Constant BSODs When trying to boot

[UberB]

Hey everybody. Please help me on this really annoying BSOD problem that I've been having for quite a long time now. I've only been getting BSODs after I've upgraded from Vista to 7 and they've been occurring for almost half a year now, which makes me think that it might be a hardware error. They always occur when I am trying to boot up the machine, however they occur infrequently. Most of the times the computer will boot up perfectly but every once in a while I will get a blue screen. Please help!

My hardware is:
Intel Core 2 duo P7350
2 GB RAM
ATI mobility radeon HD3470
Atheros AR928X network card
Realtek ALC662 sound card

Attached is my minidump folder in C:\Windows.

Below is an error code for every BSOD.

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2009/‎10/‎25 5:34

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Files that help describe the problem (some files may no longer be available)
102409-25630-01.dmp
sysdata.xml

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 1000007e
BCP1: C0000005
BCP2: 82C3708F
BCP3: 80786890
BCP4: 80786470
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Video hardware error

Date
‎2009/‎12/‎15 3:53

Status
Not reported

Description
A problem with your video hardware caused Windows to stop working correctly.

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: LiveKernelEvent
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Files that help describe the problem
WD-20091213-1156.dmp
sysdata.xml
WERInternalMetadata.xml

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 117
BCP1: 8567E008
BCP2: 8F64BA76
BCP3: 00000000
BCP4: 00000000
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2009/‎12/‎19 0:12

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: c5
BCP1: 00000008
BCP2: 00000002
BCP3: 00000000
BCP4: 82F2A795
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Video hardware error

Date
‎2009/‎12/‎22 13:26

Status
Not reported

Description
A problem with your video hardware caused Windows to stop working correctly.

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: LiveKernelEvent
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Files that help describe the problem
WD-20091221-2124.dmp
sysdata.xml
WERInternalMetadata.xml

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 117
BCP1: 85394008
BCP2: 8F610A76
BCP3: 00000000
BCP4: 00000000
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎1/‎4 0:53

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: a
BCP1: 00005E10
BCP2: 00000002
BCP3: 00000000
BCP4: 82E342AA
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎1/‎20 8:23

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 1000007e
BCP1: C0000005
BCP2: 8305E08F
BCP3: 80786890
BCP4: 80786470
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎1/‎28 8:28

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 1000007e
BCP1: C0000005
BCP2: 8306E08F
BCP3: 80786890
BCP4: 80786470
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎2/‎5 11:17

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: c5
BCP1: 0000B9F0
BCP2: 00000002
BCP3: 00000000
BCP4: 82F25795
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎2/‎6 8:31

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: cd
BCP1: 8F0A5000
BCP2: 00000000
BCP3: 82E368A7
BCP4: 00000000
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎2/‎18 23:25

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Files that help describe the problem (some files may no longer be available)
021810-22698-01.dmp
sysdata.xml

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 1000007e
BCP1: C0000005
BCP2: 8306308F
BCP3: 80786890
BCP4: 80786470
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎2/‎24 8:11

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Files that help describe the problem (some files may no longer be available)
022310-25272-01.dmp
sysdata.xml

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: a
BCP1: 0000B454
BCP2: 00000002
BCP3: 00000001
BCP4: 82E7B1AD
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎3/‎11 13:45

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 1000007e
BCP1: C0000005
BCP2: 8305E08F
BCP3: 80786890
BCP4: 80786470
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎3/‎14 2:13

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 1000007e
BCP1: C0000005
BCP2: 8306308F
BCP3: 80786890
BCP4: 80786470
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎3/‎19 9:51

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 1000007e
BCP1: C0000005
BCP2: 8306608F
BCP3: 80786890
BCP4: 80786470
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎3/‎23 14:47

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 1000007e
BCP1: C0000005
BCP2: 8302C08F
BCP3: 80786890
BCP4: 80786470
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎3/‎29 18:09

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: fe
BCP1: 00000008
BCP2: 00000006
BCP3: 00000006
BCP4: 86C2A3B0
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎4/‎12 16:22

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: c5
BCP1: 0000A488
BCP2: 00000002
BCP3: 00000000
BCP4: 8316D795
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎2010/‎4/‎30 16:47

Status
Not reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2052

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 1000007e
BCP1: C0000005
BCP2: 832310D7
BCP3: 80786890
BCP4: 80786470
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Sorry, don't know how to spoiler all that. Anyway, if you can solve this the nI would be ever so grateful!!

 

[usasma]

Looks like a hardware problem to me (at first glance) - try the steps in this article first: http://www.sevenforums.com/crash-lo...op-0x116-video_tdr_error-troubleshooting.html If those steps don't fix it, then try a new video card (see next post before buying a new video card - there's some video stuff there).

I'll post back with more when the memory dump analysis is done.....

 

[usasma]

20 memory dumps - pretty consistently from Oct 2009 until the present
I'd have to suspect a compatibility issue first (due to a number of instances of hal.dll in the memory dump files).
So, the first thing is to check your hardware and software for compatibility at this link: Windows 7 Compatibility: Software Programs and Hardware Devices: Find Updates, Drivers, and Downloads

Since the last error is related to your USB sub-system - I'd suggest checking your USB devices' compatibility first.

Also, please remove or update these older drivers that were loaded at the time of the crash. Don't use Windows Update or the Update drivers function of Device Manager.
Please use the following instructions to locate the most currently available drivers to replace the one's that you uninstall OR remove:

How To Find Drivers:
- search Google for the name of the driver
- compare the Google results with what's installed on your system to figure out which device/program it belongs to
- visit the web site of the manufacturer of the hardware/program to get the latest drivers (DON'T use Windows Update or the Update driver function of Device Manager).
- if there are difficulties in locating them, post back with questions and someone will try and help you locate the appropriate program.

- - The most common drivers are listed on this page: Driver Reference
- - Driver manufacturer links are on this page: http://www.carrona.org/drvrdown.html

Here's the older drivers. Please pay particular attention to any dated 2007 or earlier:

ATITool.sys  Fri Nov 10 08:08:51 2006 - [COLOR=Red]VERY IMPORTANT, MUST BE REMOVED!!! [/COLOR]Overclocking utility for ATI/nVidia cards - will only work on Windows 2000/XP/2003 - http://www.carrona.org/dvrref.html#ATITool.sys
giveio.sys   Wed Apr 03 22:33:25 [B][COLOR=Red]1996[/COLOR][/B] - [COLOR=Red]VERY IMPORTANT, MUST BE REMOVED!!![/COLOR] ADC Analyzer or SwiftForth or Disspy - http://www.carrona.org/dvrref.html#giveio.sys

Here's a summary of the last 3 memory dumps:

Built by: 7600.16539.x86fre.win7_gdr.100226-1909
Debug session time: Fri Apr 30 04:31:41.672 2010 (GMT-4)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:11.544
BugCheck 1000007E, {c0000005, 832310d7, 80786890, 80786470}
Probably caused by : ntkrpamp.exe ( nt!ObpLookupDirectoryEntry+2b )
PROCESS_NAME:  System
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x7E
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
Built by: 7600.16481.x86fre.win7_gdr.091207-1941
Debug session time: Mon Apr 12 04:20:42.030 2010 (GMT-4)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:13.760
BugCheck C5, {a488, 2, 0, 8316d795}
Probably caused by : Pool_Corruption ( nt!ExDeferredFreePool+135 )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0xC5_2
PROCESS_NAME:  System
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
Built by: 7600.16481.x86fre.win7_gdr.091207-1941
Debug session time: Mon Mar 29 06:08:09.999 2010 (GMT-4)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:02:02.870
BUGCHECK_STR:  0xFE
PROCESS_NAME:  System

 

[UberB]

Wow usasma, thank you so much for the detailed response!

Firstly I have removed the GiveIO service by uninstalling SpeedFan. As to ATITool. When I installed the software, it didn't uninstall properly. If memory serves, it could not be uninstalled by the given uninstaller and the program would not show up in Add/Remove Programs. So I manually deleted its folder in Program Files (i know, it was kind of stupid).

The registry also appears to be clear of ATITool and I can't find it in the Device Manager either. Is it safe to simply delete the atitool.sys file then? Thanks.

After doing some searches, I think the Microsoft Windows 7 Compatibility Database is rather incomplete. For example, the only Mobility Radeon card they have listed there is the ancient X600SE. Also, the desktop version of my graphics card (ATI Radeon HD 3470) is listed as compatible.

I am also confused as to how to check my USB devices' compatibility. I am on a laptop and under Device Manager they are just listed as "USB Root Hub" or "USB Composite Device" or "SiS 7001 PCI to USB Open Host Controller", etc. When I check the driver version, they were all released at around 2006 which I understand could be rather dangerous, but I have no idea how to get a newer driver because the manufacturer is often "Generic USB Hub" or "Standard USB Host Controller".

 

[usasma]

giveio.sys is a part of Speedfan? I've got Speedfan installed on my system and don't have that file in my C:\Windows\System32\drivers folder?

I'd suggest going to C:\Windows\System32\drivers and deleting the atitool.sys file. (I normally recommend just renaming it to atitool.BAK - but I can't see any drawback to just deleting it in this situation).

As for the compatibility database - that's a particular irritant of mine. The database is maintained by Microsoft - but that's all that they do with it. If ATI chooses not to list all of it's devices, then they just aren't listed. It's the manufacturer of the device/software that decides if it's compatible with Win7 - Microsoft doesn't take part in making that decision.

The video devices are compatible if you can obtain Win7 drivers for them. Nearly all ATI and nVidia cards have Win7 drivers available - just go to the Advanced Micro Devices Inc. website to check. Here's the link for the drivers that I found: ATI Catalyst? Mobility Display Driver

The USB controller & hub stuff is compatible if you can obtain Win7 drivers for the chipset of the system (since you've got 2006 drivers I wonder if there are any Win7 drivers available). Use this free tool to locate the name of the chipset on your system (it's listed in the Mainboard tab): CPUID
Then we can visit that chipset manufacturer's website to see if they offer a set of Win7 chipset drivers.

I suspect the "USB Composite Device" tho' - I've seen this when a USB device isn't working properly (it's been a dying external hard drive when I've seen it at work).

What's plugged into your USB ports? Unplug all of that stuff and see if the USB Composite Device goes away. If so, plug the stuff back in (one at a time) to see what the device is.

Another step would be to right click on the USB Composite Device and select Properties
Then select the Details tab, then select the Hardware ID in the dropdown box.
Let us know the 4 characters immediately following the VID_ and the 4 characters immediately following the PID_ We'll look them up here ( http://www.linux-usb.org/usb.ids ) to figure out what the device is

 

[UberB]

I only have two things plugged into my computer: a mouse and a laptop cooling pad. Neither of them are the "USB Composite Device".

I looked it up and it is 04F2/B071 which is the built-in webcam on this laptop. Now this is interesting because I haven't manually updated these drivers after upgrading to Win7. Will update.

My graphics card drivers are windows 7 compatible. If it matters, I used MobilityModder to mod the INF to get the latest drivers to install (otherwise there would be next to no drivers for a laptop card).

My motherboard model is F80S by Pegatron Corporation. Chipset is SiS 671/FX/DX/MX. Will update these drivers when I have time tomorrow.

THanks for the help and let me know if there is anything else I need to fix.

 

[usasma]

We're just blundering around trying to find the driver that's causing a compatibility issue.
If we're successful we wont' see anything (the errors will just stop).

You shouldn't need to mod the inf file with the video drivers from the ATI website. That's indicative of a problem in the graphics sub-system (and could even be a physical problem with the graphics card).

 

[UberB]

OK, I will update my graphics card drivers as well (didn't notice that ATI started supporting their Mobility Radeon lineup).

Question about the SiS drivers though. I look up the SiS671 drivers on their website through http://www.sis.com/download/ and there are only UniVGA5 drivers available. Now here I am confused because a) I thought the chipset had to deal with USB and not VGA and b) don't I already have VGA drivers in the form of ATI Catalyst?

Either way I tried install the driver but it said that it "cannot find a suitable package to install". Anyone know what's up?

Also do i need to update the bios for my system?

edit: ok so i went to the SiS Chipset Identification Online Utility which automatically determines your chipset and suggests the drivers needed. It says that the graphics drivers should be provided by ATI and the USB drivers should be "provided by OS" (no download available). So I guess that not being able to install the UniVGA drivers is pretty normal, however it doesn't look like I can update my USB drivers from the manufacturer.

 

[UberB]

whoops, double post

 

[usasma]

I generally don't recommend BIOS updates unless there's a specific situation that the BIOS update addresses.
If you make a mistake updating your BIOS, you can "brick" your motherboard - that's why I recommend staying away from it. But, if the issue you're having is addressed by the BIOS update - then you don't have a choice and you must update your BIOS.

Let's give Driver Verifier a shot at forcing the bad driver to crash. Please follow these directions:

Using Driver Verifier is an iffy proposition. Most times it'll crash and it'll tell you what the driver is. But sometimes it'll crash and won't tell you the driver. Other times it'll crash before you can log in to Windows. If you can't get to Safe Mode, then you'll have to resort to offline editing of the registry to disable Driver Verifier.

So, I'd suggest that you first backup your stuff 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).

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).

Reboot into Windows (after the crash) and turn off Driver Verifier by going back in and selecting "Delete existing settings" on the first page, then locate and zip up the memory dump file and upload it with your next post.

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.
If that doesn't work, post back and we'll have to see about fixing the registry entry off-line.

More info on this at this link: Using Driver Verifier to identify issues with Windows drivers for advanced users

 

[UberB]

Done. I remember running Driver Verifier once before (don't remember what settings i used that time though but it definitely differed from your instructions) only to have the system crash as soon as I tried to boot up. This time it obviously didn't happen but I'm sure it will happen sooner or later (hopefully sooner, heh). Will get back to you ASAP when the BSOD occurs.

 

[usasma]

I got my intructions (initially) from a post by Mark Russinovich.
After reading a bit more on what we are actually trying to do with Driver Verifier, I changed things a bit to make sure that I:
- tested all possible scenarios provided by Driver Verifier (with the exception of Low Resource Simulation because of how slow it makes the system).
- tested all loaded 3rd party drivers (as my experience shows that these are the primary cause of most BSOD's that fit the criteria to use Driver Verifier).

Good luck!

 

[UberB]

OK it's been well over 36 hours since I started Driver Verifier and there have been no blue screens. Does this mean that I am well rid of the problem, whatever it was? Or should I apply more stringent settings to Driver Verifier?

 

[usasma]

If Driver Verifier doesn't give any blue screens, and you've got it set to verify ALL 3rd party drivers - then (presumably) there are no issues with the 3rd party drivers. Please don't forget to turn Driver Verifier OFF

That leaves either Windows problems or hardware problems. Hardware problems are by far the more common of the two - but there isn't much that you can do with the hardware on a laptop.

I'd suggest trying these 2 free diagnostic tests:

Try this free video stress test: FurMark: Graphics Card Stability and Stress Test, OpenGL Benchmark and GPU Temperature | oZone3D.Net

FurMark Setup:
- If you have more than one GPU, select Multi-GPU during setup
- In the Run mode box, select "Stability Test" and "Log GPU Temperature"
Click "Go" to start the test
- Run the test until the GPU temperature maxes out - or until you start having problems (whichever comes first).
- Click "Quit" to exit

Try this free stress test: Free Software - GIMPS

Prime95 Setup:
- extract the contents of the zip file to a location of your choice
- double click on the executable file
- select "Just stress testing"
- select the "Blend" test. If you've already run MemTest overnight you may want to run the "Small FFTs" test instead.
- "Number of torture test threads to run" should equal the number of CPU's times 2 (if you're using hyperthreading).
The easiest way to figure this out is to go to Task Manager...Performance tab - and see the number of boxes under CPU Usage History
Then run the test for 6 to 24 hours - or until you get errors (whichever comes first).
The Test selection box and the stress.txt file describes what components that the program stresses.

If the tests don't reveal any further problem, then the next step would be a clean installation of Windows:
- only install one free antivirus program.
- install all critical Windows Updates
- don't install optional updates unless the drivers are missing in Driver Management.
- don't install anything else and see if that fixes the problems.

Good luck!

 

[UberB]

Hey, I ran the Prime95 torture test overnight for 9 hours, 20 minutes. No errors found. Will try the GPU one later.

 

[UberB]

OK, I ran the GPU test today for about 35 minutes straight, but the program said that my GPU temperature was 0 degrees C, which was kind of odd. Either way there were no errors.

 

[usasma]

I had a power failure while posting my last reply.
The gist of it was - you have a problem that's either hardware or Windows
You've tested the hardware as far as is possible with free tools

You do have an issue with your video chip since it doesn't display temps (and this link shows that they've used your video chip with FurMark: FurMark: Graphics Card Stability and Stress Test, OpenGL Benchmark and GPU Temperature | oZone3D.Net (see the Comparative table down towards the bottom). Also, if you search the AMD website, you'll find that the video chip does have a temperature monitoring sensor built in (I lost the link when I lost power).

That being the case, I'd suspect a problem with your video chip - but cannot be 100% sure (as there's no test for this A F A I K). The fact that Driver Verifier didn't cause crashes is pretty consistent with a hardware failure.

The only other test that I can suggest is to wipe your hard drive clean and reinstall Windows. DO NOT install any 3rd party devices or software - and make sure that you install all critical Windows Updates. Install the Microsoft Security Essentials for protection while testing this. If the system continues to crash, then you can be sure it's hardware.