Random BSOD, I suspect a hardware problem

Windows 7 Ultimate 64Bit.
Gigabyte EP43-UD3L motherboard running 2G Ram.
Radeon HD4670 1G video card

The computer has been running good until a few months ago when random BSOD's began to occur. Maybe only once a month or so, so it wasn't a major problem but something I wanted to fix. I made sure all my drivers were up to date with no change in the BSOD problem.

I bought 4G ram and added the new ram last week and the problem got worse. I suspected faulty ram, removed the old 2G since the BSOD was occurring with just the old 2G, and the problem improved but was still worse than it was without the 4G upgrade. I concluded that my ram is not the problem. Now I am back to the original 2G ram until I get this figured out. I suspect that with the added demand on the computer by adding more ram, it runs much nicer and more "crisp", that my video card can't handle the load.

I suspect perhaps my video card is faulty since the problem happens most when watching a streaming movie, or other high video demand programs are running. I am not a gamer so don't have any info regarding games that might make BSOD occur.

Can hardware issues cause BSOD's?

Skutt said:

Windows 7 Ultimate 64Bit.
Gigabyte EP43-UD3L motherboard running 2G Ram.
Radeon HD4670 1G video card

The computer has been running good until a few months ago when random BSOD's began to occur. Maybe only once a month or so, so it wasn't a major problem but something I wanted to fix. I made sure all my drivers were up to date with no change in the BSOD problem.

I bought 4G ram and added the new ram last week and the problem got worse. I suspected faulty ram, removed the old 2G since the BSOD was occurring with just the old 2G, and the problem improved but was still worse than it was without the 4G upgrade. I concluded that my ram is not the problem. Now I am back to the original 2G ram until I get this figured out. I suspect that with the added demand on the computer by adding more ram, it runs much nicer and more "crisp", that my video card can't handle the load.

I suspect perhaps my video card is faulty since the problem happens most when watching a streaming movie, or other high video demand programs are running. I am not a gamer so don't have any info regarding games that might make BSOD occur.

Can hardware issues cause BSOD's?

Hardware can easily cause bsod's.

We do need the DMP file as it contains the only record of the sequence of events leading up to the crash, what drivers were loaded, and what was responsible.

You may be able to get the DMP files without crashing by booting into safe mode (F8) with networking.

To enable us to assist you with your computer's BSOD symptoms, upload the contents of your "\Windows\Minidump" folder.

The procedure:

* Copy the contents of \Windows\Minidump to another (temporary) location somewhere on your machine.
* Zip up the copy.
* Attach the ZIP archive to your post using the "paperclip" (file attachments) button.
*If the files are too large please upload them to a file sharing service like "Rapidshare" and put a link to them in your reply.


To ensure minidumps are enabled:

* Go to Start, in the Search Box type: sysdm.cpl, press Enter.
* Under the Advanced tab, click on the Startup and Recovery Settings... button.
* Ensure that Automatically restart is unchecked.
* Under the Write Debugging Information header select Small memory dump (256 kB) in the dropdown box (the 256kb varies).
* Ensure that the Small Dump Directory is listed as %systemroot%\Minidump.
* OK your way out.
* Reboot if changes have been made.