Constant BSODS, Issues booting, erratic Video Card Fan on boot, etc.

[writhziden]

How many passes did Memtest86+ run for before you stopped it?


Run some hardware checks.

• If you are overclocking any hardware, please stop.
  
  
• Monitor temperatures during the following tests.
  
  Use the following programs to monitor the temperatures.​
  • Real Temp is a good CPU temperature monitor.
  • Speccy - System Information - Free Download will monitor all hardware temperatures.
  • HWiNFO, HWiNFO32 & HWiNFO64 - Hardware Information and Analysis Tools can be inaccurate for CPU temperatures, but is a good program for GPU temperature monitoring.
  • Use FurMark: VGA Stress Test, Graphics Card and GPU Stability Test, Burn-in Test, OpenGL Benchmark and GPU Temperature | oZone3D.Net to test the graphics card GPU. Let it run until the GPU temperatures even out or until the GPU temperatures reach a dangerous level (you can find the max temperature for your card on either the nVidia or AMD sites; if you are not sure, ask us). The goal is to get a steady temperature, find out if the GPU is overheating, or to see if there are any artifacts present in the test itself: look for strange pixelated patterns on the screen or colors that do not look like they belong. Then use the |MG| Video Memory Stress Test 1.7.116 Download to test your graphics card memory. Let the memory test run for at least seven passes; the more the better.
    
    
  • Run http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/100352-hardware-stress-test-prime95.html to determine any hardware problems. Run all three tests for a few hours each. If you get errors, stop the test and post back here.
    
    
  • Follow the steps for doing CPU stress test using IntelBurnTest
  
  
• Run the boot version of Memtest86+ paying close attention to Parts 2 and 3 of the tutorial. Also, in case Memtest86+ misses anything and comes up with no errors, run the extended version of the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool for at least five passes. These you may want to run overnight since they take a long time to complete (run them an hour before bed each of the next two nights and check before going to sleep that they are still running).
  
  
     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 Part 3: If You Have Errors: If you swap any memory components, follow these steps for ESD safety:
  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. Make sure you are grounded by using proper grounding techniques, i.e. work on an anti-static workbench, anti-static desk, or an anti-static pad. Hold something metallic while touching it to the anti-static surface, or use an anti-static wristband to attach to the anti-static material while working. If you do not have an anti-static workbench, desk, or pad, you can use your computer tower/case by finding a metal hold in it, such as a drive bay.
  Once these steps have been followed, it is safe to remove and replace components within your computer.

 

[aquitas]

there were two passes in the mem test

i ran furmark.

"Run the boot version of Memtest86+ paying close attention to Parts 2 and 3 of the tutorial."

What tutorial? I'll post the results of the other tests after they are done.

What are the current BSODs related to?

 

[writhziden]

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

The link to it is in my previous post. It should be run for at least seven passes. I recommend 7-10, and I have seen it take up to 21 passes to find errors on modules before.

 

[aquitas]

I didn't see anywhere in the test where it allows you to change the amount of times the test run passes, i must have missed it? Also, while running diablo my card is getting up to 91 degrees celsius. That seems excessively hot.

 

[writhziden]

My ATI HD 4850 runs at 95 C with FurMark and around 90 C with games. It is not that uncommon for those cards to run hot. If you get over 100 C, then start to worry.

Your latest crash indicates a network issue. I do see that your network adapter driver is out of date. Highly recommend updating it. If you need help doing so, please fill in your system specs using http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/180324-system-info-see-your-system-specs.html. Fill the specs in on your profile and not in a post in this thread.

 

[aquitas]

I updated my specs.

 

[writhziden]

ASUS - Motherboards- ASUS M4A78T-E -> OS: Windows 7 64bit -> LAN ->
Version 10045/10018/10040

Very important: Do not install the Beta driver under LAN.

 

[aquitas]

Thanks, installed it. Crossing my fingers. I'll run the first round of tests tonight.

 

[writhziden]

You're welcome. Best of luck!

Post back if you need any help.

 

[aquitas]

This is a nightmare. Still constant crashes. Two finally successfully dumped. Attached. Could this be a failing video card? What are your thoughts?

Edit: I was thinking it may be the video card failing, or something related to the video card because the display driver keeps failing and then recovering. Sometimes it doesnt recover and the screen does a lot of funny things then locks up and turns black, or it just turns black all together. 5 min ago the display driver failed and recovered, then the screen went black again and stayed black while the video cards fan spun out of control fast. Sometimes when i boot the video cards fan will be spinning way too fast until the OS starts up. The OS itself is taking longer to fully boot than it used too. Sometimes the screen will be black for 20 seconds after the log in screen before it displays, and sometimes the icons on the task bar and the system tray will take forever to load. Not only that, the screen locks up at random times. I feel like my hardware is still pretty reasonably up to date and shouldn't be acting like an old piece of shit DELL from 2002..

 

[writhziden]

Crashes indicate hard disk errors. This could mean hard disk corruption, bad sectors, a failing hard disk, Windows files or registry corruption, viruses, or memory problems.

• If you are overclocking any hardware, please stop.
  
  
• Run Disk Check with both boxes checked for all HDDs and with Automatically fix file system errors checked for all SSDs. Post back your logs for the checks after finding them using http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/96938-check-disk-chkdsk-read-event-viewer-log.html (you may need to search for wininit instead of chkdsk).
  For any drives that do not give the message:
  Windows has checked the file system and found no problems
  run disk check again as above. In other words, if it says:
  Windows has made corrections to the file system
  after running the disk check, run the disk check again.
  
  
• Run the short and long tests with SeaTools for HDDs.
  SeaTools for Windows
  
  SeaTools for DOS​
  
  
• If you have an SSD, make sure the following are up to date:
  • SSD firmware
  • BIOS Version
  • Chipset Drivers
  • Hard disk controller drivers/SATA drivers
  • If you have a Marvell IDE ATA/ATAPI device, uninstall it in device manager and see if the system performs better.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• Download and install Malwarebytes, update it, do not start the free trial, and then run a full scan. Also run a full scan with your antivirus software installed on your system. If you do not have antivirus software installed, see the http://www.sevenforums.com/system-s...-system-security-combination.html#post1732627 for better security steps and scanning tools. Make sure to update the security software before running the full scan.
  
  
• Run the boot version of Memtest86+ paying close attention to Parts 2 and 3 of the tutorial. Also, in case Memtest86+ misses anything and comes up with no errors, run the extended version of the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool for at least five passes. These you may want to run overnight since they take a long time to complete (run them an hour before bed each of the next two nights and check before going to sleep that they are still running).
  
     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 Part 3: If You Have Errors: If you swap any memory components, follow these steps for ESD safety:
  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. Make sure you are grounded by using proper grounding techniques, i.e. work on an anti-static workbench, anti-static desk, or an anti-static pad. Hold something metallic while touching it to the anti-static surface, or use an anti-static wristband to attach to the anti-static material while working. If you do not have an anti-static workbench, desk, or pad, you can use your computer tower/case by finding a metal hold in it, such as a drive bay.
  Once these steps have been followed, it is safe to remove and replace components within your computer.

The behavior you describe indicates a Video TDR Error.

• 
  

  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.

 

[aquitas]

ati radeon hd 5770 kept crashing. swapped with 6770 and ran chkdsk

chkdsk:

Checking file system on C:
The type of the file system is NTFS.

A disk check has been scheduled.
Windows will now check the disk.

CHKDSK is verifying files (stage 1 of 5)...
159488 file records processed. File verification completed.
453 large file records processed. 0 bad file records processed. 2 EA records processed. 44 reparse records processed. CHKDSK is verifying indexes (stage 2 of 5)...
218182 index entries processed. Index verification completed.
0 unindexed files scanned. 0 unindexed files recovered. CHKDSK is verifying security descriptors (stage 3 of 5)...
159488 file SDs/SIDs processed. Cleaning up 37 unused index entries from index $SII of file 0x9.
Cleaning up 37 unused index entries from index $SDH of file 0x9.
Cleaning up 37 unused security descriptors.
Security descriptor verification completed.
29348 data files processed. CHKDSK is verifying Usn Journal...
36006512 USN bytes processed. Usn Journal verification completed.
CHKDSK is verifying file data (stage 4 of 5)...
159472 files processed. File data verification completed.
CHKDSK is verifying free space (stage 5 of 5)...
223607912 free clusters processed. Free space verification is complete.
Windows has checked the file system and found no problems.

976657407 KB total disk space.
81871440 KB in 100463 files.
62484 KB in 29349 indexes.
0 KB in bad sectors.
291835 KB in use by the system.
65536 KB occupied by the log file.
894431648 KB available on disk.

4096 bytes in each allocation unit.
244164351 total allocation units on disk.
223607912 allocation units available on disk.

Internal Info:
00 6f 02 00 1f fb 01 00 19 81 03 00 00 00 00 00 .o..............
4f 01 00 00 2c 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 O...,...........
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................

Windows has finished checking your disk.
Please wait while your computer restarts.

 

[writhziden]

Disk check came back clean. How are things going with the 6770?

Have you tried different ATI drivers? Start with 11.9 and move up to 12.4; some systems have had problems with 12.x drivers.

 

[aquitas]

So far so good with the 6770. Runs ALOT more quietly. I'll be getting a 6850 by monday or tuesday and i'll try that one out too. I've always opted for the most recent drivers available on the video card's webpage. I used the most current driver when i installed the 6770 as well.

 

[writhziden]

The most recent is not always the most stable. Typically, driver updates improve or maintain stability, but occasionally, one will be buggy and cause instability instead. I usually only recommend updating drivers if the driver or device is known to be causing problems.

 

[aquitas]

another crash today. black screen. no bsod. had to shut down with power button on case. couple interesting things to note:
1. when pressing and holding down the power button the case to shut down the computer, computer shuts down. Once I release the power button, the computer starts up again. Acting like a restart button.

2. There are 4 ram slots on my board. I have two two gig ram cards and i just bought a four gig card to try out. My computer will only post when the two 2gig rams are in the 2nd and 4th slots on the board. Or when the single 2gig or single 4 gig are in the 2nd slot. No other configuration will post. I have replaced this board three times so i find it hard to blame the board.

Also, as far as mem tests go for bad sectors, when these problems with bsods, random crashes, and no start ups started, eventually I was able to target bad sectors on my HDD through a mem test that the system itself prompted was necesary. I have since replaced the HDD with a new one ( the one i posted mem test results on in a previous post ) So i can't see it being the HDD. I just put a new video card in with new drivers, so I can't see it being that.. I've checked power levels on the board from the PSU and those check out. Temps look find everywhere.. I've reformatted more times I can count. I've even used someone elses ram for a while and that caused issues still. All that is left is the CPU. I'm getting a little frustrated since i've already shelled out 200+ for a new HDD and Video card, and have had to wait for RMAs for all the other parts. I'm hesistant to buy new parts instead of save up for a new build altogether.

Honestly I didnt think troubleshooting a build would be this difficult. I'm almost considering getting a prebuilt or a laptop, but the prices in comparison to a custom build is staggering. I really want to pinpoint this issue but am at a complete loss. All i have left to do from your suggestions is SFC and Seatools. Maybe a couple more mem tests on the ram..

 

[aquitas]

2nd crash today/night.

 

[writhziden]

The shutdown turning into a restart is probably a BIOS setting. Some BIOS options contain one to start the computer up in the event of a power failure (or something to that effect). Check for that option and disable it.

Your crash indicated hard disk problems. SeaTools and the SFC are recommended.

The memory configuration issue would suggest possible motherboard or CPU issues. Since you replaced the motherboard, that would leave the CPU. I may give you some tests for that once the other steps are carried out if they do not reveal anything; I have one other suggestion first:

If you have not already done so, try a different cable between the hard drive and the motherboard. Also, see if you can get past POST with different memory configurations if the hard drive is disconnected completely from the system.

 

[aquitas]

Attached are two bsods with a new card (radeon hd 6850 - drivers are up to date)

The second bsod was interesting. While watching a youtube video the video driver stop responding and recovered twice and then finally froze up completely and the entire screen was covered in glitchy lines.

Tried seagate tests, passed.

Tried another memtest, passed.

As far as swapping parts and testing the boot up, here's what i found:

without hard drive plugged in I tested moving the ram to different slots with the video card installed, and with just the on board card, the results were the same either way...

will post if...

1. ram is in slot 2
2. ram is in slot 4
3. ram is in slot 2 and 4

(i tried with my regular ram and with 4 gig cards)

I flashed the bios by following the methods listed in the motherboards manual last night and still crashed today. I also used completely new SATA cables for the hard drive.

There is not a single part in my computer that I have not either replaced with a new part or swapped with a different part.

 

[aquitas]

and another while watching a youtube video