BSOD - possible issue with SATA 3 control??

[eklectric]

Hi,

I have put together a brand new tower:

mobo: ASROCK X58 EXTREME3 LGA1366 INTEL X58+ICH10R
ram : CORSAIR 12GB DDR3 (3X4) VENGEANCE SERIES CMZ12GX3M3A1600C9
video: GIGABYTE GTX580
cpu: INTEL CORE I7-960
HDD: 2x SEAGATE ST32000641AS 2TB 7200RPM SATA
Windows 7 pro 64 bits.

It worked for about two weeks before I started noticing strange stuff happening; second HDD dissappearing from My computer list during a copy (writing on that drive).
Then, BSODs when surfing on internet (during caching I think mostly, or flash video).
Access to hard drives suddenly very slow at times (even entering folders can result in "Not responding", and temporary freezes, bsod's, extremely slow cache swapping in internet browser, "windows explorer" crashing and restarting every minute or so, HDD not recognized at boot, computer not being able to boot, BSOD during boot, safe mode not starting, safe mode freezing, etc...).

I want to format the whole thing and start over again; I notice SATA3 in my BIOS is on IDE instead of the better (as I've read) AHCI. I read about the issues concerning switching from one to the other when an OS is already installed, so I decide to to a clean re-install of windows7 (format) with disks set on AHCI (SATA2 still on IDE for my optical drive, AHCI made even the windows7 install crash!!!).

So I re-install, let windows do the countless updates it needs to, I even restart a couple of time just to make sure, and then I start moving archives in on my internal drives (45 GB of files); the drive starts well - slows down - hangs - not able to click anything - cursor freeze - bsod. (sob!)

I did quite some installs from DVDs and from files downloaded from the internet. no problems there, it's when files are copied around that it has problems now. for now.

So from all the problems it could have been, I'm wondering if the harddrives are being controlled properly... It's not software since I've taken great care into installing one thing at a time and rebooting between installs, starting with windows updates, then drivers, then some apps (google chrome, trend micro Titanium maximum security).

I've installed the motherboard chipset and sata3 drivers, have an anti-virus and not much else is running when it hangs. I'm just preparing for it to worsen again.

help?

I've included the perfmon report of my current install, as well as the mini-dump(s) of the last crash(es). (all in one zip.)

Here's the last log, just bluescreen this one, not bsod;

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.48
Locale ID: 1033

Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: f4
BCP1: 0000000000000003
BCP2: FFFFFA800C36FB30
BCP3: FFFFFA800C36FE10
BCP4: FFFFF80002F815D0
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

heeeeelp!!

 

[eklectric]

Also, I get a lousy 5.9 in primary hard drive performance for Windows Experience Index (( I don't get what I've done wrong.

 

[Jonathan_King]

Hello,

Run hard drive diagnostics with SeaTools: | Seagate

Run both the Small FFTs and Large FFTs tests.

If SeaTools gives a clean report, run driver verifer: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/101379-driver-verifier-enable-disable.html

...Summary of the dumps:

[font=lucida console]
Built by: 7600.16617.amd64fre.win7_gdr.100618-1621
Debug session time: Fri Jan 28 20:57:36.249 2011 (UTC - 5:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:21:40.342
Probably caused by : csrss.exe
PROCESS_NAME:  csrss.exe
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  VISTA_DRIVER_FAULT
BUGCHECK_STR:  0xF4_C0000005
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_0xF4_C0000005_IMAGE_csrss.exe
SystemProductName = To Be Filled By O.E.M.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
  
[/font]

 

[eklectric]

Blue Screen of Fatal Hard Drives.... cont'd

Hey JK,

thanks for the reply, I'm running the tests now (with Small and Large FFT do you mean Short and Long Generic? is that the same? )

Also in the dump I was wondering about that line "Built by: 7600.16617.amd64fre.win7_gdr.100618-1621"

any reason AMD is mentioned here? because I'm on an Intel i7...

Also, external USB drives connected while booting can give me a BSOD right after starting (checked BIOS, and booting from USB is last in drive order).

Does this help figuring out what it is?

 

[Jonathan_King]

Ah, sorry about that. The Small and Large FFTs tests are Prime95 tests; I got my wires crossed for some reason.

The correct SeaTools tests are Short and Long DST tests; the generic ones will lose data.

The Intel i7 uses the AMD64 technology; that's the technology AMD developed in 1999, and first implemented in the original Athlon 64s in 2003. The Athlon 64 was able to run both x64 and x86, meaning it was compatible with the programs and operating systems that came before it. By contrast, the Intel 64-bit technology at the time was exclusively 64-bit; all new software had to be written for it, which put it out of the class of your average user.

Enough history for now; for all it's worth in BSOD analysis, it means that you have a 64-bit OS, instead of 32-bit.

 

[eklectric]

thanks again for the insight

hmm, can't seem to perform either short nor long DST. "Test Unavailable"...

In drive category, my two internal drives are listed as "SCSI-FC-SAS" and not as SATA3 . (?)

I know Windows 7 can confuse a SATA3 for a SCSI drive, but is that still not fixed?
My hard drives are listed this way even among the other hard drives in the "Safely Remove Hardware and eject Media". Is it even normal for the drives to be listed there? (i'm new to windows 7)..Or is it because of AHCI hot plugging capabilities?

still, I can't do the two tests... Should I go straight to driver verifier?
:shock::shock::shock:

 

[Jonathan_King]

I honestly cannot give any insight into that error; all I can suggest is a workaround, by using a different program.

Try using Western Digital's DataLifeguard instead.

WD Support / Downloads / SATA & SAS / WD Caviar Black

Enable Driver Verifier whenever you're ready to; you don't have to wait for the hard drive test to be done.

 

[eklectric]

Hey JK,

the drives show no errors in any of the tests, but they are listed as being IDE, when in the Bios they're set to AHCI and are recognised this way by the Bios.

This makes me think about how it's the only place it's listed as AHCI.
Windows lists them as SCSI disk devices (device manager), and there's no sign of the Marvell SATA3 controllers...

Here's my problem again if it helps:

I have 2x internal 2TB Barracuda XT drives, which randomly slow down, go to a halt, then are invisible to windows explorer, if it's not my boot drive crashing. It mostly ends with bsods.
It happens on its own, mostly during heavy file read or write. It almost always happens copying files from an external USB drive to one of the internal drives. Bsod assured.
But it crashes even without external drives attached, only less often (but I lose data when I'm saving work and it crashes).
One of the drives is my boot drive, and both have been set to AHCI in the BIOS before windows 7 installation (crashed already in previous installment of windows, when set to IDE).

Windows7 recognises them as being SCSI drives (?), and file transfer between the two internal drives never exceed 30Mb/s (copying files on one to the other). I get a Windows Experience quote of 5.9 for the primary hard drive, which seems low considering how fast it should be.

Can you help?

 

[eklectric]

New Dump files

Hadn't done the long test yet on the drives, but stopped midway through one (of two drives), which had been busy for 7+ hours... (

I've included new dump and perfmon files to check in on, maybe the new files would help?

While having verifier on, it BSOD'd at startup because of various drivers (cbludf.sys, ... just such third party drivers that aren't signed), but with verification only on the Marvell drivers, it handles pretty well (usually).

I still get random BSODs during heavy disk access...

 

[eklectric]

Just plugged the two drives in SATA2 (IDE), have copied over a couple of gigs around at speeds much higher!!!!

NO BSOD so far.


What gives? it's 2011 guddammit!

 

[Jonathan_King]

It's possible you have a bad SATA port.

IDE is a misleading term for some; it technically means "Integrated Drive Electronics", which means the controller is on on the drive, rather than the motherboard. All hard drives made in the past decade are IDE, which includes SATA and PATA.

Since SATA has been released, the term IDE has been used synonymously with PATA. So while operating systems and programs consider both SATA and PATA drives IDE, people usually use the term to refer only to PATA drives.

The dumps both blame PxHlpa64.sys, which is most likely a component of Adobe Creative Suite 5. If the problems persist, try removing that.

...Summary of the dumps:

[font=lucida console]
Built by: 7600.16617.amd64fre.win7_gdr.100618-1621
Debug session time: Wed Feb  2 20:10:44.808 2011 (UTC - 5:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:13.916
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for PxHlpa64.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for PxHlpa64.sys
Probably caused by : PxHlpa64.sys ( PxHlpa64+2f74 )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0xc9_228
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  VERIFIER_ENABLED_VISTA_MINIDUMP
PROCESS_NAME:  System
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_0xc9_228_VRF_PxHlpa64+2f74
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
Built by: 7600.16617.amd64fre.win7_gdr.100618-1621
Debug session time: Wed Feb  2 14:24:35.664 2011 (UTC - 5:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:15.773
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for PxHlpa64.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for PxHlpa64.sys
Probably caused by : PxHlpa64.sys ( PxHlpa64+2f74 )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0xc9_228
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  VERIFIER_ENABLED_VISTA_MINIDUMP
PROCESS_NAME:  System
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_0xc9_228_VRF_PxHlpa64+2f74
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
  
[/font]

 

[eklectric]

I'll try reinstalling the creative suite, but it's supposed to have about five dumps. Maybe they're incomplete, but I clearly remember scsiport.sys being mentioned in the bluescreens where the dump was never properly made...

The creative suite 5 .sys file must have been reported, but it happened during reading from the drive (rendering in after effects). Maybe that file crashed too, but it's more likely to be a symptom rather than a cause.

I don't get why SATA3 isn't the thing working. (it's on my motherboard)

Would it have anything to do with the 2 drives being on a shared controller?

Is there any other useful info in the dump files I've sent.

Thanks for your time JK... and the info, although I meant SATA IDE mode in comparison to SATA AHCI, i didn't mean PATA, but thanks for the explanation

 

[Jonathan_King]

I didn't see anything else notable in the dumps.

How old is the motherboard? If the problems persist after the Adobe removal, try RMAing the board.

 

[eklectric]

Solution!!!

I've had blue screens up until now!!! (several weeks of'em actually.)

found a solution!

I bought SATA3 cables!!!!

On every forum where the question is asked, the answer is always the same: All SATA cable are the same and should work for SATA1 thru 3.

This is NOT correct!!!

I used the cables that came with the motherboard (brand new ASRock Extreme3), but had HD mishaps, freezes, disappearance from "My Computer" etc...
Also max speed was around 25 MB/s for file copy between the two internal SATA3 drives (if it hadn't triggered a blue screen that is, on 95% of the occasions).

I found SATA3 (round) cable on sale on a website (they're Akasa SATA3-50-BK - Serial ATA 6Gb/s ), and gave it a go.
I just copied 13 Gb in under 3 minutes... big change. no BSOD so far. I'm happy again.

I'd advise that to the many many many people that I've seen had this problem.

JK Thanks again for all the efforts!

Chuck

 

[Jonathan_King]

I'm glad to hear that Chuck, thanks for reporting back!

I've learned something just now...I'll remember it in the future!