BSOD, load-up message read "Degraded drive..."

[sodapop]

Hi all,

BSOD once tonight. It happened one other time last week but everything on Windows still functioned normally after I restarted. Then it happened again tonight. I restarted and when the start-up 'dos' -like screen comes up, I also had a glimpse of a message in red type that mentioned something about a 'degraded drive' and something about 'completeness...'. Then the screen flipped and asked me to go in safe mode etc. But I chose to start normally and Windows started fine.

Hope someone can help me out. I'm not that fluent in computer technology/software these days. Thanks for this forum!

Info:
- 64 bit
- Windows Home Premium, full retail
- age of system is approximately 6 months
- haven't formatted system since new install
- RAID 1 system setup

 

[zigzag3143]

Please remove this driver/app. It is dtsoftbus01.sys Virtual Bus Driver from DT Soft Ltd




These crashes were caused by memory corruption/exception (probably a driver).
Please run these two tests to verify your memory and find which driver is causing the problem.

* If you are overclocking anything reset to default before running these tests.
In other words STOP!!!

* If you have raid update its Driver.



Memtest.

*Download a copy of Memtest86 and burn the ISO to a CD using Iso Recorder or another ISO burning program. Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

*Boot from the CD, and leave it running for at least 5 or 6 passes.

Just remember, any time Memtest reports errors, it can be either bad RAM or a bad motherboard slot.

Test the sticks individually, and if you find a good one, test it in all slots.

Any errors are indicative of a memory problem.

If a known good stick fails in a motherboard slot it is probably the slot.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/105647-ram-test-memtest86.html



Driver verifier

Using Driver Verifier is an iffy proposition. Most times it'll crash and it'll tell you what the driver is. But sometimes it'll crash and won't tell you the driver. Other times it'll crash before you can log in to Windows. If you can't get to Safe Mode, then you'll have to resort to offline editing of the registry to disable Driver Verifier.

So, 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).

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 "Special Pool", "Force Pending I/O Requests" and "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.

Reboot into Windows (after the crash) and turn off Driver Verifier by going back in and selecting "Delete existing settings" on the first page, then locate and zip up the memory dump file and upload it with your next post.

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.

 

[JMH]

Following on from zigzag's advice...

* Avast can be a contributing cause of BSOD'S .
Please remove and replace with Microsoft Security Essentials AT LEAST TO TEST.

http://files.avast.com/files/eng/aswclear5.exe

Microsoft Security Essentials - Free Antivirus for Windows

* Also run Check Disk.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html