BSODs, freezes and black screens.

[AndreyReyna]

Hello, I have some big issues with my PC for a long time and now I don't know what to do anymore because I tried almost everything(from windows reinstalling and dust cleaning to updating my drivers). I have freezes, sound freezes, then BOOM, black screen or BSOD in everything from games and movies to surfing the web. I cleaned the dust inside the computer 5 days ago after the last .dmp file shows, and then the computer suddenly didn't start anymore. After removing every possibility why it won't start I changed the PCI Express graphic card slot and the PC finally started and I hoped that everything will be allright but the cursor freezes and Battlefield 3 double voice and that annoying " double death effect" appeared ( yes I have times when this game works flawless and times when computer just "doesn't want to work fine").
Specifications of my PC:
windows 7 ultimate 64 bits
amd athlon x2 dual core 6000+
geforce 250 gts 1 GB
4 gb of ram
every piece of the pc is 5 years old, the only pieces I changed over the years is the GPU and the Source. Both almost 2 years old. Thanks in advance.

 

[writhziden]

System Age:

BIOS Version/Date	Phoenix Technologies, LTD ASUS M2N32-SLI DELUXE ACPI BIOS Revision 1004, 08.05.2007

Due to the age of the system, make sure the hardware is compatible with Windows 7: Windows 7 Compatibility: Software Programs & Hardware Devices: Find Updates, Drivers, & Downloads -> Download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor​

Device Concerns:

ASACPI.sys Mon Oct 30 20:09:12 [B][COLOR="RED"]2006[/COLOR][/B] (4546B048)

Older versions of ASACPI.SYS are a known BSOD problem on Windows 7. Update the driver by:

1. Going to the Asus motherboard support site
   When you reach the website:
2. Scroll down the page and click Utilities
3. Hold Ctrl and press f (ctrl+f) to enter the browser's find feature
4. Search for "ATK0110 driver for WindowsXP/Vista/Win7 32&64-bit" (without quotes)
5. Download and install the driver.
6. After installation is complete, verify that it installed correctly.
   • Click Start Menu
   • Click My Computer
   • Go to C:\WIndows\System32\drivers\
   • Verify that the ASACPI.SYS file is dated 2009 or newer (2010,etc.)

Software Concerns:

MSI Afterburner/RivaTuner is known to cause instability with systems. Please remove the software. Software overclocking does not provide reliable overclocking. Overclocking should be accomplished through the BIOS or through the graphics card manufacturer's software.

If you are using Afterburner for fan control, consider an alternative: Download SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer​

Analysis:

All your crashes were 0x116 BugCheck crashes.

BugCheck 0x116

This crash is DirectX/graphics card related. DirectX comes installed with Windows, so this may indicate Windows corruption. It may also be that you have corrupted drivers or a graphics card hardware problem.

• If you are overclocking any hardware, please stop.
  
  
• Check Windows for corruption. Run http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html up to three times to fix all errors with a restart in between each. Post back if it continues to show errors after a fourth run or if the first run comes back with no integrity violations. Use OPTION THREE of http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html to provide us with the sfcdetails.txt file if errors occur.

Follow the steps for Diagnosing basic problems with DirectX. To re-install your display card drivers as outlined in the DirectX link, use the following steps.

1. Download the drivers you want for your display card(s)
2. Click Start Menu
3. Click Control Panel
4. Click Uninstall a program
5. For NVIDIA:
   • Uninstall the NVIDIA Graphics Driver (this should uninstall all NVIDIA software and drivers)
   • Restart your computer
   • Make sure NVIDIA 3D Vision Driver, NVIDIA 3D Vision Video Player, NVIDIA HD Audio Driver, and NVIDIA PhysX System Software are not still listed under Uninstall a program through Control Panel
   • If any remain of the above, uninstall one at a time
   • If asked to restart after uninstalling any of the above, do so, and continue uninstalling any remaining NVIDIA items until all are removed
6. For AMD:
   • Uninstall AMD Catalyst Install Manager if it is listed (this should remove all AMD graphics software and drivers)
   • If AMD Catalyst Install Manager is not listed, use the following method to uninstall the graphics drivers (this applies to onboard graphics, as well):
     1. Click Start Menu
     2. Right Click My Computer/Computer
     3. Click Manage
     4. Click Device Manager from the list on the left
     5. Expand Display adapters
     6. Do the following for each adapter (in case you have multiple display cards)
        • Right click the adapter
        • Click Uninstall (do not click OK in the dialog box that pops up after hitting Uninstall)
        • Put a tick in Delete driver software for this device (if this option is available, otherwise just hit OK) and hit OK
     Alternatively:
     1. Login as an adminstrative user
     2. Click Start Menu
     3. Click Control Panel
     4. Click Hardware and Sound
     5. Click Device Manager (the last link under Devices and Printers)
     6. Expand Display adapters
     7. Do the following for each adapter (in case you have multiple display cards)
        • Right click the adapter
        • Click Uninstall (do not click OK in the dialog box that pops up after hitting Uninstall)
        • Put a tick in Delete driver software for this device (if this option is available, otherwise just hit OK) and hit OK
7. Restart your computer after uninstalling drivers for all display cards
8. Install the driver you selected for the display cards once Windows starts

Remember to try multiple versions of the graphics drivers, download them fresh, and install the freshly downloaded drivers.

   Warning

Before you proceed with the following, answer these two questions: Are you still under warranty? Does your warranty allow you to open up the machine to check hardware? If you are unsure of the answers to these questions, contact your system manufacturer. :warn:WARNING: The steps that follow can void your warranty!!!

For 0x116 Video TDR Error crashes:

• 
  

  These are all stop 0x116 VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE conditions.
  
  It's not a true crash, in the sense that the bluescreen was initiated only because the combination of video driver and video hardware was being unresponsive, and not because of any synchronous processing exception.
  
  Since Vista, the "Timeout Detection and Recovery" (TDR) components of the OS video subsystem have been capable of doing some truly impressive things to try to recover from issues which would have caused earlier OSs like XP to crash. As a last resort, the TDR subsystem sends the video driver a "please restart yourself now!" command and waits a few seconds. If there's no response, the OS concludes that the video driver/hardware combo has truly collapsed in a heap, and it fires off that stop 0x116 BSOD.
  
  If playing with video driver versions hasn't helped, make sure the box is not overheating. Try removing a side panel and aiming a big mains fan straight at the motherboard and GPU. Run it like that for a few hours or days - long enough to ascertain whether cooler temperatures make a difference. If so, it might be as simple as dust buildup and subsequently inadequate cooling.

  
  The above quote was taken from http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/25912-bsod.html#post280172, which is linked to in usasma's thread about this error. Closely follow the first three posts of usasma's thread outlining http://www.sevenforums.com/crash-lo...op-0x116-video_tdr_error-troubleshooting.html and proceed through each step. Let us know if you need further help.

 

[AndreyReyna]

Just did the first test and it seems like Dual core optimizer microsoft wse 3.0 runtime and amd away are not compatible. Should i delete runtime and dual core optimizer?

 

[writhziden]

Yes, uninstall both through Start Menu -> Control Panel -> Uninstall a program.

 

[AndreyReyna]

One error at the first scan.
Now moving forward to the next steps.
And for the red marked question, no, I am not on warranty anymore. And I will proceed For 0x116 Video TDR Error crashes.
Later edit:
Video memory stress test: ( if you need the file log tell me where it is because i don't know where to find it)

Changing video mode to 640x480x16...OK
[14.07.2012 10:04:40] Test started for "NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250"...
Trying 16bpp RGB:565 mode...OK
Trying 16bpp RGB:555 mode...OK
Trying 16bpp BGR:565 mode...NOT SUPPORTED (Code: 80004001)
Trying 32bpp RGB:888 mode...OK
Trying 32bpp BGR:888 mode...NOT SUPPORTED (Code: 80004001)
[14.07.2012 10:23:32] Pass completed (0 errors found).

Now it seems to work fine, but it usually stop working fine after a while. I'll let you know if I encounter any more problems.

And another problem at the DirectX step is that i can't Move the Hardware Acceleration slider to Full because of this:

 

[AndreyReyna]

It seems my problems appeared again yesterday and today with 2 blackscreens in bf 3 and when surfing web. And yes, I did what writhziden said.

 

[writhziden]

Have you tried different graphics drivers?

Did you make sure there is good airflow to the display card? Have you cleared the system of dust?

Dust Removal:

To remove dust, follow the subsequent general procedure. If you have a desktop bought from Dell, HP, Sony, Lenovo, etc. make sure removing the desktop casing will not void your warranty first. Call the company if you are still under warranty and ask if it is okay to remove the casing and blow dust out. The procedure described is fine for laptops; just make sure no stickers are on panels saying if you remove the panel it will void the warranty.

1. Shut down and turn off your computer.
2. Unplug all power supplies to the computer (AC Power then battery for laptops, AC power for desktops)
3. Hold down the power button for 30 seconds to close the circuit and ensure all power drains from components.
4. Remove the casing for a desktop, or remove any screwed on panels and disc drives for laptops.
5. Blow out the dust inside by using a can of compressed air or a low pressure compressor. You will want to put the computer on a desk or table so you can maintain the can in an upright position if using a can of air. Blow into all crevices on the motherboard, heat sinks, cards, modules, etc. for a desktop. Blow into vents, opened panels, disc drive areas, USB ports, and the keyboard if it is a laptop. You may also want to blow inside the disc drive by replacing the drive to the laptop, starting the computer, opening the drive, and then turning off the computer and removing all power as described above including the 30 second power button step. For a desktop, you may also want to blow inside the disc drive by starting the computer, opening the drive, and then turning off the computer and removing all power as described above including the 30 second power button step.
6. Replace casing for the desktop. Replace panels and disc drive (if you have not already done so) for the laptop.
7. Plug power supplies in. AC adapter for the desktop. Battery and then AC Adapter for the laptop.
8. Start the computer and see if performance is better.

Easier Laptop steps:

1. Get a can of compressed air...
2. Shut down and turn off your system...
3. Unplug the system from any docking stations...
4. Remove the AC Adapter and then remove the battery...
5. Hold down the power button for 30 seconds to ensure all power is drained from the components. This closes the circuit and allows any remaining power to dissipate; it also clears the temporary memory of corruption and resets hardware/software connections. No permanent changes are made to the system doing this step...
6. Use the can of compressed air to blow into every vent, crevice, keyboard key, USB port, VGA/monitor port, etc...
7. Replace the battery and then plug in the AC Adapter...
8. Replace the docking station...
9. See how the system runs after doing all these steps...

   Warning

:warn:WARNING: Never use a vacuum cleaner or hair drier to clean dust out of your system!!

 

[AndreyReyna]

Okay, for a month I have no problems. The solution was to delete the video driver and let windows install it (a default one i guess). No problems, absoloutely no problems since I did that. But the questions are: it had those problems with the driver because the rest of my computer beeing older? And is there any possibility to move to a recent driver? Because I can't play not just Battlefiled 3 anymore (bf3 needs latest drivers), but minecraft neither (it says it needs driver update).