Windows 7: Random BSOD crashes. No real pattern.

FMachado84 · 07 Jun 2012

I am having BSOD issues with my new build. (1 week old) It is completely random and I don't know where to begin. I followed the instructions in this post and I'm hoping that you guys can help me out. Thanks in advance.

System Manufacturer/Model Number
Home build
OS
Windows 7 64-bit
CPU
Intel Core i7 2700K
Motherboard
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
Memory
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB
Sound Card
Built-in on mobo
Monitor(s) Displays
Asus VK278Q Black 27" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
2x Kingston HyperX 3K SH103S3/90G 2.5" 90GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (Stand-Alone Drive)
Set up in RAID 0
PSU
PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK II 750w
Case
Corsair Obsidian Series 650D
Cooling
CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
Keyboard
Razer Lycosa
Mouse
Razer Death Adder
Internet Speed
3.5Mbps

JaidynM · 07 Jun 2012

Your post says you have an SSD installed. SSD drivers are a common cause of BSOD's, in particular Crucial M4's with outdated firmware. Make sure that the following is up to date:

Quote: Originally Posted by writhziden

SSD Firmware
BIOS Version
Chipset Drivers
Hard disk controller drivers/SATA drivers
Marvell IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers (older drivers for these are especially problematic)

I might also add that your system info says that you only have a 167GB drive (Local disk) and a 931GB Seagate external drive. Any idea why this might be the case?

All of your dumps showed hardware errors (0x124). Read the following thread and see if any of it's fixes work.
Stop 0x124 - what it means and what to try

Among the fixes in the above thread are a few stress tests. Before you do any of the other fixes mentioned in the thread, you should run these stress tests:

Test your RAM using Memtest86+. Let it run until 6-8 passes have completed or errors have been found.
RAM - Test with Memtest86+

Test your video card using Furmark. Watch your machine's temps and stop the test if it starts to overheat or artifacts appear on the screen.
Video Card - Stress Test with Furmark

Test your hardware using Prime95. Watch your machine's temps and stop the test if it starts to overheat. Let it run for up to 2 hours or until errors have been found.
Hardware - Stress Test With Prime95

Stress test your CPU using Intel Burn Test.
CPU - Stress Test Using IntelBurnTest

Great setup by the way, I can only dream of having a killer rig like that!

FMachado84 · 07 Jun 2012

So I am attempting to update the firmware for my SSD's, but the Kingston programs won't recognize the drives. I'm guessing it's because they are set up in RAID 0 configuration. Is there any workaround to this problem without having to re-install Windows? BTW, JaidynM, the reason that it is showing up with the 1TB external drive is because I have my Windows installation on the two SSD's and I have a 1TB external HDD connected to my PC.

JaidynM · 07 Jun 2012

Unfortunately you can't update your SSD firmware while it's in RAID. You'll have to switch to IDE or AHCI, update, then switch back to RAID. This makes it a bit complicated because your installation of Windows is on the SSD's...

I'll see if I any other users know of a way to perform such an update.

Until then, perform the stress tests that I linked in my previous posts. There is a chance that the SSD is not causing the problems but another piece of hardware is.

Dave76 · 07 Jun 2012

Did you check the SSD firmware?
Run this, it will show the firmware version you have.
CrystalDiskInfo - Software - Crystal Dew World

This may be worth trying before you have to disturb you RAID array.

Quote: Originally Posted by writhziden

Try doing a power cycle of the SSD. The following steps should be carried out and take ~1 hour to complete.

Power off the system.
Remove all power supplies (ac adapter then battery for laptop, ac adapter for desktop)
Hold down the power button for 30 seconds to close the circuit and drain all components of power.
Reconnect all power supplies (battery then ac adapter for laptop, ac adapter for desktop)
Turn on the system and enter the BIOS (see your manual for the steps to enter the BIOS)
Let the computer remain in the BIOS for 20 minutes.
Follow steps 1-3 and physically remove the SSD from the system by disconnecting the cables for a desktop or disconnecting the drive from the junction for a laptop.
Leave the drive disconnected for 30 seconds to let all power drain from it.
Do steps 1-3 and replace the drive connection(s) and then do steps 4-8 again.
Repeat steps 1-4.
Start your computer normally and run Windows.

The above steps were a result of: Why did my SSD "disappear" from my system? - Crucial Community

While that may not be your drive, a power cycle should be the same on all SSD drives. See how the system responds after the SSD power cycle.

This solved a hardware error 0x124 with a SSD.

Windows 7: Random BSOD crashes. No real pattern.

Random BSOD crashes. No real pattern. problems?