You have an Intel H57 Express chipset....
You can go to gateway which has the chipset driver version 9.1.1.1015 dated at 01/06/2010
or you could go here and check at Intel directly. Use the driver update utility to find your chipset... i think it should should show series 5 chipset...
Please also go to event viewer directly and right click on the system as well as application logs and save it as .evtx file as shown below and upload here
Attachment 230110
Oh forgot to ask...
How many passes did you do the memtest for.??? You need to do atleast 6 to 8 passes for each ram at each slot to confirm that the RAM is not faulty
Hello again!
Yes, that is correct, Intel H57, 5 Series/3400 Series.
In that case, I already have the most up-to-date chipset drivers and the reason I couldn't find newer ones :).
I actually used the Intel site to check and it updated the drivers a little while back (I believe before these issues started).
And just to make sure, last night I downloaded the one from the Gateway site and while attempting to install, the installer stated the drivers I already have are newer, so I canceled it and kept what I have.
Though one thing I do notice is that in the device manager, all of the items with the name "Intel 5 Series" or anything similar show a driver from 2006 in the properties. Not sure what to make of that. What would the actual chipset be named in device manager or are all the ones I already see "apart of it" or is it "hidden" from the manager?
I ran the Memtest86+ 10 times over night and it passed every time.
I'm still working doing the SSD firmware update and SP1 hotfix, but I'll get that done within a few hours.
I'll also upload the file you requested as soon as I can.
On a side note, the system ran fine with no crashes last night for 8-9 hours, but that was with a “clean startup”. However, starting the system this morning, again with a “clean startup”, it crashed with BSOD 0x0F4 within only 20-25 min. Also, this crash showed:
“Collecting data for crash dump...
Initializing disk for crash dump...”
and nothing else at the end of the screen.
Not sure of the cause of that, but I guess any info can help!
I will wait for your response
In the meantime could you post the logs using the steps mentioned in post #11 above ?? I will have a look into it
Sorry for the delay.
I've uploaded both logs here.
Some updates:
I found that the hotfix (KB2541014) has already been installed by Windows Updater back when it was published on 5/25/2011, so I guess that's out as a culprit.
Since this mornings crash, it continued to crash 4 times in a row, all within 5-8 mins from start up and all with BSOD 0x0F4 and no dumps made. And these are all still with “clean startups”.
However since the last crash about an hour ago, it's been up and running fine again.
I'm going to update the SSD firmware now and post back.
Last edited by Craig In HD; 10 Sep 2012 at 16:10.
Alright, so the last 24 hours have been rather interesting to say the least and the the following is a run down of what's happened.
The rest of yesterday:
As I last posted the PC was running fine and it continued to run fine for about 5 hours.
I went to restart it to update the firmware for the SSD, but upon restart the screen stayed powered off and the motherboard began to “code beep”, 1 long and 2 shorts.
Powered the PC off, let is sit for a min or two and restarted it. It started up and seemed fine.
Restarted the PC again to adjust the CMOS settings required for the SSDs firmware update.
After saving the settings and restarting the motherboard began to “code beep” again with the same code as before.
Powered the PC off, and again let is sit for a min or two and restarted it.
Entered the firmware update for the SSD, but could not complete it as the program stated “Not found drive”, so I exited.
Restarted the PC and once again the motherboard began to “code beep” again with the same code.
Powered the PC off, and again let it sit while I researched the motherboard code beeps.
So through some research I found the beeps likely mean there's an issue with the video so I opened the case and re-seated the video card.
Started the PC and went to do a clean install/reinstall of the Nvidia drivers. However about half way through the PC decided to crash, with BSOD 0x0F4, and again with no dump.
Restarted the PC again, but it crashed with 5 min, with another BSOD 0xF4, and no dump.
Restarted the PC one more time, but in Safe Mode and it ran fine for about an hour.
Never was able to complete the Nvidia drivers install.
Turned of the PC and called it a night.
Today:
I realized the SSD (OS) was plugged into SATA port 2 so I swapped that into SATA port 1 (possibly the reason the firmware update failed).
Powered on the PC, but it crashed within 5 min with BSOD 0x0F4, and no dump.
Waited an hour and powered on the PC, ran fine for 10 min so I began to finish uninstalling the old Nvidia programs and drivers, but before I was able to finish and restart the PC, it crashed, this time with BSOD 0x0000007B.
Restarted the PC and was presented with the Windows Error Recovery.
Continued to have windows attempt a “repair”, but got “Startup Repair cannot repair”.
Exited and restarted the PC.
PC ran fine so I began and was able to finish the clean install/reinstall of the Nvidia drivers.
Restarted the PC twice and since then, the PCs been up and running for about 6 hours with no problems or crashes.
Sorry for the long winded post, but I just wanted to make sure I get every detail that hopefully will help get this figured out.
And just to confirm, I have not yet updated the firmware for the SSD, should I still do it or pass on it for now and work on something else?
So I'll let you guys look over this and wait to hear what I should do next. Any help would be great!
Centaur78 – Have you had a chance to look over those logs? Anything in there that can help?
Yes i did have a look in your logs...
But before i continue... I just want to say....We take the time to help you and other around here... When we say that you need to remove this and install that.... try this and try that..... there is a reason why we do this... and this is how troubleshooting is done... because we physically don't have access to your system... If you are adamant and or just paranoid.... we cant help you... this isn't the place for that.... you are better of getting it repaired from a shop !!
The point being.... almost 2 days back Koolkat77 at posrt #2 asked you to remove AVAST and install MSE......
but till yesterdays logs..... AVAST is still there....and it was part of the crash that happened .... Removing this may or maybe be the reason for behind the BSOD... but we have seen 90% of the cases here that this being a cause.... this is how troubleshooting works...Welcome
Your zip file does not include any dump. Please make sure you're following properly:
https://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-d...tructions.html
In the meantime,
Uninstall Avast! and replace with MSE
Post back
The second point....... I gave my explanation at post #9 why you need to update your firmware...
This till now you haven't done option1 .... I dont have the dumps to know the caused the BSOD...... This may or maynot resolve the dump problem.... unless you try and do it how am i am supposed to troubleshoot ??
and third....
you have a an ongoing issue with your graphics right way back from 2011 !!!! and each time you reseated it... Why for 1 year... you had the one of the reason to your BSOD right in front of you and YOU CHOOSE TO IGNORE IT !!!Restarted the PC and once again the motherboard began to “code beep” again with the same code.
Powered the PC off, and again let it sit while I researched the motherboard code beeps.
So through some research I found the beeps likely mean there's an issue with the video so I opened the case and re-seated the video card.
Started the PC and went to do a clean install/reinstall of the Nvidia drivers. However about half way through the PC decided to crash, with BSOD 0x0F4, and again with no dump.
What is it that you expect from all the users here at Sevenforums to do ??The errors related to the graphics (nvidia drivers) I believe were due to the card not seating correctly, but that was fixed at the time (back in June), and already have the drivers up-to-date with the most current ones. Also, this had all happened before the current string of issues and BSOD crashes.
EDIT1: I can see the heights of you being paranoid... You have Threatfire installed along with AVAST.. double Antivirus... This is a known cause of BSOD ...
Thank you and please understand I absolutely appreciated the help everyone, including you has given.
I had downloaded MSE the very night koolkat77 asked and was honestly trying to hold off on uninstalling Avast and installing MSE. As mentioned a couple times I've been running with “clean startups”, and had been assuming doing this would help trouble shoot a “bad program”. And in which case the PC was still crashing, leading me to believe the program was not the cause. But I guess this is not how it works? Perhaps it has to do with the programs drivers or registry?
I'm also here to learn as well as fix, so I'd love to know these things.
Also, can a program like Avast or any other just suddenly cause a BSOD? I've had the program installed for over 2 years with out issue, so it just makes me curious about it and others.
I fully understand that it could help updating the firmware for the SSD and until it's done we won't know. But with the release notes of the update stating nothing that seem will help fix the current issues and OCZ stating to only do it if absolutely necessary, and that it could result in data loss, I'll be honest and say I'm a bit hesitant. I hope you could understand my thoughts.
However as I wrote in my last post, an attempt was still made and unfortunately it was not successful.
Issues seem to be piling up so I just wanted to reconfirm how necessary it would be right now as I'd rather not pile up more. However again, I'll do as you ask and try it again.
I'm sorry but I should of explained the graphics issue better. June 7th 2012 (or around that time) was a seating issue as I had removed the card to install an upgraded cooler and in reinstalling it, it did not seat correctly.
Spring-Summer of 2011 I had a video card go bad and was RMAed. I can not remember any details of any crashes back then, but had figured any from back then were due to this and as it was replaced, I disregarded it in this thread.
So, it was not something I had ignored, but you didn't know that, so I apologize for not explaining in more detail.
Now just to confirm, the current video card is seated correctly, working properly, and has up-to-date cleanly drivers installed. Can that be crossed off the list?
I do know you shouldn't have more than one antivirus running at one time, so I do have Windows Defender disabled from real-time protection. And from what I have read, Threatfire is not supposed to be an “antivirus” like Avast, AVG, ect., but more of a helper or supplement. However from the sound of your post I guess I'm wrong and I'll ask, should I uninstall Threatfire too?
I also have MBAM. Is that okay, or should I uninstall that as well?
So hopefully all this will get us back on the right path and again, thank you for your time and help!
Well there are lot of reasons... the main reason being Windows has a feature called Kernel Patch Protection (KPP), informally known as PatchGuard. its a feature of 64-bit (x64) editions of Microsoft Windows that prevents patching the kernel. (It was first introduced in 2005 with the x64 editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1. )
If you need more info on this...go here
To cut short... this is more vigorously been implemented in Windows 7 and a big headache for Antivirus vendors...
The choice is yours..backup your stuff if you do thisI fully understand that it could help updating the firmware for the SSD and until it's done we won't know. But with the release notes of the update stating nothing that seem will help fix the current issues and OCZ stating to only do it if absolutely necessary, and that it could result in data loss, I'll be honest and say I'm a bit hesitant. I hope you could understand my thoughts.
However as I wrote in my last post, an attempt was still made and unfortunately it was not successful.
Issues seem to be piling up so I just wanted to reconfirm how necessary it would be right now as I'd rather not pile up more. However again, I'll do as you ask and try it again.
I dont know..... without dmp files..i can't say... all i will say is the words marked in red is your answer... you resolved an issue by reseating the card and now recently you did the same with the new card... either use another slot if there is space for it or get the Pcie slot checkedI'm sorry but I should of explained the graphics issue better. June 7th 2012 (or around that time) was a seating issue as I had removed the card to install an upgraded cooler and in reinstalling it, it did not seat correctly.
Spring-Summer of 2011 I had a video card go bad and was RMAed. I can not remember any details of any crashes back then, but had figured any from back then were due to this and as it was replaced, I disregarded it in this thread.
So, it was not something I had ignored, but you didn't know that, so I apologize for not explaining in more detail.
Now just to confirm, the current video card is seated correctly, working properly, and has up-to-date cleanly drivers installed. Can that be crossed off the list?
Yes, the second time.... I have been using just 1 antivirus at any given point of time for the past 15 years...I do know you shouldn't have more than one antivirus running at one time, so I do have Windows Defender disabled from real-time protection. And from what I have read, Threatfire is not supposed to be an “antivirus” like Avast, AVG, ect., but more of a helper or supplement. However from the sound of your post I guess I'm wrong and I'll ask, should I uninstall Threatfire too?
Have used Noton, AVAST,AVG, COMODO, KASPERSKY, NOD32 during these years and now MSE...
Though no one antivirus that provides you 100% protection... Malware makers will find new ways to get to your system one way or other.... Its all about being a little careful and educated about installing stuffs, opening attachments and you know the rest..
You can keep this... here is SevenForum... we recommend MSE and MBAM for good protection for your system....I also have MBAM. Is that okay, or should I uninstall that as well?
Why we say this.. because... just like you hundreds of users here come for help and we have seen these causing less or no problems for the 99.9% of them..
Thanks for the info.
Okay a little update first:
The PCs been running fine with no crashes since 8:00 PM Thursday. However this is still been with “clean startups” and could simply be a coincidence at this point.
I attempted to update the firmware for the SSD again several times last night, but again it failed with the message “not found any drive” at the second stage of the program. And please note the first stage of the program as well as the BIOS and Windows does recognize and can "find" the drive. I also tried using different SATA ports and confirmed all of the settings for the firmware flash were correct, but it still would not complete.
After some research, I've found that a lot of people seem to have this problem as well when attempting to update Vertex drives to 1.7 and for many of them the only way to complete it is to perform a “destructive flash”, which basically erases the drive requiring to reinstall Windows or restore from a system image. And if that's the case, I would just assume do a fresh install, defeating the purpose of what I'm try to do and why I'm here, for the time being anyways.
But again, the systems been up and running for over two days with no issue, so that's good.
Okay back to what you wrote:
That page offers a lot of good information I was not aware of and a lot of it makes perfect sense.
Nevertheless, I do still have Avast installed as I'm trying to trouble shoot myself. And it's not that I don't believe or trust you or other members here, but as the system has been all good for over two days now, I'd prefer to wait to uninstall Avast and install MSE until when or if it crashes again. Just so I can attempt to add some confirmation to the change when it's made and avoid any possible coincidence.
For the SSD firmware update see above.
And yes, I have and do back up the system.
We're still not understanding each other on the video card issue, but I really want to get on the same page so let me try explaining again.
The seating and re-seating (words marked in red) of the new/current card was a one (1) time issue/occurrence on or around the date in June of this year, the crash/error you brought to attention. And this was, as stated in my response, due to the card (new/current one) not seating correctly when I went to re-install it, after removing it to install an upgraded cooler on it (in June of this year).
This is the only issue I can recall to of had with this new/current card and since then, (on or around the date in June) I have not had any crash, until obviously the current string of crashes and issues that started about 2-3 weeks ago.
I only made the original point of the seating issue for your information and reference to the likely cause of the the crash/error you had found and brought to attention.
And again, the other crashes/errors you brought to attention that dated back to 2011, were not due to a seating issue at all, it was a completely different card that went bad and was RMAed.
So again, not an issue that was ignored, but one that was dealt with and fixed back at the time (2011).
Now some other details regarding the video card and related aspects I can confirm.
The current card is good and working. Confirmed on a different PC and passed in FurMark.
The PCI slot and motherboard should be good and working. Based on that the old card (confirmed bad and RMAed) did not work on my PC or another PC and again that the current card is working on my PC as well as on another.
So unless this is a rather big coincidence, the current card, PCI slot, and motherboard should all be good and working.
So hopefully with this we can move on from suspecting it's a hardware issue to do with video.
On to divers related to the video card.
The Nvidia drivers have been up-to-date with the most current one available before and during these current (last few weeks) crashes and issues.
However just to make sure and after some research I made suggested, I decided to re-install them with a “clean install” Thursday night, as stated in my previous post, and this was done successfully. And since then the PC has been running fine with no crashes.
Also, when performing this re-install/clean install, I made sure to remove all of the "bloat ware" included in the driver package, including the Nvidia update service, which I recalled seeing errors in my logs for. So perhaps this was or part of the cause of crashes/issues too.
Now this could just be a coincidence or possibly be the cause for the crashes and issues I've had for the last few weeks and the fresh, clean install of the drivers or removal of the Nvidia bloat ware and updater service was the fix. But only time will tell, unless something else comes up.
So just to re-reconfirm. The video issues you found back in 2011 were due to a bad, RMAed card, and not a seating issue, and was fixed by replacing that card (bad, RMAed one) for a good, new card from PNY.
And the video issue you found from June of this year was due to the one and only seating issue I've had and was fixed at the time by re-seating it and to further confirm or "fix" any current possible video issues, see all stated above.
So now that we should be back on track, were you able to get anything out of the logs from 2 days ago or were they no help?
I'd also still like to figure out the cause of no dumps being made, but I'm not sure what else can be done at this point.
And thank for you for confirming MBAM, at least I can check that off the list.
Thanks again for the time and help and I'll look forward to hearing from you again!
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