General BSOD help; .zip attached; Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit

[DomDiStroia]

BSOD diagnostic newbie here.

Looking for some help/direction in diagnosing recurring BSODs.

I've read the posting instructions, and attached the relevant .zip file. If necessary, will make additions/corrections.

Any help appreciated.

BSOD frequency: semi-weekly
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit
CPU AMD Phenom II X4 820 ("Deneb" quad-core; clock: 2.8 GHz)
Motherboard Gateway RS780 (northbridge: AMD 780G; southbridge: AMD SP5100)
Memory DDR2-800, 8 GB (4 GB Crucial + 4 GB Transcend)
Graphics Card ATI Radeon HD4350 (clock: 600 MHz nominal, 640 MHz actual)
Hard Drives 1x WD Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS SATA II (7200 RPM, 640 GB); 2x WD Blue WD10EZEX SATA III (7200 RPM, 1,000 GB)

 

[axe0]

Hi DomDiStroia,

All crashes over the last several months (back to april) are GPU related crashes.

Have you replaced any hardware since you have your pc?

 

[DomDiStroia]

Hi DomDiStroia,

All crashes over the last several months (back to april) are GPU related crashes.

Have you replaced any hardware since you have your pc?

Thanks for the analysis of the dump files.

I believe that the only internal hardware that I've replaced is:

1. ~4 years ago, I replaced 2 1-GB DIMMs of Transcend DDR2-800 SDRAM with 2 2-GB DIMMs of Crucial DDR2-800 SDRAM.

2. ~4 months ago, I replaced the original ~400-Watt PSU with a Thermaltake SP-750PCBUS 750-Watt PSU.

The GPU (? an ATI RV710) is part of the original, pre-installed hardware, and it is on the original, pre-installed (? by Gateway) PCI-e graphics board (an ATI Radeon HD 4350).

 

[axe0]

Please do the following in the order it is posted.

Diagnostics Test

 HDD TEST

   Note

Please run HDTune first, in the order posted!

Run HDTune to

• check the health,
• scan for errors, no quick scan but full scan
• run a benchmark.

It may take some time, but please take the time you need to perform it properly.
When above is done please make screenshots of the following

• the health,
• the error scan,
• the benchmark incl. following
  • transfer rate,
  • access time,
  • burst rate,
  • cpu usage.

Run SeaTools DOS to check the integrity of your HDD. SeaTools for DOS and Windows - How to Use - Windows 7 Help Forums
Run the long test.

   Note

Do not run SeaTools on an SSD as the results will be invalid.

Make a photo of the result and post it.

Run chkdsk
Disk Check - Windows 7 Help Forums
Use option TWO with parameter /r
Upload the chkdsk log :ar: Check Disk (chkdsk) - Read Event Viewer Log



Please uninstall Avast using their uninstall tool, then download a fresh installer and reinstall Avast.
Avast Uninstall Utility | Download aswClear for Avast Removal

 

[DomDiStroia]

Please do the following in the order it is posted.

Diagnostics Test

 HDD TEST

   Note

Please run HDTune first, in the order posted!

:ar: Run HDTune to

• check the health,
• scan for errors, no quick scan but full scan
• run a benchmark.

It may take some time, but please take the time you need to perform it properly.
When above is done please make screenshots of the following

• the health,
• the error scan,
• the benchmark incl. following
  • transfer rate,
  • access time,
  • burst rate,
  • cpu usage.

:ar: Run SeaTools DOS to check the integrity of your HDD. SeaTools for DOS and Windows - How to Use - Windows 7 Help Forums
Run the long test.

   Note

Do not run SeaTools on an SSD as the results will be invalid.

Make a photo of the result and post it.

:ar: Run chkdsk
Disk Check - Windows 7 Help Forums
Use option TWO with parameter /r
Upload the chkdsk log :ar: Check Disk (chkdsk) - Read Event Viewer Log



Please uninstall Avast using their uninstall tool, then download a fresh installer and reinstall Avast.
Avast Uninstall Utility | Download aswClear for Avast Removal

Okay, thanks.

Which HDD(s) should I test? I have 3 WD SATA HDDs installed internally, and 1 Maxtor PATA HDD connected (via USB 2.0) externally.

Also: if all of the crashes since April are "GPU related", what is the purpose of testing the HDD(s)?

 

[axe0]

Sorry, I haven't updated my reply for hard drive tests lately.

Run the tests on all hard drives/partitions.

 

[DomDiStroia]

Sorry, I haven't updated my reply for hard drive tests lately.

Run the tests on all hard drives/partitions.

Okay. Will do.

If all of the crashes since April (~6 months worth) are "GPU related", what is the merit/purpose of the HDD tests?

 

[axe0]

I just noticed I accidentally checked the wrong logs.
Please ignore the suggestions in the previous post.


Please uninstall everything of AMD using Display Driver Uninstaller and install new drivers from AMD. Be sure to install as less as possible software using custom/advanced options, you can use this tutorial to do so :ar: AMD Graphics Drivers - Install Without Catalyst Install Manager

 

[DomDiStroia]

I just noticed I accidentally checked the wrong logs.
Please ignore the suggestions in the previous post.


Please uninstall everything of AMD using Display Driver Uninstaller and install new drivers from AMD. Be sure to install as less as possible software using custom/advanced options, you can use this tutorial to do so :ar: AMD Graphics Drivers - Install Without Catalyst Install Manager

Okay. Will do.

Is it strictly drivers/sofware that is causing the BSODs?

Also: if I uninstall the display driver, how can I install a new one? Won't I be without a GUI?

 

[axe0]

Ever had to reinstall Window entirely where nothing was installed? Windows will in such cases use its default display adapter (Microsoft Basic Display adapter) until a driver for the GPU is installed. You might experience some issues with the display, like resolution changes, but you will be able to install the AMD drivers.

 

[DomDiStroia]

Ever had to reinstall Window entirely where nothing was installed? Windows will in such cases use its default display adapter (Microsoft Basic Display adapter) until a driver for the GPU is installed. You might experience some issues with the display, like resolution changes, but you will be able to install the AMD drivers.

Okay, thanks.

If I skip the DDU step, and just update/overwrite the driver files, what are the risks/consequences? Would the BSODs persist?

 

[axe0]

When you don't uninstall first, there is a bigger chance that the crashes will persist.

 

[DomDiStroia]

When you don't uninstall first, there is a bigger chance that the crashes will persist.

Okay, thanks.

Which STOP error is associated with these BSODs?

 

[axe0]

Unless you have a very fast pc, like extremely fast, or have graphical issues, you should see the stop error on the screen.
It may be a bit cryptic though, but it shows as "VIDEO_SCHEDULER_INTERNAL_ERROR" or "THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER" in your case. Please note that even though they are different stop errors, the latter is very often related to graphics issues.

 

[DomDiStroia]

Unless you have a very fast pc, like extremely fast, or have graphical issues, you should see the stop error on the screen.
It may be a bit cryptic though, but it shows as "VIDEO_SCHEDULER_INTERNAL_ERROR" or "THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER" in your case. Please note that even though they are different stop errors, the latter is very often related to graphics issues.

Okay, thanks.

But which STOP error(s) is/are associated with the BSODs that were reported in the .zip file from post #1 of this thread?

 

[axe0]

Unless you have a very fast pc, like extremely fast, or have graphical issues, you should see the stop error on the screen.
It may be a bit cryptic though, but it shows as "VIDEO_SCHEDULER_INTERNAL_ERROR" and "THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER" in your case. Please note that even though they are different stop errors, the latter is very often related to graphics issues.

I bolded it to make it more clear what stop errors you've had.

 

[DomDiStroia]

I bolded it to make it more clear what stop errors you've had.

Okay, thanks.

Does the newer video driver support multiple display devices?

 

[axe0]

There are many threads over the years about multi monitor setups using the GPU you have, your GPU drivers support it for quite a while.