BSOD error 0x0000003B at random times

2Wheels1 · 16 Dec 2013

About a week ago, I downgraded my RAM from 2x2GB and 2x4GB to just the same 2x4GB. The computer had been stable for over a year and that is the only hardware change that has occurred just prior to the start of the BSODs.

I have tried memory testing (both the Windows and Memtest) and moving the memory sticks around. I have confirmed and re-confirmed the timings in BIOS, including a CMOS reset. All of the testing passes without issue, including allowing Memtest to run continuously for an overnight.

The STOP code seems to indicate a video issue. Thus, I've updated the AMD Catalyst Software to the most current. I have pulled the video card and all other cables from the motherboard, reseated and replaced. I have run FURMARK to stress the video card and it passes. Unfortunately, I do not have another video card to test.

I have also tried using just one or the other of the 4GB memory sticks. It seemed that with one of the sticks, the BSOD would occur, but now I have seen it with either or both sticks.

I am out of ideas. The BSOD seems to occur very randomly and I haven't found a way to induce it. The computer will work fine for hours and then have three crashes in a few minutes.

Arc · 17 Dec 2013

Hi 2Wheels1.

Your crash dumps are not showing any finite probable cause.

Test your RAM modules for possible errors.
How to Test and Diagnose RAM Issues with Memtest86+
Run memtest for at least 8 passes, preferably overnight.

If it start showing errors/red lines, stop testing. A single error is enough to determine that something is going bad there.

Stress test the Graphics Card using Furmark.
Video Card - Stress Test with Furmark

Stress test the CPU.
Hardware - Stress Test With Prime95

If these three tests afe free of errors, enable Driver Verifier to monitor the drivers.
Driver Verifier - Enable and Disable
Run Driver Verifier for 24 hours or the occurrence of the next crash, whichever is earlier.

Information

Why Driver Verifier:
It puts a stress on the drivers, ans so it makes the unstable drivers crash. Hopefully the driver that crashes is recorded in the memory dump.

How Can we know that DV is enabled:
It will make the system bit of slow, laggy.

Warning

Before enabling DV, make it sure that you have earlier System restore points made in your computer. You can check it easily by using CCleaner looking at Tools > System Restore.

If there is no points, make a System Restore Point manually before enabling DV.

Tip

If you fail to get on the Desktop because of DV, Boot into Advanced Boot Options > Safe mode. Disable DV there. Now boot normally again, and try following the instruction of enabling DV again.
If you cannot boot in Safe mode too, do a System Restore to a point you made earlier.

Let us know the results, with the subsequent crash dumps, if any.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Code:

*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************

Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.

BugCheck 3B, {c0000005, fffff9600014c687, fffff8800c62f120, 0}

Probably caused by : win32k.sys ( win32k!IsMessageAllowedAcrossILByReceiver+17 )

Followup: MachineOwner
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2Wheels1 · 17 Dec 2013

Thanks for the suggestion. I have already run Memtest86 overnight, although I think it only completed 7 cycles. Both sticks of memory were in the computer and there were no errors reported.

I also ran FURMARK, although I think that was only for about an hour. I have not yet tested PRIME95 but can do that next this evening. I will post any memory dumps if it BSODs during that process.

Thanks!

2Wheels1 · 18 Dec 2013

Just want to add some further information. I ran FURMARK for about 20 minutes and there were no issues.
I've not yet run another memory stress test, but I did swap both sticks for other memory. I have had two crashes since that swap. So, I think that the RAM can be ruled out.
I will let PRIME95 run for a while to see if that causes a crash next. I have attached the dumpfile, a mini-dump, from the last crash.

Arc · 18 Dec 2013

The AMD SATA Controller is failing here.

Code:

fffff880`0a33e008  fffff880`010ae8fc*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for amdsata.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for amdsata.sys
 amdsata+0xb8fc

And it is very old.

Code:

fffff880`010a3000 fffff880`010b7000   amdsata  T (no symbols)           
    Loaded symbol image file: amdsata.sys
    Image path: amdsata.sys
    Image name: amdsata.sys
    Timestamp:        Thu Oct 08 01:43:09 2009 (4ACCF655)
    CheckSum:         0001C14A
    ImageSize:        00014000
    Translations:     0000.04b0 0000.04e4 0409.04b0 0409.04e4

Update the chipset from GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket AM3 - GA-870A-UD3 (rev. 2.0).

2Wheels1 · 19 Dec 2013

I've updated the chipset as recommended. Unfortunately, that didn't resolve the issue. Today, I had a blue screen that showed a problem with ndis.sys. It seems others have had an issue resulting in this outcome from Norton Internet Security. So, I've tried removing that package entirely. Unfortunately, I've since gotten two more crashes, one that blue screened. In this case, I had Windows set for a kernel memory dump, but I don't think that, even compressed, I can post an attachment that large. So, the zip file is posted at https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/24276436/MEMORY.zip.

I did try to run Driver Verifier. After enabling it as recommended, I could not even get the computer to start such that it gave me the option to boot into safe mode. It kept resetting until Windows came up with a window to use system restore, which got me working again.

This is getting more frequent and very frustrating. Thank you in advance.

2Wheels1 · 27 Dec 2013

My system continues to crash. On some occasions, it will simply crash and restart without a BSOD. On others, it blue screens. I have switched back to the minidump; the most recent is attached.

Thank you again.

carwiz · 28 Dec 2013

Your last dump is from an APC Mismatch. It would help if you included all the files requested in the BSOD instruction. Use the Grab All button in the utility. This helps give an up to date image of the system as it now stands.

For test purposes, uninstall the AppleCharger app.

Arc · 28 Dec 2013

Do what carwiz suggested. Gigabyte On-Off Charger causes BSODs steadily.

I want to add one more point here, Uninstall Norton and all Symentec products using Norton Removal tool. At least as a test. Because more that 99% bugcheck 0x1's I have faced are caused by third party virus scanners; including Norton. Use Microsoft Security Essentials as your antivirus with windows inbuilt firewall, and free MBAM as the on demand scanner.
Download, install and update those, and then run full system scans with both of them, one by one.

If the situation is still the same even after removing Gigabyte On-Off Charger and Norton Security Suite,
enable Driver Verifier to monitor the drivers, for one more time. Because APC_INDEX_MISMATCH BSODs are driver issues, and the drivers are not necessarily the device drivers.
Driver Verifier - Enable and Disable
Run Driver Verifier for 24 hours or the occurrence of the next crash, whichever is earlier.

Information

Why Driver Verifier:
It puts a stress on the drivers, ans so it makes the unstable drivers crash. Hopefully the driver that crashes is recorded in the memory dump.

How Can we know that DV is enabled:
It will make the system bit of slow, laggy.

Warning

Before enabling DV, make it sure that you have earlier System restore points made in your computer. You can check it easily by using CCleaner looking at Tools > System Restore.

If there is no points, make a System Restore Point manually before enabling DV.

Tip

If you fail to get on the Desktop because of DV, Boot into Advanced Boot Options > Safe mode. Disable DV there. Now boot normally again, and try following the instruction of enabling DV again.
If you cannot boot in Safe mode too, do a System Restore to a point you made earlier.

Let us know the results, with the subsequent crash dumps, if any. Post it following the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Posting Instructions.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Code:

*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************

Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.

BugCheck 1, {7fefd5e54aa, 0, ffff0000, fffff8800aa5a220}

Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt!KiSystemServiceExit+245 )

Followup: MachineOwner
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0: kd> !analyze -v
*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************

APC_INDEX_MISMATCH (1)
This is a kernel internal error. The most common reason to see this
bugcheck is when a filesystem or a driver has a mismatched number of
calls to disable and re-enable APCs. The key data item is the
Thread->KernelApcDisable field. A negative value indicates that a driver
has disabled APC calls without re-enabling them.  A positive value indicates
that the reverse is true. This check is made on exit from a system call.
Arguments:
Arg1: 000007fefd5e54aa, address of system function (system call)
Arg2: 0000000000000000, Thread->ApcStateIndex << 8 | Previous ApcStateIndex
Arg3: 00000000ffff0000, Thread->KernelApcDisable
Arg4: fffff8800aa5a220, Previous KernelApcDisable

Debugging Details:
------------------


FAULTING_IP: 
+3732313831663533
000007fe`fd5e54aa c3              ret

CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT:  1

DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  VISTA_DRIVER_FAULT

BUGCHECK_STR:  0x1

PROCESS_NAME:  explorer.exe

CURRENT_IRQL:  0

LAST_CONTROL_TRANSFER:  from fffff800034c0169 to fffff800034c0bc0

STACK_TEXT:  
fffff880`0aa59fe8 fffff800`034c0169 : 00000000`00000001 000007fe`fd5e54aa 00000000`00000000 00000000`ffff0000 : nt!KeBugCheckEx
fffff880`0aa59ff0 fffff800`034c00a0 : 00000000`46010191 c3400000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000980`00000690 : nt!KiBugCheckDispatch+0x69
fffff880`0aa5a130 000007fe`fd5e54aa : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : nt!KiSystemServiceExit+0x245
00000000`001fd9b8 fffff800`034b8210 : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : 0x7fe`fd5e54aa
fffff880`0aa5a380 00000000`00000001 : 00000000`00000000 000000a0`00000108 fffff880`00000001 fffff880`0aa5a498 : nt!KiCallUserMode
fffff880`0aa5a388 00000000`00000000 : 000000a0`00000108 fffff880`00000001 fffff880`0aa5a498 fffff880`0aa5b080 : 0x1


STACK_COMMAND:  kb

FOLLOWUP_IP: 
nt!KiSystemServiceExit+245
fffff800`034c00a0 4883ec50        sub     rsp,50h

SYMBOL_STACK_INDEX:  2

SYMBOL_NAME:  nt!KiSystemServiceExit+245

FOLLOWUP_NAME:  MachineOwner

MODULE_NAME: nt

IMAGE_NAME:  ntkrnlmp.exe

DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP:  521ea035

FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_0x1_SysCallNum_1081_nt!KiSystemServiceExit+245

BUCKET_ID:  X64_0x1_SysCallNum_1081_nt!KiSystemServiceExit+245

Followup: MachineOwner
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2Wheels1 · 31 Dec 2013

I've completed the removal of anything Norton using the Norton Removal Tool and installed MS Security Essentials. Additionally, I've removed the Gigabyte Charging Software and disconnected all the USB peripherals except for the wireless keyboard/mouse receiver. The crashes continue. I'm starting to wonder if it's a mobo/cpu problem. How does one test for such hardware issues as the motherboard itself?

Per the instructions, I attach the zip file using Grab All. I did attempt to run the Driver Verifier, but there were no non-Microsoft drivers listed to select. I am thinking of disconnecting my hard drives and running using a Live Ubuntu USB stick to eliminate all MS software issues. As I see it, that would allow me to isolate down to the mobo/PSU/CPU.

I've successfully tested Memtest and Furmark, so I think that those can be taken to be okay. Additionally, with regards to the RAM, I've swapped the RAM sticks for another set entirely. The fact that the crashes continue and the successful Memtest operations seem to suggest the problem is elsewhere.