Regular BSOD when gaming - almost any game

Just a warning, I am very much inept when it comes to computers. I've tried reading some of the available guides and what-not. It's all C++ to me. Confusing and probably evil.

I recently got myself a shiny new PC. After getting rid of the ageing, screeching, abused barrel I had before, I was looking forward to some smooth sailing.

No dice.

The computer mostly runs fine, but any time I try to run games, I can play for about an hour before getting a BSOD. At first I feared the computer was just underpowered, but even older games like NWN2 crash it. The only games I've been able to run for a good length of time were Portal 2 and Minecraft.

I've had some minor glitches beyond that, but most seemed related to other issues. (Connected external hardware that was malfunctioning) I've resolved what I could find for those.

The BSODs occur almost exclusively when gaming and seem to happen faster if I try to play a game again right after the crash...

My version of windows 7 is 64 bit and came pre-installed on the PC, but it was a custom-built model, so I got the disc along with it.

Hello Rico, welcome to SevenForums!

I've taken a look at your dumps, and there are many different errors which lead me to believe this is hardware rather than software related.

First thing I recommend doing is installing & running Memtest so we can get RAM / memory controller out of the way.

*Download a copy of Memtest86 and burn the ISO to a CD using Iso Recorder or another ISO burning program. Do note that you can ALSO put Memtest86 on a flash drive if you don't have access to CDs.

*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.

Driver Verifier (we'll run this afterwards).

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.

I'd suggest that you first backup your data 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/Windows 7 Startup Repair feature).

In Windows 7 you can make a Startup Repair disk by going to Start....All Programs...Maintenance...Create a System Repair Disc - with Windows Vista you'll have to use your installation disk or the "Repair your computer" option at the top of the Safe Mode menu .

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"
- 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).

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.

Enable & Disable instructions.

Thanks for the swift response!

Memtest came up clean. My external hard drive just died with all my back-ups on it, so I'm a bit iffy about running the Driver Verifier...

Well, I've been trying for a full day now to actively GET my computer to crash for the driver verifier and, naturally, it's NOT doing it for once.

BSODs are very random, you'll get it eventually (unfortunately). BSODs 9/10 times just don't disappear :P

Many people recommend running with verifier enabled for at least 2-4 days before turning it off. I'd say if you don't BSOD by then, it's not software related as there isn't the faulting driver causing verifier to crash the system.

Well, I finally had a BSOD randomly while my computer was on during the night... Which was new.

Was anything supposed to happen if that occured while the verifier ran?

Yes, a verified enabled dump should have been generated. It'll be the latest dump, so go ahead and attach that.