BSOD x124, unsure of source and would like to pinpoint it.

[Peebze]

Using a PC that was built by a friend of a friend who works with them for a living. Hes moved and no longer have access to help from him sadly. Not entirely sure where to start other than probably a memtest.

Any help on where to begin testing my hardware, or figuring out if its a driver issue would be great.

 

[wither 2]

There are a number of errors which appear repeatedly in the event logs. For instance, the system can't load the drivers for your CD-Rom drive.

However, how much free space do you have on your C:\ drive?

 

[Peebze]

Yeah, its been going on for a long while now, I could never get it pinned down at the time and it seemed to fix itself for a while, but now its come back worse than ever it feels. My C:\drive is split into a 100gb for windows and 400gb sections using an SDD. Still have 21 gigs left open in my C:.

 

[wither 2]

From your last sentence, it sounds like you have the SSD partitioned.

The amount of free space may be smaller than that since Windows couldn't find enough space for one of the .dmp files (possibly due to fragmentation). I suggest going to Accessories, System Tools, and running the Disk Cleanup tool on the C: drive. When it identifies how much space it can recover, check the boxes for Temporary Files and Recycle Bin. After it runs, reboot. Then, run the Trim tool for your SSD, if it doesn't run automatically.

I'm not sure this has any effect on your problem but, if Windows can't do some basic things, who knows.

 

[Peebze]

Well, ran through with disk cleanup, as well as a defrag. I honestly am not sure what a Trim tool is for my SSD, tried to search it and the only thing I found mentioning it was that Samsung's SSD software doesn't have a trim feature. I also attempted a memtest, but it would freeze shortly after startup. Whether that's from something with my ram failing, or me not performing it right, I'm not sure.

 

[wither 2]

Running a Defragmenter doesn't do anything for a SSD, thus I didn't suggest it. The trim function helps remove the garbage collected by the cleanup by simply identifying to the OS what data blocks can be removed and data can be written to the SSD. I remember reading some time back (maybe 3 or more years ago) that if a Samsung SSD was part of an OEM assembly, then the Samsung Magician software wasn't included. I don't know what people were supposed to do in that situation since, back then, there weren't any really large capacity SSDs. I guess you could ask Samsung. Not sure if you would gain any space without a trim.

Since memtest is freezing, it's a good possibility that the RAM is the problem. I suggest reseating it and testing one stick at a time, if reseating doesn't help.

 

[Peebze]

Sorry so late to reply. Sadly, in order to test sticks separately I would have to remove my cpu cooler, and at the moment I lack any coolant to apply when I would put it back on. Not sure if I can run the test without the cooler, but I guess when I get some coolant I'll eventually have to try.

Is there any programs similar to memtest, but for cpu and gpu that can pinpoint if the hardware is damaged or not?

 

[axe0]

The crashes look pretty consistent, with the fact that memtest froze there's a good chance the cause is a faulty CPU.

 

[wither 2]

Sorry so late to reply. Sadly, in order to test sticks separately I would have to remove my cpu cooler, and at the moment I lack any coolant to apply when I would put it back on. Not sure if I can run the test without the cooler, but I guess when I get some coolant I'll eventually have to try.

Is there any programs similar to memtest, but for cpu and gpu that can pinpoint if the hardware is damaged or not?

What kind of cooler are you using that's blocking access to the memory sticks on the MOBO? If you want to check the memory, then you're just going to have to bite the bullet. Since the memtest is done when the CPU is basically shut down, I don't think you would need the cooler.

If the CPU is overheating (which you can monitor with something like CPU-Z), it normally doesn't result in a BSOD. It will simply shut down the system.

There's no evidence in the logs of a problem with the GPU.

 

[Peebze]

There are some times that the CPU seems to be running hot, but not abnormally so that I've noticed. The cpu cooler is a huge block from 'be quiet!' that the previous owner installed. It's so large it extends over all four memory slots. Wonder if it could possibly be affecting how they have been running.

The only other possibility I've come across is if it's a driver signature problem. Tried to do a fix, but I don't seem to get the same screen and options with my system. I'll look more into that while I can get some thermal paste.

 

[wither 2]

I took a look at the Be Quiet coolers. They are quite large. I have a ThemalTake on this mobo but it doesn't block the memory slots.

As I mentioned earlier, the logs mention that the CD-ROM drive drivers can't be installed but I don't think that has anything to do with your BSOD.

 

[axe0]

Could you go to your friend and test the system with a different cpu?