Constant BSOD failures

cjacko · 11 Dec 2009

Hi guys.

I was wondering if you could please help with a problem I have. I recently built a new computer from scratch but am plagued by constant BSOD errors since I installed Windows 7.

I have updated all my drivers, uninstalled programs that may not be compatible as recommended on other forums, but still the problem occurs.

I have attached my minidumps in the hope someone can help, or at least tell me what the problem is so I can try and resolve it.

I have ran the memory diagnostics tool and it passed with flying colours.

So far I know that the problem is coming from hal.dll, but that's all I can figure out.

Thank you very much for looking, any detailed information about my setup you should be able to see on my profile page.

cjacko · 11 Dec 2009

Ok, using the excellent tutorial on this website I have managed to get the Microsoft debugging tool up and running and I think I have narrowed the problem down to the Microsoft USB driver.

Am I right?

If so, what can I do about this?

Currently I have the following plugged in to USB ports:

Microsoft InfraRed eHome remote receiver (automatic windows driver used)
Apple USB keyboard (automatic windows driver used) with 2x USB 1.0 ports on the side
- Microsoft mini wireless mouse receiver (automatic windows driver used) plugged in to one of these ports on the keyboard
- The other port on the keyboard is empty
HP Printer which is mostly switched off when the BSOD occurs (HP driver package downloaded and installed from HP website - completely up to date)
Western Digital My Book Essential/Home 2TB external HDD (automatic windows driver used)

Are any of these devices known as problematic with Windows 7? I was pretty sure they weren't, but I suppose you never know.

Based on my specification and the drain coming from some of the above USB devices, do you know if my 500-watt power supply would be sufficient? I thought that might be the problem, but then surely the computer would just shut down entirely rather than have enough time to give me the BSOD and dump all the files?

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks.

Legacy · 11 Dec 2009

Hello there.

I'd update my chipset drivers for that error if I was you. Should alleviate issues.

Also update these drivers -

Code:

lmimirr  lmimirr.sys  Tue Apr 10 18:32:45 2007
AF15BDA  AF15BDA.sys  Tue Nov 20 05:19:55 2007
RaInfo   RaInfo.sys   Fri Jan 04 13:57:14 2008
LMIRfsDriver LMIRfsDriver.sys Mon Jul 14 12:26:56 2008
speedfan speedfan.sys Sun Sep 24 09:26:48 2006

cjacko · 11 Dec 2009

Thank you for the reply.

I updated my chipset drivers to the most recent ones the other day, but still had a crash last night.

I'll uninstall speedfan rather than update its drivers as I don't really use it, but as for the others any idea what they are the drivers for so I can get them updated?

Thanks again

Edit: I'm sure Google will be my friend and help me find what the drivers are for :)

Legacy · 11 Dec 2009

You can Google them. You're welcome.

usasma · 11 Dec 2009

It's gotta be that the system is allergic to the Apples! (just kidding!)
Do you use a powered hub for any of the USB stuff (that's a hub that also has a plug into the wall outlet)?

Do you see the USBPORT stuff in the stack text? If so, then you'll see immediately following it (above it) is reference to hal (hal.dll). Hal is the Hardware Abstraction Layer - and it's what tells the system if the device is one of those that can communicate between the hardware and the OS (basically, if there are compatibility issues).

Also, you have these older drivers on your system and they should be updated in order to be sure that they're not the issue. Google them to find out which device they belong to.:

Code:

AF15BDA.sys  Tue Nov 20 05:19:55 2007 - a USB driver for WinFast TV?
lmimirr.sys  Tue Apr 10 18:32:45 2007 - LogMeIn driver (remote assistance program)
LMIRfsDriver.sys Mon Jul 14 12:26:56 2008 - LogMeIn driver
RaInfo.sys   Fri Jan 04 13:57:14 2008 - LogMeIn driver

As the dump files point to the USB, the best thing is to disconnect all the USB devices, then uninstall all the USB software programs and devices from the system (sometimes the drivers will load even if the device isn't connected). This is most likely either a driver issue (like the WinFastTV thing) or a defective USB device (IMO). It's possible that there's a USB controller issue - but that's much less likely.

You can try this procedure to run Driver Verifier (do it before uninstalling/removing anything):

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 Startup Repair feature).

Then, here's the procedure:
- 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 "Low Resource Simulation" and click "Next"
- Select "Automatically select unsigned drivers" and click "Next"
If no drivers show up, then 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 waitfor 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.

Reboot into Windows (after the crash) and turn offDriver Verifier by going back in and selecting "Delete existing settings" on the first page, then locate and zip up the memory dump file and upload it with your next post.

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.

More info on this at this link: Using Driver Verifier to identify issues with Windows drivers for advanced users

cjacko · 12 Dec 2009

Thanks for all your help guys but I think I might have sorted it now.

When I originally installed all the chipset drivers the ATI Catalyst installation threw an error up halfway through. I didn't think too much to it, as most of the components installed fine and the PC appeared to be working alright except for the BSOD.

When I tried to uninstall the Catalyst software and install a more up to date version from the ATI website, I got errors during the uninstall and even though it said it had been entirely removed, when I right clicked on the desktop there was still an option for the ATI catalyst control centre, which I thought can't be right.

So it seems like the chipset drivers got corrupted somehow and couldn't be easily removed or rolled back.

I reinstalled Win7 yesterday afternoon and this time installed straight away the latest drivers from the website rather than the ones on the motherboard disc, and bobs your uncle. Installed great first time and no BSOD since. I know it hasn't been long, but it was so frequent before that I'm pretty certain it's sorted now.

Thanks for all your help though guys!