Using Driver Verifier is an iffy proposition. Most times it'll crash and it'll tell you what the driver is. But sometimes it'll crash and won't tell you the driver. Other times it'll crash before you can log in to Windows. If you can't get to Safe Mode, then you'll have to resort to offline editing of the registry to disable Driver Verifier.
So, I'd suggest that you first backup your stuff and then make sure you've got access to another computer so you can contact us if problems arise.
Then make a System Restore point (so you can restore the system using the Vista/Win7 Startup Repair feature) - and create a System Repair Disc (Win7) if you don't have a full installation DVD.
You can do this by going to Start...All Programs...Maintenance...Create a System Repair Disc (don't forget to test the disc to make sure it works).
For Vista, you can download the repair discs from different websites. If unable to locate them, shoot me a PM and I'll point you to them.
For Win8, BSOD's are different - and we'll have to adjust how we do this with them.
Also, to ensure that you can recover, here's another couple of additional steps:
- Get to the Safe Mode menu (rapidly tap F8 just before the Windows splash screen comes up). Scroll down to and select "Disable automatic restart on System Failure"
- Get the RED information from this picture (in particular we will need the name of the file that the error occurred in):
Picture of a BSOD
Then, here's the procedure to run Driver Verifier:
- Go to Start and type in "verifier" (without the quotes) and press Enter
- Select "Create custom settings (for code developers)" and click "Next"
- Select "Select individual settings from a full list" and click "Next"
- Select everything EXCEPT FOR "IRP Logging", "Force Pending I/O Requests" and "Low Resource Simulation" and click "Next" ("Special Pool" may be able to be used depending on amount of RAM and errors being seen. In situations with small amounts of RAM, DO NOT select it),
- Select "Select driver names from a list" and click "Next"
Then select all drivers NOT provided by Microsoft and click "Next"
- Select "Finish" on the next page.
Reboot the system and wait for it to crash to the Blue Screen. Continue to use your system normally, and if you know what causes the crash, do that repeatedly. The objective here is to get the system to crash because Driver Verifier is stressing the drivers out. If it doesn't crash for you, then let it run for at least 36 hours of continuous operation (an estimate on my part).
Reboot into Windows (after the crash) and locate the memory dump file. If present, turn off Driver Verifier by going back in and selecting "Delete existing settings" on the first page. Then, zip up the memory dump file(s) and upload them with your next post. If no dump files were generated, post back for further suggestions.
If you can't get into Windows because it crashes too soon, try it in Safe Mode.
If you can't get into Safe Mode, try using System Restore from your installation DVD to set the system back to the previous restore point that you created.
If that doesn't work, post back and we'll have to see about fixing the registry entry off-line:
Code:
Delete these registry keys to stop Driver Verifier from loading (works in XP, Vista, Win7):
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\VerifyDrivers
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\VerifyDriverLevel
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. Note that if the warning sign isn't there, select View on the top of the window, and end with Show hidden devices.