Random BSODs/crashes, corrupted files, problem persists after formats

Davichococat · 01 Feb 2014

Hello all! Sorry for writing too much, I'm just trying to include as much detail as I can(in my boring way).

I have an extremely annoying problem, and formatting doesn't seem to help:

It's something like a cycle, that gets worse and worse until I have to format because the system files are corrupt, only to have it start again.

The problems are never too specific. BSOD codes seem to be different, instability is not predictable and might just come back/go away with a restart, Windows might encounter "critical errors" and restart, bluescreens are random, sometimes the system will restart with no bluescreen at all, I get acess violations, crashes, games missing textures, files corrupted, programs with black areas, etc...

It's not an OEM computer and the parts are custom, but I didn't build it either. When I bought it, bluescreens were constant. I installed a program to check my GFX card status and the temperatures were insane, to the point my system would shut down. I took it back to the store, and turns out the guys had not placed the cooling fan correctly. They did the thing properly and it stopped. Is it possible the heat damaged anything?

Of course, after that, the "cycle" started...

Things I've done(with no sucess):

Format and reinstall the system - 4 times
Update my drivers(they shouldn't all be updated right now, except for my GFX card, but I did that in a previous format with no sucess)
Check the memory for errors - I ran memcheck for 3 passes, no errors detected. I can run it for a longer time if necessary.
Check my HDD's S.M.A.R.T, since it was making pretty weird noises - nothing unusual, no errors
Fix it as if it were a virus problem - I'm not using an antivirus right now, but using one didn't solve the problem before, and it's definitely not related to malware, that can't simply survive a complete wipe...

I'm posting this thread from Safe Mode, which seems a lot more stable.

I don't want to take it back to the store - that would be a waste of money, considering my past experience.

I have no data I want to keep, and I might as well buy new hardware, but I need know which is faulty first...

Thanks a lot for the help, you're my only hope for this machine right now.

Arc · 02 Feb 2014

Hi Davichococat.

Daemon Tools, Alcohol 120% and Power Archiver Pro uses SCSI Pass Through Direct (SPTD), which is a well known BSOD causer. Uninstall Daemon Tools at first. Then download SPTD standalone installer from Disk-Tools.com, and execute the downloaded file as guided below :

Double click to open it.
Click this button only:
If it is grayed out, as in the picture, there is no more SPTD in your system, and you just close the window.

Free up the startup. Windows does not need any other program to auto start with it, but the auto start programs often conflicts and causes various problems including BSODs.

Click on the Start button
Type “msconfig (without quotes), click the resulting link. It will open the System Configuration window.
Select the “Startup” tab.
Deselect all items other than the antivirus, rainmeter and objectdock.
Apply > OK
Accept then restart.

Try this driver .... Intel network .... see if it works for you or not.

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.

Let us know the results.