Solved BSOD frequently appears when I try to play Dishonored on steam

[Twario]

BSOD causd by "atikmdag.sys" frequently appears when launching games

I have no idea how this started, a few weeks ago it just came out of nowhere when I tried to launch Dishonored. I have an AMD card so I downloaded the latest beta drivers to see if it helped. At first it seemed like that fixed it because I was able to play the game with no problems, but then the BSOD popped up again when I tried to play the game later that day. So last night, I used the 'express uninstall' option in the AMD catalyst install manager to get rid of all of the old drivers. After they were all gone, I installed the latest beta drivers.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to help at all, I'm still getting the blue screen a lot when I try to play the game. I feel it's worth pointing out that since it seems to happen randomly.

EDIT: Removed attachment, I don't know if it had personal info in it. So I figured I'd get rid of it since nobody replied anyways.

 

[Twario]

Good news! I believe I have discovered a fix!

At the beginning of this issue, I tried installing the latest AMD beta drivers. Didn't fix it.

Then I tried getting rid of all the current AMD drivers by using the 'express uninstall all AMD drivers' option in the AMD catalyst install manager. Afterwards I booted the PC into safe mode and used driver sweeper to try and get rid of all the remaining AMD drivers. Finally, when I thought the old drivers were all gone, I installed the latest beta drivers. Didn't fix it.

I even tried the whole EXPAND.EXE deal on an atikmdag.sy_ file using the command prompt, then pasted the newly created atikmdag.sys file into the C:\windows\system32\drivers folder to replace the old one. Still didn't fix it.

Something I noticed was that all the faulty atikmdag files I was dealing with had a certain date attached to them. They all said that they were modified on August 11th.

Yesterday, when I was on the verge of giving up, I stumbled upon this page: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/w...b-e4710277c90d while searching for solutions on google. Someone recommended doing this:


1. Click on Start menu, type in devmgmt.msc to open the Device Manager.

2. The Device Manager will then display a list of installed devices in the right pane of the console.

3. Expand the category for Display Adapters.

4. Right-click the device and select Properties.

5. Select the Driver tab on the device's Properties dialog box.

6. Click the Uninstall Driver button.

A dialog box will pop up asking you to confirm ‘Uninstall’. Click OK to proceed.

Also remove the driver software’s


After I did all of that, I used the 'express uninstall all AMD drivers' option in the AMD catalyst install manager like before, just to be safe and make sure all the old stuff was gone. After the PC was rebooted, I installed the latest AMD drivers.

It seems that the blue screen issue is fixed now. I went back to the drivers folder in the system32 directory and saw that the atikmdag file no longer had the date 8/11 next to it. It was replaced with a different atikmdag.sys file that had a much earlier date attached to it. It seems that the device manager got rid of a bunch of files including the atikmdag file that was causing the blue screen issue, which apparently I couldn't do with the AMD install manager or driver sweeper. Right after the stuff was deleted by the device manager, windows automatically reinstalled drivers, replacing a lot of the files that were deleted. So the old defective atikmdag file was replaced with one that doesn't seem to be causing any blue screens. Now things seem to be working properly. I hope someone finds this info useful, this was a very, very frustrating problem. I'm glad it finally seems to be fixed.

 

[essenbe]

Twario, I'm glad you have it fixed. Congratulations. Sorry you had to wait so long. The method you used works well for most people. These are the instructions that usually work. Graphics drivers are a lot of trouble for many people. Thanks for your experience. If you have any further problems, be sure to ask. Hopefully you won't have to wait so long next time.

I am going to give you some links that will help you get a good clean install and not have any drivers you don't need that will conflict with other drivers. Download a WHQL driver from http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-cards/329659-latest-amd-catalyst-video-driver-windows-7-a.html . Once you have them downloaded, uninstall you current driver from control panel. next clean up any left over drivers from following this tutorial http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/83814-drivers-clean-left-over-files-after-uninstalling.html and select only ATI Display Drivers. After you have done that and rebooted, install the new driver, only select custom install and install only what you have to. Very few people need most of what they include. You do not need the audio/HDMI drivers as you already have that in your Motherboard drivers. Unless there is some reason you need them, the only thing you really need is the Display Driver.