BSODs running various sw (or idling after startup) w exceptions

koolkat77, thanks for your new reply. I guess we are done until or unless I get more BSODs.

Thanks again for the comprehensive list of diagnostic and repair actions, and especially for the security software replacement for Norton 360, which may have been a/ the cause of my issues. I'll *definitely* keep this grimoire around to deal with future issues on any of our Windows machines!

Doug

FWIW, before I got your last message I did some more testing, included here for the record.

Step 7:
This seemed irrelevant since Step 6 did not narrow down to specific noxious apps to remove.

Step 8:
I found the description at the "Crystal Disk Info" link target incomprehensible (poorly translated from Japanese?) but on a second view it appears to be a HDD health monitor; I will download it.

Following the second Step 8 link, I downloaded an ISO image and ran the bootable default test for my Seagate ST9500420AS without errors.

Step 9:
I ran overnight an older version (3.1) of bootable memtest86 that I had on hand, on an already-warm system. One pass completed without errors. Am going to download the current version (5.01) and test on warm and cold systems, as the doc suggests.

Step 10:
Also going to download the thermal monitoring tools and see if temperatures are nominal. May open up my laptop and vacuum/ blow out any accumulated dust.

Hi again,

After a day or two of problem-free operation, a BSOD occurred last night, whereupon I powered the machine off. The following windows alert came up with a normal restart this morning:

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.48
Locale ID: 1033

Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: 1a
BCP1: 0000000000005003
BCP2: FFFFF70001080000
BCP3: 0000000000007306
BCP4: FFFFF6FB7DBED009
OS Version: 6_1_7601
Service Pack: 1_0
Product: 256_1

Files that help describe the problem:
C:\Windows\Minidump\012214-24460-01.dmp
C:\Users\Doug\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-137483-0.sysdata.xml

Read our privacy statement online:
Windows 7 Privacy Statement - Microsoft Windows

If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:
C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt

I had started up the PC last night to stream a Hulu video on the Chrome browser. Don't remember whether I had actually launched Chrome before this happened. I picked up the laptop and rotated it 180 degrees to view from the other side of the table, and the BSOD followed within a couple of seconds. I mention the physical movement because it's the second time recently that I got a BSOD after physically turning the laptop to show someone something.

I then ran WhoCrashed (output attached). Began a Malwarebytes quick scan. In mid-scan, the screen went dark and the PC became unresponsive, although it's pretty hard to tell with a black screen.

After a Safe Mode With Networking restart, there was no second new minidump, but I guess there wouldn't be with a black screen? I re-ran WhoCrashed (output attached) after sequestering the Minidump\ contents prior to this alert, and MEMORY.DMP, to another folder, and then ran Malwarebytes again to attempt to repeat the quick scan.

This time, Malwarebytes finished fine and found 2 entries (top 2 entries in the attached quarantine screen shot):

PUP.Optional.Conduit Registry Value
PUP.Optional.RegCleanerPro File

These correspond to the log entries (attached)

Registry Values Detected: 1
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run|BackgroundContainer (PUP.Optional.Conduit) -> Data: "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Rundll32.exe" "C:\Users\Doug\AppData\Local\Conduit\BackgroundContainer\BackgroundContainer.dll",DllRun -> Quarantined and deleted successfully.
Files Detected: 1
C:\$Recycle.Bin\S-1-5-21-3598376534-2440878372-455992156-1000\$RPZXQK8.com\rcpsetup_cpuid.exe (PUP.Optional.RegCleanerPro) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully.

Some Google searches led me to the idea that these were adware, at least in part. I don't know how likely non-malicious PUPs are to cause memory-management BSODs or black screens, but I installed AdwCleaner, which found a good number of other PUPs, some if them implicating Yontoo (attached). I cleaned those, manually uninstalled a number of apps I'm not using and don't see the point of. Then ran AdwCleaner again, producing a clean slate. My 3 browsers don't spawn PUPs if I just got to a Google News article, then exit. Chrome picks up 2 Registry keys and an Extension folder, if I watch a bit of Hulu then exit.

I'm encouraged, to the extent it's plausible that I haven't seen further BSODs while removing the adware and unnecessary apps. Any thoughts?

This thread is pretty stale (the site tells me the last post was 899 days ago). I'm going to post a new one, although the recent BSODs appear similar, and the machine and a lot of the software are the same.

Doug