BSOD from numerous addresses, ntoskrnl.exe #1 cause

Hello all.

Is Windows 7 . . .
- x86 (32-bit) or x64 ? 64-bit
- the original installed OS on the system? Yes
- an OEM or full retail version? Full-retail
- OEM = came pre-installed on system
- Full Retail = you purchased it from retailer

- What is the age of system (hardware)? Almost two months old
- What is the age of OS installation (have you re-installed the OS?) I have not re-installed it once. The oldest files date back to July 21, 2011 so I'm guessing that's when I installed it.

I have been getting blue screens for almost two months now. I have installed numerous programs to check out what's wrong and deal with the problem but those were only temporary fixes (at best). So I finally decided to upload it to Seven Forums. Attached is my BlueScreenView screenshot (I assume you guys are aware of this program) to aid in diagnosing what's wrong with my system.

I have scanned my computer with Windows Security Essentials and Malwarebytes and they have found no viruses and the like. From the look of my BlueScreenView, my C:/windows/system32/drivers folder is full of crap. As you can see in that screenshot, ntoskrnl.exe is the most frequent cause of the blue screens I get. I delete that file and permanently remove it from my system, only to find another driver is there to do what it does.

All of my hardware components should be up-to-date, I checked my Device Doctor before this post.

I get these error screens once, sometimes more a day. Please help, and thank you in advance.

Brent Findley

brentfindley said:

Hello all.

Is Windows 7 . . .
- x86 (32-bit) or x64 ? 64-bit
- the original installed OS on the system? Yes
- an OEM or full retail version? Full-retail
- OEM = came pre-installed on system
- Full Retail = you purchased it from retailer

- What is the age of system (hardware)? Almost two months old
- What is the age of OS installation (have you re-installed the OS?) I have not re-installed it once. The oldest files date back to July 21, 2011 so I'm guessing that's when I installed it.

I have been getting blue screens for almost two months now. I have installed numerous programs to check out what's wrong and deal with the problem but those were only temporary fixes (at best). So I finally decided to upload it to Seven Forums. Attached is my BlueScreenView screenshot (I assume you guys are aware of this program) to aid in diagnosing what's wrong with my system.

I have scanned my computer with Windows Security Essentials and Malwarebytes and they have found no viruses and the like. From the look of my BlueScreenView, my C:/windows/system32/drivers folder is full of crap. As you can see in that screenshot, ntoskrnl.exe is the most frequent cause of the blue screens I get. I delete that file and permanently remove it from my system, only to find another driver is there to do what it does.

All of my hardware components should be up-to-date, I checked my Device Doctor before this post.

I get these error screens once, sometimes more a day. Please help, and thank you in advance.

Brent Findley

Brent Hi and welcome

You have at least 10 different causes for these crashes and when the number is that high it is usually either malware (discounted) or hardware.

By now I would have tried a clean re-install just to eliminate the software but lets try these two tests.


1-Memtest.

*Download a copy of Memtest86 and burn the ISO to a CD using Iso Recorder or another ISO burning program.

*Boot from the CD, and leave it running for at least 5 or 6 passes.

Just remember, any time Memtest reports errors, it can be either bad RAM or a bad motherboard slot.

Test the sticks individually, and if you find a good one, test it in all slots.

RAM - Test with Memtest86+



2-Driver verifier

I'd suggest that you first backup your data and then make sure you've got access to another computer so you can contact us if problems arise. Then make a System Restore point (so you can restore the system using the Vista/Win7 Startup Repair feature).

In Windows 7 you can make a Startup Repair disk by going to Start....All Programs...Maintenance...Create a System Repair Disc - with Windows Vista you'll have to use your installation disk or the "Repair your computer" option at the top of the Safe Mode menu .

Then, here's the procedure:
- Go to Start and type in "verifier" (without the quotes) and press Enter
- Select "Create custom settings (for code developers)" and click "Next"
- Select "Select individual settings from a full list" and click "Next"
- Select everything EXCEPT FOR "Low Resource Simulation" and click "Next"
- Select "Select driver names from a list" and click "Next"
Then select all drivers NOT provided by Microsoft and click "Next"
- Select "Finish" on the next page.

Reboot the system and wait for it to crash to the Blue Screen. Continue to use your system normally, and if you know what causes the crash, do that repeatedly. The objective here is to get the system to crash because Driver Verifier is stressing the drivers out. If it doesn't crash for you, then let it run for at least 36 hours of continuous operation (an estimate on my part).

If you can't get into Windows because it crashes too soon, try it in Safe Mode.
If you can't get into Safe Mode, try using System Restore from your installation DVD to set the system back to the previous restore point that you created.

Driver Verifier - Enable and Disable

Would you recommend reformatting or Memtest first?

brentfindley said:

Would you recommend reformatting or Memtest first?

Memtest

Thank you very much for your help, Zigzag.

brentfindley said:

Thank you very much for your help, Zigzag.

My pleasure and good luck

Ken