Constant BODs due to usb driver

[cydoniax]

Thought you'd kick out of this - I downloaded the wrong iso file. I d/l the x86 instead of the x64. So, will do it again tonight and try again tomorrow.

I really have to laugh at this situation now as I think I've made every mistake in the book.

 

[cydoniax]

I did the repair install Sunday afternoon. Got a blue screen about 1 hour later, but it was the only one of the day. Didn't get one yesterday at all - first time in a long time that I went a whole day without a reboot. Today, got another blue screen fairly early on in the day.

I have done a new report in case that will help.

Is a clean install up next for me?

I don't know if this means anything, but after I did the repair install, a few hours later I noticed a notification window telling me that Windows was looking to install my usb device and failed to do so. Problem is, I hadn't plugged anything in to any of the usb ports. Everything seems to stem from this phantom usb device that is not working properly.

Thanks for the help!!

 

[writhziden]

I did the repair install Sunday afternoon. Got a blue screen about 1 hour later, but it was the only one of the day. Didn't get one yesterday at all - first time in a long time that I went a whole day without a reboot. Today, got another blue screen fairly early on in the day.

I have done a new report in case that will help.

Is a clean install up next for me?

I don't know if this means anything, but after I did the repair install, a few hours later I noticed a notification window telling me that Windows was looking to install my usb device and failed to do so. Problem is, I hadn't plugged anything in to any of the usb ports. Everything seems to stem from this phantom usb device that is not working properly.

Thanks for the help!!

I'm afraid I'll be out the remainder of the day. Maybe someone else can pick up where I left off, but if not, I'll take a look this evening or tomorrow early in the morning. Having a personal crisis at the moment.

 

[cydoniax]

I'm afraid I'll be out the remainder of the day. Maybe someone else can pick up where I left off, but if not, I'll take a look this evening or tomorrow early in the morning. Having a personal crisis at the moment.

No worries and no hurry. Sending good thoughts your way...

 

[zigzag3143]

I'm afraid I'll be out the remainder of the day. Maybe someone else can pick up where I left off, but if not, I'll take a look this evening or tomorrow early in the morning. Having a personal crisis at the moment.

No worries and no hurry. Sending good thoughts your way...

Just a passing note/question.

This is a long thread so I am just double checking that you have run memtest and driver verifier to eliminate RAM as the issue and to try and identify if a particular driver is at fault.

Have you?

How many un-powered USB devices do you have attached to this computer?

 

[cydoniax]

Just a passing note/question.

This is a long thread so I am just double checking that you have run memtest and driver verifier to eliminate RAM as the issue and to try and identify if a particular driver is at fault.

Have you?

How many un-powered USB devices do you have attached to this computer?

Hi - thanks for helping out. It's a long thread b/c I'm not particularly conversant with fixing things myself so you'll have to bear with me.

I do not currently have any USB devices attached. The only time I do is to plug a flashdrive in or my external hard drive to back up the laptop. Usually there is nothing plugged in which makes the notices puzzling.

I have not done a memtest. If that involves taking out modules, I have no idea how to do that. Way beyond my knowledge set.

As for a driver verifier - I'm not sure if I've done that one. What is it called? It doesn't sound familiar.

Sorry, as I mentioned, I'm not that great with this stuff.

 

[zigzag3143]

Just a passing note/question.

This is a long thread so I am just double checking that you have run memtest and driver verifier to eliminate RAM as the issue and to try and identify if a particular driver is at fault.

Have you?

How many un-powered USB devices do you have attached to this computer?

Hi - thanks for helping out. It's a long thread b/c I'm not particularly conversant with fixing things myself so you'll have to bear with me.

I do not currently have any USB devices attached. The only time I do is to plug a flashdrive in or my external hard drive to back up the laptop. Usually there is nothing plugged in which makes the notices puzzling.

I have not done a memtest. If that involves taking out modules, I have no idea how to do that. Way beyond my knowledge set.

As for a driver verifier - I'm not sure if I've done that one. What is it called? It doesn't sound familiar.

Sorry, as I mentioned, I'm not that great with this stuff.

Memtest can be run with everything intact. All you need is DVD (to burn memtest to) or a USB (which in your case may not be the best idea)

Driver verifier is called "driver verifier" it is built into win 7.

Do memtest first. It is longer (but much easier).

 

[cydoniax]

I'll try the memtest, but problem is, my laptop is not reliable to stay on for the whole test (it reboots all the time).

Do you have a link for the memtest?

thanks!

 

[zigzag3143]

I'll try the memtest, but problem is, my laptop is not reliable to stay on for the whole test (it reboots all the time).

Do you have a link for the memtest?

thanks!

Probably now reliable because of the memory. Here are both just in case.




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

 

[cydoniax]

Sorry, showing my ignorance again.

So I'm going to download the pre-compiled .iso in a zip file? If I double click on the iso file, I should be able to burn in to a dvd in Windows 7 - correct?

The instructions say to boot from the CD. Does that mean click on set up? Or turn the computer off and then bootup with CD in place?

It says to test the sticks - ????? What are those?

Sorry again - I'm hopeless.

 

[writhziden]

Sorry, showing my ignorance again.

So I'm going to download the pre-compiled .iso in a zip file? If I double click on the iso file, I should be able to burn in to a dvd in Windows 7 - correct?

The instructions say to boot from the CD. Does that mean click on set up? Or turn the computer off and then bootup with CD in place?

It says to test the sticks - ????? What are those?

Sorry again - I'm hopeless.

To burn to CD/DVD, put a disc in the drive of the computer you want to use for burning. Then select the .iso file and open it (the appropriate program should load it and burn it). If a program does not load the .iso, let us know, and we can help you find a program to burn the CD/DVD.

The sticks are your memory modules. You want to burn the CD on another computer if you cannot do so on your computer. Then you want to put the CD in your drive of the computer we are helping you analyze and turn on or restart the computer so it boots from the CD after getting past the very first screen that shows up when you turn your computer on.

 

[writhziden]

I'm afraid I'll be out the remainder of the day. Maybe someone else can pick up where I left off, but if not, I'll take a look this evening or tomorrow early in the morning. Having a personal crisis at the moment.

No worries and no hurry. Sending good thoughts your way...

And thanks for the good thoughts. It appears I may make it out of my conundrum yet. I'll continue to send good thoughts your computer's way.

 

[cydoniax]

Okay - thanks for the help (and the good thoughts).

Is this memtest worth running if I cannot test the memory sticks? Does this require me to take them out? And if not, do I have to be around to do something or can I let this run over night?

Thanks again

 

[writhziden]

Okay - thanks for the help (and the good thoughts).

Is this memtest worth running if I cannot test the memory sticks? Does this require me to take them out? And if not, do I have to be around to do something or can I let this run over night?

Thanks again

I would stay around for a little while and check it periodically, but let the majority of it run overnight. Maybe start it an hour or two before you go to sleep. You only have to check individual RAM if you feel comfortable doing so.

If Memtest finds errors and you are not comfortable checking the modules yourself, take it to a local computer store that does tech work and let them know you think you have RAM errors. Probably cost a bit, but it's up to you. If you are still under warranty, contact the vendor of the machine, and they can also look into RAM issues for you (and it won't cost much if anything). Either choice will know how to test the modules and replace any bad ones if the modules themselves are bad. If the sockets are bad, it'll require a new motherboard, which costs as much as a new laptop if you do not have warranty anymore. If it's a motherboard problem, and you do not have warranty, you'll have to weigh whether its worth fixing.

 

[cydoniax]

Thank again for the reply.

So if I run it, but do not take the modules out, will the program run smoothly and just end? My nightmare scenario is being stuck in the program with no escape.

Unfortunately, the laptop is out of warranty so I am weighing the cost/benefit ratio for fixing it or buying a new one. It wouldn't be so bad, but my PC is on the fritz as well so I don't have a reliable back up.

 

[writhziden]

Thank again for the reply.

So if I run it, but do not take the modules out, will the program run smoothly and just end? My nightmare scenario is being stuck in the program with no escape.

Unfortunately, the laptop is out of warranty so I am weighing the cost/benefit ratio for fixing it or buying a new one. It wouldn't be so bad, but my PC is on the fritz as well so I don't have a reliable back up.

The program should just continue running until you ask it to stop. The instructions for how to stop it will be on the screen while it runs. Just let it run for at least five passes and recommended seven passes, and then stop it. If it stops on its own, it is probably due to bad RAM, but sometimes it can also stop if the memory is just corrupted (has bad data, not bad hardware), and I can walk you through the steps on how to clear the memory corruption.

Best wishes that it runs smoothly and no errors occur and we can find a less expensive solution.

 

[cydoniax]

Tried to do the memtest, but the CD won't boot up on start. I read the instructions that said something about changing the CD drive in BIOS, and that seems beyond my scope.

Should I try the flash drive method?

 

[writhziden]

Tried to do the memtest, but the CD won't boot up on start. I read the instructions that said something about changing the CD drive in BIOS, and that seems beyond my scope.

Should I try the flash drive method?

You would still have to change the boot order to use the flash drive. You will have to get into your BIOS (F2 when the computer turns on) and go into the boot order selection and try to figure out how to move things in the listed order.

 

[cydoniax]

You would still have to change the boot order to use the flash drive. You will have to get into your BIOS (F2 when the computer turns on) and go into the boot order selection and try to figure out how to move things in the listed order.

Thanks. Looks like I'm up a creek without a paddle.

 

[writhziden]

You would still have to change the boot order to use the flash drive. You will have to get into your BIOS (F2 when the computer turns on) and go into the boot order selection and try to figure out how to move things in the listed order.

Thanks. Looks like I'm up a creek without a paddle.

How To Change the Boot Order (Boot Sequence) in BIOS

Just go through the pages by hitting the "next" link.