Solved Custom Build BSOD after two fresh W7 Installs

[epete]

Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card
Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Crucial M500 Series 960GB SSD - CT960M500SSD1
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit

My daughter has some interest in PCs so we decided to build a PC to see if it was something she wanted to do more of. We purchased the above part list and assembled them in an NZXT S340 ATX Mid Tower Case.

After assembly we installed W7 Ultimate 64 Bit. The system crashed upon launching any game. Crashes were immediate reboots and most often not the BSOD, but there were an occasional BSOD as well.

After a few weeks of troubleshooting we reformatted and reinstalled everything but this time we did not install any of the ASUS Graphics card drivers. We let Windows do it on its own. That seemed to help reduce the crashes. Then I realized I could disable the on board graphics in the BIOS and did so. Maybe there were conflicts between the motherboard graphics and the ASUS Graphics card. Not sure.

So as of today I am happy to say we seemed to have resolved all crashing with the exception of the BSOD, which seems to happen about once a day. We leave the PC on all of the time. The BSOD crash will occur even when no one is using the PC.

So I am at a loss as to what to do. I found this wonderful site in a google search. I am so happy to see there is a community of experts and hopefully one day I will able to give back.

 

[epete]

...finding more info on this site. I am going to run Memtest86+ V5.01 USB today to see if there is a problem with either my memory or motherboard memory slots. If no problems found after 8+ passes I will try Driver verifyer.

Since I purchased these parts in June, I would like to know if there are problems with any of my components now in order to get support from the manufacturer.

 

[epete]

The Memtest86+ utility is showing multiple errors. I removed all but one stick and saw the same errors come up within seconds. I have removed the stick that had the problem and placed the second of four in the same slot. This second stick did not generate errors immediately so now I will wait for 8 good passes.

 

[epete]

Stick 1 Failed in Slot 0 (Immediate Failure)
Stick 2 Passed in slot 0 (9 Passes)
Stick 3 Failed in Slot 2 with Stick 1 in Slot 0 (Immediate failure)
Stick 4 running in Slot 2 with Stick 1 in Slot 0 (No failure so far)

Is it possible I have 2 bad sticks?
I confirmed on the G.Skill website that this memory is compatible with my motherboard.

 

[epete]

Checked test results this morning and passed 7 iterations of Stick 4 running in Slot 2 with Stick 1 in Slot 0. I have now moved stick 4 to slot 3 and stick 1 to slot 1. This should confirm all 4 slots on the motherboard work.

 

[epete]

I didn't complete the full 7 or 8 passes this time as that would take another day. After three Passes to the alternate motherboard slots and not seeing any errors I believe I can conclude the motherboard is fine. (as well as 2 of the 4 memory sticks)

I have removed the bad sticks and will now run the PC with only the good sticks to confirm my BSOD problems are resolved. I also generated an RMA with G.Skill and will wait for their advice.

 

[Pauly]

Good work epete, seems you have listed, tested & diagnosed your problem.
I would agree with running just the two good sticks for a bit to verify all is ok

 

[epete]

Thanks. It is helpful to get a confirmation that I am on the right track. I wish I knew about this forum sooner as it has some very helpful information.

 

[Pauly]

Agreed, just a shame no one picked up on your thread earlier to help you out but it seems logical thought process has prevailed for you which is good as faulty ram can expose itself in a very wide range of issues so its good you have gone straight to the root cause.

 

[epete]

I just got an email from G.Skill support suggesting I configure each module to the rated specs.

• DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
• Timing 10-10-10-30
• Cas Latency 10
• Voltage 1.5V

I see that my BIOS is not properly set so I will set this and re-run my tests. I am hoping that this is the root cause.

 

[epete]

After exchanging a couple emails with G.Skill Tech support and updating some of the parameters in the motherboard bios (and still failing the Memtest86+ utility, they have recommend an RMA. I never had time to try using the PC with the two good sticks to confirm the BSOD problem is gone. My only fear is that I will get replacement RAM and the BSOD problem does not go away. I guess I will just have to wait and see. Either way if the current RAM gives errors and it is not the cause of the BSOD, I am sure it would have shown itself in other ways. I will mark this thread as solved after I get replacement RAM and confirm the BSOD is gone.

 

[epete]

I figured I would remove the two bad memory sticks and keep the PC up while I am waiting on G.SKILL for direction on the RMA. In about 18 hours the system blue screened. So while it will be nice to get some memory that doesn't show errors; I don't think it will solve my problem.

I am wondering if it is worth troubleshooting as is or if I should wait for the replacement ram before I continue (in order to eliminate variables).

 

[Pauly]

Please upload the files and we can take a look

 

[epete]

Pauly - thanks for your help. At this point all 4 sticks are in the mail. Not sure that I can execute the file that extracts the reports until I get replacement memory. So lets wait until I get replacement RAM. G.Skill Tech Support said "The RipJaws X series is designed for the Z97 platform, so it will have the ideal XMP Profile and features for your motherboard" so they will be sending that in return in place of my RipJaws Z series. So when they arrive, I will first test the RAM, make sure it is properly configured then wait for a blue screen. After a bluescreen, I will generate the zip to upload.

 

[Pauly]

OK no problem, I was just thinking we could check the date on the driver to confirm the correct one had been updated this time.

Its worth noting that initially you will want to enter bios and turn XMP to off/standard until you have regained system stability, although XMP is useful it can overclock the ram on its own which sometimes will overvolt it causing BSODs so be sure you run stock settings for a while

 

[Layback Bear]

Good call Paul. Sometimes XMP dose crazy things.

 

[epete]

OK, Back in July we found a problem with my RAM and G.SKILL provided me with 4 new sticks that work and do not fail the memory test. Since that time, my daughter started college and we haven't had much time to put into this machine. (This is her PC). She has told me that the PC still has BSOD problems and recently crashed when installing a new program.

I never responded to the last suggestion so I will now. The XMP is and has been disabled in the BIOS from the start. So that should not be contributing to the problem.

Since I have not been seeing these crashes, I am wondering if there are log files somewhere that I can go to to get enough details to continue troubleshooting so I can close on this build.

Any suggestions would be appreciated as I am now a t a loss on what to do.

 

[Pauly]

Your last dump reports an 0x124 error which is reporting a hardware issue (although this often isn't the case)
This can be caused by a variety of things but its worth noting that one BSOD that does not recur may not be the end of the world, if crashes repeat then I would always attempt to diagnose

Heres a good link with some info and things to try but the most common causes of this if it is not hardware damage/errors are overheating and/or bios

http://www.sevenforums.com/crash-lockup-debug-how/35349-stop-0x124-what-means-what-try.html

Given your earlier problems I would definitely check your bios settings and make sure everything is correct/nothing has changed, if any issues here check your cmos battery

I notice you have IOBit software on the machine Total System Care, IMHO this is one of the worst pieces of junk you can have and I would recommend you remove immediately and hope it hasn't done any lasting damage, we see lots of cases where this software causes BSOD crashes along with OS issues/fail to boot problems

 

[epete]

1. all IOBit SW have been uninstalled. (are there any programs that you think are worth wile for keeping a system clean or should I just forget about these utilities all together)?

2. Where will I see the 0X124 error show up? How to I clear this so I will know this has occurred after making changes.

3. I think the Memory is not the issue, given all I have done so far. The sticks are firmly in the sockets and locked.

4. I have removed the side panel and used a can of air to blow out any dust. Can I use any fan to blow inside to rule out overheating? I believe my Gygabyte BIOS provides temperature readings, Cant I use that to determine if something is overheating? Not sure what levels the temperatures should not exceed.

5. I have very few components connected to the motherboard. Microprocessor w/ Stock heat sync and fan, 4 memory sticks, graphics card and SSD. Note that the SSD is not screwed down to the frame. Is this something that needs to be done to rule out 0X124?

6. As far as the BIOS settings go, I have not tried to overdrive anything and the only changes I made were the values given to me by G.Skill Tech Support while debugging the RAM. I assume the values they provided were the best parameters to use.

7. On the Battery, Do I simply remove it and confirm it has the proper voltage with a voltmeter?

 

[epete]

Looking a bit closer at the link you provided, it is suggested that Gigabyte Software has been known to cause this problem.

Looking in my Uninstall or Change Program window, I see I have Fast Boot, APP Center, @BIOS B15.0630.1, VTuner, SIV, EZSetup B15.0811.1, Easy Tune, CloudStation, GameCtrl B14.0718.1, ON_OFF Charge 2 B15.0709.1, Smart TimeLock B15.0626.1 and Cloud Station Server installed. How do I know what is not needed and then what should I uninstall.

I am really hoping this is the cause of the problem.