ntkrnlmp.exe related BSOD

[tylerburden]

Hi.
I've been having trouble with my PC for some time now. Windows 7 x64 crashes with random BSOD messages. Windows Vista x86 did the same thing before I switched. Seven is installed onto a formated separate partition. With two sticks of RAM in dual or single channel the system crashes unexpectedly while browsing, listening to music or even just idling. With a single stick the OS seems stable (although I have yet to leave it on for a longer period in that configuration). I've changed the BIOS RAM setup to match Corsair guidelines - no luck here. I've done a Linux LiveCD memtest - 5 cycles passed with no errors. The BSOD messages are pretty random - I have photos of them if that could be helpful. Most minidumps point to ntkrnlmp.exe as the culprit - can this be a precessor issue? I updated my BIOS, GPU and audio drivers. The GPU and RAM were sent to their respective manufacturers and exchanged for new ones. That didn't help so I guess they are not at fault here. I've reached the limit of what I can do by myself so any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[H2SO4]

NTKRNLMP = "NT KeRNeL, Multi-Processor version"

That file is the most important one in the entire OS, seeing as it contains the vast majority of its low-level internals. BSODs frequently get attributed to ntkrnlmp, but that's because it was dealing with bad data at the time of the crash.

My impression from a quick look through these minidumps is that you've got a hardware problem. There are at least 5 or 6 different crash patterns, and they're all fairly exotic. It's possible that some of them have software causes, but that's not what you should focus on in the suspected presence of bad hardware.

The fact that it also used to crash under Vista is telling. The fact that it doesn't happen when you remove some of the RAM virtually seals it - this is a hardware issue and continued looking at minidumps or BSOD info will not be particularly useful.

Were your RAM sticks all from the same set? Corsair are notorious for varying timings and other details even between batches of the (supposedly) same product.

 

[tylerburden]

Thanks for the answer. Yes, the RAM sticks came in a single box. Here is the issue: when the BSOD errors started popping up for the first time I returned the RAM. The store gave me an identical set as a temporary replacement while the first was being checked/serviced. This replacement pair gave me BSOD as well so I dropped off the whole rig for servicing. It came back about a month ago. With new RAM and a new GPU. If in fact it is RAM that is causing the problems it would mean a third faulty pair. Unlikely, right?
Still - I'll try to return it and get a totally different set. However I'm still curious - can those errors be caused by something else like the motherboard or the processor? Is there any way to determine which piece of hardware is corrupt?

 

[H2SO4]

If in fact it is RAM that is causing the problems it would mean a third faulty pair. Unlikely, right?

Sure, it does seem unlikely that the individual RAM sticks are somehow faulty in and of themselves if they function OK when used individually. I would suggest that you focus on that aspect of it - if you never get these BSODs with a lone stick, that virtually proves some sort of incompatibility caused by the way the motherboard deals with the presence of multiple sticks.

Still - I'll try to return it and get a totally different set. However I'm still curious - can those errors be caused by something else like the motherboard or the processor? Is there any way to determine which piece of hardware is corrupt?

Absolutely, a bad processor or motherboard can manifest themselves in almost any type of OS crash, and unfortunately minidumps rarely lend themselves to figuring out which component is faulty. To force a macabre car crash analogy, an autopsy of the driver's body (the minidump) rarely tells you whether their car drove off a cliff because of bad brakes, or faulty steering, or a burst tire, or... any of a huge number of possible hardware defects. Minidumps are simply insufficient for that type of diagnosis.

 

[platinumsteel]

I have the exact same problem as tylerburden...well i just finished doing my minidump analysis and it told me about that ntkrnlmp.exe and i googled it and ended up to this posts...Well i think windbg is fairly accurate because to be honest i have unmatching ram installed on my system..and it was only then i started experiencing those bsod.....I have a 2gig stick with 2x 512mb ram with a 1gig stick..i actually scraped up all those sticks so that i can run 4 gigs on this windows 7 x64 bit..hahaha...well it seems like i need to take out all those sticks and just try the 2gig stick only and see if i still get the error..But I am sure it's ram that is causing the problem....will get back after a week and let u guys know if that solved the problem..thanks...

 

[Homeuser66]

Ok, has anyone found the fix for this? I am getting it as well now. I used to get the 0x0000000124 BSOD, but I ran a repair and that seemed to go away. Recently I am still getting the ntkrnlmp.exe BSOD and when I run WHOCRAHSED, it comes up with the following:

Crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\040111-17581-01.dmp
Date/time: 3/31/2011 7:40:30 PM GMT
Uptime: 14:07:24
Machine:
Bug check name: DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE
Bug check code: 0x9F
Bug check parm 1: 0x3
Bug check parm 2: 0xFFFFFA800CA0D060
Bug check parm 3: 0xFFFFF80000B9C518
Bug check parm 4: 0xFFFFFA800F3E5010
Probably caused by: ntoskrnl.exe
Driver description: NT Kernel & System
Driver product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Driver company: Microsoft Corporation
OS build: Built by: 7601.17514.amd64fre.win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850
Architecture: x64 (64 bit)
CPU count: 8
Page size: 4096

Bug check description:
This bug check indicates that the driver is in an inconsistent or invalid power state.

Comments:
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.. I don't want to have to reformat again...I don't mind, but it's just timely to put everything back in....lol

Oh, I am running Win7 x64 Pro with 12 GB of Mem OCZ Reaper 1866. with an i7-920 CPU.

This did happen when my computer was in sleep mode.

 

[RAMWolff]

Hiya,

Getting BSOD's as well. Dump reveals it's indeed the ntkrnlmp.exe

On Mon 4/16/2012 3:26:23 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\memory.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntkrnlmp.exe (nt!KeBugCheckEx+0x0)
Bugcheck code: 0x7E (0xFFFFFFFFC0000005, 0xFFFFF80003B21BFC, 0xFFFFF880033708D8, 0xFFFFF88003370140)
Error: SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
Bug check description: This bug check indicates that a system thread generated an exception that the error handler did not catch.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

Was on line and read up a bit and found this:

Analysing the situation, and reading a lot about it I found some information that says the Ntkrnlmp.exe would be managing the ACPI on BIOS in some way...

In this case, it may sound stupid but I just to removed and put back the laptop battery and the issue was gone!!! believe or not

So I would suggest for the guys using Desktops and having this issue, PLEASE!! check your power supplies. If it is working, doesn't mean that it is working as it should, power supplies cause a lot of issues.. Try use a new one for a while in your computer.

If is possible try update your BIOS and disable the ACPI control.

So, how does one check their power supply to see if it's functioning well? How does one disable their ACPI to see if that's the issue? If it is how does on fix that? Where does one get a Bios update?

I'd love more control when booting my USB keyboard does not function when I'm booting for some odd reason. So that's really annoying!

Sorry, I'm just not as geeky as others. I'm a graphics artist. So need the system working so I can work.

I'm running Win 7 64 bit. Have all the updates installed.
i7 930 processor
16 Gigs of DDR3 Crucial RAM
NVIDIA GTX Geforce 560 and plenty of room on the hard drive. All fans are functioning well. Not sure what other info I would need to give.

Thanks much!

Richard

 

[writhziden]

RAMWolff: Please start your own thread and follow the http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/96879-blue-screen-death-bsod-posting-instructions.html to provide us with reports about your system. We will also need the manufacturer and model of your system, or if it is custom built, the manufacturer and model of the motherboard. Then we can answer all the questions you have asked (and more).

 

[RAMWolff]

Sorry but just seems to me that this thread already provided leads to what was going on with my system. It's not a hardware issue. I did reseat my battery and that SEEMED to help. I'm going to do a System Repair this weekend. If I'm still having issues I'll start my own thread then. My system specs are updated so you can look there if you want in my profile.

 

[writhziden]

It's fine that you posted in this thread since it helped. I was just suggesting you start your own thread in addition if you need more help and troubleshooting so you can get analysts to take a look and provide steps to resolve the problem(s).

Due to the age of this thread, you are not likely to get as much attention here.

 

[Homeuser66]

I can honestly say, that I haven't had this issue anymore...However, I also don't remember what I did to rectify the problem...I think, if I recall, I disabled one of the drivers in my device panel...I'll have to see when I go back on that computer...