Solved BSOD - getting BSOD error 0x0000003b a lot while idle or playing music

[koolkat77]

Umm okay. Did you run memtest on individual slots?

The goal is to test all the RAM sticks and all the motherboard slots.

Check your motherboard manual to ensure the RAM sticks are in the recommended motherboard slots. Some motherboards have very specific slots required for the number of RAM sticks installed.

If you get errors, stop the test and continue with the next step.

1. Remove all but one stick of RAM from your computer (this will be RAM stick #1), and run Memtest86 again, for 7 passes.
Be sure to note the RAM stick, use a piece of tape with a number, and note the motherboard slot.
If this stick passes the test then go to step #3.

2. If RAM stick #1 has errors, repeat the test with RAM stick #2 in the same motherboard slot.
If RAM stick #2 passes, this indicates that RAM stick #1 may be bad. If you want to be absolutely sure, re-test RAM stick #1 in another known good slot.
If RAM stick #2 has errors, this indicates another possible bad RAM stick, a possible motherboard slot failure or inadequate settings.
3. Test the next stick of RAM (stick #2) in the next motherboard slot.
If this RAM stick has errors repeat step #2 using a known good stick if possible, or another stick.
If this RAM stick has no errors and both sticks failed in slot#1, test RAM stick #1 in this slot.
4. If you find a stick that passes the test, test it in all the other motherboard slots.

If Part 2 testing shows errors, and all tests in Part 3 show errors, you will need to test the RAM sticks in another computer and/or test other RAM in your computer to identify the problem.

In this way, you can identify whether it is a bad stick of RAM, a bad motherboard, or incompatibility between the sticks.

 

[Craig Beverley]

i ran every slot test and it came back with only test 7 errors which are bandwidth errors, but thats simply because my motherboards BIOS is underclocking everything. i cant change it because if i do i am unable to get onto the loading screen of windows, there's nothing wrong with the RAM im guessing it has to be my MB as the memtest showed only errors really causes via the MB?

 

[koolkat77]

Oh.. okay. Since when is the BIOS under clocked? Was it like this all these days?

 

[Craig Beverley]

Well my BIOS is completely f**ked, my CPU is being run at 800MHz with 14 multiplier buses but when it is needing more is actually increases the speed and lowers the amount of multipliers, and i cannot change it otherwise it states that my CPU is under threat from overheating and doesn't allow me to carry on after slightly OCing it from its minimum, as for the RAM if i even try change the voltage by 0.5V it states it is under threat of causing a system failure so i have to leave it as it is.

 

[Vir Gnarus]

You'll either need to flash your BIOS or get a new motherboard as the board itself may be bugged.

I may be repeating someone else here, but have you made sure the RAM you installed on your mobo are listed as being compatible with it? Sounds like either the RAM itself isn't supported, or the configuration (as in the type of RAM, such as timing, speed, size per stick, etc.) does not jive with your motherboard, and so your board can't handle the setup. Often it's best to scrutinize over the mobo's compatibility sheet not to determine exact make and models that worked, but the setups that worked. If one doesn't seem to match what you have, then it can easily be discerned as the cause for your memtest errors and other problems.

 

[Craig Beverley]

Trust me the compatibility was the first thing that i checked, all 3 sticks of RAM comply with my motherboard and work fine in other computers. im literally guessing that the problem could be the MB as (to simply put it) its a piece of cr*p. i would like to flash the bios and have a quick flash option on my startup screen (Before post screen) but im not sure if anything will go wrong with my computer after i do it, i've never flashed a BIOS before and dont know even where to begin

 

[Vir Gnarus]

If it's a motherboard that has UEFI (as in you can use your mouse and stuff in it) typically you can download the file onto your drive and then you can use the flash utility built into the BIOS to locate the BIOS ROM file on the drive and then flash it then and there. Otherwise, you'll need to go through the normal channel of downloading the associated BIOS flashing utility for your OS (look at mobo vendor's website for BIOS update, the ROM file typically comes with flash utility) and run it through there. That's kind of a risky venture given the unstable nature of your PC, but if you're willing to take it, go for it. You sound convinced on replacing the mobo anyways, so having a bad BIOS from a corrupt flash will only increase your incentive.

 

[Craig Beverley]

well to say this bag of cr*p is about 3-5 year old it only has the bog standard BIOS (keyboard version) and im not exactly too confident on doing a BIOS flash. im getting a new computer when i can afford anyway. i just generally need about £200 saved up to get the 3 basic things that i will need for it after that the other parts can come in when i have the money to spare

Update: this BSOD only happens randomly every week or so (i think) so its not really a massive bother at the moment.

 

[Vir Gnarus]

All right then. Good luck on getting a good solid replacement PC! If you are pretty confident we're dealing with an old beat up mobo as the problem, then you can mark this thread as solved. Otherwise, if you're still not sure on this diagnosis, you can disregard that option. Don't want to give others false hope with similar problems only to find it was discovered and resolved by replacing with a new PC!

 

[Craig Beverley]

Well i'm going to leave it open for about another week maybe 2 just incase the BSOD comes back (hopefully norton utilities wont wipe it this time ) and then ill upload it. As a side note though (as a friendly chat sort of) i've uploaded the items for my new PC hope you enjoy looking through it

 

[Craig Beverley]

as a side note while you're looking at the new specs. heres a lovely BSOD i got whilst restarting my computer after installing DivX

 

[Vir Gnarus]

Funny. That one happened by having an application crash. When WerFault came in to collect the remains and issue an error message for you to click, that too got bugged out, which in turn apparently killed wininit.exe, which is the 'grandfather' process that starts all services in Windows.

 

[Craig Beverley]

okay so that BSOD was a simple error caused within a program?

 

[Vir Gnarus]

It originated, yes, but it shouldn't of affected WerFault. Rather, something even deeper was causing an issue that probably caused WerFault, Wininit and the application to mess up. Again, it smells of hardware failure. :|

 

[Craig Beverley]

well my graphics, RAM, CPU and PSU are all working fine the only thing i havent tested is the MB...

 

[Vir Gnarus]

Which unfortunately cannot be tested without a swap, or testing all other hardware and nothing bad comes up for em (or something bad comes up for most/all of them!). That's the ugliness of bad motherboards, is they're very difficult to diagnose.

 

[Craig Beverley]

indeed, im pretty sure i can last on this MB for at least another year, just depends when i can get the money together and when i can be bothered building my new PC

 

[Craig Beverley]

Well thanks Koolkat This thread has helped me loads, not a single BSOD in a month and a bit now, The problem must have been a faulty RAM as the MB seems to be working at a reasonable pace now. Thanks to all the others that helped aswell I shall mark this thread as Solved but i bet as soon as i do, my computer will Blue screen again >.<. Again thanks for all the help