Unexpected BSOD, no clue as to the source of the problem

Hi guys,

I have assembled a new PC from a few parts I have lying around at home. The bad part is, the computer sometimes goes to BSOD for no apparent reason.

Here's some of the stuff I have tried:
Installing a clean version of Windows 7
memtest seems to indicate my RAM has no bad sectors/errors


Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks in advanced guys!

ClassyCanadian said:

Hi guys,

I have assembled a new PC from a few parts I have lying around at home. The bad part is, the computer sometimes goes to BSOD for no apparent reason.

Here's some of the stuff I have tried:
Installing a clean version of Windows 7
memtest seems to indicate my RAM has no bad sectors/errors


Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks in advanced guys!

These were all caused by something called a memory exception. Usually a driver (but ram can also be suspect) and in your case it seems to be related to directx.

Old drivers dont help and these should be updated.

Code:

e100b325.sys    11/16/2007 1:53:32 PM    0x91019000    0x9103fe00        0x00026e00    0x473de72c                        
igdkmd32.sys    5/6/2009 1:13:40 PM    0x90602000    0x90aff000        0x004fd000    0x4a01d354                        
athr.sys    6/9/2009 1:04:52 PM    0x8fedc000    0x8ffec000        0x00110000    0x4a2ea444

How To Find Drivers:

- search Google for the name of the driver
- compare the Google results with what's installed on your system to figure out which device/program it belongs to
- visit the web site of the manufacturer of the hardware/program to get the latest drivers (DON'T use Windows Update or the Update driver function of Device Manager).
- if there are difficulties in locating them, post back with questions and someone will try and help you locate the appropriate program.

- - The most common drivers are listed on this page: Driver Reference Driver Reference
- - Driver manufacturer links are on this page: Drivers and Downloads

You can read here about directX Diagnosing basic problems with DirectX



To verify exactly which driver is causing this (assuming you have run memtest for more than 5 passes) you should run verifier. If less than 5 passes do both.


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


1-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 or 6 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+



2-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 (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 to stop Driver Verifier from loading (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

Using Driver Verifier to identify issues with Windows drivers for advanced users

Thanks zigzag3143! I'll try those out as soon as I get home.

ClassyCanadian said:

Thanks zigzag3143! I'll try those out as soon as I get home.

Good luck

I've uninstalled windows 7 and reinstalled windows vista x86 and all of the BSOD issues seems to have cleared up.

Hopefully that's the end of that, but I will keep you guys updated.