It took a bloody long time but I ran through 8 'passed in Memtest86+. Any other ideas? I've started a support ticket with XFX about my GPU, and their first reply is to basically tell me to perform some of the same test you've already suggested (plus telling me to reseat my CMOS battery....). This will be the first/last AMD GPU I ever buy....
Did you also update the network dirver that I pointed out? In your last BSOD it was the problem not your GPU.
Yeah, I updated the motherboard drivers for network and chipset (15.57). That last BSOD actually occurred after I updated the motherboard drivers.
It is most likely a bad video card, based upon the tests you have run so far.
But here is my list of diagnostics to try if you want to check and be sure:
(Note: I compiled theses diagnostics about 4 years ago, some things have changed on newer systems, but the process is pretty much the same)
"Display driver xxxxx stopped responding and was recovered"
Timeout Detection & Recovery (TDR) = "Display Driver Stopped Responding and was Recovered" is a useful feature that started in Vista and is also in W7 that allows the OS to try and recover from a video timeout so that the system does not crash to a bluescreen. Symptoms included a screen flash with the TDR message appearing one or more times or the screen blinking out to black. If the system cannot recover it will crash (Stop Error 116 typical). The issue is that the video card is not responding as expected. The solution is in the: why?
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to TDR errors. But the problem is usually found in the local environment (your computer). Finding the cause is a matter of checking every possible cause and uncovering the culprit through a simple process of elimination. By methodically running down a checklist of diagnostic procedures you should be able to find the cause and can correct it.
There are numerous reports of hardware solutions to TDR's. The most common are:
- Poor Cooling
- Problems with the power supply
- Overclocking Issues
- Bad System memory or incorrect memory timings
- Defective PC Components
The order you do the diagnostics is not all that important. My personal strategy is to do the cheap & easy stuff first, the cheap & harder stuff next, and then the stuff that costs last. But whatever order you do it in you need to check or confirm the following:
SOFTWARE
Poorly written software and games will cause TDRs. But if this were the case it would affect lots of people, not just a few. Check the game's website & forums for patches and tips.
See if other people in the forums are having the same problem and if they were able to solve it and how.
You could also be asking too much of your video card. Check to see if your video card is tested and recommended for the game/program. Test the game at reduced settings.
WHAT ACTIONS CAUSE THE PROBLEM
It helps if you can isolate the actions that trigger the TDR. Most often it will be an application using 3D graphics. But if the incidents occur constantly it would point more towards defective hardware. If it happens more specifically (just when running Game X) it points towards overheating, settings, software, or driver issues.
GENERAL SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
You need to eliminate the possibility that your computer has a global problem. You can use a program like Prime95 to stress test your system. Free Software - GIMPS
You can run the "Stress Test" for a few hours or overnight. This will not tell you what the problem is, but it is helpful to uncover any issues your system has with instability and cooling.
OVERHEATING
Running a video intensive game for hours can generate some serious heat and overheating will cause video errors. You can check your temps by looking at your BIOS readings or use a free program like Speedfan SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer .
A real easy test is to just pull the side panel(s) off your case (You can also blow a house fan directly into the open case) and see if the problem goes away or gets better. If it does then the issue is definitely overheating. If you are overheating you need to look at installing some cooling upgrades. You want to look at ventilating the case (more or bigger fans), Upgrade your case to a larger gaming case (lots of fans, water-cooling), etc.
There are free utilities like BurninTest PassMark BurnInTest software - PC Reliability and Load Testing that you can use to test your system's cooling capability. Caution is recommended using these types of programs.
VIDEO DRIVERS
Bad drivers happen and they can get corrupted. Before installing or reinstalling any video drivers first completely uninstall all old video software and the drivers. (Some people say to run a cleaner program from safe mode, some say this is unnecessary). Never rely on the driver package to overwrite the old drivers. Also: Delete the video driver folder (ex: C:\NVIDIA) in Windows Explorer (or windows may install the same drivers again!).
After uninstalling the old drivers and rebooting Windows 7 will install it's own WDDM 1.1 driver. Check for the video problem while using this generic Windows driver.
You can then install the latest drivers for your card (or try older drivers).
See This Tutorial: Installing and updating drivers in 7
DEVICE MANAGER
Look in Device Manager and make sure there are no problem devices (yellow ! icon). Correct these by loading the correct drivers or disable the problem device and see if the video problem goes away.
POOR CONNECTIONS
Reseat video card and memory modules. Make sure the contacts are clean. Check all the electrical connections.
CHECK YOUR MOTHERBOARD VOLTAGES
In BIOS, check the listed voltages against the manufacturer recommended specs. Reset the voltages to factory defaults and see if the video problems disappear.
MEMORY
Memory errors can cause video problems. Run a program like Memtest86+ for at least 3 passes to see if there are any memory errors. Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool .
You can also test for a bad memory module by installing one stick in Slot 1 and testing, and then switch it out for the next stick, etc.
When populating all of the RAM slots on a motherboard it is sometimes necessary to go into the BIOS and increase the voltage to the RAM slightly to obtain a stable system.
OVERCLOCKING
Overclocking can be a trial and error process. The clocks and/or multipliers you set or change for CPU, Memory, or GPU could be unstable. Eliminate this as a possibility by resetting these to their BIOS defaults to see if that clears the video problems. The simplest way to do this is to "Restore Bios Defaults", or “Clear CMOS”.
UNDERCLOCKING
Some people have reported that by going into the video cards control panel and "down-clocking" the cards performance settings they were able to clear up the TDRs. Since W7 does not seem to tolerate any hiccups in the GPU, this would allow you to run a poor performing card in the W7 environment.
So for instance, you could set the GPU clock from a 777 MHz factory setting to 750MHz, and the ram clock from a 1126MHz factory setting to 1050Mhz, or similar small change for your particular card.
BIOS
Check you motherboard manufacturer’s website for an updated BIOS. An updated BIOS may correct an unstable condition, particularly if it says the newer BIOS corrects memory errors or has bug fixes. You could also try loading the BIOS defaults.
Caution is recommended when updating (flashing) a BIOS. The safest way to do so is from the update utility within the BIOS. Follow instructions carefully.
While you are there, check the motherboard manufacturers forums to see if others are having issues with the same board.
WINDOWS POWER MANAGEMENT
Eliminate Power Management settings as a possible cause, especially if you are working with a laptop. These settings could be particularly important if the issue is in playing games.
Go to Control Panel > Hardware & Sound > Power Options. Under "Select a Power Plan" you will find that "Balanced" is the default setting.
At the bottom you will see a Down arrow next to "Show Additional Plans". Click that and select "High Performance". See if the TDR issue is affected.
Alternately, you can click "Change Plan Settings" next to the "Balanced" plan and change the setting to "Never" put the computer to sleep (This is the default on a desktop) and/or change when the display is turned off as a test.
POWER SUPPLY
You need to know that your power supply is delivering sufficient power. Power supply problems are the most common cause of video problems, especially using high end cards.
Check the power supply's amperage ratings. Be sure it has the ample amperage for your video card and the rest of the system.
You can test the supply with multimeter to measure for a steady 12v to the card's power connectors. (The only true way to test a power supply would be to use the very expensive diagnostic equipment used in labs). But for us regular folks: I tested my power supply by hooking up my multimeter to the PCI-E connectors that I was using to power my video card (I used a spare pair from the power supply to run the card while I was testing). I then observed the meter while I used the computer, first watching the voltage, then the amps, to see if there was any drop-off or erratic behavior while booting or using the computer. My readings were rock solid. So I declared my power supply good.
Otherwise you need to replace the supply to eliminate this possibility. Or borrow one from another computer.
VIDEO CARD
I suspect that a video card must perform flawlessly to operate in a Windows 7 environment and run the most recent games. If you tried all the above diagnostics and no problems were found then that leaves you with only one possibility: a defective video card. Some brands and models have the problem more consistently than others. You could check their forums for clues.
You could try your card in another computer running W7 to see if the problem goes along with the card.
You could try a different card in your computer. I bought an inexpensive card to use. My TDR's disappeared using a "lesser" card. Or borrow a card from another computer.
Otherwise RMA or replace the card.
**********
TDR complaints have come from PC owners running virtually every PC configuration. They occur regardless of which video engine, manufacturer, driver, or system used. They are too numerous to write off as a random problem, but at the same time if people are getting their systems to run correctly using the same hardware and software that you are then it follows that your problem must be solvable.
More Info Here:
Timeout Detection and Recovery of GPUs through WDDM
NVIDIA Statement on TDR Errors - NVIDIA Forums
How to troubleshoot
Are you sure it's the GPU? The thing is, I reverted back to catalyst driver v13.1, and didn't BSOD during my Skyrim play at all. Instead, if I quit after a long Skyrim session, and launch FireFox, I get the 'attempt to reset driver...' error, exactly like before (whereas the beta drivers I tried never did that, but gave me BSOD -during- Skyrim). I am thinking this is just the poopy catalyst driver acting up? Unfortunately I don't have another game to test. Well I do have other games, but they are old are probably not going to stress the GPU at all.
No, I'm not sure of anything on your computer. I can't even see it!
It is just a mater of test - test - test. You will discover the problem the usual way: by carefully eliminating every known cause to discover which one is responsible for your problem.
You should not get a TDR error message at all. Having no crash to blue screen is an improvement, but the problem - the video card is not responding as expected - is still there.
In my case (when I first experienced TDRs after installing W7 on a machine that was running XP without problems for months) after researching and testing everything on that list I finally gave in and looked at the video card itself. What I did was buy a $50 video card and tested that in my system. All my problems went away. I RMA'd the GTX260, got a new one, and have never seen a TDR on that computer since.
Perhaps you could borrow a card from a friend's machine to test with?
OCZ 600W. I think that's enough for my peripherals?
GPU: 7850 2GB
Mobo: EVGA 750i SLI FTW
Seagate 500 GB HDD x 1
DVD R/W
I was wrong about not getting BSOD during Skyrim while using 13.1 catalyst. I just got one. :/ Blue Screen flashed by so fast I didn't manage to catch the error message.
Mini dump:
I could try underclocking the GPU in Catalyst Overdrive, but not sure to what speed?Code:Microsoft (R) Windows Debugger Version 6.12.0002.633 AMD64 Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Loading Dump File [C:\Windows\Minidump\021613-42447-01.dmp] Mini Kernel Dump File: Only registers and stack trace are available WARNING: Whitespace at end of path element Symbol search path is: SRV*c:\symbols*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols Executable search path is: Windows 7 Kernel Version 7601 (Service Pack 1) MP (2 procs) Free x64 Product: WinNt, suite: TerminalServer SingleUserTS Built by: 7601.18044.amd64fre.win7sp1_gdr.130104-1431 Machine Name: Kernel base = 0xfffff800`02e68000 PsLoadedModuleList = 0xfffff800`030ac670 Debug session time: Sat Feb 16 23:04:25.333 2013 (UTC - 5:00) System Uptime: 0 days 1:25:28.018 Loading Kernel Symbols ............................................................... ................................................................ .................................... Loading User Symbols Loading unloaded module list ......... ******************************************************************************* * * * Bugcheck Analysis * * * ******************************************************************************* Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information. BugCheck 116, {fffffa800472a4e0, fffff88004b04410, 0, 2} Unable to load image atikmpag.sys, Win32 error 0n2 *** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for atikmpag.sys *** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for atikmpag.sys Probably caused by : atikmpag.sys ( atikmpag+9410 ) Followup: MachineOwner --------- 0: kd> !analyze -v ******************************************************************************* * * * Bugcheck Analysis * * * ******************************************************************************* VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (116) Attempt to reset the display driver and recover from timeout failed. Arguments: Arg1: fffffa800472a4e0, Optional pointer to internal TDR recovery context (TDR_RECOVERY_CONTEXT). Arg2: fffff88004b04410, The pointer into responsible device driver module (e.g. owner tag). Arg3: 0000000000000000, Optional error code (NTSTATUS) of the last failed operation. Arg4: 0000000000000002, Optional internal context dependent data. Debugging Details: ------------------ FAULTING_IP: atikmpag+9410 fffff880`04b04410 4055 push rbp DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: GRAPHICS_DRIVER_TDR_FAULT CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT: 1 BUGCHECK_STR: 0x116 PROCESS_NAME: System CURRENT_IRQL: 0 STACK_TEXT: fffff880`06dce858 fffff880`04e66000 : 00000000`00000116 fffffa80`0472a4e0 fffff880`04b04410 00000000`00000000 : nt!KeBugCheckEx fffff880`06dce860 fffff880`04e65d0a : fffff880`04b04410 fffffa80`0472a4e0 fffffa80`06d5c010 fffffa80`06ac9010 : dxgkrnl!TdrBugcheckOnTimeout+0xec fffff880`06dce8a0 fffff880`04f0cf07 : fffffa80`0472a4e0 00000000`00000000 fffffa80`06d5c010 fffffa80`06ac9010 : dxgkrnl!TdrIsRecoveryRequired+0x1a2 fffff880`06dce8d0 fffff880`04f3ad5a : 00000000`ffffffff 00000000`000500ea fffff880`06dcea30 fffffa80`06ac9010 : dxgmms1!VidSchiReportHwHang+0x40b fffff880`06dce9b0 fffff880`04f366af : fffffa80`06ac9010 ffffffff`feced300 00000000`00000000 fffff8a0`00c88000 : dxgmms1!VidSchWaitForCompletionEvent+0x196 fffff880`06dce9f0 fffff880`04f35023 : fffffa80`06ac9010 00000000`00000002 fffff880`06dceb50 fffff880`06dceb40 : dxgmms1!VidSchiWaitForEmptyHwQueue+0x8f fffff880`06dceae0 fffff880`04f352fe : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000002 00000002`000006a0 fffffa80`045baaf0 : dxgmms1!VidSchiHandleControlEvent+0x3b fffff880`06dceb10 fffff880`04f082c6 : ffffffff`ff676980 fffffa80`06ac9010 00000000`00000080 00000000`00000000 : dxgmms1!VidSchiWaitForSchedulerEvents+0x23e fffff880`06dcebb0 fffff880`04f34e7a : fffffa80`06d5c010 fffffa80`06d5c010 00000000`00000080 fffffa80`06ac9010 : dxgmms1!VidSchiScheduleCommandToRun+0x1da fffff880`06dcecc0 fffff800`0317e34a : 00000000`fffffc32 fffffa80`06b4e760 fffffa80`03cd2890 fffffa80`06b4e760 : dxgmms1!VidSchiWorkerThread+0xba fffff880`06dced00 fffff800`02ece946 : fffff880`009e6180 fffffa80`06b4e760 fffff880`009f0f40 fffff880`01789edd : nt!PspSystemThreadStartup+0x5a fffff880`06dced40 00000000`00000000 : fffff880`06dcf000 fffff880`06dc9000 fffff880`07c2bd70 00000000`00000000 : nt!KxStartSystemThread+0x16 STACK_COMMAND: .bugcheck ; kb FOLLOWUP_IP: atikmpag+9410 fffff880`04b04410 4055 push rbp SYMBOL_NAME: atikmpag+9410 FOLLOWUP_NAME: MachineOwner MODULE_NAME: atikmpag IMAGE_NAME: atikmpag.sys DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP: 50d21667 FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: X64_0x116_IMAGE_atikmpag.sys BUCKET_ID: X64_0x116_IMAGE_atikmpag.sys Followup: MachineOwner --------- 0: kd> !analyze -v ******************************************************************************* * * * Bugcheck Analysis * * * ******************************************************************************* VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (116) Attempt to reset the display driver and recover from timeout failed. Arguments: Arg1: fffffa800472a4e0, Optional pointer to internal TDR recovery context (TDR_RECOVERY_CONTEXT). Arg2: fffff88004b04410, The pointer into responsible device driver module (e.g. owner tag). Arg3: 0000000000000000, Optional error code (NTSTATUS) of the last failed operation. Arg4: 0000000000000002, Optional internal context dependent data. Debugging Details: ------------------ FAULTING_IP: atikmpag+9410 fffff880`04b04410 4055 push rbp DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: GRAPHICS_DRIVER_TDR_FAULT CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT: 1 BUGCHECK_STR: 0x116 PROCESS_NAME: System CURRENT_IRQL: 0 STACK_TEXT: fffff880`06dce858 fffff880`04e66000 : 00000000`00000116 fffffa80`0472a4e0 fffff880`04b04410 00000000`00000000 : nt!KeBugCheckEx fffff880`06dce860 fffff880`04e65d0a : fffff880`04b04410 fffffa80`0472a4e0 fffffa80`06d5c010 fffffa80`06ac9010 : dxgkrnl!TdrBugcheckOnTimeout+0xec fffff880`06dce8a0 fffff880`04f0cf07 : fffffa80`0472a4e0 00000000`00000000 fffffa80`06d5c010 fffffa80`06ac9010 : dxgkrnl!TdrIsRecoveryRequired+0x1a2 fffff880`06dce8d0 fffff880`04f3ad5a : 00000000`ffffffff 00000000`000500ea fffff880`06dcea30 fffffa80`06ac9010 : dxgmms1!VidSchiReportHwHang+0x40b fffff880`06dce9b0 fffff880`04f366af : fffffa80`06ac9010 ffffffff`feced300 00000000`00000000 fffff8a0`00c88000 : dxgmms1!VidSchWaitForCompletionEvent+0x196 fffff880`06dce9f0 fffff880`04f35023 : fffffa80`06ac9010 00000000`00000002 fffff880`06dceb50 fffff880`06dceb40 : dxgmms1!VidSchiWaitForEmptyHwQueue+0x8f fffff880`06dceae0 fffff880`04f352fe : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000002 00000002`000006a0 fffffa80`045baaf0 : dxgmms1!VidSchiHandleControlEvent+0x3b fffff880`06dceb10 fffff880`04f082c6 : ffffffff`ff676980 fffffa80`06ac9010 00000000`00000080 00000000`00000000 : dxgmms1!VidSchiWaitForSchedulerEvents+0x23e fffff880`06dcebb0 fffff880`04f34e7a : fffffa80`06d5c010 fffffa80`06d5c010 00000000`00000080 fffffa80`06ac9010 : dxgmms1!VidSchiScheduleCommandToRun+0x1da fffff880`06dcecc0 fffff800`0317e34a : 00000000`fffffc32 fffffa80`06b4e760 fffffa80`03cd2890 fffffa80`06b4e760 : dxgmms1!VidSchiWorkerThread+0xba fffff880`06dced00 fffff800`02ece946 : fffff880`009e6180 fffffa80`06b4e760 fffff880`009f0f40 fffff880`01789edd : nt!PspSystemThreadStartup+0x5a fffff880`06dced40 00000000`00000000 : fffff880`06dcf000 fffff880`06dc9000 fffff880`07c2bd70 00000000`00000000 : nt!KxStartSystemThread+0x16 STACK_COMMAND: .bugcheck ; kb FOLLOWUP_IP: atikmpag+9410 fffff880`04b04410 4055 push rbp SYMBOL_NAME: atikmpag+9410 FOLLOWUP_NAME: MachineOwner MODULE_NAME: atikmpag IMAGE_NAME: atikmpag.sys DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP: 50d21667 FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: X64_0x116_IMAGE_atikmpag.sys BUCKET_ID: X64_0x116_IMAGE_atikmpag.sys Followup: MachineOwner ---------
I do have a 'lesser card', but it's an ATI MS4408, so obviously it won't run Skyrim. I did install it to test and works fine on my system.
I am still trying to figure out what is causing my BSOD--which has become more frequent. I tried the new 13.2 beta 6 drivers and ever since then it's actually made things worse. Now I BSOD after 5 minutes of Skyrim. First I get artifacting on screen where everything is scrambled, but I can actually still do things like open up the game menu to save the game. Then a freeze lasting about 5 seconds, followed by the BSOD. Afterburner shows that the GPU is not overheating (still around 50 degrees celcius).
I had tried reseating the ram and the card, and that actually seemed to stabilize things for a few days (where I went without any BSOD at all). But then I experienced one today, so upgraded the catalyst driver to 13.2 beta 6, and the BSOD became more frequent. So even after reverting back to 13.2 beta 5, I am still experience BSOD after 5 minutes of playing Skyrim.
So far I've eliminated ram and harddrive, how do I eliminate motherboard as a potential cause of the BSOD? I am not sure if I can get what I need to test the power supply.....
The best way for a civilian to test a power supply is with a digital multimeter.
You find a spare (unused) power connector from the power supply and connect the red lead from the multimeter to one of the yellow wire pins (12v), and the black lead from the multimeter to one of the black wire pins (ground). Leaving those connections made, you run the computer as normal, watching the reading as you do. That includes shutting down and starting up. You watch to be sure the 12v reading on the multimeter remains relatively steady - it should not deviate from 12.0v more that a tenth of a volt if at all.
Any noticeable drops or spikes in voltage during use indicates the power supply is having troubles.
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