Windows 7 Random Freezes Requiring Hard Reboot (no minidump files)

It is caused by athdfu.sys; Qualcomm Atheros Valkyrie USB BootROM (c:\windows\system32\drivers\athdfu.sys)

Code:

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*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
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Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.

BugCheck D5, {fffff9801de86ff0, 0, fffff88005845e46, 0}

*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for AthDfu.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for AthDfu.sys

Could not read faulting driver name
Probably caused by : AthDfu.sys ( AthDfu+1e46 )

Followup: MachineOwner
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And the driver is very old.

Code:

fffff880`05844000 fffff880`05855000   AthDfu   T (no symbols)           
    Loaded symbol image file: AthDfu.sys
    Image path: AthDfu.sys
    Image name: AthDfu.sys
    Timestamp:        Mon Mar 22 12:13:38 2010 (4BA7119A)
    CheckSum:         0001D7CA
    ImageSize:        00011000
    Translations:     0000.04b0 0000.04e4 0409.04b0 0409.04e4

In my best guess, it comes from here:


Enter into BIOS. Disable any Boot From LAN/Network option if available. Also disable Bluetooth.

Then wait for Greg to suggest further on this issue.

I have requested my friend Britton30 to suggest/guide you. Whereas it is hardware, he had a deep insight.

Will be with you shortly, I'm trying to get a copy of the board's manual.

sosowie said:

And again, thank you for your looking into this.

Your suggestions sound very promising, but being the computer illiterate I am, I am having trouble figuring out what options to change in my Bios Boot screen. The mode under "Option ROM Messages" is currently at "Force Bios"; the only other option is "Keep Current". I assume this is what I should change?
Force BIOS is OK to leave as is.

And how do I check if a boot from LAN/Network is active to disable it? I had a look at the manual and it didn't mention this, however they don't always show all option. Go to you BOOT tab and all of the sub=menus, it should be there.
How do I disable Bluetooth? As above, it wasn't listed but should be found in the Onboard Devies section, l;ikely buried in another sub-menu.

I see another header in this menu called "PCI ROM Priority," and it's currently set to "Legacy ROM." The other option here is "EFI Compatible ROM." Should I be tweaking this as well? Leave set on Legacy ROM, EFI would be for a different type of install or Windows 8.

My apologies for my elementary questions. Not a problem we all were new at some point. :)

Leave all the USB settings as is.

The Blue Tooth controller is where to disable that. You can change it to Disabled if you don't use it. Check Control Panel/Programs and Features for a Blue Tooth device and uninstall the driver as well.

Big thanks to Gary :)

sosowie, I wouls also suggest you to uninstall anything associated with Qualcomm Atheros Valkyrie USB BootROM. The location of the driver is c:\windows\system32\drivers\athdfu.sys. Also, search in Device manager. If any Qualcomm Atheros entry is there, disable it.

sosowie said:

Thank you both for these suggestions.

Arc, I've followed your advice and deleted athdfu.sys, and disabled it under device manager. I am also given the option to "uninstall" the driver via device manager. Is it prudent to do so?

Do it. Hopefully the uninstallation will solve this particular issue.

Then it is to observe how the computer is running. If it is running well, all are good. Otherwise, we have to decide that some other problematic elements are still remaining.

So now take a time to observe, and let us know how the computer is running :)