Randomly Reoccurring BSOD - ntoskrnl.exe

Luxfer · 11 Feb 2012

Hello all,

This problem's been plaguing me for a long while now (I think at least since Fall of 2011); my computer will throw BSODs at me at seemingly random times. They seem to occur more frequently when my computer is stressed (gaming, folding), but they also occur when nothing is really happening (leaving my computer on overnight with Chrome open). Since I don't know how to read dump files myself, I used WhoCrashed in hopes of some sort of remedy - each crash report would say that the error was due to "ntoskrnl.exe", that the error was likely software-related and that the driver responsible is not identifiable at this time. These BSODs don't happen often enough to really impede my work, but they do occur often enough to be noticeable. I'd say about once a week is the ballpark figure.

Things I've Done to Trouble-Shoot:
1. Memtest (seemingly no issues, ran first 24 hours, ran second 12 hours)
2. Chkdsk /r
3. Driver Verifier (followed this guide for ~48 hours)
4. Re-installed on new SSD
5. Several Safe-Mode Full Viral Scans (Super-AntiSpyware, Malwarebytes, MSE)

Due to the above measures that I've taken, I suspect a hardware issue; but I'd like a more experienced eye at this before I make any radical decisions.

General Information
OS - Windows 7 Ultimate
· x64
· Self-Built Desktop -I believe first OS was also Windows 7 Ultimate x64
· Full Retail
· Most components roughly 1 year and a few months old.
· Latest install was about two weeks ago.

· CPU : Intel i7-950 (OC @ 4.01GHz; 190.91 x 21.0)
· Video Card : MSI.Hawk GeForce GTX460 @ 900 MHz
· MotherBoard : ASUS Sabertooth x58
· Power Supply : Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650W

Additional Info
Water-Cooled : XSPC Rasa RX360 Kit (CPU-loop only) ; Idle Temp ~30C, Full Load Temp ~56C
Overclocking Tests: CPU (Prime95 @ 24 Hour Test Stable) ; GPU (3DMark11 "Performance" Test, MSI Kombustor @ 20 Minutes)

Thanks so very much guys; I can only hope that this issue isn't too serious.

usasma · 11 Feb 2012

We've seen a number of BSOD issues with SSD's recently. Here's the information that I've compiled:

There's not a whole bunch available to test SSD's. The "easiest" test is to remove the SSD, install a platter-based hard drive, install Windows and test for stability that way.

Here's some suggestions:
- Update the SSD's firmware to the latest available version (VERY IMPORTANT!!!)
- Slow the memory (RAM) down to the next slower speed (I've only seen one person who claimed that this worked for them).
- Use any manufacturer's utilities that you may have. If you don't have any, then try this free one (I haven't used it myself): Crystal Dew World
- Update chipset and storage controller drivers to the latest available from the manufacturer of the device (not the manufacturer of the motherboard). Be sure to update ALL controllers on the motherboard!
....NOTE: Recently (Nov 2011) we had BSOD issues with the Marvell 91xx controller and an SSD. You may have to switch controllers also.-
Replace the SSD with a platter based hard drive and see if that stops the BSOD's. If it does, then it's likely that there's a problem with the SSD OR an incompatibility with your system.
It's my opinion that SSD's aren't reliable enough (with current hardware) to be used on a system that needs to work reliably. Until I see reliability I will not recommend, nor will I use, SSD's for critical applications.
06 Dec 2011 - This post tends to confirm issues with certain SSD chipsets and certain controllers - [SOLVED] cant find the cause of BSOD F4 - Tech Support Forum

The attachment isn't downloading. It may be a problem with the forums or it may be with the download. Could you please try to upload another copy (change the name a little so that we can tell which is which)?

Luxfer · 12 Feb 2012

Uploaded it another time ("SecondUploadAttempt").

Hm; I wonder if I explained it incorrectly.

Basically, for a while now, I've been getting that BSOD using my Western Digital Caviar Black HD as the Windows 7 boot. When the sale for my SSD came in, I thought it'd be a convenient way to address the "driver issue" by buying the SSD and using that as my boot drive. However, the BSOD persists.

I'll do those tests by your recommendation, but I'd like a confirmation that you'd still recommend those steps upon this information. Thanks!

Note: crashed again as I left for work while the computer was folding. WhoCrashed tells me it was a hardware thermal issue this time; but my logs say my CPU/GPU didn't go beyond their usual load temps...

WhatsAUserName · 12 Feb 2012

You mention that your system is overclocked, have you tried running on default settings for a little while? If WhoCrashed is reporting a thermal issue and it never goes over normal temps it could be your overclock isn't stable. Try running Prime95 for a while. I second usasma's theory too, however I'm not sure if it's a problem on such a new motherboard...

usasma · 12 Feb 2012

I'd have to wonder if there are other thermal areas that your sensors aren't picking up. In particular, the RAM and the motherboard chipsets.

Your system has the Marvell 91xx controller. Please note the previous post where we suspect that it's a cause of issues with SSD's. Switch to another controller (if possible) - most Asus boards have 2.

System is highly overclocked:

CPUID: "Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 950 @ 3.07GHz"
MaxSpeed: 3070
CurrentSpeed: 4009

I'd also have to wonder if it's the overclocking (Thanks WhatsAUserName!) that's causing these events. The only way we have to troubleshoot overclocks is to remove the overclock and get the system stable at normal values. Once that's done, feel free to resume the overclocking. FWIW - I got a small infrared temp detector from a ski supply store (Tognar Toolworks). It comes in very handy for problems like this (it was about $30 US about 5 years ago) - otherwise it's the finger test :0) Be very, very careful if using the finger test - I've been seriously (2nd degree) burned doing this!

I'd still recommend all but one of the steps (regarding SSD's). Since the BSOD's already occurred on a platter based hard drive, there doesn't seem to be much sense in trying that again.

perfmon /report shows a high CPU usage (93+%) by your Folding app. Is it set to consume this much CPU?
If not, uninstall it and install a freshly downloaded copy.

The WER section of MSINFO32 isn't picking up the full BSOD info - which likely suggests hardware/overclocking issues.

MSI Afterburner (along with Riva Tuner and EVGA Precision) are known to cause BSOD's on some Win7 systems. Please uninstall it immediately. Also, your copy's drivers date from 2005 - another reason to suspect it's compatibility with Win7.

If it's not the MSI Afterburner causing the BSOD's, then it's most likely the overclock. Please remove the overclock and return the system to stock values while we troubleshoot. Once the system is stable, feel free to resume overclocking.

Other potential issues:
- you have the 2005 version of ASACPI.sys (the Asus ATK0110 ACPI Utility driver). This is also a known BSOD cause and must be updated from the Asus website (it's under the Utilities section).
- WinRing0x64.sys dates from 2008 and should be updated also. It appears to be associated with your Real Temp program.

Further info on BSOD error messages available at: http://www.carrona.org/bsodindx.html

The following info is just FYI, I've already addressed the issues that I saw in the above paragraphs:
3RD PARTY DRIVERS PRESENT IN THE DUMP FILES
- Create a System Restore Point prior to doing any of this. DO NOT mess with the drivers themselves - leave the Windows\System32\drivers directory alone unless we specifically direct you to it!
- Please either update the older drivers from the device manufacturer's website - or uninstall them from your system. Reference links are included below.
- DO NOT use Windows Update or the Update Drivers function of Device Manager.
- Please feel free to post back about any drivers that you are having difficulty locating.
- Windows Update exceptions may be noted below for Windows drivers.

Code:


RTCore64.sys    Wed May 25 02:39:12 2005 (42941D90)
WinRing0x64.sys Sat Jul 26 09:29:37 2008 (488B26C1)
ASACPI.sys      Sun Mar 27 22:30:36 2005 (42476C4C)
jraid.sys       Tue Aug 10 05:28:44 2010 (4C611BCC)
iaStor.sys      Fri May 20 12:52:24 2011 (4DD69C48)
mv91xx.sys      Fri Aug 27 05:49:22 2010 (4C778A22)
mvxxmm.sys      Fri Aug 27 05:49:03 2010 (4C778A0F)
amdxata.sys     Fri Mar 19 12:18:18 2010 (4BA3A3CA)
MpFilter.sys    Wed Apr 06 16:07:29 2011 (4D9CC801)
HECIx64.sys     Tue Oct 19 19:33:43 2010 (4CBE2AD7)
e1c62x64.sys    Wed Nov 30 18:09:31 2011 (4ED6B7AB)
dump_iaStor.sys Fri May 20 12:52:24 2011 (4DD69C48)
EIO64.sys       Tue Jul 21 22:34:42 2009 (4A667AC2)
nvhda64v.sys    Thu Jul 07 12:21:14 2011 (4E15DCFA)
btath_bus.sys   Thu Jun 24 02:17:43 2010 (4C22F887)
RTKVHD64.sys    Tue Nov 02 07:25:59 2010 (4CCFF547)
nusb3hub.sys    Wed Apr 13 05:30:50 2011 (4DA56D4A)
btfilter.sys    Fri Oct 22 02:40:47 2010 (4CC131EF)
btath_rcp.sys   Thu Jun 24 02:17:21 2010 (4C22F871)
btath_a2dp.sys  Thu Sep 16 07:34:42 2010 (4C9200D2)
btath_hcrp.sys  Tue Jun 29 05:30:43 2010 (4C29BD43)
btath_flt.sys   Thu Jun 24 02:17:38 2010 (4C22F882)
btath_lwflt.sys Mon Sep 13 04:26:54 2010 (4C8DE04E)
NisDrvWFP.sys   Wed Apr 06 16:08:53 2011 (4D9CC855)
IOMap64.sys     Thu Feb 04 20:55:34 2010 (4B6B7A96)
MpNWMon.sys     Wed Apr 06 16:07:23 2011 (4D9CC7FB)
xusb21.sys      Thu Aug 13 18:10:17 2009 (4A848F49)
nvlddmkm.sys    Sat Oct 15 02:07:55 2011 (4E99233B)
nvBridge.kmd    Fri May 20 23:58:23 2011 (4DD7385F)
nusb3xhc.sys    Wed Apr 13 05:30:53 2011 (4DA56D4D)
winhv.sys       Sat Nov 20 04:20:02 2010 (4CE792C2)
vmbus.sys       Sat Nov 20 04:57:29 2010 (4CE79B89)
iaStor.sys      Mon Oct 17 18:54:08 2011 (4E9CB210)
AsIO.sys        Mon Aug 03 03:03:16 2009 (4A768BB4)
nusb3xhc.sys    Thu Apr 22 21:34:36 2010 (4BD0F92C)
dump_iaStor.sys Mon Oct 17 18:54:08 2011 (4E9CB210)
SASKUTIL64.SYS  Tue Jul 12 17:00:01 2011 (4E1CB5D1)
SASDIFSV64.SYS  Thu Jul 21 19:03:00 2011 (4E28B024)
cmudax3.sys     Wed Mar 30 00:16:32 2011 (4D92AEA0)
nusb3hub.sys    Thu Apr 22 21:34:35 2010 (4BD0F92B)
Rt64win7.sys    Fri Jun 10 02:33:15 2011 (4DF1BAAB)
ASACPI.sys      Wed Jul 15 23:31:29 2009 (4A5E9F11)
GEARAspiWDM.sys Mon May 18 08:17:04 2009 (4A1151C0)
RTKVHD64.sys    Fri Jan 29 01:48:35 2010 (4B6284C3)

Code:


Loading Dump File [C:\Users\FUBAR\_jcgriff2_\dbug\__Kernel__\021112-15116-01.dmp]
Built by: 7601.17640.amd64fre.win7sp1_gdr.110622-1506
Debug session time: Sat Feb 11 16:10:44.744 2012 (UTC - 5:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 9:56:54.977
Probably caused by : dxgmms1.sys ( dxgmms1!VIDMM_GLOBAL::ReferenceAllocationForPreparation+c4 )
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  VISTA_DRIVER_FAULT
PROCESS_NAME:  System
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x7E
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_0x7E_dxgmms1!VIDMM_GLOBAL::ReferenceAllocationForPreparation+c4
Bugcheck code 1000007E
Arguments ffffffff`c0000005 fffff880`03143d90 fffff880`04036568 fffff880`04035dc0
BiosVersion = 1502
BiosReleaseDate = 03/02/2011
CPUID:        "Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500K CPU @ 3.30GHz"
MaxSpeed:     3300
CurrentSpeed: 3399
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
Loading Dump File [C:\Users\FUBAR\_jcgriff2_\dbug\__Kernel__\021012-10015-01.dmp]
Built by: 7601.17640.amd64fre.win7sp1_gdr.110622-1506
Debug session time: Fri Feb 10 14:22:52.813 2012 (UTC - 5:00)
System Uptime: 1 days 12:55:43.905
Probably caused by : Unknown_Image ( ANALYSIS_INCONCLUSIVE )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x1E_0
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  VISTA_DRIVER_FAULT
PROCESS_NAME:  FahCore_a4.exe
Bugcheck code 0000001E
Arguments 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000
BiosVersion = 1304   
BiosReleaseDate = 08/02/2011
CPUID:        "Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU         950  @ 3.07GHz"
MaxSpeed:     3070
CurrentSpeed: 4053
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
Loading Dump File [C:\Users\FUBAR\_jcgriff2_\dbug\__Kernel__\020412-13556-01.dmp]
Built by: 7601.17640.amd64fre.win7sp1_gdr.110622-1506
Debug session time: Sat Feb  4 09:02:16.152 2012 (UTC - 5:00)
System Uptime: 3 days 17:40:13.245
Probably caused by : hardware ( nt!KiKernelCalloutExceptionHandler+e )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x1E_0
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  VISTA_DRIVER_FAULT
PROCESS_NAME:  System
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_IP_MISALIGNED
Bugcheck code 0000001E
Arguments 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000
BiosVersion = 1304   
BiosReleaseDate = 08/02/2011
CPUID:        "Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU         950  @ 3.07GHz"
MaxSpeed:     3070
CurrentSpeed: 4009
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
Loading Dump File [C:\Users\FUBAR\_jcgriff2_\dbug\__Kernel__\013112-12277-01.dmp]
Built by: 7601.17640.amd64fre.win7sp1_gdr.110622-1506
Debug session time: Tue Jan 31 15:12:34.438 2012 (UTC - 5:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:06:47.531
Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt!KeSetEvent+157 )
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  VISTA_DRIVER_FAULT
BUGCHECK_STR:  0xA
PROCESS_NAME:  Steam.exe
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_0xA_nt!KeSetEvent+157
Bugcheck code 0000000A
Arguments 00000001`40342ca1 00000000`00000002 00000000`00000008 fffff800`02e93cf7
BiosVersion = 1304   
BiosReleaseDate = 08/02/2011
CPUID:        "Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU         950  @ 3.07GHz"
MaxSpeed:     3070
CurrentSpeed: 4009
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``

Luxfer · 14 Feb 2012

As of right now, I've reverted to completely stock speeds on my CPU and GPU. So far, despite 24/7 folding, there have not been any BSODs.

Yes - folding is meant to take up as close to 100% of all processing power, although it is meant to relinquish it upon the request of other applications.

I will update each and every driver suggested if only because I think it's a good idea to; however, since we're not exactly certain on the nature of my BSODs, I guess all I can do is play the waiting game.

How long should I wait before this problem can be considered "solved"?

NOTE: I posted this in a separate forum ("techsupportforum") as well - I didn't realize that you existed on both! Should I update both, keep one, or...?

Thanks much - although I will miss my 4.01GHz overclock, if it's what is causing my BSODs, I'll learn to live without it.

usasma · 14 Feb 2012

Let's keep this in one place. I posted the other link so that others following the topic would know what's going on.

Yes - folding is meant to take up as close to 100% of all processing power, although it is meant to relinquish it upon the request of other applications.

Yet it didn't give it up when you were running the reports - I wonder if that's what it's supposed to do.

BSOD analysis is partly science and partly art. The are primarily caused by misbehaving drivers - and misbehaving drivers often don't leave trails for their behavior. Over time we've found certain drivers that are prone to faults - and those are the one's that we ask you to update.

As for when it's fixed - that varies from system to system.
My general guidelines are:
- if there's no BSOD after a week, it's likely to be fixed
- if there's no BSOD after 2 weeks, then it's probably fixed

The overclock isn't gone for good - just for while we're troubleshooting.
Once we're done, ease it up a 100 mHz at a time until you start getting errors.
Then back it down a couple of steps so that the BSOD's don't start again.

Good Luck!

Luxfer · 16 Feb 2012

UPDATE

No BSODs yet, even while folding 24/7. No hiccups, glitches, malfunctions or anything of the sort to speak of.

I've updated the ASUS driver (or at least I think I did), but the other two (RTCore64.sys, WinRing0x64.sys) I'm having difficulty updating. I can find information on them all over Google, but no link relating to a download or update exe...

Thanks for everything - hoping for two weeks without a BSOD :)

usasma · 16 Feb 2012

Uninstall MSI Afterburner and RealTemp
You won't find an update for MSI Afterburner (it uses RTCore64.sys)
I'm uncertain about an update for RealTemp (it uses WinRing0x64.sys)