System crash while running DX9 games

Hello everyone,

[tl;dr]DX9 games consistently crash and cause a system freeze an indeterminate amount of time after loading. (Average 3 minutes) This issue even occurs during clean boots. Furmark, ɣ-cruncher, AIDA64 stress tests all last 12 hours without issue. Memtest and disk error check pass with no issues. DX10 games (eg. LotRO) play without encountering the issue.

System specifications:
Windows 7 Ultimate N x64 (Original OS, MSDN Retail Version)
Hardware is as old as Windows 7 (Approximately 2.5 years)
OS age detailed below (07/26/2011 for brevity)

eVGA X58 3x Classified (E760)
Intel Core i7 Extreme 975
eVGA GeForce GTX 295 (Single)
Corsair Dominator CM3X2G1866C9D x6 (12.28 GiB total)
NZXT Precise 1000W; Corsair HX1000W
Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion
NZXT Sentry
ASUS U3S6 USB3 PCI Expansion Card
Blackmagic Design Intensity Shuttle

After dealing with this issue for an unknown amount of time, I decided to start with a fresh install of Windows and proceed from there. I initially assumed the issue was due to the system configuration, so I continued by customizing Windows and running Windows Updates, installing drivers, and installing any necessary programs and games. After the installations completed, I decided to run stress tests. Furmark ran at max settings for 12 hours with no issues (no artifacts, no graphical issues, no overheating). AIDA64 ran for 12 hours with no issues. ɣ-Cruncher ran for 8 hours using 7 GiB of RAM with no issues. Memtest completed with no errors. Windows Memory Diagnostic completed with no errors. Disk Error Check completed with no errors. With all these tests, I figured the hardware was operating correctly and there weren't any problems with the motherboard, CPU, GPU, RAM, or PSU.

The issue encountered was tested using Age of Empires III and Star Wars Galaxies. Towards the later parts of testing, I used the former game exclusively as it tended to crash faster on a more consistent basis. I also used Star Wars: Empire at War - Forces of Corruption occasionally in the beginning tests. I initially installed nVidia 270.61 drivers, but uninstalled and switched to 280.19 drivers on July 28 when they were released before I started the stress tests. The 275.33 drivers were causing issues in DX10 games in addition to the issue being discussed here, so I avoided using it since my installation of Windows in July 26.

Using normal boot, I began testing the issue. With normal settings, the issue occurred. I proceeded to disable unused hardware and unplug extra USB devices. The issue continued to occur. Results were inconclusive.

Using clean boot, all non-Microsoft services disabled and all startup programs disabled, I tested the issue. The issue still occurred and I didn't continue the normal routine for clean boot testing. Results were inconclusive.

At this point, I proceeded by creating a backup system image and decided to test the issue from scratch. I then did a fresh installation of Windows. Immediately after the installation completed, I installed Age of Empires III and checked for the issue. The issue occurred exactly the same as earlier.

The issue was acting like a TDR, so I performed the typical TDR troubleshooting. While playing a DX9 game, the monitor reports "No signal detected", audio continues to play, and about 6 seconds later the system crashes/freezes with the "skipping" audio sound. I proceeded to install graphics drivers, keyboard and mouse drivers, and mainboard chipset, restarting in between each installation. The issue occurred every time. Results were inconclusive.

With the issue occurring after a fresh installation and still occurring with the correct drivers installed, I figure it comes down to a hardware compatibility issue. Before I start tinkering around and testing the issue with a barebones system, I wanted to post here and see if anyone can help me with this issue.

Thanks for reading and helping me with this issue. If you need any more information (screenshots for CPU-z, Furmark/AIDA64/etc. for x hours, etc.) just let me know the settings/steps where applicable so I can get you exactly what you are looking for.

Kadeem

P.S. the attachment contains the Crash Docs in the AllyaCrashDocs.rar (Allya is the computer's name).

Install drivers for your RAID controller - perfmon lists them as not being installed. Devices can cause problems even without drivers being installed.

There is a problem reported with a PS2 keyboard. If using a USB keyboard you can safely ignore this error.

There are no Windows Updates installed since Service Pack 1. Most systems have around 55 installed. Please visit Windows Update and get all available updates.

Please check with the system manufacturer for a firmware update for the processor/mobo:

Event[110]:
Log Name: System
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Processor-Power
Date: 2011-08-01T20:46:37.140
Event ID: 35
Task: N/A
Level: Error
Opcode: Info
Keyword: N/A
User: S-1-5-18
User Name: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Computer: Allya
Description:
Performance power management features on processor 1 in group 0 are disabled due to a firmware problem. Check with the computer manufacturer for updated firmware.

Lot's of errors with Windows Search - have you messed with any settings for this?

usasma said:

Install drivers for your RAID controller - perfmon lists them as not being installed. Devices can cause problems even without drivers being installed.

There is a problem reported with a PS2 keyboard. If using a USB keyboard you can safely ignore this error.

There are no Windows Updates installed since Service Pack 1. Most systems have around 55 installed. Please visit Windows Update and get all available updates.

Please check with the system manufacturer for a firmware update for the processor/mobo:

Event[110]:
Log Name: System
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Processor-Power
Date: 2011-08-01T20:46:37.140
Event ID: 35
Task: N/A
Level: Error
Opcode: Info
Keyword: N/A
User: S-1-5-18
User Name: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Computer: Allya
Description:
Performance power management features on processor 1 in group 0 are disabled due to a firmware problem. Check with the computer manufacturer for updated firmware.

Lot's of errors with Windows Search - have you messed with any settings for this?

Thanks for your response. I have tried to install drivers for the RAID controller, but I am largely unable to find the appropriate drivers. The drives in question are not the OS drive, they are 3 Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB drives with 2 RAID 0 partitions. The RAID drivers on eVGA would not allow an install, and I am already using Intel Rapid Storage Technology. I will continue looking for drivers for the RAID controller, but any help with learning which one to use is appreciated.

The PS/2 keyboard message is because I use a USB keyboard. In fact, there is no PS/2 port on my motherboard.

After the fresh install, I had installed all available updates before doing anything else. I made it a point to read every KB article and I also installed everything that was listed as available and doing SP1 when it was the last available update. After that update, there were only some updates for Microsoft Office, Visual C++ redist, and ones of that nature. The only other update that appears is a Internet Explorer 9 for x64 update. I don't particularly like IE, so I have not installed that as yet.

There is a firmware update for my motherboard which I will apply when I get a CD to apply the update with.

I do not believe I have made any alterations to the search function of Windows. I have turned off the Internet Games, More Games, and Purble Place window components and I turned off Internet Explorer 8. The only other change that I have made is folder view settings changing the default to Large Icons and not hiding known file extensions. I don't believe I made any other changes to search. Is there something I can check to see if I've made changes?

Kadeem

Edit: I just found the appropriate RAID controller drivers (JMicron) and installed them. Those driver issues are now resolved. Attached is the new perfmon report. In addition, I think the Search errors may be due to the fact that I changed the OS drive label from "OS" to "SenateLibrary". I'm guessing this change may have something to do with Search errors. I'm not sure if this is the case, if there is a way to fix it while keeping the label, or if changing the label back with rectify the errors.

RAID and other HDD controller drivers are for devices on the mobo - not for the drives themselves.
Select your mobo and OS from here: EVGA | Support | Download Drivers
Download and install:
- chipset drivers
- SATA6 drivers
- JMicron e-SATA drivers

Have you tried the DX9 games with SpeedStep enabled?
What exact error do you get when attempting to install IE9?
I'll have a look at the latest uploaded reports in the AM, my eyes are killing me right now!

Even though it is an eVGA motherboard, some of the drivers on eVGAs site are outdated. For example the chipset drivers on eVGA are 9.1.2.1008 and the ones I have installed from Intel's website (since the X58 chipset is Intel) are 9.2.0.1030 which I have installed.

The SATA6 drivers have already been installed and their firmware was flashed as well.

I added the JMicron eSATA drivers. I must have forgot to run that installer after I had done the other JMicron driver. That has been installed now.

I cleared logs, enabled SpeedStep after doing the above, and I'll be testing out the installation of IE9 and the original issue. I believe the error code will be somewhere among the Crash Docs. I'm fairly new to this part of system administration. I will post an edit when I get through these last couple steps.

When IE9 is attempting to install, no error is usually produced. It is usually a system hang. Oddly, I can still move my mouse around, but the program locks up and if I make any user interactions the system hangs. I will try this again and see if I can get an error by going with either option (after I have finished the other tasks here).

Once I finish these last steps, I will put up another set of Crash Docs with the newer event logs, assuming I still run into errors.

Thank you very much for your help!

Kadeem

Edit: When attempting to install IE9, I get the following message, "Error(s) found: Code 2. Windows Update encountered an unknown error." Event Viewer gives an error code of 0x80070643. A troubleshooting link (KB 2409098) is generated and I am presented 4 methods for installing. The first "Method" is to ensure the system meets the requirements for IE9, which it does. The second Method is to ensure all prerequisites for IE9 are installed and presents a link to KB 2399238. For Windows 7, the prerequisite package is KB 2454826. Method 3 is to ensure a system restart is not pending and no other updates are pending. Method 4 suggests temporarily disabling Antispyware and Antivirus systems when installing. When following Method 2, the package indicates it is not applicable (it's listed as a Windows 7 package as opposed to a Windows 7 SP1 package). I remember reading the technet article saying the prerequisites are already included with Windows 7 SP1 and there are no additional prerequisites. I downloaded the IE9 package (instead of using Windows Update) and 5 programs are listed as conflicting (Java Update Scheduler, Logitech Webcam Software, Logitech SetPoint, Windows Gadgets, and Windows Explorer). Choosing "Close programs for me" results in the system hang mentioned above (with 0% install progress). Choosing "Ignore any open programs" results in the message, "Internet Explorer did not finish installing" after about 15%-20% progress. Following Method 4 by disabling antivirus/antispyware (NOD32), results in the exact same states/messages.

The original issue still occurs exactly as stated in the original post. DX9 games will still crash as described. Most recent Crash Docs are attached.

NOTE: This post was composed before KadeemH's last post, so it may seem a bit out of place.

The more I look around the more that I figure that this is a permissions issue.
Have you experienced a malware infection on this system?

The system log file has 3 Errors and 0 Warnings (the log was cleared on 08/03/2011):
- the processor firmware error
- the failed install of IE9
- unexpected shutdown messages I presume that these are from testing DX9 games and the subsequent freeze. Am I correct?

The Application log file has 0 Errors and 2 Warnings:
Here's an incompatible game:

vent[108]:
Log Name: Application
Source: Microsoft-Windows-ApplicationExperienceInfrastructure
Date: 2011-08-03T16:19:36.870
Event ID: 1
Task: N/A
Level: Warning
Opcode: Stop
Keyword: N/A
User: S-1-5-21-1866716112-770428535-1359467410-1001
User Name: Allya\Kadeem
Computer: Allya
Description:
The application (Age of Empires III, from vendor Microsoft) has the following problem: Age of Empires III is incompatible with this version of Windows. For more information, contact Microsoft.

and, Here's the reason for no more Search errors - Search can't start. What steps did you take to fix the search errors?:

Event[53]:
Log Name: Application
Source: Microsoft-Windows-RestartManager
Date: 2011-08-03T17:09:54.940
Event ID: 10010
Task: N/A
Level: Warning
Opcode: Info
Keyword: N/A
User: S-1-5-21-1866716112-770428535-1359467410-1001
User Name: Allya\Kadeem
Computer: Allya
Description:
Application 'C:\Windows\System32\SearchFilterHost.exe' (pid 2696) cannot be restarted - Application SID does not match Conductor SID..

As a last resort, I'd try using SubInACL to repair the permissions on your system. It may or may not work, but otherwise I'm out of ideas. Here's a link to a post by jenae on how to reset permissions: [SOLVED] Device Manager is Blank - Page 2 - Tech Support Forum

I downloaded the IE9 package (instead of using Windows Update) and 5 programs are listed as conflicting (Java Update Scheduler, Logitech Webcam Software, Logitech SetPoint, Windows Gadgets, and Windows Explorer).

Windows Explorer shouldn't be conflicting with IE9, so that's a red flag here.
Try closing all of the other programs manually, then clicking on Ignore (to let it ignore Windows Explorer) - what happens?

If resetting permissions doesn't work, then I'd suggest a repair install of Windows 7: Repair Install

If that doesn't work, then I'd:
- backup all of your stuff
- wipe the hard drive with DBAN or KillDisk (both are free with a Google search)
- perform a clean install of Windows7

If that doesn't fix it, then it's a hardware problem (which means more troubleshooting).

At least since the new installation of Windows, I have not had any malware, virus, or spyware issues.

You are correct on the 3 errors that are displayed.

Age of Empires III has known compatibility issues with Aero, but it's reported as working fine without any modifications on Windows 7 Ultimate x64. Aero just disables and runs in Basic mode.

I took no direct steps to change Windows Search functionality or to resolve Search errors.

I will try SubInACL and see if that fixes the issue. In addition, I will try to install IE9 as per your instructions before and after SubInACL and let you know what the result is.

Assuming the issue still occurs, I will attempt a Repair Install and inform you of that result.

If that fails, I will start from scratch again after wiping with DBAN. If that is the case, what do you suggest before I test the issue? My normal routine with a new installation is Customize Windows (via Control Panel), Install Windows Updates (no particular order, except SP1 last since there are a couple patches to fix some issues that occur with SP1 install according to their KB article), Install Antivirus, Install Firefox, Install all Drivers (now I actually know all of them), Install other programs/games. Is there a better order to do these in? And as far as Windows Update is concerned, there is usually a point where I get about 100 security fixes/hotfixes/patches; is it best to break these up and do them in smaller groups (by date for example) or is it fine to do them all at the same time?

Kadeem

For testing purposes, it's best to install Windows "clean".
This is, basically, installing it the way that Microsoft intended (using drivers from Windows Update).

Connect the system to the internet
Use DBAN ( http://www.dban.org/download ) or KillDisk ( http://www.killdisk.com/downloadfree.htm ) to wipe the drive
Install Windows by booting from the installation DVD
Visit Windows Update and get all updates (50 to 80 updates as I recall)
Visit Windows Update and get Service Pack 1 (usually under Important Updates)
Visit Windows Update and get any other available updates (around 50 updates as I recall)
Check Device Manager for any unknown/disabled devices - if there are unknown/disabled devices, fix them with the latest drivers from the device manufacturer's website (not the PC Manufacturer)
Download, install, and update a free antivirus so you don't get infected while testing ( http://www.carrona.org/freeav.html ).

If the problems persist, then the problem is most likely with your hardware. Since this is a DX problem with a game, I'd start out by suspecting your video card.

Just let Windows Update run on it's own to install the updates. Don't set any hibernate/sleep/screensaver timers for now - just let it run until the updates are installed and the system has rebooted itself.