Solved PC Crashing, Error Event 41

[Saremik]

Hello,

I recently got a custom PC built and had found the PC would randomly restart. Sometimes within 10 minutes of it turning on and then sometimes a day later.. however it would not go more than about a day without rebooting.

I checked the graphics card and the fan and everything are working very fine, my psu seems to be more than enough for all of the specs I have and it is really making me insane trying to figure out what is wrong. I ran a memtest and found the RAM was bad so I returned it and got some RAM that I checked later and it passed the test. However this still did NOT FIX MY PROBLEM. UGhhh I'm turning crazy

I have no idea what is causing the reboot and I am starting to blame my wall socket as i have two power strips with other things connected and am crazily assuming the power strips are failing me... but that is not logical.

Anyways, one thing to note is that before the PC shuts down I just hear a quick beep and then it will shut down. I figure this has something to do with the BIOS but am not very experienced in BIOS. Another thing to note is that once it is shut down it wont boot back up unless I unplug / replug the power supply to the computer... Any idea what can cause this??

After checking the critical errors I got I have found this:

Critical: Kernel-Power
Event ID: 41

The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.

And the event data:

EventData
BugcheckCode 0
BugcheckParameter1 0x0
BugcheckParameter2 0x0
BugcheckParameter3 0x0
BugcheckParameter4 0x0
SleepInProgress false
PowerButtonTimestamp 0

this basically tells me nothing because the PC is shutting down before there is a bug check code written or a timestamp changed.. they are all 0's... Please if anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it!! Thank you in advance


My PC Specs:
Windows 7 x64
Intel i5-3570k
Gigabyte Z77-D3H
Nvidia GTX570
SanDisk Extreme 120 GB SSD
Corsair GT III 120 GB SSD
2 TB SATA III 7200 RPM HDD
8 GB (New RAM I just checked and is good)
800W PSU

 

[writhziden]

Troubleshooting steps:

The behavior you describe is typical of hardware problems. Run some hardware checks.

• If you are overclocking any hardware, please stop.
  
  
• If you have an SSD, make sure the following are up to date:
  • SSD firmware
  • BIOS Version
  • Chipset Drivers
  • Hard disk controller drivers/SATA drivers
  • If you have a Marvell IDE ATA/ATAPI device, make sure the drivers are up to date from the Intel site or Marvell site and not from your motherboard/vendor support site.
  
  
• Run all but the advanced tests with SeaTools for HDDs.
  SeaTools for Windows
  
  SeaTools for DOS​
  
  
• Monitor temperatures during the following tests.
  
  Use the following programs to monitor the temperatures.​
  • Real Temp is a good CPU temperature monitor.
  • Speccy - System Information - Free Download will monitor all hardware temperatures.
  • HWiNFO, HWiNFO32 & HWiNFO64 - Hardware Information and Analysis Tools can be inaccurate for CPU temperatures, but is a good program for GPU temperature monitoring.
  • Use FurMark: VGA Stress Test, Graphics Card and GPU Stability Test, Burn-in Test, OpenGL Benchmark and GPU Temperature | oZone3D.Net to test the graphics card GPU. Let it run until the GPU temperatures even out or until the GPU temperatures reach a dangerous level (you can find the max temperature for your card on either the nVidia or AMD sites; if you are not sure, ask us). The goal is to get a steady temperature, find out if the GPU is overheating, or to see if there are any artifacts present in the test itself: look for strange pixelated patterns on the screen or colors that do not look like they belong. Then use the |MG| Video Memory Stress Test 1.7.116 Download to test your graphics card memory. Let the memory test run for at least seven passes; the more the better.
    
    
  • Run http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/100352-hardware-stress-test-prime95.html to determine any hardware problems. Run all three tests for a few hours each. If you get errors, stop the test and post back here.
    
    
  • Follow the steps for doing CPU stress test using IntelBurnTest
  
  
• Run the boot version of Memtest86+ paying close attention to Parts 2 and 3 of the tutorial. Also, in case Memtest86+ misses anything and comes up with no errors, run the extended version of the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool for at least five passes. These you may want to run overnight since they take a long time to complete (run them an hour before bed each of the next two nights and check before going to sleep that they are still running).
  
  
     Warning

  Before you proceed with the following, answer these two questions: Are you still under warranty? Does your warranty allow you to open up the machine to check hardware? If you are unsure of the answers to these questions, contact your system manufacturer. :warn:WARNING: The steps that follow can void your warranty!!!
  
  
  For Part 3: If You Have Errors: If you swap any memory components, follow these steps for ESD safety:
  1. Shut down and turn off your computer.
  2. Unplug all power supplies to the computer (AC Power then battery for laptops, AC power for desktops)
  3. Hold down the power button for 30 seconds to close the circuit and ensure all power drains from components.
  4. Make sure you are grounded by using proper grounding techniques, i.e. work on an anti-static workbench, anti-static desk, or an anti-static pad. Hold something metallic while touching it to the anti-static surface, or use an anti-static wristband to attach to the anti-static material while working. If you do not have an anti-static workbench, desk, or pad, you can use your computer tower/case by finding a metal hold in it, such as a drive bay.
  Once these steps have been followed, it is safe to remove and replace components within your computer.

More info:

Even though you are not getting a blue screen, please follow the http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/96879-blue-screen-death-bsod-posting-instructions.html to provide us with more information including the Event Viewer logs you have included in your post.​

 

[Saremik]

Thank you for your help. I have followed the guidelines and I found two of my chipset drivers out of date. I checked my SSD's and they passed all the tests, as well as my RAM.


I have updated them and am hoping my PC to possibly not restart anymore but am not keeping my fingers crossed. I will post again if I encounter further problems...

 

[Saremik]

IT REBOOTED AGAIN!! It had been about 17 hours this morning and again it beeped and rebooted! I have checked all temps, the GPU, CPU, and HDD's are all within a very standard temperature! There is no overheating happening. I still hear that beep before it reboots though, I checked beep codes for my motherboard (Gigabyte) and I could not find a single beep meaning for the BIOS.

I am assuming this is a motherboard issue, but I am unclear. I am within warranty for my PC so I can get it replaced but I need to know quickly what exactly the problem can possibly be. Anyone have any ideas??? Please let me know if you have any input..

Thank you

 

[writhziden]

Power Cycle All SSDs:

Try doing a power cycle of the SSD. The following steps should be carried out and take ~1 hour to complete.

1. Power off the system.
2. Remove all power supplies (ac adapter then battery for laptop, ac adapter for desktop)
3. Hold down the power button for 30 seconds to close the circuit and drain all components of power.
4. Reconnect all power supplies (battery then ac adapter for laptop, ac adapter for desktop)
5. Turn on the system and enter the BIOS (see your manual for the steps to enter the BIOS)
6. Let the computer remain in the BIOS for 20 minutes.
7. Follow steps 1-3 and physically remove the SSD from the system by disconnecting the cables for a desktop or disconnecting the drive from the junction for a laptop.
8. Leave the drive disconnected for 30 seconds to let all power drain from it.
9. Replace the drive connection(s) and then do steps 4-8 again.
10. Repeat steps 1-4.
11. Start your computer normally and run Windows.

The above steps were a result of: Why did my SSD "disappear" from my system? - Crucial Community

While that may not be your drive, a power cycle should be the same on all SSD drives. See how the system responds after the SSD power cycle.​

 

[Saremik]

You believe the problem is the SSD's?

 

[Saremik]

I have finally completed this process after a little over an hour. After googling another interesting find I came across was someone claiming that changing the power options from

Turn off hard disk after: 20 minutes

to --> Turn off hard disk after: Never

He claimed this fixed his power problem as he was also getting the event 41 critical error.

I have tried this as well as cycling both my SSD's. I will go ahead to leave my computer on for a prolonged period of time. If my computer stays alive for at least 7 days I would consider this problem fixed. I am beginning right as I post this and will leave my PC on. I will leave updates throughout the process to see if this has fixed my problem.

Thank you for your help in this matter as my hopes of fixing this problem are slowly dwindling...

 

[writhziden]

Yes, changing the power options for the hard disk may help. That should not be necessary after the Power Cycle, though. The Power Cycle makes sure the drive is in a good state for power management options to work well.

Leaving the power options as they are is not a bad step for SSDs, though. Some people even recommend it so the SSD can do its garbage collection when the system is idle. I do not usually recommend it because many people have HDDs and SSDs on one system, and HDDs should be allowed to spin down when not in use to preserve their lifetime (although the jury is out as to whether this actually does preserve the lifetime; there is an ongoing debate about this in many forums).

 

[Saremik]

My comp rebooted again. Something interesting this time is that I cant boot it anymore. I am convinced this is a hardware manufacturer defect however I need your help. Do you believe the PSU is the problem with my PC or the motherboard? I can no longer boot my PC..

 

[writhziden]

There is no method I know of to debug a motherboard hardware failure through online troubleshooting. It requires a multimeter and electrical training to determine which components are faulty on the board. PSUs are also difficult to debug via online troubleshooting. http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-devices/201055-psu-testing.html#post1688197

Frankly, to tell you which is at fault, it would be purely guesswork. I can recommend swapping your PSU with a friend/colleague/classmate/etc. and seeing if your system is able to boot with a PSU that is rated the same or better than yours.

Based on my own experience, that sounds more like a PSU issue, but I cannot tell you with 100% certainty that it is the PSU. A bad motherboard could easily show those symptoms given the right circumstances.

 

[Saremik]

Thank you for your feedback as it was very helpful. As my item is still under warrranty just to be sure it is my PSU that may be faulty or defective I went to Frys and purchased the Antec 900W Gaming PSU. It is quite a reputable one which should be more than sufficient for my PC. I have turned it on successfully after countless attempts with my old psu (which will no longer work...) I am hoping it was a sign that the psu was faulty and simply was giving out then died. I am happy to see my PC turned on and I am now leaving it on. I will attempt to leave it on for a few days and give a status update. I am hoping it is not the motherboard as that would be a worse circumstance to be in. Thank you for all your help and I am hoping this is the fix for this situation... I will keep you updated.

 

[writhziden]

Appreciate you keeping us updated. Sounds promising at the very least.

Look forward to your post in a few days.

 

[Saremik]

Hello again,

Thought I would give an update for the PC. It has been 36 hours and no shutdown. It most likely wouldn't have been able to make it this long without shutting down so I'm pretty happy. However just to be sure I will be leaving it on for a couple more days. That would be more than satisfying for me to see happen. I feel confident now that it was the PSU, however I will be posting up another update in a couple days to confirm that my PC has not shutdown and the problem should be fixed. Thank you very much for your help!! You're judgement seems to have been very wise and exactly the solution I needed. A million thank yous!!!

I will post again in 2 days. :sarc:

 

[writhziden]

You're very welcome. Glad I was able to help.

I will again look forward to another post in 2 days.

 

[Saremik]

It has been a few days now and my computer has run perfectly without any problems whatsoever. That is quite significant enough of an amount of time for me to verify the problem is 100% fixed! I want to thank you very much for your help as you truly are an expert that was correct in your educated guess at the PSU!! Thank you very much, you saved me quite a large amount of potentially wasted time trying to get through this muck! I owe u! :

I have marked this thread as solved.

 

[writhziden]

You are very welcome.

Excellent news!! Very happy to see it solved!!!