Intermittent BSOD 0xF4 at login

arkane78 · 24 Aug 2016

Hi,

I have an intermittent BSOD - I login and sometimes it will BSOD and sometimes not, there seems to be no consistency between when it does it or not.

I have 2 mini dumps and a full kernel dump - after it BSOD in safe mode also.
Reformatting is not an option as I use the system for work and cannot afford the downtime at current.

I'm ultimately not certain if this is a ropey driver, hardware or Windows installation.
I've run SeaTools against my mechanical drives and they pass all tests except SMART.
They fail because (I assume) SeaTools can't write to a log file, or so it tells me.

I've also checked them with CrystalDiskInfo, it tells me that my SSDs and HDDs are good in terms of SMART, so I'm a tad confused about that result.

MemTest+ is the next thing I'm going to do, 8 passes - tonight, although I'm confident that my RAM is fine but not 100% :)

The minidumps and such are from both safe and normal mode - the attached ZIP was collected in normal mode.

Any help, advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated :)

**axe0** · 24 Aug 2016

Please run the DM Log Collector again and upload a new zip, the current uploaded one misses several logs.
You could check if there are

18 .txt,
1 .nfo,
1 or more .dmp,

files present, if this is the case then all logs are present :)
If there are a few missing, no problem as we can get them manually if required :)

arkane78 · 24 Aug 2016

The new ZIP contains the same number of TXT files as the old one.
In addition, running the tool caused my system to lock up and BSOD - 0x7A. Unfortunately, this did not produce a .DMP or minidump.

Upon reboot, I find my first SSD drive isn't showing up in the BIOS either.

A cold reboot, it comes back - I get the distinct impression I've got more going on here than a dodgy driver.

I've uploaded the new ZIP anyway.

**axe0** · 24 Aug 2016

Please run this command, it produces one of the missing files.

Code:

systeminfo > "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\systeminfo.txt

You could upload it without zipping it first.

arkane78 · 24 Aug 2016

Have done as requested and uploaded.

**axe0** · 24 Aug 2016

If you do not remember something from the 0x7A, please make a next time a photo of it.
Making a photo if the crash may sometimes be difficult, if this may be the case then it is recommended to turn off auto restart.
Dump Files - Configure Windows to Create on BSOD
Attachment 390874

A 0xF4 & 0x7A point to the hard drive, what you need to do is scan each drive/partition. Follow below instructions for scanning them please.

Diagnostics Test

HDD TEST

Run SeaTools to check the integrity of your HDD. SeaTools for DOS and Windows - How to Use - Windows 7 Help Forums
Run the long test.

Note

Do not run SeaTools on an SSD as the results will be invalid.

Make a photo of the result and post it.

Run chkdsk
Disk Check - Windows 7 Help Forums
Use option TWO with parameter /r
Upload the chkdsk log

Check Disk (chkdsk) - Read Event Viewer Log

Run HDTune to

scan for errors, no quick scan but full scan
check the health,
benchmark.

It may take some time, but please take the time you need to perform it properly.
When above is done please make screenshots of the following

the error scan,
the health,
the benchmark incl. following
- transfer rate,
- access time,
- burst rate,
- cpu usage.

arkane78 · 24 Aug 2016

Hi Axe0,

Thank you for taking the time to help me with this rather thorny issue.
I have run SeaTools previously (yesterday) against both my mechanical drives only - they passed SMART, Self Test, Short Test and Long Test.

Using CrystalDiskInfo, my SMART status on SSDs looks ok - using Corsair's own SSDToolbox to look at SMART also suggests it looks ok.

Should I run CHKDSK /R against SSD drives? I wasn't sure whether CHKDSK with /R against SSDs would help or yield any useful information?

Should I run the tests against ALL drives or just the 1 drive that disappeared (and perhaps caused the 0x7A - which was KERNEL_INPAGE_ERROR - unfortunately I can't recall anything else about it)?

HDTune - will the trial version be ok for the tests?

As I use the system for business use as well as personal, there will be some delay whilst I perform the tests as I won't want to try and do them whilst working.

**axe0** · 24 Aug 2016

I would like to see screenshots/photos of the tests so I can see the current status of the hard drive, so you may need to run a few tests again.

arkane78 · 24 Aug 2016

Hi Axe0,

Am running SeaTools long test now. It states it will take about 4.5 hours to complete.
In the meantime, could you clarify my questions below?

Should I run CHKDSK /R against SSD drives? I wasn't sure whether CHKDSK with /R against SSDs would help or yield any useful information?

Also, running CHKDSK against C: or D: drives will require locking them - would it be better to run the CHKDSK tests against C: and D: from Windows RE and then run the other tests whilst in Windows itself?

Should I run the tests against ALL drives or just the 1 drive that disappeared?

HDTune - will the trial version be ok for the tests?

**axe0** · 24 Aug 2016

Chkdsk /r can be used on all partitions of a hard drive that is shown in Windows Explorer. SSDs, HDDs, SSHDs, USBs, etc.

Chkdsk with parameter /f (/r includes /f) requires the partition to be unmounted (locked), this can be done by planning it for the next reboot and then reboot. A WinRE is not necessary, unless it somehow won't work.

There is an exception for SeaTools and SSDs as you can read, everything else can be used on all drivers

The free version of HDTune is good enough, the paid/trial version of HDTune provides data that may be informative for you but not requested for me.