BSOD 0x000000F4 - I suspect SSD

[matejdro]

Windows 7 will randomly throw BSOD when doing something more heavy like playing a game or running a game server. Computer would start working really slowly, applications freezing, etc. Today I even saw skype end call and throw "Disk I/O error". After a few seconds of this slow operation it will throw BSOD with 0x000000F4 error.

After it throws BSOD, it will also reset my SSD's boot priority in BIOS from 1st to 2nd, which means that I must enter bios and change priority each time I get BSOD (I have ubuntu installed on 2nd drive). So because of this and skype's "Disk I/O error" I suspect that trouble is somehow related to SSD.

PC is several weeks old, same for Windows setup, which was already installed, when I got pc. It's 64-bit version.

Any ideas, what could be problem?

 

[zigzag3143]

Windows 7 will randomly throw BSOD when doing something more heavy like playing a game or running a game server. Computer would start working really slowly, applications freezing, etc. Today I even saw skype end call and throw "Disk I/O error". After a few seconds of this slow operation it will throw BSOD with 0x000000F4 error.

After it throws BSOD, it will also reset my SSD's boot priority in BIOS from 1st to 2nd, which means that I must enter bios and change priority each time I get BSOD (I have ubuntu installed on 2nd drive). So because of this and skype's "Disk I/O error" I suspect that trouble is somehow related to SSD.

PC is several weeks old, same for Windows setup, which was already installed, when I got pc. It's 64-bit version.

Any ideas, what could be problem?

Your .dmp file shows a stop error of 0x124 which is a general hardware error .

A "stop 0x124" is fundamentally different to many other types of bluescreens because it stems from a hardware complaint.

Stop 0x124 minidumps contain very little practical information, and it is therefore necessary to approach the problem as a case of hardware in an unknown state of distress.

You can read more on this error and what to try here... Stop 0x124 - what it means and what to try http://www.sevenforums.com/crash-lockup-debug-how/35349-stop-0x124-what-means-what-try.html

 

[matejdro]

Today I got BSOD and at boot, it said something like "Marvel controller Initializing..." for long time and after that it said something like "no disk detected". After that it started booting from my 2nd drive and it did not detect SSD.

I turned off PC and turned it no now after several minutes and it seems to work properly.

Could SSD maybe be broken?

 

[zigzag3143]

Today I got BSOD and at boot, it said something like "Marvel controller Initializing..." for long time and after that it said something like "no disk detected". After that it started booting from my 2nd drive and it did not detect SSD.

I turned off PC and turned it no now after several minutes and it seems to work properly.

Could SSD maybe be broken?

Is the marvel controller your ssd controller?

I would get a utility from the ssd mfr to check the drive.

 

[matejdro]

They assembled my pc together for me, so I'm not sure. But I did some "research" and I think that my 2nd drive is plugged into "normal port", while SSD is plugged into marvel controller.

What is ssd mrf? Sorry, I'm new at SSD area.

 

[zigzag3143]

They assembled my pc together for me, so I'm not sure. But I did some "research" and I think that my 2nd drive is plugged into "normal port", while SSD is plugged into marvel controller.

What is ssd mrf? Sorry, I'm new at SSD area.

SSD mfr= SSD manufacturer. Ie whose brand is it?

 

[matejdro]

It's KINGSTON SSD HYPERX SH100S3120. I can't find any utility on their website.

 

[zigzag3143]

It's KINGSTON SSD HYPERX SH100S3120. I can't find any utility on their website.

Did you fill out the support request??????

 

[okrings]

I can say this much, the problem is most definitely with your SSD!

I have the same SSD that you do, and I get the exact same problems you're describing. I've been through the entire process of jumping through hoops for the Kingston support guys, at the end of which they finally had to admit that they are aware of this problem and it is being worked at. There's nothing you can do but sit down and wait for Kingston to hopefully come up with a firmware fix.

The few details I got out of Kingston's support was something about a "underpower" problem. They had me play around with BIOS settings to disable powersaving features like the CPU C states, Intel Speed Step and a bunch of stuff, and still I got the BSOD.

All the new SATA3 SSDs are having BSOD issues because the SandForce-2281 controller onboard all these SSDs is damaged goods, bugs up one side and down the other. If you want to keep the performance of the HyperX SSD, you'll just have to suffer through the BSOD stuff, just like me.

I do wonder if I'd have the same problems with this SSD if I had a motherboard with a different chipset, like the Z68. I mean, if everyone who's bought a Kingston HyperX SSD are having BSOD problems, then there would be cries for bloody murder on the net, right? So it's got to work for some people, if not most people.

I'll give'em another month or two. If they haven't fixed the bug by then, I'm just gonna get my money back and get another SSD that doesn't use this damages POS SF-2281 controller.

EDIT:
I just checked your system spec in your public profile. We both have a ASUS P8P67 series motherboard. I have the "Pro" edition.

 

[matejdro]

In what port do you have your controller plugged in?

 

[okrings]

If you mean in which port I have my SSD plugged in, I use the native (white/gray) SATA3 ports. Those are the best SATA3 ports on these motherboards. You should not be using your Marvel SATA3 ports unless you absolutely have to. Kingston and ASUS both recommends this. And so do I.

The controller I was talking about is the onboard controller that's inside the SSD, making it work (so to say).

If you want to check your performance properly, use ATTO disk benchmark utility. It's the industry standard, apparently. I've been using CrystalDiskMark and I wasn't getting the numbers I was supposed to get, so I asked Kingston about that and they told me to use ATTO. I ran 1 quick benchmark and I got numbers close to 560/520 read/write. I really do love the performance of this HyperX SSD.

 

[matejdro]

Ah yeah, I have it on Marvel port. I have to switch it over to Intel. But you said that that would not fix blue screen problems?

 

[okrings]

By the way, when I say I got the same problems with this SSD that you do, I mean exactly that. I got the Skype Disk I/O error, slow crashes, hangs on BSOD screen too long and the thing where my computer can't find the disk after restart. I see there's a BETA BIOS update for my Pro edition motherboard that says something about "increased system stability" or somesuch. I'm contemplating on updating my BIOS with it, but I don't like BETA. You might have a similar update for your motherboard.

When a crash occurs, even before the BSOD you know it's coming, just turn off the the computer by the button on the powersupply or unplug the cable for a few sec and then turn the computer back on and everything works just fine.

You'll want to run a chkdsk /f to make sure your filesystem is healthy. To do that, in Windows, open the startmenu and type in "command", then rightclick on "Command Prompt" and choose Run as Administrator. Then type in "chkdsk /f" and hit enter, and press "Y" for yes (if english language). Then you restart your computer and you'll get a filesystem check during the startup. After the check, the computer will restart (just fyi). You may already know this, but I figured I might as well mention it just in case. I do this everytime I have a crash myself.

 

[okrings]

One more thing... you might wanna disable Virtual Memory entirely. I also have 8GB memory and I'm not using Virtual Memory anymore. All it does is burn out your SSD faster. It's always faster keeping everything in the physical memory anyway. I even play Rift (mmorpg) and I never run out of memory.

Without Virtual Memory, Windows can't write MEMORY.DMP files, so it won't hang on the BSOD for ~half an hour. Not that it matters, really. The fastest way to get back to normal operation is to unplug/turn off powersupply and on again as soon as you see it crashing.

 

[matejdro]

I already did chkdks and it found nothing.

Are you sure is safe to disable virtual memory? I'm afraid that 8GB might still not be enough for some games.

 

[okrings]

I used to have 4GB of memory in this computer and even then I didn't use Virtual Memory. Only one game crashed on me back then (because of lack of memory), and that was Dragon Age: Origins.

Now, with 8GB, I'll never use Virtual Memory ever again (hopefully).

Note: The only thing that happens if your computer runs out of memory is that the game/application you're running which needs more memory will simply crash/close. It won't crash your entire system though. You just get a popup like "out of memory" and that's that. So no worries. If you find you need to have that Virtual Memory after all, then it's just a few mouseclicks away.

Btw, I just checked the ASUS website and apparently there's another new BETA BIOS update out today. For both our motherboards. A version 2001. Looks like ASUS only makes BETAs these days, so I'm just gonna give it a go.

 

[okrings]

I've updated my BIOS with the v.2001 BETA from the ASUS website, and I disabled all three of the CPU's "C-states" as well as Intel SpeedStep Technology (found in the CPU settings in the BIOS). I've been running my system for about a day now without getting a BSOD. The past 4 days I've had 1-2 BSOD a day, but none today. It may just be a fluke. Time will tell.

Anyway, you can try this yourself if you want. The downside is that your CPU will run at max clock all the time without the powersaving features enabled.

EDIT:
Never mind. My computer just had a lightning express BSOD. Disabling those powersaving functions was one of the tricks Kingston wanted me to try. Apparently it works for some people. Not for me though. I just figured it was worth another try, with the new BIOS version 'n all.

 

[matejdro]

Alright, updated BIOS and moved SSD to Intel ports. I had no issues for several days. But today, firefox froze completely while browsing and threw BSOD after about a minute. And after couple a minutes, another freeze .

 

[okrings]

Kingston released an updated firmware for the HyperX SSD series a couple days back. I got it a bit earlier because I've been in contact with their support, trying to help figure out what causes the BSOD/stuttering problems.

Here's a direct link to the firmware update:
Kingston Technology Company - Support - Solid-State Drives

I got this update about a week ago and I haven't seen a BSOD yet. But, that may not actually indicate 100% that the firmware works, at least not in my case. You see, I haven't had a BSOD since I reinstalled Windows 7, and that was 2 weeks ago. It might be like when I first got the SSD and installed Windows 7 on it, there were no problems for the first 2-3 weeks. So, I'll just have to wait and see.

On the other hand, I'm still having these annoying stuttering effects (most noticeable while playing games or videos), where the picture and sound freezes up for just a sec and then the computer resumes normal operation.

I believe the stuttering happens when Windows puts the drives in a powersaving state. Like, I have my power-management settings set to turn off hard drives after 15mins of inactivity, and that's about when I get this stutter, hickup or whatever we wanna call it.

 

[matejdro]

Wow, that is great. Will check it out