Another BSOD

Rhia205 · 13 Nov 2010

Heya all, having problems with my computer again!! So I hope that you can help me again!!

First off, I was having problems with my graphics drivers so I switched to an ATI graphics card to see if that helped resolve the issues. Well I think it's fixed! (it's only been a couple of days) as I've not had any further problems with my graphics drivers. However, because I had problems getting rid of the Nvidia files even after using driver sweeper etc, I did a complete reinstall of Windows 7 64bit.

This time I didn't install Easy Saver and other utility programmes from Gigabyte so the gdrv.sys file has now gone from my computer, yet today I had a bsod with the same result as last time, that it's a driver issue but the driver cannot be identified at this time (report from WhosCrashed) so I look in event viewer. I noticed that at the exact same time as the bsod I had this warning message pop up: The driver \Driver\WUDFRd failed to load for the device Root\SIDESHOW\0001.

Now, I've had a problem with this driver failing to load for some time and I didn't think it would be a problem but I'm beginning to wonder. After doing a search on the internet I found that the Logitech G15 Keyboard seemed to come up a heck of a lot. I also found this solution from here: Strange BSOD-WUDFRd.sys boot failure (long) - Tech Support Forum

I messaged Carl regarding this and said I'd done the fix, however, as Carl pointed out this is quite dated and it's for Windows Vista and advised me to be careful doing this on Windows 7, so I've done a system restore just to be on the safeside and the files are now back in place. But since I've done this I'm having lots of the WUDFRd warnings coming up, so I guess it's a matter of time before I have another bsod!!!

I'm attaching the Windows_NT6_BSOD file but when I ran WhosCrashed after the system restore it told me there was no dump files, so I'm hoping that you'll still be able to see the necessary information on the file.

I would also like to add that I have put ESET back on my computer and because I had problems with the ESET uninstaller taking out my network and not being able to get it back up, I'm a little reluctant to use it again to uninstall ESET again if I need to.

I'm hoping I've given all the relevant information! And thanks for the help in advance!

EDIT: Thought I'd link my previous problem I was having! https://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-d...ck-screen.html

usasma · 14 Nov 2010

Please do this since your system isn't collecting memory dump files (last step is the crucial one for us):

Upload Dump Files:
Please go to C:\Windows\Minidump and zip up the contents of the folder. Then upload/attach the .zip file with your next post.
Left click on the first minidump file.
Hold down the "Shift" key and left click on the last minidump file.
Right click on the blue highlighted area and select "Send to"
Select "Compressed (zipped) folder" and note where the folder is saved.
Upload that .zip file with your next post.

If you have issues with "Access Denied" errors, try copying the files to your desktop and zipping them up from there. If it still won't let you zip them up, post back for further advice.

If you don't have anything in that folder, please check in C:\Windows for a file named MEMORY.DMP. If you find it, zip it up and upload it to a free file hosting service . I recommend Windows Live SkyDrive - http://skydrive.live.com or another free, file-hosting service. Then post the link to it in your topic so that we can download it.

Then, follow the directions here to set your system for Minidumps (much smaller than the MEMORY.DMP file): Set MiniDump

MSINFO32 reports that your Floppy Disk Drive is disabled - is this deliberate on your part?
Please do not use registry cleaners, they cause more damage than they are worth.
We have recently (over the last month or so) seen some issues with Trusteer Rapport - please update or uninstall it just in case.
Keep an eye on the Catalyst Control Center - older versions may have some issues with Win7.

MSINFO32 reports a STOP 0x3B on 13 Nov 2010. It blames ntoskrnl.exe - which is not likely. I would suggest running Driver Verifier according to these directions:

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 "Low Resource Simulation" and click "Next"
NOTE: You can use Low Resource Simulation if you'd like. From my limited experimentation it makes the BSOD's come faster.
- 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 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.

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 (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

More info on this at this link: Using Driver Verifier to identify issues with Windows drivers for advanced users

Rhia205 · 14 Nov 2010

usasma said:

Please do this since your system isn't collecting memory dump files (last step is the crucial one for us):

I was afraid of this as I did a system restore the minidump file disappeared. I thought that was the case when I ran WhoCrashed again after I did the restore.

MSINFO32 reports a STOP 0x3B on 13 Nov 2010. It blames ntoskrnl.exe - which is not likely. I would suggest running Driver Verifier according to these directions:

The ntoskrnl.exe error is what I always get when I have this BSOD. I'm not 100% sure but I'm almost certain that the problem is due to G15. Can faulty keyboards cause bsods? I can't see it being CCC at the moment as I had Nvidia in prior and I was still having the same issue.

I'm a little bit worried about using driver verifier tbh, I've never used it. I don't think I'll get a chance to do it today, hopefully tomorrow, but I'm thinking first is to completely uninstall the G15 and try another keyboard first just to see if my theory is right? Not sure whether it's worth it? Only problem is, I don't have another keyboard to try atm, so will have to buy a cheap one tomorrow or something if it's worth trying? Anyways, if you think it's worth doing, I'll do that first before running driver verifier, if that's okay?

Thanks for the response :) I'm determined to get this resolved one way or another!

EDIT: I forgot to say, I've uninstalled Rapport, and I'm trying to wrack my brains as to if my problems started when I installed Rapport. The Floppy disk drive is disabled by myself as I don't have one. Keep meaning to go in my bios and disable it from there, I thought I'd already done so but when I saw it there in device manager I did wonder if I'd thought of but didn't do so!

usasma · 14 Nov 2010

ntoskrnl.exe is the core (kernel) of the Windows Operating System. As such, if you're having serious enough problems to crash it, then I'd expect that you'd be having a bunch of other problems also. Since you haven't related any additional problems (and the fact that SFC.EXE will protect that file) we can assume that it's not to blame.

Almost anything can cause a BSOD. I scan through the information that you've posted and look for things that have plagued other users recently. 3rd party drivers are by far the most common reason, but next most common is compatibility issues, then hardware issues, then Windows issues.

If the issues didn't happen with the nVidia card, then you're right that the Catalyst Control Center is probably not to blame. BUT, the Catalyst Control Center drivers must have been from the ATI website and not from the CD/DVD that came with the video card (those are usually older). If you did use the CD/DVD, then it's possible that it's added another problem to the system (but don't do anything yet as we're still in the initial stages).

If you are getting another keyboard, then uninstall the G15 software and remove the keyboard from the system. It's always a good idea to have a spare keyboard and mouse on hand - just in case something happens to the one that you're using.

The directions for Driver Verifier are supposed to be scary - if you don't follow the instructions exactly you can end up with great difficulty in getting back into your system. But following the instructions exactly will let you get back in no matter what Driver Verifier does. The reason I phrase it this way is because I have been locked out of my own system and didn't know how to get back in!

FWIW - I haven't seen any Rapport issues in the last several weeks, but that doesn't mean that your version is/isn't from the difficult period. And, by difficult period, I mean that I saw a few BSOD's that could possibly have involved them. But, there's seldom a firm diagnosis here as we make many suggestions to fix BSOD issues - so we don't know which fix has actually worked.

Thanks for letting us know about the floppy. It wasn't a big deal, but I wanted to know if it wasn't deliberate - that would suggest (to me) a hardware problem. But since you did it, there's not an issue. It probably is a good idea to disable it in the BIOS (there's usually several floppy settings in the BIOS).

Good luck!

Rhia205 · 15 Nov 2010

Just a little update, and hopefully have resolved the bsod's when I play LOTRO. I called Logitech Support up today regarding my G15 and they admitted that they have received reports of problems with Windows 7 64bit, the G15 Keyboard and the warning message: The driver \Driver\WUDFRd failed to load for the device Root\SIDESHOW\0001. However, they've told me there is little they can do as the bsod only ever happens with LOTRO, when I'm not playing LOTRO I have no issues whatsoever! They've also said there is a manufacturing fault with some of the G15 keyboards that has caused memory corruption of some sort with the keyboards and have had to replace these. They have also said there may be a driver conflict with LOTRO and the drivers, which is entirely possible because I had the same problem with a bsod whilst playing LOTRO and the Creative Sound Card over a year ago, so I'm not ruling that out! However, the bottom line is that they won't replace my keyboard as again it only happens in LOTRO. I'm convinced it's the drivers though because if it was the keyboard itself I think I'd have the problems alot more often than I do. I can play LOTRO for about a week maybe 2 weeks without a bsod.

So atm, I have my son's keyboard installed onto my computer and I will be buying myself a new keyboard later on in the week (a non gaming version and certainly not Logitech!!) and hopefully I will have no further problems. The warning message I was receiving for the WUDFRd driver has stopped, no longer get them since installing my son's keyboard so I'm very hopeful!

I'm hoping that Logitech will get a fix out soon in a driver update that will resolve this issue (if indeed it is the drivers for the keyboard) and I'll be able to go back to the G15 keyboard, but until then my son is fuming as he hasn't got a keyboard attached to his computer until I get a new one :P

So I'm still not 100% sure that this is what is causing my bsod, but hopefully over the next couple of weeks I'm gonna know for sure.

I have decided I'm too scared to use driver verifier and will only use it if I get another bsod, since then it's not the keyboard or the G15 drivers and something else that's causing the issue!

I will let you know how I get on, I have my fingers crossed that the issue has been resolved!

usasma · 15 Nov 2010

I'm glad to hear that you've probably figured it out. Leave it run and let's see if it was the conflict between LOTRO and the G15.

Rhia205 · 18 Nov 2010

Heya all, just a little update regard my bsod issue. I'm not sure if this is related at all but more than likely it is!

My hard drive is about to die on me. It's been corrupting games where I have to uninstall them and reinstall them (has happened about 3-4 times now) I've also had a grinding, crunching noise coming from my hard drive from occassion with some warning message about an unusable part on my D drive. One morning I turned my machine on and it started to go into check disk which I never set up, there were no bad files on my computer according to the summary but I was still having problems. I phoned Novatech (where I bought the drive from) and they said it's sounding like the hard drive is on its way out as the drive shouldn't be making these noises and causing me to have problems with corrupted files and games. So it's going to take around 2 weeks for them to test the hard drive and replace it. I can't be without a hard drive for a couple of weeks so I'm waiting for a new hard drive to arrive tomorrow where I'll be reinstalling the G15 keyboard to see if I still have the same issue with the drivers. I've found a few links from the logitech support site with people having the same issues as I was with the drivers. There are a few things that I can do to try and stop the crashes which hopefully will work for me as I don't like the keyboard I'm using atm :P

Although, since uninstalling the G15 keyboard I have no longer had any issues playing LOTRO but I was wondering if because my hard drive is on it's way out I'm wondering if I was getting the bsod's because of that. I've partitioned my hard drive and I think it's the D drive that's got the bad clusters on because that's where I'm having all the problems from over the last few days, but the G15 drivers were installed on my C drive. Hmmm I guess I'll really know for certain when I install my new drive and see if I have the same problem!

I would like to thank you all for your advice and help, I really do appreciate it and thought you would like to know :)

I will update once again, hopefully with some good news, as I've not had much luck so far with my computer!!! But *fingers crossed* my problems should be behind me now!!

CarlTR6 · 19 Nov 2010

Hi Rhia, yes, hard drive failure can definitely trigger BSOD's, though it does not necessarily do so. I assume you have backed up or imaged your hard drive? If not, do so ASAP. Thank you for your excellent reporting as to what is going on with your computer and the steps you have taken. Follow USASMA's advice. He has forgotten more than I will ever know!

Keep us posted.

Rhia205 · 19 Nov 2010

I will do Carl :) I did do an image back, as soon as the disk started making that gawd awful noise! However, I was advised not to use it just in case I copied any corrupted files across. So I backed up all my important files onto an external hard drive which hopefully won't cause me any problems, mind these were from my C drive and it was D drive that I was having a problem with so hopefully they'll be fine!

I will certainly use driver verifier if I do come across another bsod, but I'm hoping that I won't have to use it. TBH the thought of it frightens the life out of me, but if I need to use it, then I will do a image back up before so if anything goes wrong I'll be able to restore my computer.

I've used the fixes I found on the logitech support forums and I'm now just going to wait and see. Haven't got round to installing LOTRO yet as I'm still in the process of doing windows update and so forth. And because the bsod's happened randomly and I could go for around a week or two without having any problems it might be a while before I update. But I will let you know, if I haven't had a bsod in about 2 weeks then I'd definitely say that my problems are behind me!!!! *Fingers crossed!!*

Thanks again for all the wonderful support and help that I've received since joining these forums!! :)

Rhia205 · 06 Dec 2010

Another little update...

It's looking more likely that the issues that I'm having are down to my motherboard. I did a search on my make of motherboard and found that a lot of customers were experiencing the same thing as me, bsod's, games crashing etc. So I went to the Gigabyte forums after getting another bsod whilst playing LOTRO the other day and they have helped me flash my bios to get it updated. They did tell me that the particular motherboard version (1.0) that I have has had some problems but the newest update for the bios has (as far as they know) fixed the issues that many people were experiencing.

So my next step is to contact LOTRO customer support if I get another bsod, as it's only happening whilst playing LOTRO there may be something wrong with the client and they will be able to help me fix it. If they can't then I'm going to write this motherboard off and get myself another one, and definitely not Gigabyte. This is the second Gigabyte motherboard that I've had that's caused me these types of issues before in the past and I'm really going off them!

Hopefully though as there were known problems with my motherboard the flashing of the bios has worked and I won't receive any more bsods. Just have to wait a couple of weeks now to see if it's worked as it seems that I'm getting them once every 2 weeks for some reason lol!

Thank you all for your help and advice that I've received, I really appreciate it! I was going to try driver verifier but I'm convinced it's not a driver issue but my motherboard after reading all the customer reviews of people having similar problems to mine!