My laptop keeps crashing...

[theherkman]

There's nothing in the minidump folder. A little more help?

 

[theherkman]

I mean I can't even find a Windows\MiniDump folder...

 

[theherkman]

Bump...

 

[theherkman]

Bump...

 

[CarlTR6]

I suspect the shutdowns have not created a dump file.

 

[theherkman]

In which case what can I do? I changed from my custom theme to a default theme and that brought the shutdowns to a BARE MINIMUM. They only happen once a week or so instead of every time I walk away from the computer. It is still quite annoying. Any suggestions?

 

[CarlTR6]

Upload you next dump and let's take a look. If going to a default theme rather than a custom theme reduces the frequency of your BSOD's, you may have a hardware issue - video card, RAM , power supply(?) - or a driver issue. This is assuming the custom theme puts more demand on your system than the default theme.

You can test your RAM with Memtest following the instructions in this tutorial: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/105647-ram-test-memtest86.html. Run Memtest from a cold boot after your computer has been off for an hour or two. Let it run for at least 7 passes. This will take 6-8 hours. Post back with the results.

 

[theherkman]

I ran 20 passes yesterday with no errors. Did another 15 today with no errors. It only takes 20 minutes a pass. Is that bad? Thoughts?

 

[CarlTR6]

That seems pretty fast for Memtest. It should take around 4 to 5 hours for seven passes. Were you running Memtest or the Windows built in memory checker?

 

[theherkman]

I was booting with Memtest. It was always 20min a pass. Even after many passes. That's why I ran it several times. It is a new computer with 2GB of DDR3. Not superfast, but not bad.

 

[CarlTR6]

This indicates that your RAM is probably OK. I say "probably" because Memtest, like most hardware tests, is not 100% accurate. But it is a good indication.

I suggest you test your video card with Furmark following the instructions in this tutorial: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/100356-video-card-stress-test-furmark.html. Post back with your results.

 

[theherkman]

This indicates that your RAM is probably OK. I say "probably" because Memtest, like most hardware tests, is not 100% accurate. But it is a good indication.

I suggest you test your video card with Furmark following the instructions in this tutorial: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/100356-video-card-stress-test-furmark.html. Post back with your results.

I ran the test. It wasn't worth it. I'm on a laptop and running an onboard Intel GMA4500MHD with shared memory. All I saw was artifacts. The test couldn't make any smooth graphics at all. It looked like a stop-motion claymation.

 

[CarlTR6]

That indicates you may have a graphics adapter problem. Is your computer under warranty? If so, I suggest you have it checked under warranty.

 

[theherkman]

It is not under warranty. But keep in mind that it is a low end laptop. Newer, yes, but I wouldn't expect much out of it for graphics. I have run other benchmark tests and compared performance and it seems to be right beside similar computers.

 

[CarlTR6]

Got it. As long as it is working properly for your uses, that is good. But if it defective at all, it can be causing problems. I ran Fruamrk on my own board graphics chip, which I do not use, and it only distorted and artifacted at the middle high and high end.