Windows 7: Bad_pool_header

No minidump created for the overnight BSOD - and as far as I can see the last BSOD recorded elsewhere in the logs was the one that richc46 posted.



What this usually means is that the system failed so fast it did not have time to record the BSOD, representative of some form of hardware fault.

From earlier - this appears to be a graphics fault.

So, run a graphics stress test - Video Card - Stress Test with Furmark

I ran the test and there were no issues/crashes. Does this mean there's nothing wrong with the GPU?

Also, I think I should mention that I did not actually see the latest BSOD. The computer was running overnight and when I checked in the morning it was unexpectedly off. Booting up revealed it had not shut down properly. Whether this was a BSOD is not certain but the symptoms seem to match what happened before.

I tried playing the game again and after about 5 minutes I got another BSOD. This time the error code was "dxgmms1.sys"

I am attaching another one of those tests so you can see for yourselves. Playing the game seems to instigate these BSODs. Does this mean it's most likely a GPU problem?

I ran "sfc.exe /scannow" in an command prompt and I got this message:

Does that provide you with any clues?

The dump seems to point to an ATI driver issue with handling the DMA request Windows made of it. Either the driver is at fault, or the hardware beneath it is (either way, there's no real way to say for sure). It looks like you have the August release of the ATI driver suite, which is probably the 10.8 catalyst suite. I'd try downloading and testing older versions in 10.x, as far back as you're comfortable, to see if any other versions make your system more stable. If not, you probably want to contact AMD/ATI to test that video card's hardware or the driver if you've already passed Prime95 and FurMark stress tests.

Okay, I rebooted the computer and before loading up the login screen, Windows said that the corrupt file it was fixing was in "registry\machine\components" or something of that sort. Could that explain the problem?

Is there any chance its a DirectX problem? (wouldn't this explain the fact that one of the BSODs was a dxgmms1.sys error?)

Anything is possible.

You can update DirectX here - Microsoft Download Center: Product Family Search Results

If that fails to fix it then this really does look like a hardware problem. Get the GPU replaced under warranty.

I played the game for a good hour right now and there were no problems. Maybe that sfc.exe thing fixed it. The fact that it was located in registry\machine\components makes me think it was very important. I am no expert though. If there are further issues, I will come back.

Thank you all very much. Its great to know there are people willing to help you with your computer problems.

There is a new problem. I'm not sure if it has to do with crashes and debugging or whether it should be in a different forum, so tell me if I need to make a new thread.

I was playing Batman Arkham Asylum and, during a cutscene, the screen froze and the speakers produced a cackling sound. I could not ALT+TAB or CTRL+ALT+DELETE out of it so I shut down the computer manually. Since then I have been unable to restart it. Thinking it might be overheating, I've let the computer rest for an hour (this worked the last time it wouldnt restart) but it still doesnt boot up. All the components and fans seem to start up but nothing is displayed.

I thought it may be a faulty graphics card (this would have explained the previous problems) but then I realized that the computer doesnt make the usual beep when booting up nor does it make that beep to signal something is wrong. What is the issue? Could it be a power issue (not PSU but mains power)?

I have reset the CMOS and the computer boots up again. What the hell is happening? Can a game really cause this much havoc? Is there some deeper problem that I am not spotting?

EDIT: Also, what does resetting the CMOS do exactly and how does it solve problems such as mine?