Solved BSOD after attempted Quadro 4600 install, errors seem like Memory?

[Joealfadog]

Thanks in advance,

After installing a used fx 4600 and associated drivers BSOD with various descriptions manifest about 30 minutes after startup. Saw ASUS screens never before seen, some quick look program.

Removed the Quadro and re-installed the geo-force card. Same results. Purged all the NVIDIA drivers which was difficult. with negative effect.

System now seems to run for an hour or two before the BSOD depending on Solidworks activity.

This had been an extremely stable system if a little slow for three years running that i've used it for design of large assemblies.

Please help if you can?

Best regards and thanks,

Here is the file as mentioned in the posting instructions

 

[essenbe]

Hello Joealfadog, welcome to Seven Forums. I will try to help you on this. You have 2 Dump files, both dated today. Unfortunately, they gave me little information but did leave a few hints.

based on that there are a few thngs I would like you to do, the first being:

Please fill out your System Specs​

   Information

Your System Specs will help us to help you, and doing it in this manner will make them available to all helpers in every post and keep us from hunting for them. We ask that you fill them out in as much detail as possible including Desktop or Laptop, Model number if it is an OEM computer and all components with the Manufacturer and Model number if possible, including the PSU and CPU cooling you use.

If you will go to your last post and click the 'System Specs' in the bottom left of the post, you will find a link to update your system specs. Please fill those out in as much detail as possible, making sure to click save at the bottom of the page. If you would like to know what we would like, you can click 'My System Specs' at the bottom left of this post to see mine. If you do not know what your components are, this will help you accomplish this task. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/180324-system-info-see-your-system-specs.html​

Next, please run http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html on all drives. next, please find the manufacturer's diagnostic program for you hard drives and run the long and short tests on each mechanical drive. If I had your system specs, I may be able to help find the correct program.

Please make sure all of your important and recommended Windows Updates are installed. Also, please
open a elevated command prompt ( click start, type cmd in the search box, right click on the cmd entry and select run as administrator) in the black box that opens, copy/paste sfc /scannow. If you decide to type it, notice the space between the sfc and the /. It is a system file checker which will scan your system files and attempt to correct any missing or corrupt files. What we want are the results to say windows found no integrity violations. If it says files were found but could not be repaired, close the box, reboot and run it again, after opening the administrative command prompt. You may have to reboot and run it three times for it to repair all system files. If it can't repair them after 3 reboots, let us know.

Please let me know the results of those tests. If none of them show any fault, I would next probably recommend to run memtest86+. Please let me know before you run it.

Please Run Memtest86+

   Information

Please download from this site only http://www.memtest.org/ in the middle of the page are the Download links, you can download the ISO.zip or the Auto USB Flash Drive installer.zip

Extract the Zip file. If you chose the ISO image, burn it to a CD using Windows Disk Image Burner or any Image burner you may have. If you downloaded the Auto USB installer, extract it, insert your USB 2.0 Flash Drive and take note of the drive letter. Run the installer, select the Flash Drive Letter, check the format box and press next. It will install memtest86+ to a flash drive. You can use either V4.20 or V5.01. Boot from your selected media. If you use V5.01 it will tell you to press certain buttons at the start, please press no buttons. The test will begin on it's own and continue to run until you stop it. It needs to run for 8 complete passes or until you receive an error. If you receive an error, stop the test. Even 1 error is a fail. Each pass tests a different part of the ram and each of the 10 tests in each pass tests something different. It takes a minimum of 8 passes to completely test the ram, more passes are better. It is quite a long test and will take several hours depending on how much ram you have. Due to the time length it is best to run overnight. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Also, just so you know, if you post a new post in this thread, I will be notified. If you edit an older thread, I will not be notified, so please always respond with a new post.​

 

[Joealfadog]

finished some of this

Thanks Essenbe for replying...whew that took a while.

Checkdisk didn't render any errors.
Updated system props per your request.
three scans resulted in remaining corrupt files see att.

-Joe

 

[Joealfadog]

ready to run memtest if you think it's time

have the drive formatted to run memtest

 

[Joealfadog]

ran memtest

no errors 100% complete...took about an hour.

I inadvertently had the bootable USB in after a restart....so it ran.

 

[essenbe]

Joealfadog, if you used the memtest I linked to in the instructions, there is no way it ran 8 passes in an hour. It takes about 9.5-10 hours to run 8 passes on 8 GB of memory. Your system specs list 4 GB, so it should take a minimum 4.5-5 hours. It neds to run 8 passes all at one time.

 

[essenbe]

Joealfadog, I think your problem is you are using an OEM_SLP key from an HP computer on an retail build, which is not only illegal but cannot be activated without altering system files. Plus the original install date is 2002 which is before Windows 7 was released.

Original Install Date:     1/1/2002, 12:31:03 AM

Counterfeit installations such as yours contain heavily modified code that causes the installation to behave it unexpected ways. Analyzing BSOD's and determining their causes on these sorts of installations is very unreliable. For this reason, many analysts won't attempt it.

My recommendation is to install a genuine Windows 7. This will minimize the problems you are experiencing, and make subsequent diagnosis of BSOD's far more reliable. Once you are running a Genuine Windows 7 installation, and are still experiencing BSOD's, we will be happy to help you solve them

 

[Joealfadog]

Really?

I've had to reinstall keys and even struggled through periods of "not legal" over the years. Maybe the original install was the source of this. I really am not that savvy. Though I've designed heat exchange/ pipe and thermal solution systems for the Larger producers of computer components on and off (mostly enterprise server division of Intel) for many years, My DIY expertise is very low indeed.

I do however want to ask something. Is the recent instability related to this relatively major Hardware change and undo less likely the cause of the instability than this licensing issue?

There seems to be a pretty identifiable cause and effect relationship between the display adapter/driver change and the instability , while the system has been rock-steady for years despite any questionable licensing status.

I do so appreciate the opinion and respect it, but I am trying to 1. Learn and 2. decide whether to bail and upgrade to a newer and better box (which at this point from a cost-effectiveness viewpoint is seeming pretty good) for less than the cost of a days diddling, the cost avoided would buy a pretty nice used precision WS with a 7 ultimate CofA. Though getting it configured to behave as this one did will take some time too.

I guess I was just looking for the possibility of an easy diagnosis. Which I have found in the past on forums such as these. But maybe it's just time to donate it and move on.

I realize this bends towards philosophy more than I.T., but I will regard your opinion carefully.

Regarding licensing, what do you recommend? Best, fastest, easiest to get legal without spending more than the computer is worth on a new O.S.? ( and another days worth of install and test maybe resulting in the same exact status)

AM I waaay off base?

Best Regards,

Joe

BTW, I did run the memtest to which you directed me. I started it and when I cam eback after an hour or so it seemed to be idle showing no errors and 100% (completion?) should I have done this another 7 times?
Did the system lock during the test? Can I get a log to show this?

 

[essenbe]

As far as the test result, it should not have done that. If you ran the test I linked to. it should run until you stop it, even if that was next week. If it stopped, it was a hardware error or a glitch in the program. If you downloaded V 5.01, when the test starts, it will say if you are running a multi core system, push one of the F keys (I really don't recall which one) if you did that, it may have stopped. It did that with me. You can try it again and not push anything or download version 4.20, which is virtually the exact same test. But, the test will run until you stop it.

Also, please read this entire post before doing anything.

You should have no problem reinstalling the OS, even changing components unless it is the Motherboard. or possibly the CPU. It is possible it is the install media. What you are buying, technically is the Key, it is only a matter of if the key is correct. You can use any install media to install the OS, as long as the key is valid. You can install your OS which you have a license for here Windows 7 Direct Download Links, Official Disk Images from Digital River I think this is the one you want, the English media refresh X64 Windows 7 Ultimate. http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-59465.iso The how to install Windows 7 http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html

There is no limit on how many times you can reinstall the OS on the same computer. With an OEM version (System Builder), the OS Key is only valid on the first system it is activated on. If the key came installed on an OEM computer, it is only legal on the system it came installed on.

If your problems started when you installed the New Graphics card, it could be the Power supply unit you have is not large enough to handle it or the PSU has degraded to the point where it will not handle the card. It could be an issue of the drivers from the previous card not being completely uninstalled before installing the new drivers for the new card.

In my opinion, with a graphics card, it is always either the card, PSU or Motherboard if it is not the drivers. That is pretty much all that is involved.

As far as whether it is more cost effective to do a new build or fix the one you have, I will have to leave that up to you. Hardware troubleshooting can be very time consuming and at some point, can come down to speculation, as there are some components that cannot be properly tested without very expensive equipment. That is usually the Power supply and the Motherboard. The power supply can be tested, but what is difficult is testing it under stress. What it does under stress can be quite different than what it reads at while at idle. I would also think the age of your components and the more efficient newer components would need to be taken into consideration.

Are the components in your system specs at the bottom left of your last post the computer we are talking about? If not, the link I gave you for the ISO download may not be the correct one, but can be found in the clean install Windows Link.I will be happy to advise you in any way I can. Any questions you have, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[Joealfadog]

thanks

HI Essenbe,

For whatever reason, maybe the disk scan corrected errors, this is now working in a stable fashion for more than six hours. I did disassemble and reseat all the ram and Video card and vacuumed out some debris and dust from the CPU sink/fan. In any event it seems to be as before, quick and clean.

I wish I had learned the root cause. I always irks me to have a self-solving problem that leaves me in the unintelligent, uninformed as previously started condition.

Anyway , one of your suggestions seems to have rendered it healthy again.

Thanks so much,

Joe

 

[essenbe]

You are very welcome, but your OS key is still a problem which will get you eventually. There is no way an OEM_SLP key on a Retail board is legit. Whether it is something you did or an unethical retailer, I don't know, but the end result is the same. I am glad I helped though.