Daily BSOD

[Jonathan_King]

BTW PCTools does not play well with Windows 7 either. Many BSODs caused by it.

Interesting. I had no problems with it on my 32 bit system. It runs smoothly and uses less RAM than Comodo. I prefer Comodo's interface.

Just like ZoneAlarm and AVG, PCTools only has a higher risk of causing BSODs. Most users never get them, but compared to other programs, they cause a lot of BSODs.

 

[npolite]

Yeah I installed Comodo already...just need to uninstall AVG and install MS Security Essentials. I'll reply as soon as a few days of testing go by.

 

[baarod]

The test was using memtest86+. I checked Gigabyte's website (N650SLI_DS4) and didn't find any network driver updates for Win 7. The latest dirvers from Nvidia's website are 15.51 and haven't been updated since Oct 2009. I'll try going down the upgrade route for MS Security Essentials but I must have a driver conflict in Win 7.

I really like Zone Alarm over the MS firewall because it tells me when any request goes outbound, I get notified. Sometimes this doesn't happen with the MS one.

It does if you tell it too. Microsoft realize that the vast majority of users don't care and in fact are bothered by an alert each time a program tries to make an outbound connection. Please read: Windows Vista Firewall enhancements: rule types, profiles, domain isolation If you'd like to have the Windows firewall, which we know causes no compatibility issues, alert you under the conditions you outlined, please follow these instructions.

You can manually set outbound firewall rules using "Windows Firewall with Advanced Security" built into Windows 7 by opening Start, typing "wf.msc" and pressing Enter. In the Overview section click "Windows Firewall Properties" and you'll see this:
View attachment 70122
Change the circled setting to Block and then use the Wizard to create rules for each program you install. No other traffic will be allowed.

To simplify this while still using the built in firewall get the free Windows 7 Firewall Control : Sphinx Software it will give you a UI similar to third party firewalls while controlling the built-in software, creating the firewall rules for you that you can later tweak if you like using wf.msc. Please give this a try.

I think implementing this and Microsoft Security Essentials will clear up your issues.

Also, have you made absolutely sure you're not carrying the Alureon rootkit I wrote about earlier? Why are you using a third party memory tester? Start, type "mdsched.exe" and enter and you'll get a memory tester that works like Windows, because it is Windows, and is specializes in stressing your RAM in ways that typically cause Windows to fail. Please try that too!

 

[CarlTR6]

The test was using memtest86+. I checked Gigabyte's website (N650SLI_DS4) and didn't find any network driver updates for Win 7. The latest dirvers from Nvidia's website are 15.51 and haven't been updated since Oct 2009. I'll try going down the upgrade route for MS Security Essentials but I must have a driver conflict in Win 7.

I really like Zone Alarm over the MS firewall because it tells me when any request goes outbound, I get notified. Sometimes this doesn't happen with the MS one.

It does if you tell it too. Microsoft realize that the vast majority of users don't care and in fact are bothered by an alert each time a program tries to make an outbound connection. Please read: Windows Vista Firewall enhancements: rule types, profiles, domain isolation If you'd like to have the Windows firewall, which we know causes no compatibility issues, alert you under the conditions you outlined, please follow these instructions.

You can manually set outbound firewall rules using "Windows Firewall with Advanced Security" built into Windows 7 by opening Start, typing "wf.msc" and pressing Enter. In the Overview section click "Windows Firewall Properties" and you'll see this:
View attachment 70122
Change the circled setting to Block and then use the Wizard to create rules for each program you install. No other traffic will be allowed.

To simplify this while still using the built in firewall get the free Windows 7 Firewall Control : Sphinx Software it will give you a UI similar to third party firewalls while controlling the built-in software, creating the firewall rules for you that you can later tweak if you like using wf.msc. Please give this a try.

This is exactly why I don't use the Windows firewall. Setting up the rules is a PITA. A firewall such as Comodo, PCTools, Zone Alarm, etc make this much simpler and much less of a hassle.

Windows firewall could definitely improve in this area; though I understand why MS has chosen this route. The average user user doesn't want to bothered and would select always allow without even checking to see what he/she was allowing.

 

[baarod]

The test was using memtest86+. I checked Gigabyte's website (N650SLI_DS4) and didn't find any network driver updates for Win 7. The latest dirvers from Nvidia's website are 15.51 and haven't been updated since Oct 2009. I'll try going down the upgrade route for MS Security Essentials but I must have a driver conflict in Win 7.

I really like Zone Alarm over the MS firewall because it tells me when any request goes outbound, I get notified. Sometimes this doesn't happen with the MS one.

It does if you tell it too. Microsoft realize that the vast majority of users don't care and in fact are bothered by an alert each time a program tries to make an outbound connection. Please read: Windows Vista Firewall enhancements: rule types, profiles, domain isolation If you'd like to have the Windows firewall, which we know causes no compatibility issues, alert you under the conditions you outlined, please follow these instructions.

You can manually set outbound firewall rules using "Windows Firewall with Advanced Security" built into Windows 7 by opening Start, typing "wf.msc" and pressing Enter. In the Overview section click "Windows Firewall Properties" and you'll see this:
View attachment 70122
Change the circled setting to Block and then use the Wizard to create rules for each program you install. No other traffic will be allowed.

To simplify this while still using the built in firewall get the free Windows 7 Firewall Control : Sphinx Software it will give you a UI similar to third party firewalls while controlling the built-in software, creating the firewall rules for you that you can later tweak if you like using wf.msc. Please give this a try.

This is exactly why I don't use the Windows firewall. Setting up the rules is a PITA. A firewall such as Comodo, PCTools, Zone Alarm, etc make this much simpler and much less of a hassle.

Windows firewall could definitely improve in this area; though I understand why MS has chosen this route. The average user user doesn't want to bothered and would select always allow without even checking to see what he/she was allowing.

Simple free add-on from Sphinx fills the void. It makes the rules as needed like the others.

 

[npolite]

Well I got another BSOD after installing Comodo and MS Security Essentials. Malwarebytes also didn't find anything when I had it scanned. I guess it's time for another reinstall of Windows 7. I really never had any problems in Windows XP using either AVG nor Zone Alarm.

Also attaching the latest dump if anyone can find anything else that might be wrong.

Thanks for everyone's help so far.

 

[baarod]

Well I got another BSOD after installing Comodo and MS Security Essentials. Malwarebytes also didn't find anything when I had it scanned. I guess it's time for another reinstall of Windows 7. I really never had any problems in Windows XP using either AVG nor Zone Alarm.

Also attaching the latest dump if anyone can find anything else that might be wrong.

Thanks for everyone's help so far.

I hope you've not reinstalled 7 yet. It appears that you've forgotten to turn off the Windows firewall before installing Comodo. There are dozens of BugCheck 10000050 errors on their forums: BSODs: Please add your minidump files here (CIS v4.x)

Get rid of it and try Windows 7 Firewall Control : Sphinx Software. It's compatible because it's just a front end to the built in firewall. Blocks outbound and all that. See if you still get the crashes.

 

[npolite]

I just wanted to post an update. I finally made the move to 64-bit and haven't had any problems in over a week and a half. I must have had a flaky driver. I'm still having issues shutting down but may have to reinstall the nforce drivers again.

I also am back to using AVG and Zone alarm.

 

[Jonathan_King]

Good, glad to hear you have no problems.

Just be warned AVG and ZoneAlarm are #2 and #1, respectively, for security program related problems.

 

[Bill]

Good, glad to hear you have no problems.

Just be warned AVG and ZoneAlarm are #2 and #1, respectively, for security program related problems.

Gotta love how AVG puts out definitions that detect windows system files as viruses.

Bill

 

[npolite]

Good, glad to hear you have no problems.

Just be warned AVG and ZoneAlarm are #2 and #1, respectively, for security program related problems.

Thanks. I plan on dumping AVG as soon as MS can fix their issue with Zone Alarm.

 

[CarlTR6]

Good, glad to hear you have no problems.

Just be warned AVG and ZoneAlarm are #2 and #1, respectively, for security program related problems.

Thanks. I plan on dumping AVG as soon as MS can fix their issue with Zone Alarm.

I think that is the other way around. ZA must fix its incompatibility with Win 7. And I am sure they will.

 

[npolite]

Well guys the problem is back again in Windows 7 64-bit. I am running ZA and AVG. I think got about 2 weeks out of the build before it started again. The one thing that was odd is that when I was setting up the Windows 7 installer, I got a BSOD but after that it was solid until recently. I ran another scan of Memtest and it came up clean. Does anyone have any suggestion before I back down to XP? If I get 4 solid weeks or more in XP without any problems then I know it's a driver related issue in Windows 7. Nailing it down is going to be next to near impossible so I may be looking at getting a new MB.

 

[Jonathan_King]

Please uninstall both AVG and ZA and install MSE instead. Then, if you get more dmps, please upload them.

 

[baarod]

Please uninstall both AVG and ZA and install MSE instead. Then, if you get more dmps, please upload them.

I concur. Most issues of this type under 7 are caused by bad hooking of the kernel by AV or FW software not issues by MS.

 

[CarlTR6]

Well guys the problem is back again in Windows 7 64-bit. I am running ZA and AVG. I think got about 2 weeks out of the build before it started again. The one thing that was odd is that when I was setting up the Windows 7 installer, I got a BSOD but after that it was solid until recently. I ran another scan of Memtest and it came up clean. Does anyone have any suggestion before I back down to XP? If I get 4 solid weeks or more in XP without any problems then I know it's a driver related issue in Windows 7. Nailing it down is going to be next to near impossible so I may be looking at getting a new MB.

Please uninstall both AVG and ZA and install MSE instead. Then, if you get more dmps, please upload them.

Jonathan is right. ZA and Windows 7 do not play nice. Most likely, you will not be able to use ZA until ZA resolves the problem. I cannot use it on my system either. Ditch it and use something else.

 

[npolite]

I'm giving it a shot now with just MSE without a firewall (I have a router so hopefully I'll be ok). We'll see what happens.

 

[CarlTR6]

Don't just turn ZA off; uninstall it completely.

 

[npolite]

Yeah AVG and ZA have been uninstalled. I got another BSOD but it hasn't dumped anything for the past several crashes in the c:\windows\minidump folder. I changed the setting for the dump to c:\minidump before the last crash and there is no dump file.

 

[baarod]

Yeah AVG and ZA have been uninstalled. I got another BSOD but it hasn't dumped anything for the past several crashes in the c:\windows\minidump folder. I changed the setting for the dump to c:\minidump before the last crash and there is no dump file.

Keep us posted...