CONSTANT blue screens of death

[biggles1000]

Yes, I've read the BSOD posting instructions several times. However, I a) still do t understand how to create a zip full of the mythological dump info and b) and typing this on my phone as my computer is at this very moment on the 16th or so (I kid you not :/) BSOD of the evening. I have taken a photo of most of today's BSODs, but they are stuck on my phone for the time being. The error messages have ranged from none (basically a generic BSOD screen, no error given and the error code is just 000...), to an ntfs.sys one (a few times) and a system_service_exception one. When I switch on the computer, I currently get 'greeted' by the start windows normally or the startup repair thing. Lets go through start windows normally first:
1) it sits on the "Starting Windows" screen, flag never appears
2) flag appears, halfway through the 4 colours joining, BSOD.
3) gets to login screen and then instant BSOD, or, if I'm uber-lucky, it'll even go to the desktop... And then BSOD.

So, now the startup repair options:
1) it loads it, then while restoring to a restore point from a month ago, BSOD.
There are other occurecnces, but I can't remember offhand. Lets just say none of them have been any use, and it's been a long evening.
The computer is a 2010 HP Pavilion tower, I've had it less than 6 months (after an HP gold renew). I have un-tempted to shove any other hardware in it, so all the innards are as it was shipped, nothing more, nothing less. The HP recovery diagnostics give everything a clean bill of health, as has the HP diagnostic program that has run every once in a while since first using the computer. I managed to run the windows memory diagnostics somehow this evening and it stopped at around 26% saying it had found an error and that I should contact the system manufacturer. The one time chkdsk actually ran this evening it said the HDD was fine.
What I WANT to do is wiped the HDD and start afresh. However, I can't do that until I manage to buy the 2TB internal drive I need as there is a large amount of irreplacable data on this HDD and there's only so many blank DVDs and empty (much smaller) HDDs lying around. I am currently reinstalling windows 7 on a Frankenstein's monster that I spent the last hour compiling from 3 knackered computers sitting in my cupboard waiting to be servers (I'm doing this in the hope that I can transfer some data onto an old 200GB IDE HDD painfully transferring GB by GB over on a flash drive).
So, basically, I'm clearly screwed. I cannot lose the data on the tower's HDD, yet I can't even turn the d*mn thing on without it dying.

Again, sorry for the lack of BSOD visual info or any dump file, but I couldn't even load a Linux live cd - mint came up with file system absence issues and fedora kernel panicked after about 10 minutes.

I reseated the GPU, tuner card and moved the three sticks of RAM from slot 1,2 + 3 down to 2, 3 + 4. I am at my wits end and getting incredibly stressed and worked up about it all

I have been experiencing the BSODs for quite some time (well, fairly frequent BSODsover the past few months, worse over the week just passed, even worse over the weekend just gone, and now completely intollerable this week so far)

 

[zigzag3143]

Yes, I've read the BSOD posting instructions several times. However, I a) still do t understand how to create a zip full of the mythological dump info and b) and typing this on my phone as my computer is at this very moment on the 16th or so (I kid you not :/) BSOD of the evening. I have taken a photo of most of today's BSODs, but they are stuck on my phone for the time being. The error messages have ranged from none (basically a generic BSOD screen, no error given and the error code is just 000...), to an ntfs.sys one (a few times) and a system_service_exception one. When I switch on the computer, I currently get 'greeted' by the start windows normally or the startup repair thing. Lets go through start windows normally first:
1) it sits on the "Starting Windows" screen, flag never appears
2) flag appears, halfway through the 4 colours joining, BSOD.
3) gets to login screen and then instant BSOD, or, if I'm uber-lucky, it'll even go to the desktop... And then BSOD.

So, now the startup repair options:
1) it loads it, then while restoring to a restore point from a month ago, BSOD.
There are other occurecnces, but I can't remember offhand. Lets just say none of them have been any use, and it's been a long evening.
The computer is a 2010 HP Pavilion tower, I've had it less than 6 months (after an HP gold renew). I have un-tempted to shove any other hardware in it, so all the innards are as it was shipped, nothing more, nothing less. The HP recovery diagnostics give everything a clean bill of health, as has the HP diagnostic program that has run every once in a while since first using the computer. I managed to run the windows memory diagnostics somehow this evening and it stopped at around 26% saying it had found an error and that I should contact the system manufacturer. The one time chkdsk actually ran this evening it said the HDD was fine.
What I WANT to do is wiped the HDD and start afresh. However, I can't do that until I manage to buy the 2TB internal drive I need as there is a large amount of irreplacable data on this HDD and there's only so many blank DVDs and empty (much smaller) HDDs lying around. I am currently reinstalling windows 7 on a Frankenstein's monster that I spent the last hour compiling from 3 knackered computers sitting in my cupboard waiting to be servers (I'm doing this in the hope that I can transfer some data onto an old 200GB IDE HDD painfully transferring GB by GB over on a flash drive).
So, basically, I'm clearly screwed. I cannot lose the data on the tower's HDD, yet I can't even turn the d*mn thing on without it dying.

Again, sorry for the lack of BSOD visual info or any dump file, but I couldn't even load a Linux live cd - mint came up with file system absence issues and fedora kernel panicked after about 10 minutes.

I reseated the GPU, tuner card and moved the three sticks of RAM from slot 1,2 + 3 down to 2, 3 + 4. I am at my wits end and getting incredibly stressed and worked up about it all

I have been experiencing the BSODs for quite some time (well, fairly frequent BSODsover the past few months, worse over the week just passed, even worse over the weekend just gone, and now completely intollerable this week so far)

Can you boot into safe mode (F8)?

Do you have the win 7 dvd?

 

[biggles1000]

Yeah, I have the HP diagnostic disc, the three HP recovery discs and my own Windows 7 install disc.
No, strangely safe mode is the one thing I haven't tried this time round I used it every time a BSOD had occurred and I went through the list of programs uninstalling everything I thought was unnecessary or causing instability, but haven't used safe mode in the past few days - just booted into safe mode and it's currently sitting happily on the desktop awaiting suggestions/instructions, hopefully it won't be going anywhere blue soon :/

 

[zigzag3143]

Yeah, I have the HP diagnostic disc, the three HP recovery discs and my own Windows 7 install disc.
No, strangely safe mode is the one thing I haven't tried this time round I used it every time a BSOD had occurred and I went through the list of programs uninstalling everything I thought was unnecessary or causing instability, but haven't used safe mode in the past few days - just booted into safe mode and it's currently sitting happily on the desktop awaiting suggestions/instructions, hopefully it won't be going anywhere blue soon :/

Ok chances are if it boots in safe mode its a driver.

Run these two tests to find out which.

These crashes were caused by memory corruption (probably a driver). Please run these two tests to verify your memory and find which driver is causing the problem.

If you are overclocking anything reset to default before running these tests.
In other words STOP!!!


1-Memtest.

*Download a copy of Memtest86 and burn the ISO to a CD using Iso Recorder or another ISO burning program. Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

*Boot from the CD, and leave it running for at least 5 or 6 passes.

Just remember, any time Memtest reports errors, it can be either bad RAM or a bad motherboard slot.

Test the sticks individually, and if you find a good one, test it in all slots.

Any errors are indicative of a memory problem.

If a known good stick fails in a motherboard slot it is probably the slot.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/105647-ram-test-memtest86.html



2-Driver verifier

I'd suggest that you first backup your data and then make sure you've got access to another computer so you can contact us if problems arise. Then make a System Restore point (so you can restore the system using the Vista/Win7 Startup Repair feature).

In Windows 7 you can make a Startup Repair disk by going to Start....All Programs...Maintenance...Create a System Repair Disc - with Windows Vista you'll have to use your installation disk or the "Repair your computer" option at the top of the Safe Mode menu .

Then, here's the procedure:
- Go to Start and type in "verifier" (without the quotes) and press Enter
- Select "Create custom settings (for code developers)" and click "Next"
- Select "Select individual settings from a full list" and click "Next"
- Select everything EXCEPT FOR "Low Resource Simulation" and click "Next"
- Select "Select driver names from a list" and click "Next"
Then select all drivers NOT provided by Microsoft and click "Next"
- Select "Finish" on the next page.

Reboot the system and wait for it to crash to the Blue Screen. Continue to use your system normally, and if you know what causes the crash, do that repeatedly. The objective here is to get the system to crash because Driver Verifier is stressing the drivers out. If it doesn't crash for you, then let it run for at least 36 hours of continuous operation (an estimate on my part).

If you can't get into Windows because it crashes too soon, try it in Safe Mode.
If you can't get into Safe Mode, try using System Restore from your installation DVD to set the system back to the previous restore point that you created.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/101379-driver-verifier-enable-disable.html


Further Reading
Using Driver Verifier to identify issues with Windows drivers for advanced users

 

[biggles1000]

no sooner had i hoped that there wouldn't be a BSOD in safe mode, there was :/ No error name given, just:
***STOP: 0x0000007E (0xFFFFFFFFC0000005,0xFFFFF80002D722CB,0xFFFFF880023AF9E8,0xFFFFF880023AF240)

(does that stuff mean anything to anyone, or would the elusive crash dump be the info for humans? I've always wondered )

downloaded memtest and installed on flash drive (only PC I have that can connect to internet that has an optical drive is the world's slowest computer - literally takes three minutes to resume from hibernate; an ice age to start up/shut down, so having to use someone's netbook at the moment). So far no errors, but I do hope that something pops up so I at least know what the root cause is :/

 

[zigzag3143]

no sooner had i hoped that there wouldn't be a BSOD in safe mode, there was :/ No error name given, just:
***STOP: 0x0000007E (0xFFFFFFFFC0000005,0xFFFFF80002D722CB,0xFFFFF880023AF9E8,0xFFFFF880023AF240)

(does that stuff mean anything to anyone, or would the elusive crash dump be the info for humans? I've always wondered )

downloaded memtest and installed on flash drive (only PC I have that can connect to internet that has an optical drive is the world's slowest computer - literally takes three minutes to resume from hibernate; an ice age to start up/shut down, so having to use someone's netbook at the moment). So far no errors, but I do hope that something pops up so I at least know what the root cause is :/

They first parameter indicates a memory exception (probably a driver) when you are finished with memtest run verifier.

 

[biggles1000]

ah

okay, went into safe mode (nothing had yet appeared in memtest) and ran verifier, following the steps. then booted into Windows (full Windows) and it still (touchwood) seems to be running (should it be??). Been uninstalling a lot of programs and HP tune-up has just started, so hopefully it'll clean stuff up. I've uninstalled things like TeamViewer and VirtualBox, but have left Soluto as it is helpf...

BSOD just occured
***STOP: 0x00000024 (0x00000000001904FB,0xFFFFF88003344EE8,0xFFFFF88003344740,0xFFFFF800036B43A2)

 

[zigzag3143]

ah

okay, went into safe mode (nothing had yet appeared in memtest) and ran verifier, following the steps. then booted into Windows (full Windows) and it still (touchwood) seems to be running (should it be??). Been uninstalling a lot of programs and HP tune-up has just started, so hopefully it'll clean stuff up. I've uninstalled things like TeamViewer and VirtualBox, but have left Soluto as it is helpf...

BSOD just occured
***STOP: 0x00000024 (0x00000000001904FB,0xFFFFF88003344EE8,0xFFFFF88003344740,0xFFFFF800036B43A2)

We need the DMP file

 

[biggles1000]

Haven't managed to o fain the dump file yet :/
However... Is there any possibility that it could all be down to dodgy graphics card drivers? As I have taken out the card that came with it and put in an inferior older NVIDIA card and so far (touch wood), no BSODs this evening. I have uninstalled all the NVIDIA drivers that the proper driver installer installed and shall try to revert to the ancient drivers that windows update recommends, but could it be due to the graphics drivers? I hope that it isn't an issue with the card itself, as that's the best one I have by quite some way.

 

[zigzag3143]

Haven't managed to o fain the dump file yet :/
However... Is there any possibility that it could all be down to dodgy graphics card drivers? As I have taken out the card that came with it and put in an inferior older NVIDIA card and so far (touch wood), no BSODs this evening. I have uninstalled all the NVIDIA drivers that the proper driver installer installed and shall try to revert to the ancient drivers that windows update recommends, but could it be due to the graphics drivers? I hope that it isn't an issue with the card itself, as that's the best one I have by quite some way.

Could be. Without data I cant be sure, but if the other card isnt crashing it is either the driver, card, power, or heat.

 

[biggles1000]

Any idea which of the files from Windows_NT6_BSOD_jcgriff2 you would need specifically? As I've looked through the text files and they give away rather a lot of personal and irrelevant (ie I know those specific things aren't the cause) info away

 

[zigzag3143]

Any idea which of the files from Windows_NT6_BSOD_jcgriff2 you would need specifically? As I've looked through the text files and they give away rather a lot of personal and irrelevant (ie I know those specific things aren't the cause) info away

Only thing I really need (or use) is the DMP file. Everything else contains too much personal info for my tastes.

 

[biggles1000]

ok; glad you share the personal info view

This probably sounds like a dumb question at this stage, but where is the DMP file? I've had the system thing set to output the dump stuff to C:\BSOD for the last ages but that directory is seemingly empty, as is C:\Windows\minidump

Onto today's events...
After not using the troublesome computer for around 12 hours (and it being switched off), I got home and removed the older graphics card and put back in the original one that came with it. I switched on the computer and apart from aero not being allowed to be enabled and no games (well, Saints Row 2 from steam wouldn't start) would run. I went to windows update, anticipating it would want me to install the old nvidia driver that it always wants. It did want to install it, so I let it. Once it had done downloading and installing, it started pestering me to reboot (no BSODs between booting and shutting down, all seemed fine). It reboots, going past the windows flag, going onto the logon screen, I log in, and it looks to be loading everything normally. However, just as Soluto finishes reporting that everything that should have started has started, a BSOD occurs.

attachments:
- The solo image is the photo I took of the screen of today's BSOD
- The zip contains several images of most of the BSODs over the past while (all but one being from between 9th Dec-13th Dec, one being from 25th November) (didn't catch earlier ones as hadn't figured out how to turn off the automatic restart option so ran out of time when trying to take photos)

 

[zigzag3143]

For win 7 the DMP file should be in c:\windows\minidump, or c:\windows. Not C:\BSOD's.

Sorry but the images wont help as we cant mine their data.

 

[sinbin]

I used my windows 7 disk to custom reinstall windows!
took me several attempts to get it to run!
It hangs on the blue screen for a while but wait it does run!

 

[biggles1000]

I went into safe mode and waited a while, then shutdown and started normally. waited on the login screen for about 10 minutes, then logged in. Waited nervously for Soluto to finish reporting that everything had started, and, no BSOD... Of course, I guess I should be overjoyed, but I'm mostly just incredibly nervous Aero was working, the 'Windows Updates installed successfully' popup balloon appeared and showed the GT230 driver install was successful... I'm currently running LA Noire (for testing to see if anything crashes, not enjoyment purposes) and it's running just the way it used to. So, no BSOD yet. The GPU fan seems to be running high, but it only went up when I loaded the game, so seems to be normal behaviour. I guess only time will tell, which is rather inconvenient :/

Both those directories seem to be completely devoid of any DMP files, which confuses me a lot, as they should be there

I would re-install Windows, but a lot (around 500GB in my user directory) of my data is on C: and moving the 900GB of used space to the right with GParted and re-assigning it as D: or something to install Windows on a new partition at the front would probably take around 20 uninterrupted hours to shift it, and I can't trust the computer to not crash Hopefully I'll manage to get the 2TB internal drive I need sharpish

 

[biggles1000]

rats :/ just as I thought it was fixed, BSOD (detailed IRQL... one again) just occurred. about to hunt around for crash dump file...

update: great (sarcasm), BSOD (generic lots of zeroes one) in safe mode. looks like back to square one

when i pressed the power button after waiting a few minutes after the safe mode BSOD, frantic repetitive medium-volume beeping, presumably BIOS beep stuff. then took three attempts to even get past the BIOS onto the safe mode/boot normally option. started safe mode again, BSOD (SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION with win32k.sys detail given).

 

[zigzag3143]

rats :/ just as I thought it was fixed, BSOD (detailed IRQL... one again) just occurred. about to hunt around for crash dump file...

update: great (sarcasm), BSOD (generic lots of zeroes one) in safe mode. looks like back to square one

when i pressed the power button after waiting a few minutes after the safe mode BSOD, frantic repetitive medium-volume beeping, presumably BIOS beep stuff. then took three attempts to even get past the BIOS onto the safe mode/boot normally option. started safe mode again, BSOD (SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION with win32k.sys detail given).

What was the beep code?

 

[biggles1000]

it didn't appear to be a proper beep code, just something going wrong, but it didn't happen again.

 

[zigzag3143]

it didn't appear to be a proper beep code, just something going wrong, but it didn't happen again.

A one off, Good.