BSoD: KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR running some programs after reinstall

Satori · 28 Jun 2014

Hi essenbe. Thanks for your assistance. You're correct, I'd meant IRST. After the incident I'd used my laptop with the same installation of Windows 7 for about a month, with no such problems. I'd swapped all the components to a new laptop case, and during the transition briefly disconnected something that was keeping all the BIOS settings in memory. When I rebooted everything was physically there, but suddenly my installation of Windows 7 was unable to recover from Hibernate. I'm thinking it's because the Hibernate data had been written, but with the IRST information in the BIOS lost, it wasn't able to read it correctly. This model has two hard drive modes, IRST and AHCI. IRST uses the Rapid Storage Technology and needs a driver not only within Windows, but preinstalled for the BIOS. When that was lost, it could explain the sudden inability to read the Hibernate data correctly. I had to do a clean install of Windows 7 since the old one wouldn't recover from Hibernate, and since then there have been a lot of mystery errors trying to install software. Again, a failing hard drive would be the normal inferrence but for the sudden problems not after the incident itself, but rather a month afterwards when I went to swap the components out and the BIOS information - including the pre-OS IRRT driver - was forgotten. I've searched online and, ages ago now, encountered pages where other users of the model have had similar difficulties. Additionally, the KERNAL_DATA_INPAGE_ERRORs are showing up only during moments in which there's quite a lot of drive activity, which suggests to me that the OS is relying on Dell's Rapid Storage technology without the pre-OS driver present to actually read and write data correctly, which would also result in sloppy writing all over the file system and the errors I've been encountering.

essenbe · 28 Jun 2014

According to what I am seeing, you do not have IRST installed. I use it. It is Intel's raid driver, but is the only way to get the Intel AHCI driver. I do no use raid, at the moment and do not recommend raid in most situations. I think, from what you have said, that there is simply a difference in term that your computer uses that differs from most others. What they call IRST mode, is what most computers I have ever seen call Raid mode. That is my only explanation and I assume you are using raid. That is the only time I have ever seen where you have to load a driver to install Windows. Windows has to have the raid driver to be able to 'see' a raid array because it is formatted differently. Unless you are running raid, IRST does nothing, it is just there. In fact you can go to services.MSC and find it, select properties and disable it. However, if you are running raid, your system will not boot and most likely crash when you do it. Unless you are in fact running raid, there is no reason to have your sata controller set to raid (or IRST as yours calls it). I am installed in AHCI mode but have IRST installed and have always had it installed for years, and never had any problem. I don't even disable it. Here s my device manager and you will notice what I have outlined is the Intel AHCI driver, iaStor.
Attachment 323553

I've noticed recently some laptops that the manufacturers ships in raid mode, which I really don't understand. There's very little reason for a personal computer to be set up that at except in specific cases.