Random reboots or hard-hangs after start-up, when gaming.

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  1. Posts : 9
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP 1
       #1

    Random reboots or hard-hangs after start-up, when gaming.


    Salutations all,

    I have been having random reboots and sometimes hard-hangs whenever I am starting to play any PC games after start-up. I have to keep resetting and run through any checks I could think of but the checks always find everything to be okay. Sometimes I do get BSOD and I remember vaguely something about SYSTEM SERVICE EXCEPTION and also the DRIVER IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL phrases.

    Things I have tried:
    - sfc /scannow
    - chkdsk
    - windows troubleshooting/"Check for solutions"
    - updated ATI Radeon HD 5430 driver as per recommended by HP
    - updated Realtek Audio driver
    - Virus scans with MSE (quick and full scans)

    It seems to only cause problems whenever I am starting to play games and not when I am surfing the net or playing the games that come with the PC like Chess Titans or Minesweeper etc.

    The funny thing is once I have gone through a few hard-reboots, the games will be able to run fine without causing any further lock-ups or random restarts. The laptop will be alright all the way until I shut it down for the day and then the same problems will surface again when I start-up the next day.

    I do not remember changing anything or downloading anything prior to having the first such incident since the beginning of March 2012. Usual updates are from Windows Updates or from Steam.

    Will appreciate it if someone can help find out what is wrong with the laptop. If there are any further information needed, I will post them.

    Thanks in advance!

    My Windows 7 . . .
    - Home Premium 64-bit
    - original OS
    - OEM
    - Age of system is less than 2 years old
    - OS came with the laptop and I have never done any re-install.


    My Notebook specs:

    HP G42-351TX;
    Intel Core i3 370M @ 2.40GHz
    Arrandale 32nm Technology

    RAM: 2.00 GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 532MHz
    Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5430
    Hard Drive: 313GB Seagate ST9320325AS (SATA)
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 28,845
    Win 8 Release candidate 8400
       #2


    These crashes were caused by memory corruption/exception (Cx05) probably a driver.
    Please run these two tests to verify your memory and find which driver is causing the problem.


    * If you are overclocking anything reset to default before running these tests.
    In other words STOP!!!

    * If you have raid update its Driver.




    Memtest.
    *Download a copy of Memtest86 and burn the ISO to a CD using Iso Recorder or another ISO burning program. Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

    *Boot from the CD, and leave it running for at least 5-7 passes.

    Just remember, any time Memtest reports errors, it can be either bad RAM or a bad motherboard slot.

    Test the sticks individually, and if you find a good one, test it in all slots.

    Any errors are indicative of a memory problem.

    If a known good stick fails in a motherboard slot it is probably the slot.

    RAM - Test with Memtest86+



    Driver verifier

    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 "Special Pool", "Force Pending I/O Requests" and "Low Resource Simulation" and click "Next"
    - 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.

    Reboot into Windows (after the crash) and turn off Driver Verifier by going back in and selecting "Delete existing settings" on the first page, then locate and zip up the memory dump file and upload it with your next post.

    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.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 9
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP 1
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Hi Zigzag3143, thanks for the initial reply.

    I finally manage to get a BSOD today; on the other days I have tried, the laptop just simply restarts even though I have already unchecked the 'Automatically restart.." option.

    Shortly after start-up, I went straight into the Left 4 Dead 2 game without doing anything else and surely enough, encountered a BSOD. However, the screen paused at the 'Initializing dump files..' for a few minutes without showing any completion percentage. Had to hard reboot my laptop back to normal mode to type this. I managed to write the fault code down on a piece of paper though and here it is:

    "PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

    0x00000050 (0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF, 0X0000000000000008, 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF, 0x0000000000000000)"


    I am still leaving the settings for Verfier.exe the same for a couple o'days and see if I can get any DMP files. By the way, I noticed another earlier DMP file in the folder LIVEKERNALREPORTS > WATCHDOG and it's quite close to the day when the first random restarts occur.

    Should I delete the other 2 DMP files in the MINIDUMP folder, Copy-Paste this DMP file into the MINIDUMP folder and upload it?

    I will also be running a memtest86+ another time and see the results.

    Thanks again in advance.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 28,845
    Win 8 Release candidate 8400
       #4

    Glenny2g said:
    Hi Zigzag3143, thanks for the initial reply.

    I finally manage to get a BSOD today; on the other days I have tried, the laptop just simply restarts even though I have already unchecked the 'Automatically restart.." option.

    Shortly after start-up, I went straight into the Left 4 Dead 2 game without doing anything else and surely enough, encountered a BSOD. However, the screen paused at the 'Initializing dump files..' for a few minutes without showing any completion percentage. Had to hard reboot my laptop back to normal mode to type this. I managed to write the fault code down on a piece of paper though and here it is:

    "PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

    0x00000050 (0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF, 0X0000000000000008, 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF, 0x0000000000000000)"


    I am still leaving the settings for Verfier.exe the same for a couple o'days and see if I can get any DMP files. By the way, I noticed another earlier DMP file in the folder LIVEKERNALREPORTS > WATCHDOG and it's quite close to the day when the first random restarts occur.

    Should I delete the other 2 DMP files in the MINIDUMP folder, Copy-Paste this DMP file into the MINIDUMP folder and upload it?

    I will also be running a memtest86+ another time and see the results.

    Thanks again in advance.

    As usual we need the actual DMP file uploaded!!!
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 9
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP 1
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Alrighty after a long hiatus, time to update.

    Anyway, I did memtest86+ for 8 passes and it showed 0 errors; but initially when I first started memetest86+, the program itself seemed to encounter an error because it stopped working and the error message was flashing really quickly for me to read what is said. The second attempt was successful for 8 passes before I stopped the running of the program. (EDIT: Btw, memtest86+ was done with a brand new USB flash-drive FYI).

    One more thing I am unsure about is whether this AMD catalyst utility or Catalyst Control Centre had something to do with this. Like will there be a conflict with each other? I don't even know what they do but I was looking for latest drivers from the AMD website and they recommended to install this catalyst program which they claim is a graphic card driver reference for notebooks which will help to determine the best driver for my notebook but use at my own risk.

    The names of 2 files I had: "12-2_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc" and "Catalyst_Mobility_64-Bit_Util". I am not sure if they are even the same files or different programs. Or if they are newer version of the Catalyst Control Centre that I had originally. If they do not overwrite the CCC, I am wondering of there's a clash in choosing which driver to use? Is it safe to uninstall any of them without messing up the driver version for my video card?

    The unstability and unpredictability of my computer is coming back again recently after going well for past few weeks. Here are the DMP files for analysis. Thanks again in advance.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 11,269
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #6

    Your crashes may be related to your older installation of Microsoft Security Essentials. Download the latest version and install it from Microsoft Security Essentials - Free Antivirus for Windows.


    You can (and possibly should) install your drivers without Catalyst Control Center/Vision Engine Control Center. Download the version of ATI drivers that you want to install, and then do the following steps.
    • Start the installation program to install your drivers and ATI software. When you get to the option to Express/Custom install, cancel the installation. Your drivers should now exist in C:\AMD\Support\xx-x_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc where the x's replace your version number of the driver software.
    • Uninstall all AMD software related to your graphics card by uninstalling AMD Catalyst Install Manager in Start Menu -> Control Panel -> Uninstall a program
    • If AMD Catalyst Install Manager is not listed, use the following method to uninstall the graphics drivers:
      1. Click Start Menu
      2. Right Click My Computer/Computer
      3. Click Manage
      4. Click Device Manager from the list on the left
      5. Expand Display adapters
      6. Do the following for each adapter (in case you have multiple display cards)
        • Right click the adapter
        • Click Uninstall (do not click OK in the dialog box that pops up after hitting Uninstall)
        • Put a tick in Delete driver software for this device (if this option is available, otherwise just hit OK) and hit OK

      Alternatively:
      1. Login as an adminstrative user
      2. Click Start Menu
      3. Click Control Panel
      4. Click Hardware and Sound
      5. Click Device Manager (the last link under Devices and Printers)
      6. Expand Display adapters
      7. Do the following for each adapter (in case you have multiple display cards)
        • Right click the adapter
        • Click Uninstall (do not click OK in the dialog box that pops up after hitting Uninstall)
        • Put a tick in Delete driver software for this device (if this option is available, otherwise just hit OK) and hit OK

    • Restart your computer.
    • Re-install your drivers from the C:\AMD\Support\xx-x_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc folder using a similar method to that in OPTION TWO of Drivers - Install Vista Drivers on Windows 7
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 9
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP 1
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Hi Writhziden, thanks for reply.

    I have been experiencing these crashes since March; was using avast! anti-virus then. Switched to MSE during later. Not sure if that's the cause but I will try the solution and see how it goes. By the way, had a small pop up saying that MSE could not recognize 'system32/svchost' or something.

    As for the AMD/ATI catalyst program, there's only one available in the 'Control Panel > Uninstall Programs' which is the AMD Catalyst Install Manager version 3.0.868.0. So I clicked on the 'change/repair' option and it gives a list for what I want to uninstall under custom options:

    -Catalyst Control Centre
    -AMD APP SDK Runtime
    -ATI Display Driver
    -HDMI Audio Driver
    -AMD Accelerated Video Transcoding
    -AMD Drag and Drop Transcoding
    -AMD Media Foundation Decoders

    Or should I just choose the 'express' option and let it auto uninstall for me?
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 11,269
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #8

    Yeah, sounds like MSE is corrupted. I would do a full re-install. Uninstall it first through Start Menu -> Control Panel -> Uninstall a program. Download the fresh installer, and then install the fresh version.

    For the AMD drivers, do the full uninstall through the express option. Then go through the steps I gave. Best of luck!
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 9
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP 1
    Thread Starter
       #9

    I did the express uninstallation of the AMD Catalyst Install Manager and restarted the computer; the driver version was reverted back to the original version which came with the notebook PC (25/02/2010 - ver. 8.711.0.0). The application icon in the "C:\AMD\Support\12-2_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc" folder is the one that installs the Catalyst Install Manager. I couldn't find any driver there for installation.

    However, I did download an application named 'sp51926' straight from the HP website which they recommended and it is in another folder; it has the InstallShield icon with description:

    "TITLE: AMD High-Definition Graphics Driver

    VERSION: 8.771.1.4000 REV: A
    DESCRIPTION:
    This package provides the AMD High-Definition (HD) Graphics Driver and Catalyst Control Center for supported notebook models that are running a supported operating system. For notebooks with switchable graphics modes, this package includes drivers for both graphics processing units (GPUs). Switchable graphics enable users to switch between a power-saving graphics mode (normally used under battery power) and a high-performance graphics mode. If high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) video output is supported, this package also installs the HDMI Audio Driver.

    PURPOSE: Recommended
    SoftPaq NUMBER: SP51926
    EFFECTIVE DATE: February 14, 2011
    CATEGORY: Driver - Graphics
    SSM SUPPORTED: YES

    DEVICES SUPPORTED:
    PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_68E1="ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5430"
    PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_68E0="ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470"
    PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_68E4="ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6370"


    PREREQUISITES: None

    ENHANCEMENTS:
    - Fix Online video hung up or black screen issue.

    HOW TO USE:
    1. Download the file by clicking the "Download" or "Obtain Software" button and saving the file to a folder on your hard drive (make a note of the folder where the downloaded file is saved).

    2. Double-click the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions."



    The folder 'SP51926' was also found in "C:\SwSetup\SP51926". I think it was extracted to this folder when I installed it before; I did the option 2 method for driver installation and I will post again if I encounter any more problems.

    Thank you again for the help.

    EDIT: Well, it didn't work. I get a reboot shortly after starting a game; I got another reboot immediately after opening Google Chrome to try and edit this after the first reboot. : C
    Last edited by Glenny2g; 20 Jun 2012 at 20:04.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 11,269
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #10

    This is looking more and more like a hardware problem. Run some hardware checks.


    We should also check hardware compatibility: Download and install CPU-Z and Upload screenshots of the CPU, Mainboard, Memory, and SPD tabs. In the SPD tab, upload an image of each slot.
      My Computer


 
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