Windows 7 BSODing, usually while web surfing

Gribblethemunch · 09 Jul 2012

Greetings all

I've recently (last month or so) been having my PC BSOD or otherwise crash on me. Its been reliable before this and there has been no change of hardware.

I've run MEMtest for about 9 runs and it didn't seem to find anything fishy.

I'm Running Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium, its an OEM version that came with my hardware.

I'd be glad for any help you could lend

FredeGail · 09 Jul 2012

Hello Gribblethemunch and welcome to Sevenforums.

BSOD Analyse

Memory // Driver verifier

As you already have done a scan with Memtest86+, it's likely that a driver is causing your memory to trick BSODs. Therefore, I recommend you to run driver verifier, under these circumstances below. If you have any questions, just ask.

Using Driver Verifier is an iffy proposition. Most times it'll crash and it'll tell you what the driver is. But sometimes it'll crash and won't tell you the driver. Other times it'll crash before you can log in to Windows. If you can't get to Safe Mode, then you'll have to resort to offline editing of the registry to disable Driver Verifier.

So, I'd suggest that you first backup your stuff 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).

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 "IRP Logging", "Force Pending I/O Requests" and "Low Resource Simulation" and click "Next" ("Special Pool" may be able to be used depending on amount of RAM and errors being seen. In situations with small amounts of RAM, DO NOT select it),
- 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).

Reboot into Windows (after the crash) and locate the memory dump file. If present, turn off Driver Verifier by going back in and selecting "Delete existing settings" on the first page. Then, zip up the memory dump file(s) and upload them with your next post. If no dump files were generated, post back for further suggestions.

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.If that doesn't work, post back and we'll have to see about fixing the registry entry off-line:

Code:

Delete these registry keys to stop Driver Verifier from loading (works in XP, Vista, Win7):
        HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\VerifyDrivers
        HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\VerifyDriverLevel

SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION 0x3b, the ones you were experiencing, usually indicates broken Windows, memory, drivers and usually devices. Run the verifier and upload the dump and we'll see what sort of conclusions pops up.Best Regards,
Frederik.