BSOD help needed please

[SylverFyre]

Hi

I could really do with some ideas/help in locating the causes of the repeated BSOD's I'm getting please.

My system specs are:
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R (rev 1.0) motherboard
Intel i7 920 CPU
3x2GB Patriot Viper DDR3 RAM kit
Sapphire Radeon HD5850 1GB PCI-e
Soundblaster XFi Fatal1ty PCI
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
Western Digital Caviar 320GB
Samsung DVD-RW
Corsair TX750w PSU
Windows 7 Home Premium x64 Retail

The hardware is all ~9 months old, this Windows installation was a clean install approx 5 weeks ago (but I have been experiencing problems on other installations too, on both hard drives, since the PC was built).

I have run Memtest86 overnight on numerous occasions, with single sticks fitted to one slot and with all sticks fitted. I've also run Prime95 overnight. Both run without uncovering any problems at all so I believe the basic hardware to be Ok.

Western Digital's drive tools have scanned both drives fully and find no issues. although sometimes, following a BSOD, I have to let scandisk repair faults to the information on a drive.

Coretemp and HWMonitor all show system temps as normal (CPU idles in the 30's and goes to ~50 under heavy load - chipset is slightly higher than this but with 5 to 10 degrees) and the system is running with standard clocks, even the ram although it is rated to run higher. I've tried disabling power saving features & hyperthreading in the BIOS and switched all my drives onto the SATA ports from the ICH10 instead of the extra controllers. All unused hardware is disabled in the BIOS (SATA3, eSATA, USB3 and onboard audio)

I get practically daily BSOD's on this installation (and the previous one) despite rebuilding the machine from scratch and initially installing with just the CPU, RAM, graphics and 1HDD attached. I'm using the most recent drivers I can find for all hardware, though I've also tried older versions just in case. The BSOD's have various different bugcheck codes, programs like WhoCrashed and WinDbg haven't helped me find a misbehaving driver, so any help or advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

I'm attaching the requested BSOD analysis .zip and also the perfmon report.

Thanks in advance

 

[zigzag3143]

Hi

I could really do with some ideas/help in locating the causes of the repeated BSOD's I'm getting please.

My system specs are:
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R (rev 1.0) motherboard
Intel i7 920 CPU
3x2GB Patriot Viper DDR3 RAM kit
Sapphire Radeon HD5850 1GB PCI-e
Soundblaster XFi Fatal1ty PCI
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
Western Digital Caviar 320GB
Samsung DVD-RW
Corsair TX750w PSU
Windows 7 Home Premium x64 Retail

The hardware is all ~9 months old, this Windows installation was a clean install approx 5 weeks ago (but I have been experiencing problems on other installations too, on both hard drives, since the PC was built).

I have run Memtest86 overnight on numerous occasions, with single sticks fitted to one slot and with all sticks fitted. I've also run Prime95 overnight. Both run without uncovering any problems at all so I believe the basic hardware to be Ok.

Western Digital's drive tools have scanned both drives fully and find no issues. although sometimes, following a BSOD, I have to let scandisk repair faults to the information on a drive.

Coretemp and HWMonitor all show system temps as normal (CPU idles in the 30's and goes to ~50 under heavy load - chipset is slightly higher than this but with 5 to 10 degrees) and the system is running with standard clocks, even the ram although it is rated to run higher. I've tried disabling power saving features & hyperthreading in the BIOS and switched all my drives onto the SATA ports from the ICH10 instead of the extra controllers. All unused hardware is disabled in the BIOS (SATA3, eSATA, USB3 and onboard audio)

I get practically daily BSOD's on this installation (and the previous one) despite rebuilding the machine from scratch and initially installing with just the CPU, RAM, graphics and 1HDD attached. I'm using the most recent drivers I can find for all hardware, though I've also tried older versions just in case. The BSOD's have various different bugcheck codes, programs like WhoCrashed and WinDbg haven't helped me find a misbehaving driver, so any help or advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

I'm attaching the requested BSOD analysis .zip and also the perfmon report.

Thanks in advance

These were caused by a memory exception. In several CTEXFIFX.SYS your Creative XFi Effects driver was mentioned. I would re-install and updated to test


Ken

 

[SylverFyre]

Thanks for the fast reply Ken.

I'll give it a shot by removing the card and uninstalling the drivers. Although I have to say that I was having BSOD's without the card or drivers installed when I originally stripped the machine and re-installed Win7.

I forgot to post also that the BSOD's seem to occur within the first few minutes of cold booting the machine - once it has been running for a while it seems to work great, and will run for hours without an issue. Sometimes though programs or services will misbehave or fail completely, but it's always within the first few minutes of a cold boot (usually problems have happened within about 15 to 20 minutes). Sometimes problems will persist between restarts but after a few minutes and a switch off and back on it will be reliable from then on

Is it possible that there is an underheating issue - I've never heard of that before !?!

I'm very confused as you can imagine

*off to remove sound card*

 

[SylverFyre]

Well, I removed the XFi card, uninstalled and removed the drivers from within device manager and since then I've still had 2 BSOD's with 2 cold boots.

The reboot both times is still stable - I'm typing this now after rebooting from the BSOD.

I'd appreciate any ideas - I've not been able to find anywhere with someone getting the same symptoms as me

Thanks

 

[zigzag3143]

Well, I removed the XFi card, uninstalled and removed the drivers from within device manager and since then I've still had 2 BSOD's with 2 cold boots.

The reboot both times is still stable - I'm typing this now after rebooting from the BSOD.

I'd appreciate any ideas - I've not been able to find anywhere with someone getting the same symptoms as me

Thanks

We could use the new BSOD's.

Sometimes creative cards combine with certain BIOS to wreak havoc. Do you have the most current BIOS?

Before upgrading BIOS have a restore point and backup just in case.

 

[SylverFyre]

I'm running the F6 BIOS version which is the latest for my motherboard.

Recently there was an F7L Beta BIOS available, but I was reluctant to try a beta version in case in made things worse or added more complications. This BIOS version seems to have been pulled from the Gigabyte website at the moment though.

To get the latest analysis should I delete the older memory dumps, otherwise the report file will rapidly get huge?

Thanks for your time in replying

 

[zigzag3143]

I'm running the F6 BIOS version which is the latest for my motherboard.

Recently there was an F7L Beta BIOS available, but I was reluctant to try a beta version in case in made things worse or added more complications. This BIOS version seems to have been pulled from the Gigabyte website at the moment though.

To get the latest analysis should I delete the older memory dumps, otherwise the report file will rapidly get huge?

Thanks for your time in replying

The DMP's you have uploaded to us can be deleted. Make sure you have a small dmp enabled in control panel





To enable us to assist you with your computer's BSOD symptoms, upload the contents of your "\Windows\Minidump" folder.

The procedure:

* Copy the contents of \Windows\Minidump to another (temporary) location somewhere on your machine.
* Zip up the copy.
* Attach the ZIP archive to your post using the "paperclip" (file attachments) button.



To ensure minidumps are enabled:

Go to Start, in the Search Box type: sysdm.cpl, press Enter.
Under the Advanced tab, click on the Startup and Recovery Settings... button.
Ensure that Automatically restart is unchecked.
Under the Write Debugging Information header select Small memory dump (256 kB) in the dropdown box (the 256kb varies).
Ensure that the Small Dump Directory is listed as %systemroot%\Minidump.
OK your way out.
Reboot if changes have been made.

 

[SylverFyre]

Ok, these are the latest 2 crash minidumps with the creative XFi drivers removed, dumps attached.

Both crashes are within moments of Windows booting, the first less than a minute after logging in, the second crashed as Windows was first displaying the login screen.

As usual, the machine is stable after it is switched back off from the BSOD, then rebooted.

Thanks for taking the time to help me

 

[zigzag3143]

Ok, these are the latest 2 crash minidumps with the creative XFi drivers removed, dumps attached.

Both crashes are within moments of Windows booting, the first less than a minute after logging in, the second crashed as Windows was first displaying the login screen.

As usual, the machine is stable after it is switched back off from the BSOD, then rebooted.

Thanks for taking the time to help me

Both memory exceptions (probably caused by an as yet un-named driver). Please run driver verifier to find out which

I'd suggest that you first backup your stuff and then make sure you've got access to another computer so you can contact us if problems arise. Then make a System Restore point (so you can restore the system using the Vista/Win7 Startup Repair feature).

In Windows 7 you can make a Startup Repair disk by going to Start....All Programs...Maintenance...Create a System Repair Disc - with Windows Vista you'll have to use your installation disk or the "Repair your computer" option at the top of the Safe Mode menu .

Then, here's the procedure:
- Go to Start and type in "verifier" (without the quotes) and press Enter
- Select "Create custom settings (for code developers)" and click "Next"
- Select "Select individual settings from a full list" and click "Next"
- Select everything EXCEPT FOR "Low Resource Simulation" and click "Next"
- Select "Select driver names from a list" and click "Next"
Then select all drivers NOT provided by Microsoft and click "Next"
- Select "Finish" on the next page.

Reboot the system and wait for it to crash to the Blue Screen. Continue to use your system normally, and if you know what causes the crash, do that repeatedly. The objective here is to get the system to crash because Driver Verifier is stressing the drivers out. If it doesn't crash for you, then let it run for at least 36 hours of continuous operation (an estimate on my part).

If you can't get into Windows because it crashes too soon, try it in Safe Mode.
If you can't get into Safe Mode, try using System Restore from your installation DVD to set the system back to the previous restore point that you created.

 

[SylverFyre]

Sorry for the really slow reply.

I've enabled verifier and am attaching a zip of the minidump of todays crash. This happened again immediately after logging into Windows for the first time.

Really appreciate your time in looking into this for me

Cheers

 

[zigzag3143]

Sorry for the really slow reply.

I've enabled verifier and am attaching a zip of the minidump of todays crash. This happened again immediately after logging into Windows for the first time.

Really appreciate your time in looking into this for me

Cheers

Sorry to tell you but sometimes Verifier is an "iffy" Proposition. Sometimes it wont tell you which driver and you may need to keep running it. That is the situation here

Could not read faulting driver name
Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt!ObReferenceObjectSafe+c )


Keep doing the things that make you crash and we will spot it.

 

[SylverFyre]

thanks for all your help

 

[zigzag3143]

thanks for all your help

Mp pleasure. dont forget to upload the new DMP's and when done turn verifier off.

 

[SylverFyre]

Here are the last 3 days crash dumps, with verifier enabled.

Still getting the same symptoms - PC switched off for the day, switch it on and Windows loads. Log in, programs fail to start properly and explorer might crash, then a bluescreen within a moment or two. Today I restarted the PC from the login screen after leaving it "idling" for a few minutes, then logged in - same result of a bluescreen.

Switched the PC off completely and powered back on and it's now reliable again. I'm beginning to think that this is hardware related somewhere - I just can't figure out which bit!

 

[SylverFyre]

Just noticed that the F7L Beta BIOS version is back available to download from the gigabyte website - is this worth trying do you think, or may it just complicate things further?

 

[zigzag3143]

Just noticed that the F7L Beta BIOS version is back available to download from the gigabyte website - is this worth trying do you think, or may it just complicate things further?

All three driver verified DMPS point to your video driver, or card. I would re-install it using this
When upgrading your graphic driver you MUST remove all traces of the current driver. In order to do that we recommend using Guru3D - Driver Sweeper

Or Phyxion.net - Driver Sweeper

When it is removed then download and install the fresh copy.

Microsoft (R) Windows Debugger Version 6.11.0001.404 X86
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.


Loading Dump File [C:\Users\K\Desktop\051911-16083-01.dmp]
Mini Kernel Dump File: Only registers and stack trace are available

Symbol search path is: SRV*C:\Symbols*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols;srv*e:\symbols
*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols
Executable search path is: 
Windows 7 Kernel Version 7601 (Service Pack 1) MP (8 procs) Free x64
Product: WinNt, suite: TerminalServer SingleUserTS Personal
Built by: 7601.17592.amd64fre.win7sp1_gdr.110408-1631
Machine Name:
Kernel base = 0xfffff800`03016000 PsLoadedModuleList = 0xfffff800`0325b650
Debug session time: Thu May 19 11:40:55.280 2011 (GMT-4)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:02:43.124
Loading Kernel Symbols
...............................................................
................................................................
.......
Loading User Symbols
Loading unloaded module list
....
*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************

Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.

BugCheck C1, {fffff9801377cfc0, fffff9801377c8c0, d74040, 32}

Unable to load image \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\atikmdag.sys, Win32 error 0n2
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for atikmdag.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for atikmdag.sys
Probably caused by : atikmdag.sys ( atikmdag+568d4 )

Followup: MachineOwner
---------

6: kd> !analyze -v
*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************

SPECIAL_POOL_DETECTED_MEMORY_CORRUPTION (c1)
Special pool has detected memory corruption.  Typically the current thread's
stack backtrace will reveal the guilty party.
Arguments:
Arg1: fffff9801377cfc0, address trying to free
Arg2: fffff9801377c8c0, address where one bit is corrupted
Arg3: 0000000000d74040, (reserved)
Arg4: 0000000000000032, caller is freeing an address where nearby bytes within the same page have a single bit error

Debugging Details:
------------------


BUGCHECK_STR:  0xC1_32

SPECIAL_POOL_CORRUPTION_TYPE:  32

CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT:  1

DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  VERIFIER_ENABLED_VISTA_MINIDUMP

PROCESS_NAME:  firefox.exe

CURRENT_IRQL:  0

LAST_CONTROL_TRANSFER:  from fffff8000311bfe3 to fffff80003095d00

STACK_TEXT:  
fffff880`08a18dd8 fffff800`0311bfe3 : 00000000`000000c1 fffff980`1377cfc0 fffff980`1377c8c0 00000000`00d74040 : nt!KeBugCheckEx
fffff880`08a18de0 fffff800`03194a03 : fffff6fc`c00a1f40 fffff980`143e8920 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000001 : nt!MiCheckSpecialPoolSlop+0x83
fffff880`08a18e20 fffff800`031c093b : fffff800`03016000 00000000`494e494d 00000000`00072998 fffff880`08a19060 : nt!MmFreeSpecialPool+0x1d3
fffff880`08a18f60 fffff880`048948d4 : fffffa80`07321000 fffff800`0317c23b fffff980`13ff2000 fffff980`13ff2fa0 : nt!ExDeferredFreePool+0xf33
fffff880`08a19010 fffffa80`07321000 : fffff800`0317c23b fffff980`13ff2000 fffff980`13ff2fa0 fffff8a0`01eca0d0 : atikmdag+0x568d4
fffff880`08a19018 fffff800`0317c23b : fffff980`13ff2000 fffff980`13ff2fa0 fffff8a0`01eca0d0 fffff880`0486df57 : 0xfffffa80`07321000
fffff880`08a19020 00000000`00000000 : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 fffff980`1377cfc0 : nt!VfAvlLookupTreeNode+0x9b


STACK_COMMAND:  kb

FOLLOWUP_IP: 
atikmdag+568d4
fffff880`048948d4 ??              ???

SYMBOL_STACK_INDEX:  4

SYMBOL_NAME:  atikmdag+568d4

FOLLOWUP_NAME:  MachineOwner

MODULE_NAME: atikmdag

IMAGE_NAME:  atikmdag.sys

DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP:  4d9bc6ec

FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_0xC1_32_VRF_atikmdag+568d4

BUCKET_ID:  X64_0xC1_32_VRF_atikmdag+568d4

Followup: MachineOwner
---------

 

[SylverFyre]

Ok,

I've uninstalled the graphics driver, run Driver Sweeper and cleaned all ATi and Creative driver remnants, rebooted and switched off Verifier.

I've just grabbed the latest driver from AMD and am going to install.

Thanks once again for your help Ken

Will see what happens over the course of the next few cold boots

 

[zigzag3143]

Ok,

I've uninstalled the graphics driver, run Driver Sweeper and cleaned all ATi and Creative driver remnants, rebooted and switched off Verifier.

I've just grabbed the latest driver from AMD and am going to install.

Thanks once again for your help Ken

Will see what happens over the course of the next few cold boots

Keep u s in the loop. If that doesnt fix it we can start lookng at your power profiles.

 

[SylverFyre]

Well, 3 days later and about 4 or 5 cold boots and no blue screens

I'm not going to celebrate too soon, but this PC hasn't ever been this reliable yet!

Thankyou so much for your assistance, really appreciated

 

[zigzag3143]

Well, 3 days later and about 4 or 5 cold boots and no blue screens

I'm not going to celebrate too soon, but this PC hasn't ever been this reliable yet!

Thankyou so much for your assistance, really appreciated

Glad you are working