BSOD while playing games: fatal system error 0xc000021a + Event ID 86

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  1. Posts : 12
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
       #1

    BSOD while playing games: fatal system error 0xc000021a + Event ID 86


    Hey all, long-time lurker here. I wanted to start off by saying thank you, as I've found the info posted here (regarding other misc. problems I've had) to be very helpful :)

    I'll start off with my specs:
    Laptop: MSI GX640
    CPU: Intel Core i5-430M
    Memory: DDR3 2 GBx2
    Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 5850 w/ 1 GB DDR5 VRAM

    I don't know if any other information is necessary for this particular problem, but if there's any relevant info that I missed please do let me know.

    Anyway, right now I have a problem with the above mentioned error. It first started while playing XCOM, and it pretty much happened every XCOM session thereafter, so I tried looking for some ways to DIY troubleshoot it. To that end, I've tried sfc, disk check, virus and malware scans, and also updating my drivers. All the scans didn't find anything unusual, and currently I'm pretty sure my drivers are up-to-date.

    I want to add a couple of things here, just in the interest of providing as much info as possible, though I'm not sure if it will be pertinent. Anyway, for updating my drivers I used a third-party program called SlimDrivers, and I think it worked properly. I realize driver update software can be sketchy, but it had good reviews on cnet, which I suppose was as reputable a review source as I could find. But moving on, I goofed when updating my video card drivers, as I downloaded a version that, it turned out, was incompatible for my laptop. This became apparent when the top of my screen started flickering every so often (and whenever I opened anything or scrolled), so I remedied this by having Windows do my driver updating for me, and that fixed the problem.

    To summarize: I used a third-party program to update all of my drivers except for the video card driver, which I updated on my own (erroneously at first, but correctly later on by having Device Manager search for the right driver).

    Moving on, some time after I ran all the scans and updated the drivers, I played D3 for a couple of hours without any problems. Before that I'd also watched some videos and surfed random sites without issues. But this morning after logging in about a half-hour session of D3, I BSOD'd again with the same error. I checked Event Viewer to try to find the cause of my problem, and I think I found something relevant: right around the time of the BSOD, "Event ID 86, Error: The system was shut down due to a critical thermal event" shows up.

    So my shrewd deductive skills have me thinking overheating is the problem here, but I wanted to make sure if this could even happen. Looking over 0xc000021a online I never found anybody asserting that it could occur due to overheating, but the appearances of the event coincide with the crashes pretty neatly; its first appearance on the event viewer, 10/22, is the same day I first encountered a BSOD with this error.

    If overheating does turn out to be the problem, then I'll probably just take my laptop somewhere to get it repaired. I'd be somewhat comfortable attempting a DIY fix if it was a software issue, but if it's a hardware issue I'm not going to risk it.

    Anyway, that's my take, but I'd really appreciate more info on the matter, if any. I'm also attaching the files grabbed by the SF diagnostic tool just in case there's some other problem here that I missed. Unfortunately the dump files are kernel-only, which may not be enough in this case, because as I understand it this error is caused by user-mode processes. But I digress.

    TL;DR version: Can fatal system error 0xc000021a occur due to overheating? If not, then what is the suggested course of action? And If so, what options are available outside of tinkering with the hardware in some way?

    Sorry for the lengthy post, everyone, and thanks a bunch!
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 15,026
    Windows 10 Home 64Bit
       #2

    Welcome

    Thanks for the very nice first post, lets start with problematic software:

    Code:
    Start Menu\Programs\Check Point	Public:Start Menu\Programs\Check Point	Public
    Start Menu\Programs\Check Point\ZoneAlarm	Public:Start Menu\Programs\Check Point\ZoneAlarm	Public
    Start Menu\Programs\DAEMON Tools Lite	Public:Start Menu\Programs\DAEMON Tools Lite	Public
    ZA is known to cause BSODs, suggest you to uninstall it while troubleshooting. (Google for Zone Alarm removal tool and uninstall everything related to it.) Google

    Daemon tools is known to cause BSODs, search our forum for evidence. (uninstall it!)

    The usual causes on your bug check:
    Code:
    STOP 0xC000021A: WINLOGON_FATAL_ERROR 
    Usual causes:  User-mode device driver, system service, or third-party application, Mismatched system files
    WINLOGON_FATAL_ERROR (c000021a)
    BugCheck C000021A, {fffff8a006eab590, 0, ffffffffc0000001, 1006f0}
    ----- ETW minidump data unavailable-----
    Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt!ExpSystemErrorHandler2+5e1 )
    I'd also like to know what antivirus are you using?

    Recommended antivirus program for Windows 7 based on stability compared to others:-


    Run a full scan with both (separately) once downloaded, installed and updated.

    Code:
    Driver	c:\windows\system32\drivers\atikmpag.sys (8.14.1.6091, 156.50 KB (160,256 bytes), 3/17/2010 2:06 AM)
    You should always update drivers from the relevant manufacturers website, if not then look for them from reliable sources like filehippo.com. For uninstallation method, first uninstall from control panel. Click on the Start ► Control Panel ► Programs ► Uninstall a program ► Uninstall all the stuff related to ATI. Delete remnants of older drivers using Driver Sweeper
    Run the System File Checker that scans the of all protected Windows 7 system files and replaces incorrect corrupted, changed/modified, or damaged versions with the correct versions if possible:

    Run Disk Check on your hard disk for file system errors and bad sectors on it:

    Free up your start up, keep nothing except the antivirus:


    Keep us posted of the results and further BSODs
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 12
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks for the reply, koolkat77! I'll go ahead and try to uninstall those problematic software; hopefully that will help to mitigate the problem :) As for anti-virus I'm using Ad-Aware, but I'll look into the others you suggested. In particular I think I'll try that security system combo! Tbh I set up my security suite just going off reviews that I came across, so it's good to get suggestions as to what works well. Thanks for that

    Also, I assume that by following the instructions from that thread, I won't need another firewall program, correct? Otherwise perhaps I'll go back to using Comodo, which is what I was previously on, though if there are other suggestions for firewall software please do let me know!

    Lastly, I didn't actually find any programs for ATI, but I went ahead and uninstalled AMD Catalyst Install Manager (I assume that's the same thing, but please do correct me otherwise). Here's where it's tricky for me actually, because my laptop has issues with the latest version of the catch-all driver available on AMD's site (it causes random flickering). That's why I can only reliably update my driver through Device Manager by right-clicking my video card then selecting Update Driver Software. MSI's site unfortunately isn't very helpful ever; I've never been able to find a list of the most recent and compatible drivers on their site, but rather only a dl link to an auto-update program that doesn't really help vis-a-vis finding the most recent drivers. I could actually really use some help in this area; if anyone's using a MSI rig, what version of the ATI Radeon drivers should I install?

    Anyway, thanks again! I will try these fixes and update the thread as appropriate :)

    UPDATE: So it turns out deleting AMD Catalyst Install Manager didn't help, as that just messed up my display. But I did roll back to the factory default driver in hopes that maybe that will help (also just to see what it'll do, lol). I'll post more updates as they come :)
    Last edited by jxl3; 24 Oct 2012 at 12:08.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 15,026
    Windows 10 Home 64Bit
       #4

    Yes, you won't need another firewall program and you're better off with installing the latest drivers from device manager then but first delete/remove the existing drivers of ATI using driver sweeper. Please do uninstall Ad-aware, zone alarm and comodo before installing MSE and Malware Bytes. Look for relevant uninstallers from google or uninstall with Revo Uninstaller in Advanced Mode.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 12
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Done! I will Revo Uninstall those programs right away Working on updating my drivers as well, but the most current one for my vga apparently needs an updated VBIOS, so I'm gonna take some time to ensure I get that right.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 15,026
    Windows 10 Home 64Bit
       #6

    Okay, take your time and do them properly, come and update the thread when you're ready.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 12
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #7

    So, bit of an update at the moment: as part of updating the VBIOS I ran MemTest86+ to check my system stability. Well, it never got to finish the test as my system shut down unexpectedly midway through the test, although there wasn't any blue screen upon reboot (then again I wasn't expecting one, as I ran it off a bootable CD).

    Anyway, I'm posting on the MSI forums as well for what my next step should be, but now I suspect even more that perhaps some internal hardware maintenance may be required. Still, I'll wait and see for now, as perhaps there's more that I can do on my end :)
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 15,026
    Windows 10 Home 64Bit
       #8

    For monitoring the heat/celsius of the system, use Speccy or HWinfo:

      My Computer


  9. Posts : 12
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Thanks for the tips :) I actually have heat monitoring software already, and I'm noticing -the internal heat tops out at just under 80 deg. Celsius or so (around 75-77). I think that's pretty high; most other posters I see post only readings of 60-65 C, so I'll probably have the fan looked at tomorrow. Hopefully that will resolve the issue
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 15,026
    Windows 10 Home 64Bit
       #10

    Yup, you should get a fan if you don't have one already. Are you getting more BSODs after making the changes to your computer?
      My Computer


 
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