark Avatar's recent comment about it definitely being the CPU as the answer. And I'll contact Microsoft and tell them that the 0x00000124 BlueScreen can mean something different than what they think.
I'm really happy right now. Thanks to everyone, especially Avatar, for all of the help you've given me.
