BSOD IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL and random freezes

Bill,

I have had some BSODs since installing Windows 8. Kernel_security_check_failure, system_service_exception and Kmode_exception_not_handled.

As for software wise, I do have the bamboo wacom driver installed. I haven't added any new hardware, but I'm using the typical slew of software that I normally use.

In regards to the screen blackout and white noise, it is non-recoverable. It's whether I manually press the power button or the computer shuts down on its own (sometimes attempting to restart, but the screen remains black or it'll power on and off.)

I will get back to you with the speccy report.

Something to note, I'm pretty certain that it might be a hardware issue. I was going through the bios menu and the computer froze. Clearly, it's not just a Windows driver problem then, eh?

Olanka,

Thanks for all of that information - it's great stuff.

I still need to verify the LED codes, but that's good feedback.

:) Not jarred, not dropped. It was difficult to find the best way to word that question - glad you understood and answered accordingly

Don't sweat the UEFI diags on USB then. Thanks for running the BIOS diags and it's good news that they reported no errors.

Among other things, I've been called a renaissance man; arts, sciences, philosophies, architecture.... all interest me.

The Speccy report shows both HiDef audio and IDT HiDef audio, did you re-enable the one you disabled? Just a question, I don't think that's the root cause, but I might come back to that.

I'm leaning towards Wacom as the cause, but need to look at the DM log. Speccy used to have events - but it looks as though they took them out due to size.

I checked Wacom to see if other people had similar issues as your machine and found a good number. As you might imagine, those are also all over the place (hardware, software, drivers, reinstall...) I think your machine is in fairly good shape with regards to all of that since you just updated to Win8 and the machine is still fairly plain vanilla, except for Wacom.

There was one suggestion, an easy one, that I'd like you to try.
Follow this tutorial: Troubleshoot Application Conflicts by Performing a Clean Startup.

Ok, I have a lot of reading / research - some I've put off doing, so it might take me a while.

If you get bored :) waiting and the Clean Startup didn't resolve the issue. You could try backing up your Wacom settings and uninstalling Wacom. See if that stops the hard stops.

The suggestion on Wacom was to reinstall Wacom, reload the settings, but hold off on that - it seems like busy work.

Thinking out loud here: I wonder if PC tablet options should be turned on??? Let me think about that a bit more.

Bill
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Olanka,

Ok, we'll take a look at the audio stuff later.
I've given you a few things to try, update the thread as you go along - you know the drill :)
Make a change, run for a while (a few days??) - report AOK or issue still exists.
If you do get the AOK, you can stop there, no need to make further changes. That doesn't mean it's resolved, it just means that the issue hasn't happened. It will narrow down the cause to the change made though, and we can try to find a resolution.

A renaissance man, are you? That's what some people say about me - I mean I don't go around wearing renaissance clothing or participate in jousting events :) Although once a year, our youngest daughter and her husband do (sans the jousting part)

I'm not familiar enough (at all really) with Wacom hardware / software, so it will be a process of elimination to determine if it is the root cause. The clean boot might help identify part of the issue - service or startup. Backing up your Wacom settings and uninstalling Wacom will provide definitive evidence if the issue goes away after that. Right now all we can do is keep troubleshooting. I haven't given up yet :)

You're welcome - I'm off again to continue reading / research in between helping on other threads. Any information you post following the previous suggestions / directions will be helpful. You're doing great - thanks for persevering through this process.

Bill

Yes, this old thread is getting long in the tooth - that's ok.

Several fan blades missing? Where did they go?
Take a look at these images Google found for internal fans. Some look as though there are blades missing, but they're made that way to conserve weight (I suppose).

Maybe you could post a picture of the fan in question so I can see what you see.

If the fan truly is missing blades, then you're correct - that is a problem. Heat is the biggest enemy of modern machines.
At least we know their weakness if they ever rise up :)

The temps in you Speccy were within operational range - a bit warm, but HPs are.

Did the machine hard stop again, or were you curious about the inside. Quite intrepid of you to look inside.

At some point, I was going to recommend replacing the CMOS battery and reseating the memory. Those are easy to do but at this point anything is a long shot. You know my methods by now, one thing, test, next thing, test.. and on until the issue goes away and the cause is found.

So I didn't want to open the box until later in the troubleshooting. Now that I know you're comfortable opening the box, cool.

Before I go to the next step, please tell me where you are in the previous stuff I posted less than a day ago - unless there was a hard stop or BSOD, keep running in one configuration. Screen flicker and white noise are good to know if they occur as well.

A new computer - that will definitely solve the issue - it does cost money though. I'll run this machine into the ground first - always do.

The next machine I'll get will probably be an Asus (maybe a Desktop), I've given plenty of money to HP. I have some other Asus equipment and it's very good, their support is excellent.

You know, everything has been tested and passed. If the clean boot gives you a stable system, then the first thing I'd re-enable is Wacom. If the hard stop returns you know for certain. The driver is up to date, so I don't know how else to "fix" Wacom (if it is).

Let me ask this. Does the Bamboo pad still work with the Services and Startups disabled in a Clean Boot?
You might be missing some niceties, but that's better than hard stops and BSODs. Then, it's up to Wacom to fix their driver. Again, I don't know, but have a strong suspicion that it is Wacom.

Sorry about the rambling, but thoughts spring up and I want to get them down.

Take another read of my last few posts and see if three's something else you can do while I do what I do.

Again, it's imperative to run the machine until an occurrence, report the status (clean boot step 1 & 2 done, then hard stop - blank screen, white noise). No occurrence - no report (maybe...everything still running well)

I know, this is pretty boring stuff - but it's free :)

Bill
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Nisym said:

.....
I don't know if it's just my imagination, or perhaps I've become paranoid, but I do think it crashes as well should I move the laptop around.

It does sound as though you have a hardware issue and that's probably better left to a repair shop. If you decide to go that route, a small shop might give you better service or cost than a big box store.

Nisym said:

As for the laptop fan, the blades are actually broken. Why am I so sure? I asked my brother and he had told me that he accidentally broke them.
.....

I think that at this point you've done everything you could do short of replacing the innards. The broken fan probably caused temps to rise (the Speccy report I looked at was only a snapshot in time) and your notation on increased fan speed preceding a "crash" indicates that components or the motherboard are getting cooked.

Your options?
A repair shop - but the condition of the components might warrant a new machine.
A new machine if that is in your budget.

Given all you've done and the information you just supplied, I'm out of other suggestions. I don't think reseating the memory or replacing the CMOS battery will yield the desired results (a stable machine). You might want to give those a try as a last ditch effort, that's up to you.

HP References:

• Maintenance and Service Guide: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02638165.pdf
  RTC battery -page 4-19
  
• Memory modules: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01678265.pdf

It has been a real pleasure working with you on these issues. I wish it had turned out differently, but some things cannot be resolved at a distance without physical access to the machine.

You can wait to see if other members might have more ideas on this, but I think we've exhausted all of the options. Please post your decision so other members know if you're still looking for help.

Best regards,

Bill
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