Repeating BSOD, never get minidump file, always 0x0000007A

hi all,

i keep getting BSOD crashes, always with the same information (0x0000007A code), KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR, and the last two lines on the BSOD are always"

"Collecting data for crash dump....
Initializing disk for crash dump..."

After that, it stops, and i have to force a reset. when i manually go to the c:\windows\minidumps folder, i never get a new file (the ONLY minidump file i ever got was when my ATI graphics went wonky). i've had easily a half dozen of these KERNEL crashes, and no minidumps to show.

i'm attaching what i can (note that the only minidump it had to work with was probably that ATI graphics related one, which is NOT the crash that i keep having over and over again)

here's my system details as best as i can (on a techie scale of 0-10, i'm a 2. i just built my own system to save a few bucks and have better control of where my money is going, but other than that i'm purely a plain user)

OS = Win7 64 OEM-version (bought at same time as i bought Mobo/HDD/CPU/etc to assemble myself)
HDD = Corsair Force3 60G SSD (the OS is on this, all my media files are elsewhere)
Other HDD = 750G & 1.5T Seagate 'cuda, all SATA
CPU = AMD A6-3650
RAM = 2x1G Corsair something-or-other, nothing fancy
Mobo = Gigabyte A75M-UD2H (BIOS version F4, which is latest)
GPU = onboard
Monitor = generic 1200x1920 via DVI (yeah, 1200, not 1080, was a cheap score)
Other = generic PCIEx 4-port SATA expansion

this is the SECOND time that i've installed the OS onto this SSD (first install was less than 2 months ago). FIRST install had AHCI enabled, SECOND install had AHCI disabled. same crashes either way.

as far as software, next to nothing - i am keeping it as clean as possible since this machine is used for work / financial tasks, 99% using a Java app. no games, no other heavy stuff. antivirus is MS Security Essentials and i tend to grab Win updates every few days, and i rarely (if ever) download apps from the internet if they're not something that i'm familiar with over at least 5 years. and no attachements get opened from my email.

the most recent BSOD was this past hour, which prompted me to do this post and run the scans which give the attachments.

the previous BSOD before that was a day or two ago and was REALLY weird - i was COMPLETELY unable to reboot the machine either with a reset or a complete power-down & power-back-up, no matter now long i waited. i tried to install Win7 64 onto an old spare 100G 5400rpm ex-laptop hard drive, and even during the installation's own reboot the machine refused to boot up. in both cases, it was frozen at the "Loading Operating System" screen.

i eventually yanked all my SATA cables out (SSD & HDD were all connected to the Mobo SATA ports up to that time), and decided to plug the SSD into a different SATA port on the mobo and connect the HDD to a 4-port PCIEx SATA controller. i was assuming that maybe one of the five onboard SATA ports was fried. well, having done that, i WAS able to boot up my SSD-based installation, which was nice. i presumed that i just had a flakey controller and if i skip the one port, life could continue happily.

sadly, as of an hour ago, no dice. BSOD. the machine tends to run OK for hours, even a day or two, before it BSODs again, with the same 0x0000007A error and without any minidumps.

oh, also, i never use any hibernation or suspend features - the machine is on 24/7 (or until it crashes), and it'll either crash when i'm watching a movie (from the 'cuda drives) or even if it's just sitting idle or i'm working using my Java app, or even browsing Facebook. in short, i can't point to a consistent "when i do X, it crashes, but is fine all other times"

so, what shall i do?

You may not be generating DMP files if you have no page file, or if the page file is on another drive than the OS

We do need the actual DMP file as it contains the only record of the sequence of events leading up to the crash, what drivers were loaded, and what was responsible.

You may be able to get the DMP files without crashing by booting into safe mode (F8) with networking.

To enable us to assist you with your computer's BSOD symptoms, upload the contents of your "\Windows\Minidump" folder.

The procedure:

* Copy the contents of \Windows\Minidump to another (temporary) location somewhere on your machine.
* Zip up the copy.
* Attach the ZIP archive to your post using the "paperclip" (file attachments) button.
*If the files are too large please upload them to a file sharing service like "Rapidshare" and put a link to them in your reply.


To ensure minidumps are enabled:

* Go to Start, in the Search Box type: sysdm.cpl, press Enter.
* Under the Advanced tab, click on the Startup and Recovery Settings... button.
* Ensure that Automatically restart is unchecked.
* Under the Write Debugging Information header select Small memory dump (256 kB) in the dropdown box (the 256kb varies).
* Ensure that the Small Dump Directory is listed as %systemroot%\Minidump.
* OK your way out.
* Reboot if changes have been made.

ok, but then (1) how to i determine if/where the page file is located? if the OS is on only one drive, then isn't that where the page file is? is there a manual way for me to identify where the page file is located? and (2) i actually DID get one dump file (as in attachment) but the only time my system generated it was when i had that ATI graphics crash (during that time, i could see the system beginning to crash and it went through the BSOD completely, and progressed past the "Initializing disk for crash dump" phase - which at least told me that it was successful at making a dump file at that time. all my other crashes before & after happen WITHOUT a dump (and the BSOD stops at "Initializing disk for crash dump" as i mentioned, without making further progress no matter how long i let it sit there - leading me to believe it's unable to actually initialize / make the dump file)

my uneducated guess is that if the controller can't write data to the hard drive (either cuz the mobo controller is gone or if the SSD's own internal controller is on vacation), then no matter what i won't get a minidump. is that not right?

i did just now go through the steps that you highlighted (sysdm.cpl), so next time i get a crash we'll see if it makes a file. i'm thinking that it won't (based on past history), but i'm free to be surprised! :P

if it does not make a dump file, are you saying that it will be impossible to fix anything at all?

hello? can anyone help me?

i've had yet another BSOD, and again it DID NOT make a minidump file. i can tell you roughly what did happen in case it helps. boot up at 9am, use IE9 all day (no other progs, no accessing other hard drives), by 6:40p it crashes, shows BSOD about a thread or process crucial to system operation etc etc terminated. the only codes it showed me were 0x000000F4. as i said, it did NOT create the minidump file (i know where to look for them), and the BSOD was stuck on the same "Initializing disk for crash dump" as other times.

also, when i did try to reboot, first try went five times slower (no exaggeration) and as before stopped on the "Loading operating system". so i once again opened up the machine, pulled ALL sata cables out (HDD, DVD, and SSD), and put ONLY the SSD into yet another mobo port (left all other unconnected), and was able to reboot.

what is going on? can ANYONE help me at all? obviously the fact that it doesn't even make a minidump is a problem on its own. but then to refuse to reboot unless i swap to a different SATA port????

PLEASE someone help. i cannot work on a machine that crashes randomly, and then refuses to reboot unless i take it apart.

Just out of curiosity does it crash when in safe mode (F8) with networking?