Computer refuses to shut down and then BSOD's on me if I let it run.

[Zibeltor]

Dear all! You've provided me with the most amazing help earlier (a couple years ago) and now I'm hoping y'all can come through for me again. This issue is a head-scratcher, be warned. Basically, my computer has been occasionally refusing to shut down (e.g. it will shut down, but after a beat, it immediately whirs back up. Same thing happens if I try to put it to sleep). Anyway, it started doing this last night, and after a couple times of trying to shut it down, I figured the safest thing to do would be just let it run while I sleep. I wake up this morning to find a BSOD on my monitor with error messages that google didn't know what to do with. I've went ahead and provided the zip file recommended in the sticky.

Here is the error message that Windows provided me after I restarted from the blue screen:
Problem signature:

Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
​

Additional information about the problem:

BCCode: c2
BCP1: 0000000000000007
BCP2: 000000000000109B
BCP3: 0000000004DE0000
BCP4: FFFFFA800E6D0010
OS Version: 6_1_7601
Service Pack: 1_0
Product: 768_1​

 

[essenbe]

Hello, Zibeltor. I will see if I can help you. You may be right, this may be a head scratcher. But, that's OK.

First please uninstall Dameon Tools. It is a known cause of BSODs.

Daemon Tools, Alcohol 120% and Power Archiver Pro uses SCSI Pass Through Direct (SPTD), which is a well known cause of BSOD's.

1. Uninstall Daemon Tools.
2. Download the SPTD standalone installer and follow these steps:
- Double click the executable to open it
- Click the button shown below



If the button it is grayed out, as shown in the image, there is no more SPTD installation on your system, and you can just close the window.

Also, please check you system specs and make sure they are still correct. I also would like you to uninstall ant Gigabyte utilities and programs you have installed. If you are overclocking anything, please set it back to default levels.

Also, please tell me what anti viruses you have installed on your computer.

Please go to your motherboard's web site and update your drivers, especially your LAN Driver. But, do not install any of the Gigabyte utilities.

Please open an elevated command prompt ( click start, type cmd in the search box, right click on the cmd entry and select run as administrator) in the black box that opens, copy/paste sfc /scannow. If you decide to type it, notice the space between the sfc and the /. It is a system file checker which will scan your system files and attempt to correct any missing or corrupt files. What we want are the results to say windows found no integrity violations. If it says files were found but could not be repaired, close the box, reboot and run it again, after opening the administrative command prompt. You may have to reboot and run it three times for it to repair all system files. If it can't repair them after 3 reboots, let us know.

Please make sure all of your Windows Updates are current. Please reinstall your graphics driver using this method http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/327414-nvidia-drivers-avoid-problems.html

After that, please get back with me and let me know if you notice any improvement.

Your dump files were of very little help

BugCheck C2, {7, 109b, 4de0000, fffffa800e6d0010}

GetPointerFromAddress: unable to read from fffff800036fa100
GetUlongFromAddress: unable to read from fffff800036fa1c0
Probably caused by : ndis.sys ( ndis!ndisDeleteMiniportOnLastDeref+1bb )

Followup: MachineOwner

 

[Zibeltor]

Thanks for the assistance Essenbe! Alrighty, I'm going to put this in list format just so I make sure to detail everything I did and try to match it up with your recommendations.

1) Uninstalled Daemon Tools and ran the SPTD standalone. Used it to uninstall the remaining SPTD and then used it again to confirm that everything was gone.

2) Updated my system specs: the only real notable changes are that I had to replace my old power supply and I added a new, bigger SSD as my C drive.

3) Uninstalled all the Gigabyte utilities (I had their @BIOS and AutoGreen programs installed). I then went ahead and updated all my drivers, which included installing some new ones. (For example, I wasn't sure if I needed the Atheros or Intel LAN driver so I went ahead and installed/updated both.) I made sure just to install drivers though, no other utilities. I've never bothered to overclock anything on my system.

4) I use Microsoft Security Essentials, doing a quick scan on a weekly basis and full scan monthly.

5) I ran the scannow program four times, making sure to reboot after each one and every time I made sure to run it as administrator. It said that it found files but could not repair them, just like you predicted. I got the same result after each of the four attempts.

6) I made sure I was current with Windows Update and also did a clean install of all the NVIDIA drivers.

Alrighty! I think that's everything you recommended to do. I haven't gotten any more BSOD's, but I'm still not able to shut down my computer. I'm sorry that my dump files weren't of much assistance; if there's any other info I could provide or attachments/programs you'd like to run and report back, I'd be more than happy to. Thanks for your help!

 

[essenbe]

Try thisd. I want to make sure everything is correct in BIOS. Sometimes a BSOD can change things. Boot into BIOS, look for your sata controller and see what mode it is set to (IDE,AHCI or Raid). Just make a mental note of it. It is important. Set Optimized defaults, accept the confirmation you usually get. Go back and set your sata controller to exactly what it is set to right now, or you won't boot. Make sure your ram Frequency, timings and Dram Voltage is set to manufacturer's specs, set your boot order, save and exit.

See if that makes any difference.

 

[Zibeltor]

Hmm, sorry, I'm a little confused; I want to make sure I get this right before I start fiddling with the BIOS. I'm not really well versed in navigating around the boot menu. How will I know what the manufacturer's specs are for ram Frequency, timings and Dram Voltage? I checked this page GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1155 - GA-Z77X-UD5H (rev. 1.1), but I couldn't find any of those specs specifically.

And when you say I need to set the boot order at the end and then save and exit, I'm saving the boot order as what it was the first time I check in the BIOS menu, right?

 

[essenbe]

Zibeltor, if that does not solve the problem, please go to Control Panel > Catagory View > Uninstall a Program and make a screenshot of all programs you have there. It may require a couple of screenshots to do it, but that's OK. This will tell you how. It is easiest to do with the Snipping tool if you know how to use it. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

Also, how long has this been happening? If not too long try a system restore to a time before this started.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/700-system-restore.html. It will not affect your personal files, but any programs or drivers you have installed since the date of the restore point will not be there.

Go to Windows Update, click on installed Updates, and in the search box in the upper right, search for KB3022345 and KB3068708. If you find them, uninstall them . This will tell you how http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/24373-windows-update-uninstall-update.html Then watch, they will return to be installed again. Before they are installed right click them and select Hide. You shouldn't have to worry about them any more. Then reboot the computer and run the sfc scan again.

 

[essenbe]

You can look at the ram timings, frequency and voltage before you set optimized defaults, or there is a small white sticker on the side of the ram that will tell you the first 4 timings and the dram voltage. In all honesty, seting the BIOS to optimized defaults should not change your ram settings, but I think it is wise to check and make sure. If you want to be safe, download and install CPU-Z | Softwares | CPUID and post screenshots of the CPU, Mainboard, Memory and SPD tabs. use the screenshot link I gave you before. On the SPD tab, you can select each Dimm Slot from a dropdown in the upper left of the tab. Just post the ones with ram installed in them. The others will be blank.

Don't be too worried about setting it to Optimized Defaults. All you are doing is setting the BIOS to what it was when it came from the factory.

 

[Zibeltor]

Alrighty! I went ahead and removed the Windows Updates that you recommended, hid them, and then double-checked under installed updates to make sure they were gone. I then ran the scannow program which said that it "did not find any integrity violations." Thanks for the tip! I'm afraid using System Restore isn't really an option. This problem has been going on for at least the last 7 months or so, and my oldest backup is only about six months old. Lastly, I've included screenshots of all the installed programs I have plus the information that you requested from CPU-Z. This is the information I'll use to confirm that the BIOS optimized settings are ideal?

I have seen some improvement though, as I was able to turn the computer off last night! This problem has (almost) never had a 10/10 reproduction rate though; it's probably closer to 6/10. I've never had it though where it refused to shut off for a while, and then I eventually got it to shut down. Usually I've had to resort to using the hard power switch to try to shut it down, which then generally created it's own problems. EDIT: I was able to successfully do a second shut down; I'll keep testing intermittently and let you know if the problem recurs.

 

[essenbe]

OK, what I would suggest is if it is running right and cam be shut down now, just leave it alone. If it's not broke, don't fix it. But for future reference, your ram right now is running at a frequency of 1600 with timings of 11-11-11-28 1T at dram voltage of 1.5Volts. You should be able in your bios to enable XMP and the motherboard will set the timings for you. Those timings should be 1600 MHz, timings of 9-9-9-24 2T at 1.5 Volts. Basically the same as now but with lower timings, which is better. But, not better enough that you will notice it. You can just wait and see if it continues to work right and if so, leave it alone.

 

[Zibeltor]

Oh, no, Essenbe! I'm afraid it's all been jumbled up. For a (probably) unrelated problem, I had to/was able to do a system restore and it fixed the unrelated problem, but brought back the issue of the computer being unable to shut down. So now, I've been going through all the steps I did before that you recommended in order to try and fix it again. I've pretty much done everything, short of the BIOS/RAM timings fiddling which didn't initially appear to be necessary. I've run into one major hangup though in attempting to go through your "Clean Install of Nvidia Drivers" guide. For some reason (this didn't happen the first time) I can't uninstall any of the Nvidia drivers through the Uninstall a Program window. Whenever I click the uninstall button, it hangs for a millisecond and then nothing happens (no error window, no message at all); whatever issue it is seems limited to the Nvidia drivers (because I can still uninstall other stuff). I feel so bad for having messed up whatever fragile balance we established before, but I'd really appreciate some further help. I've already deleted the folders in C -> Nvidia -> Display Drivers per step 5 of your guide. Thank you so much!

 

[essenbe]

Then just continue and install the new drivers. Just the display driver and PhysX. Be sure the 'clean install' box is checked.

 

[Zibeltor]

Okay; I'm afraid I did the clean reinstall of my Nvidia drivers, but the issue is still back with a vengeance (e.g. reproduction rate of 10/10). Do you think I should take the next step of trying to set my BIOS to optimized defaults/XMP and adjust the RAM timings?

 

[essenbe]

It won't hurt, but I don't really think that's your problem, but it could be. Just be sure your sata controller is set to whatever it is set to right now and set your boot order.

 

[Zibeltor]

Alrighty, my SATA controller is set to ACHI and I was able to implement the XMP RAM protocol and it seemed to be lining up with the specs you gave me (although I couldn't quite figure out what "2T at 1.5 volts" meant, there was some field where the data was 1.5 volts). When you say set the boot order, I'm thinking you mean that it should be set to whatever my C drive is (because when I looked, I think it's set to check my extra storage non solid state drive). Is that right?

 

[essenbe]

Yes, set it to the drive you want to boot from. 2T is a ram timing. 2T is much more stable than 1T.

 

[Zibeltor]

Essenbe; alright, well, I went into the boot menu and when I tried to set the boot order there were only two options; my CD drive and one of my hard disks, so I selected the hard drive. I wasn't able to find a field or setting called RAM timing or anything labeled 1T or 2T. I'll try giving it another look here in a second. The issue persists, but I appreciate your help!

 

[essenbe]

I am not familiar with Gigabyte boards, but usually you can look for Hard drive BBS in boot options and change the boot drive there. If you enabled XMP, it should have set the Ram timings correctly.

 

[Zibeltor]

Alrighty! I changed the boot settings under the hard drive BBS section just like you mentioned to my C drive, but I'm afraid the issue persists. I was able to confirm that XMP is set, but I still didn't see any field with 1T or 2T (they were just all numeric) nor any setting called "RAM timing". For reference, this is what the advanced memory screen looks like for Gigabyte's boot menu (http://www.pcstats.com/articleimages/201203/gbtx79ud5_DSCF8791.jpg). Most of the settings (such as DRAM Timing Selectable) just have options like "Auto", "Quick", or "Turbo".

 

[essenbe]

If you enabled XMP, it will be fine. It will read the timings, frequency and voltage from the ram sticks themselves. Do you have another hard drive you can use and the installation DVD?

 

[essenbe]

Please upload all files and images here. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

Please upload the BSOD Posting Instructions http://www.sevenforums.com/bsod-help-support/96879-blue-screen-death-bsod-posting-instructions.html. Please upload them in a new post.