New build BSOD 0x0000124 Blue screen crash - DM log uploaded!

[Paulgo253]

Hi guys - new to the forum and any help would be fantastic! Just installed Windows 7 on a 1gb Samsung spinpiont, keeping my old pc set up. All was good for the first day but now I'm getting regular blue screen crashes - increasing in regularity as the pc is on a while. I wonder if it's my psu as I'm upgrading that - but otherwise really stuck!

I've attached the DM log file - hopefully all done correctly! All help gratefully appreciate

many thanks

Paul

 

[Boozad]

Hi mate, welcome to 7 Forums.

That's a lot of dumps in those logs, and yeah they're all 0x124s. 0x124s denote a hardware error, and unfortunately they very rarely give any indicator as to what the problem actually is, as is the case here. The normal procedure here would be to recommend a series of hardware test to out the problematic hardware but I'd like to ask a few questions based on your initial post before we go ahead.

1: You mentioned your PSU, is there any particular reason you mention that? Is it old? Underpowered? it's not listed in your System Specs so that information could be important.

2: What type of CPU cooler do you have fitted, and is it definitely seated correctly?

3: Have you monitored your temperatures? CPU and GPU mainly?

4: What make and model RAM do you have fitted? What frequency is it set at?

Please answer these questions before we proceed testing your hardware.

 

[Paulgo253]

Hi - thanks for your reply.

PSU - I mentioned this because I've just noticed that it's 300w (I swapped out my 450w unit to my son and totally forgot that I was running the lower unit!) As a result I'm running on-board graphics at the moment till my 600w psu is shipped. I ran the GTS 450 graphics card on XP with 2 hard drives and didnt seem to be a problem tho.

CPU Cooler is a standard intel fan for the i3. It did seem a little loose but made it secure and it's made no difference! Still crashing and no problems when I run XP using my old hard drive.

Temps - I haven't checked this be honest. Can you recommend a good programmer? There was something from Asus that came with the P7h55-MV motherboard but I've lost the driver disc.

Ram - I thought initially that this might be the culprit. I'm running 4 sticks of DDR3 133 ram. 2 are Elixir and the other 2 are unbranded. I've tried swapping the different sets out to no avail. At first it seemed to run ok on just my older unbranded ram (4gb), but it soon started crashing again. I think I'll replace the ram with 2x4gb sticks that are the same brand.

I'm basically running the same hardware as per the previous XP set up - just with a new hard drive. Checked both the new drive and the ram for problems and the both come up as ok. When I run the system on XP using my old hard drive all is fine also.

One last thing - I've not installed any m/b drivers, just let windows sort that out (although I have for the graphics card.

thanks again for your help!

 

[Boozad]

Bear with me Paul, I'll be back with you later this evening if I don't answer straight away. I'm a little busy at the moment. We'll get to the bottom of your problems.

 

[Paulgo253]

that's no problem and your help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Boozad]

Another quick question, did you apply thermal paste to your CPU before fitting the cooler?

 

[Paulgo253]

As far as I recall it wasn't needed as there was a pad on the cooler. It's never been fully removed since. Just managed to downloaded Asus probe in between crashes so will see what it reports!

 

[Boozad]

Use Speccy or HWMonitor to monitor temperatures. ASUS AI Suite programs are just bloatware.

 

[Paulgo253]

One more thing that might or might not be relevant is that twice it wouldn't come out of hibernation - i though this was a graphics issue as the pc appeared to be running but no signal the the monitor...

 

[Paulgo253]

Use Speccy or HWMonitor to monitor temperatures. ASUS AI Suite programs are just bloatware.

Great - cheers!

 

[Boozad]

Any news on those temps yet Paul?

 

[Paulgo253]

Hi - running windows 7 the pc's not been stable enough to get any readings! IT's crashing just about as soon it loads, not much better under safe mode. But using the second hard drive and booting up in XP the CPU temps seem to be around 35 - 43. The hard drive temps are 28-30, On the psu it's showing 7.8v on the 12v rail - I suspect that is not good?! But with the same hardware the system is stable on the XP h/d

thanks

Paul

 

[Boozad]

The temperatures look good but that reading on the 12v rail isn't good. How old is the PSU? And when is your new one due?

 

[Paulgo253]

would it help to upload screen grabs? - but these are when running XP not 7. I left the pc off for over an hour and it still crashed almost as soon as it loaded windows 7

 

[Paulgo253]

Sorry - just seen your reply. PSU is a good 3-4 years old. It came from my son's pc when he was having problems. I wasn't running much hardware so let him have mine! I'm running 3 hard drives now tho and increased to 8gb ram (I've not enough connections to run the graphics card and more than 1 hard drive at the same time!!)

Should have new psu by weds!

 

[Boozad]

Yeah post the screenshots Paul and I'll ask my hardware expert mate to drop in and talk about PSUs. He'll give you much better advice on that front than I will but I'll stick around too.

 

[Paulgo253]

Hi - I've attached some screen grabs of Speccy and HW Monitor from when running in XP - and thanks again for your help - much appreciated!!!

 

[Boozad]

Essenbe will be along shortly to give you the lowdown Paul but I think it's safe to say your PSU is nailed, or as good as anyway mate. You should be seeing something like this.

View attachment 324509

 

[Paulgo253]

Cheers - well at 300w is was too low on power anyway but i didn't realise how badly it was performing!!

 

[essenbe]

Well, I'm not really a hardware expert, and have never claimed to be. First I have to say something is real wrong. Every program you showed me showed your +12V as 7.8-7.9. I would not believe that the computer could boot at those voltage levels. ATX standards are +/- 5%, so you are way out of acceptable range on that. Your CPU, while acceptable, the temps are a little on the high side, but that may be because of the Stock cooler. They leave a lot to be desired.

You have 8 GB of ram, but you are showing XP as a 32 bit OS, X86 (32bit) cannot address more than about 3.5-3.7 GB.

If you could, please go into BIOS and see if you have a monitoring section and tell me the readings for the +12V, +5V, and +3.3V. Also, before you buy Ram be sure to check your manual. See how much ram your board can use. I have a rig that runs that CPU and the most that board can address is 1GB per dim slot, I'm pretty sure. Also check on the specs of the ram for your board (frequency, timings and Voltage). You are always better off using a kit of ram as they are tested to work well together where individual sticks are not. Be sure to go with a Major Manufacturer too.

But, I am not sure why XP will run and windows 7 won't. While XP utilizes less resources than W7, it is still using the same hardware. When you installed Windows 7, did you have the XP drive connected?

Also, if your BIOS confirms your +12V reading, my first move would buy an new quality brand of PSU. A PSU is not the place to skimp on money. a cheap PSU will in many cases not put out what it claims to and will not have the safety features of a quality brand. And, yes, they are more expensive, but well worth it. I always recommend Seasonic, Corsair, Antec and XFX. Those are all quality brands and can be used if you decide to do a new build. You may keep that in mind when buying. Size cannot be too large, really. You will only use what your computer needs, but will always leave room for upgrades, will run cooler and last longer. BTW, of the brands I mentioned, Seasonic makes many of them and they are rebranded. When you get ready to buy, let us know and we can advise you. Plus, a Modular PSU will make the build a whole lot easier. Just a few facts to keep in mind. BTW, where you are from, I understand Be Quiet is a big name. They have just started to make an entry to the US, so I know very little about them. But, I do have a few friends in the UK and they have told me they were very good, but I have no personal experience with them nor have I heard very much about them.