BSOD on startup, BCCode 116

[seoulpi]

Good day everyone,

I have recently faced several consistent BSODs whenever I boot up my laptop (Asus A8Js). As all but one of the BCCodes are showing 116, I managed to narrow it down to my vga card based on the problems surfaced by other users within this forum. What I have managed to do so far are:

1. Conducted memtest86+ (no error shown after 7 runs)
2. Did a full scan with microsoft essentials security (all clear)
3. Followed the STOP 0x116: VIDEO_TDR_ERROR troubleshooting thread (didnt help to solve the problem)
4. Rollback my display adapter to standard vga driver to continue booting into windows normally

Currently I am unable to boot into windows whenever my display driver is updated to GeForce Go 7700 (original vga card that came with the laptop). It will either show a black screen or BSOD after the starting windows logo. Everything was working fine until a few days ago and I did not make any updates to the vga driver prior to that.

I half suspect my vga card had blown as I am also seeing "background white dots" all over my screen from the moment I start my laptop. However I will like to have a second opinion and have attached my DMP files for troubleshooting purposes.

Thanks for taking time to help

 

[Arc]

Welcome aboard. seoulpi.

First of all, you need to install service pack 1, and all other updates.

[COLOR=Red]Windows 7 Kernel Version 7600[/COLOR] MP (2 procs) Free x86 compatible
Product: WinNt, suite: TerminalServer SingleUserTS
[COLOR=Red]Built by: 7600.17118.x86fre.win7[/COLOR]_gdr.120830-0334

The display driver is similarly old, and rightly it is crashing.

lmvm nvlddmkm
start    end        module name
95802000 95f34100   nvlddmkm T (no symbols)           
    Loaded symbol image file: nvlddmkm.sys
    Image path: \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\nvlddmkm.sys
   [COLOR=Red] Image name: nvlddmkm.sys
    Timestamp:        Fri Mar 06 18:17:34 2009[/COLOR] (49B11B66)
    CheckSum:         00735100
    ImageSize:        00732100
    Translations:     0000.04b0 0000.04e4 0409.04b0 0409.04e4

• Download and install Driver Fusion.
• Reboot the computer in Advanced Boot Options, safe mode. Search Driver Fusion in your start menu, and remove all components of your nVidia display driver.
• Boot normally now. Go to Drivers - Download NVIDIA Drivers, Drivers > Beta and Legacy; search there with your cards particulars for GeForce 306.23 Driver, dated 13.9.2012 and install it.

After doing there two, let us know the results. There may be a huge lot of other works to do.

 

[seoulpi]

Hi Arc,

Thanks for the reply. I will update my windows with SP1 now.

However, can I just verify that I should install GeForce 306.23 driver as my vga card (GeForce Go 7700) is not one of the supported products. Also this driver seems to be for 64-bit OS while I am on 32-bit. The only driver I can find on nvidia website for my vga card is GEFORCE RELEASE 179 which is the same one that I have installed in my windows now.

 

[essenbe]

As close as I can determine, you have the correct driver for your card already installed. However, if you have parts of old driver left over, it can cause issues. Why not reinstall using ARC's method.

 

[Slartybart]

essenbe: I concur. I thought the 64 bit notation on the driver might be problematic, but the release notes clearly identify Win7 32bit.

As close as I can determine, you have the correct driver for your card already installed. However, if you have parts of old driver left over, it can cause issues. Why not reinstall using ARC's method.

306.23 Release Notes (page 15):
Windows Vista/Windows 7 32-bit Issues

• Single GPU Issues
  • [Video][Notebook] [Internet Explorer][Stage Video]: Stage Video picture-in-picture content cannot be played within Internet Explorer. [999929]
• GeForce 500 Series
  • [GeForce 500 series] [Need for Speed: The Run]: During the race the sun flickers and there are bright blips and black patches. [909577]
  • [GeForce 500 Series]: Metro 2033–light bloom increases and decreases throughout the game at light sources such as bulbs, lanterns, or fire. [846214]
  • [GeForce 500M series (Notebook)][3D Stereo]: After installing the 3D Vision software, stereoscopic 3D is not enabled. [887875]
• GeForce 200 Series GPUs
  • GeForce 200/200M series (notebook and desktop): DVD playback flickers and is not in stereoscopic 3D when using the NVIDIA 3DVision player. [862445]
• GeForce 8/7 Series GPUs
  • GeForce 8600: HD resolutions higher than 720p are not available.[308627]
  • GeForce 7900 GS: With an analog display connected in Composite mode, the signal format cannot be set to PAL. [848419]
• Multi-GPU Issues
  • [Quad SLI] [GeForc GTX 295]: “SLI connector is missing” balloon pops up even if the SLI bridge connector is attached.[919269]
  • [SLI], GeForce GTX 200M series: When one of the GPUs is dedicated to PhysX, the NVIDIA Control Panel still indicates that SLI is enabled. [890342]
  • [SLI], GeForce 400 series: After installing the driver over a previously installed driver, the resolution switches to 800x600. [768919]

 

[TVeblen]

Are you getting the classic TDR error message: "Display driver xxxxx stopped responding and was recovered"?

The following is my standard TDR diagnostic procedure I developed when I was dealing with my own event. Keep in mind most of this pertains to a desktop computer. It is unusual to see this on a laptop, but the same principles apply. My problem was ultimately a defective video card. When all else fails in the diagnostic then that is all we are left with.

When a new driver causes the problem it is important to try and determine what new feature is being activated that exposes the weakness in the chip. Not that you can fix it, just to confirm that the graphics engine can't perform a function the driver says it can.

Be patient! Just plow through all the tests.

*******************
"Display driver xxxxx stopped responding and was recovered"

Timeout Detection & Recovery (TDR) = "Display Driver Stopped Responding and was Recovered" is a useful feature that started in Vista and is also in W7 that allows the OS to try and recover from a video timeout so that the system does not crash to a bluescreen. Symptoms included a screen flash with the TDR message appearing one or more times or the screen blinking out to black. If the system cannot recover it will crash (Stop Error 116 typical). The issue is that the video card is not responding as expected. The solution is in the: why?

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to TDR errors. But the problem is usually found in the local environment (your computer). Finding the cause is a matter of checking every possible cause and uncovering the culprit through a simple process of elimination. By methodically running down a checklist of diagnostic procedures you should be able to find the cause and can correct it.

There are numerous reports of hardware solutions to TDR's. The most common are:

• Poor Cooling
• Problems with the power supply
• Overclocking Issues
• Bad System memory or incorrect memory timings
• Defective PC Components

The order you do the diagnostics is not all that important. My personal strategy is to do the cheap & easy stuff first, the cheap & harder stuff next, and then the stuff that costs last. But whatever order you do it in you need to check or confirm the following:

SOFTWARE
Poorly written software and games will cause TDRs. But if this were the case it would affect lots of people, not just a few. Check the game's website & forums for patches and tips.
See if other people in the forums are having the same problem and if they were able to solve it and how.
You could also be asking too much of your video card. Check to see if your video card is tested and recommended for the game/program. Test the game at reduced settings.

WHAT ACTIONS CAUSE THE PROBLEM
It helps if you can isolate the actions that trigger the TDR. Most often it will be an application using 3D graphics. But if the incidents occur constantly it would point more towards defective hardware. If it happens more specifically (just when running Game X) it points towards overheating, settings, software, or driver issues.

GENERAL SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
You need to eliminate the possibility that your computer has a global problem. You can use a program like Prime95 to stress test your system. Free Software - GIMPS
You can run the "Stress Test" for a few hours or overnight. This will not tell you what the problem is, but it is helpful to uncover any issues your system has with instability and cooling.

OVERHEATING
Running a video intensive game for hours can generate some serious heat and overheating will cause video errors. You can check your temps by looking at your BIOS readings or use a free program like Speedfan SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer .
A real easy test is to just pull the side panel(s) off your case (You can also blow a house fan directly into the open case) and see if the problem goes away or gets better. If it does then the issue is definitely overheating. If you are overheating you need to look at installing some cooling upgrades. You want to look at ventilating the case (more or bigger fans), Upgrade your case to a larger gaming case (lots of fans, water-cooling), etc.
There are free utilities like BurninTest PassMark BurnInTest software - PC Reliability and Load Testing that you can use to test your system's cooling capability. Caution is recommended using these types of programs.

VIDEO DRIVERS
Bad drivers happen and they can get corrupted. Before installing or reinstalling any video drivers first completely uninstall all old video software and the drivers. (Some people say to run a cleaner program from safe mode, some say this is unnecessary). Never rely on the driver package to overwrite the old drivers. Also: Delete the video driver folder (ex: C:\NVIDIA) in Windows Explorer (or windows may install the same drivers again!).
After uninstalling the old drivers and rebooting Windows 7 will install it's own WDDM 1.1 driver. Check for the video problem while using this generic Windows driver.
You can then install the latest drivers for your card (or try older drivers).
See This Tutorial: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/43216-installing-updating-drivers-7-a.html#post414637

DEVICE MANAGER
Look in Device Manager and make sure there are no problem devices (yellow ! icon). Correct these by loading the correct drivers or disable the problem device and see if the video problem goes away.

POOR CONNECTIONS
Reseat video card and memory modules. Make sure the contacts are clean. Check all the electrical connections.

CHECK YOUR MOTHERBOARD VOLTAGES
In BIOS, check the listed voltages against the manufacturer recommended specs. Reset the voltages to factory defaults and see if the video problems disappear.

MEMORY
Memory errors can cause video problems. Run a program like Memtest86+ for at least 3 passes to see if there are any memory errors. Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool .
You can also test for a bad memory module by installing one stick in Slot 1 and testing, and then switch it out for the next stick, etc.
When populating all of the RAM slots on a motherboard it is sometimes necessary to go into the BIOS and increase the voltage to the RAM slightly to obtain a stable system.

OVERCLOCKING
Overclocking can be a trial and error process. The clocks and/or multipliers you set or change for CPU, Memory, or GPU could be unstable. Eliminate this as a possibility by resetting these to their BIOS defaults to see if that clears the video problems. The simplest way to do this is to "Restore Bios Defaults", or “Clear CMOS”.

UNDERCLOCKING
Some people have reported that by going into the video cards control panel and "down-clocking" the cards performance settings they were able to clear up the TDRs. Since W7 does not seem to tolerate any hiccups in the GPU, this would allow you to run a poor performing card in the W7 environment.
So for instance, you could set the GPU clock from a 777 MHz factory setting to 750MHz, and the ram clock from a 1126MHz factory setting to 1050Mhz, or similar small change for your particular card.

BIOS
Check you motherboard manufacturer’s website for an updated BIOS. An updated BIOS may correct an unstable condition, particularly if it says the newer BIOS corrects memory errors or has bug fixes. You could also try loading the BIOS defaults.
Caution is recommended when updating (flashing) a BIOS. The safest way to do so is from the update utility within the BIOS. Follow instructions carefully.
While you are there, check the motherboard manufacturers forums to see if others are having issues with the same board.

WINDOWS POWER MANAGEMENT
Eliminate Power Management settings as a possible cause, especially if you are working with a laptop. These settings could be particularly important if the issue is in playing games.
Go to Control Panel > Hardware & Sound > Power Options. Under "Select a Power Plan" you will find that "Balanced" is the default setting.
At the bottom you will see a Down arrow next to "Show Additional Plans". Click that and select "High Performance". See if the TDR issue is affected.
Alternately, you can click "Change Plan Settings" next to the "Balanced" plan and change the setting to "Never" put the computer to sleep (This is the default on a desktop) and/or change when the display is turned off as a test.

POWER SUPPLY
You need to know that your power supply is delivering sufficient power. Power supply problems are the most common cause of video problems, especially using high end cards.
Check the power supply's amperage ratings. Be sure it has the ample amperage for your video card and the rest of the system.
You can test the supply with multimeter to measure for a steady 12v to the card's power connectors. (The only true way to test a power supply would be to use the very expensive diagnostic equipment used in labs). But for us regular folks: I tested my power supply by hooking up my multimeter to the PCI-E connectors that I was using to power my video card (I used a spare pair from the power supply to run the card while I was testing). I then observed the meter while I used the computer, first watching the voltage, then the amps, to see if there was any drop-off or erratic behavior while booting or using the computer. My readings were rock solid. So I declared my power supply good.
Otherwise you need to replace the supply to eliminate this possibility. Or borrow one from another computer.

VIDEO CARD
I suspect that a video card must perform flawlessly to operate in a Windows 7 environment and run the most recent games. If you tried all the above diagnostics and no problems were found then that leaves you with only one possibility: a defective video card. Some brands and models have the problem more consistently than others. You could check their forums for clues.
You could try your card in another computer running W7 to see if the problem goes along with the card.
You could try a different card in your computer. I bought an inexpensive card to use. My TDR's disappeared using a "lesser" card. Or borrow a card from another computer.
Otherwise RMA or replace the card.

**********
TDR complaints have come from PC owners running virtually every PC configuration. They occur regardless of which video engine, manufacturer, driver, or system used. They are too numerous to write off as a random problem, but at the same time if people are getting their systems to run correctly using the same hardware and software that you are then it follows that your problem must be solvable.

More Info Here:
Timeout Detection and Recovery of GPUs through WDDM
NVIDIA Statement on TDR Errors - NVIDIA Forums
How to troubleshoot

 

[Dave76]

After a quick search that laptop is about 6 years old, is that correct?
Might be hard to find another graphics card for it.

After following all the good advice given already, as a last effort, bake the graphics card in the oven for 10 minutes at 200°C. Let it cool with the oven door open for 1-2 minutes, remove from the oven and set on the counter to cool for 5-10 minutes until it is not hot to the touch.
Re-install and test.

Fix Your Graphics Card By Baking In Oven

You tube video: Bake your graphic card back to life!

I just did this on a friends 4 year old Acer Aspire 5920.
He had taken it to the local shop, they told him his graphics failed and since they were on the motherboard (not true) he needed a new motherboard for $450.
I disassembled it, cleaned and checked connections, still no graphics on the laptop or connected monitor.
Baked the graphics cards and it is working again.

 

[seoulpi]

After a quick search that laptop is about 6 years old, is that correct?
Might be hard to find another graphics card for it.

...

Fix Your Graphics Card By Baking In Oven

Yup it's about 6 years now. In fact, the link above with the windows XP photo shot looked almost exactly with what I am seeing on my screen now. Does that means it's highly certain that my vga card is fried?

@TVeblen: Gone through all that I could within your list (without buying any extra equipment for testing) and still status quo

I am currently facing some issues with some updates for windows 7 (KB2545698 & KB2547666). Will be trying to install the 306.23 driver soon. Thanks everyone for the help so far, much appreciated

 

[seoulpi]

Alright, managed to update windows with SP1 and tried installing newer display driver with same outcome (BSOD BBCode 116).

Think I have pretty much tried most of the methods mentioned above, less the baking part. Provided additional DMPs from the past few days, hopefully it helps.

 

[seoulpi]

On a side note, I am just curious about the following: My laptop has only one vga card which I am fairly certain is fried after all the diagnostics. However, the laptop seems to run fine (i.e. no BSOD) in degraded mode when using standard vga display driver instead of the usual nvidia ones. Is this observation normal or have I jumped the gun to determine the status of my vga card?

 

[Dave76]

Most laptops have on board graphics, built into the motherboard, some have a separate graphics card like yours. Laptops with a separate graphics card may or may not have the on board graphics option.
On a desktop this is done by changing the monitor cable to a different VGA port.
Check your BIOS for an option to switch the two.

To confirm it's not the screen having problems, connect it to an external monitor.

How are you switching to the standard VGA display driver?

 

[Slartybart]

Don't let this post distract you from the course you're following.

I'll offer some suggestions and then step back. You can read the information to see if it applies and try FurMark to stress your graphics.

Clean your fans - cooling can cause the TDRs / DSODs

Nvidia forum: TDR

Furmark tutorial

 

[seoulpi]

Most laptops have on board graphics, built into the motherboard, some have a separate graphics card like yours. Laptops with a separate graphics card may or may not have the on board graphics option.
On a desktop this is done by changing the monitor cable to a different VGA port.
Check your BIOS for an option to switch the two.

To confirm it's not the screen having problems, connect it to an external monitor.

How are you switching to the standard VGA display driver?

I am not too sure if my motherboard has another on board graphics on top of the separate graphics card that my laptop has. However, I never had an option to select from 2 different graphics cards, not even from BIOS.

Currently to switch to the standard VGA display driver, all I needed to do was to roll-back driver for GeForce Go 7700 hardware on the Device Manager page. However BSOD will always occur when I update the hardware with nvidia drivers and try to boot normally into windows.

 

[Slartybart]

Please use the Easy specs link in my sig to update your SF information - thanks. I had to read too many posts to find your system information. Yeah, i know it was in post#1, but putting it in your profile here on SF makes it easy to find.

Thanks.

Asus A8JS downloads page
--> support page
-----> Windows 7 upgrade notices
-----> Win7 upgrade issue Troubleshooting

edit: forgot one
Nvidia Optimus technology running 3D programs won't intelligent switch from Intel VGA

Whenever I have driver issues, I go back to the mfrs released drivers. They might not be the newest (an understatement), but they're the ones the mfr shipped the box with. Then I take tiny steps forward one device at a time until I'm successful or an issues arises (a rollback solves that).

So, here's what I would do if the machine were my own.
Completely uninstall Nvidia Geforce - remove software if prompted
Install the Vista 32 bit driver from Asus. (let compatibility solve any issue that might crop up)
Test machine stability
after a while if I felt that I needed to, I'd see what could be gained by updating the driver, otherwise, I'd run back level.


Best of luck what ever you decide.

Bill
.

 

[Dave76]

Agree with Slartybart, that's the best way to proceed. You'll find out which drivers are causing problems.

 

[seoulpi]

Still getting BSOD with BC Code 116 after installing the original vga driver from asus support page.

 

[Slartybart]

You know the drill by now, right?

Please post the SF BSOD information. Wait until someone looks at it before making any other changes, ok?

 

[Slartybart]

So you have the Asus VGA driver Version V7.15.10.9802 installed - right?

I checked Nvidia again and it only gave me v179 when i entered GeForce GO 7700.

What does Nvidia graphics auto detect tell you?