Blue Screen after leaving room and returning - Now will not Boot

[NewYears1978]

Hello,

I have always built my own computers, kept them running fine, and done all the repair myself..but this one has me slumped as I have never seen this before.

I left the room...not having any computer issues, in fact I just did a clean format a few weeks back. Came back in and I had this blue screen

MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION

stop: 0x0000009c (0x0000000000000001, 0xFFFFF880009F0B30, 0x00000000BF800000, 0x0000000000000185)

I thought bummer..restarted...and it came up again. it doesn't happen in the same spot every time but I can never get in windows...sometimes the screen never shows and the system just restarts.

I tried disconnecting all my components one by one to see if any were the cause. HDD, SDD, Graphics Card, Ram (didn't have any to swap so I just interchanged my two) etc..same thing occured.

As per usual when I have issues I do a fresh delete/format/install. So I put my Win7 USB stick in and loaded it up...I tried to do the startup repair..but the BSOD came up during that..so I rebooted..brought it up again and deleted all my partitions and formatted my drive. Installed windows just fine...then after the first reboot when it got to setting registry settings..it came up again. I get the screen randomly at different points of trying to reinstall. I was just now running a chkdsk on my drive and it was working fine..then BSOD when I was around 30%

So now I am clueless..no idea..I assume maybe faulty PSU, Motherboard, CPU..but no idea. The hardware is only a year or so old..it doesnt run hot, I don't Overclock, it's not dusty..so I just don't know.

My specs are

Win7 64bit
Z68 Pro V motherboard
8 Gig Corsair Vengeance
i5 2500k
GTX 580

I dont have any dumps as I cant get into windows and I have already formatted my drive.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Sometimes, during process or rebooting or trying to reinstall windows I get a separate error

STOP: 0x00000124

Edit://

Also sometimes it just randomly reboots..and I see no error. I just spend a bit of time removing my CPU and cleaning off the old thermal paste..making sure everything is clean...put new paste on....immediately it is doing the same thing. I REALLY didn't think this was the problem as my CPU never got over 45C....but figured it was worth a try...BIOS settings are all optimized defaults..which worked fine always on this computer (though I did change some later) So the only thing I can think of is bad motherboard or faulty Power supply..POSSIBLY ram but I don't think so as I ran some tests on it...

 

[NewYears1978]

Also curious, could there be some sort of virus that is in the hardware not hard drives? Since I wiped the hard drives they should be clean..but what about elsewhere?

Also are there drivers stored somewhere in the system besides the HDD? Sounds dumb but I am referring to the ones the bios and system uses before booting into windows..even when windows is not installed?

I tried reinstalling windows 10 times..sometimes it crashes immediately..sometimes I get through the entire install and to the reboot part where it does registry settings and such... but usually it crashes again there.

I've tried changing my SATA to IDE, etc..but dunno why that would be a problem. I always used RAID before because I have an SSD I use as caching. I've also disconnected both HDD and just tried booting from USB flash (my Windows booter) and same symptoms occur.

I can go into the bios and play in there for as long as I want without issues..it's only when I start messing with anything windows related it seems to crash... today I plan to try to use an older/other windows Vista disc and see if maybe my Bootable Windows Flash drive got messed up

 

[emaraszek]

I would say you definitely have some kind of hardware issue here, but we'll get to the bottom of this.

First, please post exact hardware information with respect to your motherboard, RAM, HDD, etc. Information such as the model number, manufacturer, etc. can be helpful in determining the cause as they allow us to look up the component and find any information we could possibly want to know about it.

So far I agree for the most part on your hardware assessments; it's unlikely to be the CPU (though not impossible) so it seems to be either your MB, RAM, or PSU.

Don't be so quick to rule out RAM because as many of us can tell you, bad RAM can be difficult to detect with a test. I actually had a problem with the exact same RAM, it passed dozens of tests on various programs but I can tell you that one way to pinpoint problem RAM easier is to test one stick at a time. Basically run the machine with only one stick in and see what happens. It may be that just one stick is bad and the other good.

In your second post you mention that you can mess around in the BIOS as much as you want without a problem. This seems to suggest even stronger that it is RAM related because your problems seem to be occurring during memory intensive tasks such as installing the OS.

At this point, try testing with one stick at a time from a bootable memory test. I'm betting at least one of those sticks is bad.

 

[NewYears1978]

I already posted my specs in my first post, unless you need more info, let me know.

Also, I did try one stick of RAM at a time and in different slots..is it possible BOTH went bad? I am trying to locate a good stick from someone that I can try instead to see if that helps.

Thanks for your time.

 

[emaraszek]

I already posted my specs in my first post, unless you need more info, let me know.

Yes, I would like more information such as exact model numbers and manufacturers if possible

Also, I did try one stick of RAM at a time and in different slots..is it possible BOTH went bad? I am trying to locate a good stick from someone that I can try instead to see if that helps.

It is possible that both are bad, but are you sure you're using the right type for your motherboard? That's why I'd like as much hardware information as you can provide

 

[NewYears1978]

Back. Of course it's the right memory..I've been using this computer for over a year and never had a single problem. The motherboard is an EVGA P8Z68-V Pro. CPU is an Intel i5 2500K, the RAM as said is Corsair Vengeance..2 sticks of 4gb each.

I just tried the sticks separate..first time I got the BSOD in the middle of the Windows install, the second time I didnt even get that far. So either it's not the RAM, or both RAM sticks are bad..

Not sure what to do next..the other RAM I have lying around is not the right size. SO I'm not able to try another stick. Wish I had a spare PSU or CPU also..but don't.

 

[emaraszek]

You still haven't provided the speed of the RAM. Also, did you mean ASUS for your mobo manufacturer? Because a search for that model comes up with ASUS but nothing related to EVGA.

 

[NewYears1978]

Sorry I am at work so having to go between work. Yes ASUS, EVGA is the graphics card.

The memory is 4096Mb 1600Mhz 9-9-9-24 Corsair Vengeance model # CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 (240 pin DDR3)

 

[emaraszek]

Everything looks good from a compatibility standpoint so we must be dealing with faulty hardware. Do you have another PSU you can test with?

You may also want to consider at least getting 1 stick of compatible RAM from your local Best Buy or other computer store for testing purposes. If the RAM turns out to be fine then at least you can still add it to your system.

Let's try that before we get into replacing expensive components like the motherboard and CPU, which are also the least likely to fail

 

[NewYears1978]

I don't have any RAM or PSU..will have to purchase. I don't know what would have caused my PSU to fail..or anything else. It has never ran hot, I have a huge case with 7 fans...CPU stays 40C and all that. Also it's only a year or so old...bummer.

I have an 850 Modular PSU.. I guess I should get a RAM stick first and try that..the one problem is is it even possible to add a third stick here? I thought you have to use the DIMMs in pairs? It has 4 Dimm slots, 2 are blue 2 are brown (same size) but I thought you had to use only alternating slots.

Curious if another stick of the same RAM might be addable in another slot.

I think I got my info mixed..it doesn't require only pairs but if you have pairs they should be in alternating slots if I recall....man..memory is rusty today since I was up til 4am trying to fix it! Ugh..I've left the computer on the Windows screen for the past hour now..it has not crashed..it's only when some actual processing starts that it happens (RAM or CPU probable cause)

I wonder how likely it is to be RAM..I'd rather not spend tons of money on components when I could just take it to a repair place and pay 40 bucks for diagnosis. 40 bucks is less than the RAM and they could just stick a stick in they have for repairs and see if that solved it.

We are on a tight budget..trying to save when possible :\ Thanks for your help

(my PSU actually cost more than my motherboard..it's about 180-200 bucks.. Corsair HX850 modular..)

 

[emaraszek]

Yes, my thoughts exactly. If your crashes occur during task loads then it must be hardware related to actual use. Like I said, it's probably not the CPU but more than likely is your RAM.

I doubt at this point that Corsair or whatever retailer you bought the RAM from will RMA it at this point, but if they do or you get another kit of the same size then you'll actually have completed an upgrade to maybe 10-12 GB while troubleshooting.

If you have another PC perhaps you can test some of your components with it. The PSU would be easy enough to test, though it doesn't seem like the cause. Maybe you have a friend with a similar setup who could test your RAM or let you borrow theirs to try?

 

[NewYears1978]

None of my friends are gamers or computer users..haha. I have my old PC at work but the Power Supply is not modular so it would be a pain to take out (though possible if necessary)

The RAM in this same PC is not 240 pin DDR3 and will not fit.

 

[NewYears1978]

Well, I bought new RAM, put them in and started windows install, it immediately crashed. That narrows that out. I almost bought a PSU while I was there but didn't wanna spend 200 bucks. My 850W I use gold only, modular, they are 150-200 bucks for the type I use :\

I really hope it is not the motherboard...it's such a hassle to remove EVERYTHING for the motherboard. At least the RAM was in and out and I can return it.

 

[NewYears1978]

I have a Corsair HX850 which has Overvoltage protection and is supposed to be really good..I sure wouldn't think that would be my problem. I am going to take this RAM back but not sure which component to check next. CPU? It is expensive..and I don't know if you can return it once you paste it... ugh...I am so frustrated.

 

[NewYears1978]

Well I bought another CPU, problem seems to be solved.

 

[writhziden]

The one component that the 0x9C and 0x124 have in common is the CPU. That is not to say other problems cannot cause those errors in tandem, but the CPU has the highest likelihood.

Remarks

In Windows Vista and later operating systems, this bug check occurs only in the following circumstances.

• WHEA is not fully initialized.
  
  
• All processors that rendezvous have no errors in their registers.

For other circumstances, this bug check has been replaced with bug Check 0x124: WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR in Windows Vista and later operating systems.

For more information about Machine Check Architecture (MCA), see the Intel or AMD Web sites.

The above quote was taken from Bug Check 0x9C: MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION.

Let us know if the CPU replacement definitely solves the problem. Post back when you are confident one way or the other as to whether the problem is indeed solved.

 

[NewYears1978]

I didn't have my DVD book with me last night so I didn't get a chance to install my software, run some games, programs, tests. However, before I could not even finish a windows install...period..and I tried 20 or more times.

This time, installed fine, booted fine, I rebooted, shutdown, about 10-15 times..all seems well. I made sure I have no overclocking features (aside from "Turbo" mode that is the default of the Asus motherboard) etc etc. My CPU temps stable at around 45 (though I will test under load).

Seem to have been the issue. I will report back this weekend when I get it all set up.

 

[emaraszek]

I'm glad everything seems to be working at this point, though it's unfortunate that such an expensive component needed replacement.

I would check out the following link which references Intel's warranty and see if you can have them cover the cost of your replacement:

Processors — Warranty information

 

[NewYears1978]

Hey Emaraszek, thanks! I actually did an RMA this morning...it was still warranty and I am shipping it back. I returned the one I bought to the store and got a refund.

Will report back when I get my new CPU and confirm that all is working.

Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[emaraszek]

Fantastic! I'm glad it worked out, replacing those processors out of pocket is not fun