Solved Random BLK SOD-sometimes 5/night

[cab]

ASUS US6E Win7x64 SP1 (4GB) bought 11 mos ago. Started out as BLUE SOD every month or so. Now getting BLK SOD--sudden reboots (black screen) even tho I have []Automatically Restart unchecked. Event Viewer seems only to record "system rebooted without cleanly shutting down." As many as 5/night--in fact just had one during my first attempt to post this. I have no extra hardware, no power software except maybe like Visual Studio and LabView, but they weren't running. Happens while reading pdf file, writing email or Word, or browsing (I have tried Firefox, Chrome, IE). I ran MS Memory Diagnostic (no errors) and chkdsk (read-only) no errors. Speak and I will happily try more extensive tests.
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>> How wonderful this site with diagnostics and live help!. ASUS claims they have -no- diagnostic for me to use. I must restore orig configuration (I do have disk image) and ship (4 weeks turn-around). I have 1 mo left on warranty-- I am afraid I'll get the system back with a note "There were no problems" and I would wonder. If I can pin down to hardware--fine. If you guys can find software problem--super.
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I have attached cab.zip. Sorry if I have some duplicate files (2) etc, I had already made an SF_xxxx then I got a BLK-SOD and, on the next SF_XXX, I mistakenly chose make-copy instead of overwrite.

 

[koolkat77]

Your dumps are of date 5/22-20-18-and 15 2012. No new bsod dumps?

Almost all your dump indicates memory corruption.
Run memtest with each stick in each slot (overnight) for 8 passes:
:ar: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/105647-ram-test-memtest86.html

You seem to be having problems with your USB-to-Serial Cable Driver/GembirdUAS112
Look for an update for it: Driver Reference Table

I'm not sure what this driver belongs to but its there in your crash logs.
Either uninstall or look for an driver update.

Google

Gigaware Bus Controllers and Ports software update released in April, 2010 Driver Download for Windows 7, Windows 7 x64 - Driver Update - DriverAgent.com

0: kd> lmvm Svk2pl64
start             end                 module name
fffff880`07200000 fffff880`07220000   Svk2pl64 T (no symbols)           
    Loaded symbol image file: Svk2pl64.sys
    Image path: \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\Svk2pl64.sys
    Image name:[COLOR="red"] Svk2pl64.sys[/COLOR]
    Timestamp:        [COLOR="Red"]Thu Apr 01 13:54:21 2010 (4BB4512D)[/COLOR]
    CheckSum:         0002627E
    ImageSize:        00020000
    Translations:     0000.04b0 0000.04e4 0409.04b0 0409.04e4

Let us know the results

 

[cab]

Not your usual BSOD

Koolkat77: Thank you kindly, I was about to take the poison pill (restore W), but verrry reluctant. No recent dumps? THE BLK-SOD's I have been getting lately seem seem only to log a "critical: did not shut down properly." Months ago I saw some real BSOD's but now I only see a black screen and a reboot. No blue screen or dump, even tho those are enabled.
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I only did a Windows Memory Dump from Start, very cursory. I will do Memtest86 (and chkdsk /R)

The driver is for a Gigaware USB-to-serial cable. Not even plugged in lately, but will uninstall.
=========
Meanwhile, I did 3 sfc/scannow's and got "cannot repair" errors, but all 4 mention "Simplified Chinese--for example;
---------------
2012-09-22 01:21:42, Info CSI 00000302 [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:22{11}]"PINTLGB.IMD" of Microsoft-Windows-IME-Simplified-Chinese-Core, Version = 6.1.7601.17514, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_AMD64 (9), Culture neutral, VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch
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I will let you know,
-Cab-

 

[koolkat77]

Try running http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/139810-sfc-scannow-run-command-prompt-boot.html
If that does not work, you may have to do a http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html

 

[cab]

Thanks for sticking with me, koolkat77.

• First, my homeworK; I did MemTest86+, 15 hours, 16 passes, no errors.

• Next I tried chkdsk/R but I got a text message (after reboot) that it could not do it because of some "recently installed" software, and I should restore to a point prior. I was not able to read all the text because it went away so quickly, even though I tried twice more. And I don't know what recently means but within a week I have not installed anything, except mozilla, java etc. updates -- (oh maybe "treesize free" which I needed to backup).

• I have been having problems with Restore (to an earlier point). In fact I have -never- had a successful Restore on any system (at least 6). Upon reboot I always get the message "was not able to restore, your system has not been changed." (That will be a separate post).
  • But the very last restore (getting the same message) must have done something because I was invited to restore to the new point in time just before that "harmless" restore. And I believe it damaged my WindowsMail (yes, using Windows 7). So maybe my system is really messed up here.
    .
• I will follow your instructions for /scannow
  .
• I don't have an installation disk, I have a store-bought system with a clean-reinstall partition. I looked at the DigitalRiver website--it looks like I can download an installation disk, but I don't know if I even have a product key. Even if not, a 30-day trial looks possible and would be fine for now, I could find out if I have a hardware problem, before shipping to ASUS for warranty repair. This would be the worst outcome, since I can't afford to do without for a month, so I am very grateful for any help on this forum.
  • I do have a disk-image made by MS-Backup. I am wondering if a clean-install followed by image-restore would help. If it is a software problem I suppose the image-restore would just bring the problem back. I can see that your method deletes driver and perhaps that is what I need.

 

[gregrocker]

The first thing that jumps out at me is that you've had the Asus for 11 months. That means you have a month to still get it replaced under warranty and shake out the new one. Something to consider.

If you've not done one yet I'd first follow these steps to get a perfect Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7. Everything you need is in the blue link. There must be a Win7 COA sticker on the machine with Product Key for your licensed version or they could not legally sell you the machine with Win7 installed.

Try making your Recovery disks first or save a Win7 backup image of your entire HD so that if the problems persist and cannot be resolved to your satisfaction you can Factory Restore or reimage and ask for replacement under warranty. You do not want to bring up that you did a Clean Reinstall because most OEM's will not support it even though it should not affect your hardware warranty.

 

[cab]

Thanks, gregrocker. That link will help greatly if and when I do a clean re-install. My plan was (should I have to do it) to re-install from the ASUS factory image on D:. Then restore my disk image and see if that helps. If not, I will re-install again from D: and recover as well as I can--your directions look superior.
- If i have to do a clean-reinstall is there a reason not to use the ASUS image on D:? I'm guessing that would be more specific to my hardware--for example, drivers for the ASUS battery, for the touch-pad, etc. I can puncture bloatware.
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- Another concern is that if I ship to ASUS, they may ship right back saying "there are no hardware problems." I would wonder how hard they looked. I'm hoping to at least be able to demonstrate a hardware problem before I decide to ship.

 

[gregrocker]

You can run Factory Recovery if it will run from partition or disks you make, however it is an inferior install which throttles Win7 OS with corrupting bloatware and useless duplicate utilities which have better versions built into Win7.

Drivers are covered in the tutorial. Win7 is the authority on its own drivers, not Asus or anyone else. This is not XP.

You might try running Recovery to see if it helps the problems at hand, then if not try the Clean Reinstall. If Recov is run from F8 as with most Asus' then it will not run from partition after a Clean Reinstall.

Either way I wouldn't waste much more time since the countdown to warranty expiration is ticking and you want the option to replace it.

 

[cab]

Hmm! Just as I get the BLK-SOD I do hear a slight click--perhaps like power-supply (i'm guessing here). But I have a working battery and the adaptor plugged in. However, the event-logs seem to have no relevant trigger before the reboot, perhaps like what happens when I hit the power switch (but I haven't tried that and will after I make this post).

• But if it is like driver conflict--there would be a BLU-SOD and note some event -before- the restart, wouldn't there?. Note: I have checked [x]Write an Event, and unchecked []Automatically restart.

• Since there have been more undesirable events since my first post--didn't restore, wouldn't do a chkdsk/R--I have attached a new SF_diagnostic cab_23_09_2012.zip.

gregrocker: I see your post. Thanks for the wise warning. I have a case-number and (I am told) I need only call in and get an RMA in time to be under the warranty.

 

[cab]

I hit the power switch on my ASUS. (Perhaps not recommended but sometimes necy when screen is frozen). What I see in the Event Viewer is very similar to what I see during a BLK-SOD. Namely, all Application Logs are Information-Level, as far as the eye can see. But in the System Logs, I see 1) A Critical-Level Log with Kernel-Power Source: "The system was rebooted without cleanly shutting down first" then 2) about 6 secs later an Error-Level Log with EventLog Source "The previous system shutdown at 2:13:23 AM on ?9/?24/?2012 was unexpected."
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>> And the recovery screen looks about the same "Windows did not shut down normally, giving a choice of SAFE MODE, etc, or START WINDOWS NORMALLY. Perhaps I neglected to mention this happenstance.
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>> Perhaps if I re-install, these BLK-SOD's will continue to happen, but it does not seem to happen a lot when the system is IDLE. (not sure). Perhaps I have to access a certain disk location or system file (I'm guessing).
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>> I will try the boot-up /scannow now.

 

[Vir Gnarus]

Turn off automatic restart on BSOD by typing "advanced system settings" in Start Menu, then go to Startup & Recovery settings and turn off the option there, then restart the PC. If you still get an instant reboot, then you most definitely have hardware failure, which will mean sending that sucker in for an RMA. If you have the option, it doesn't hurt to backup the whole disk image using something like Clonezilla so everything's completely restored on the new hardware.

 

[cab]

koolkat77:
Ran boot-up /scannow 3 times consecutively. Each time I was told that "some corrupt files were found, but could not fix all of them." Looked at the CBS.log file and found three identical error lines (identical except for the timestamps):.

• 2012-09-23 19:44:12, Error CBS Failed to shred identity: Microsoft-Windows-InternetExplorer-LanguagePack [HRESULT = 0x80070057 - E_INVALIDARG]

Many other lines mention Failure to open items, for example: "Info ... Failed to internally open package. [HRESULT = 0x800f0805 - CBS_E_INVALID_PACKAGE]." So I expect this /scannow was not valid. The earlier one I ran, at least pointed to corrupt files--my guess is that the message "some corrupt files were found, but could not fix all of them." is just boilerplate issued whenever an error of any kind is returned. The command line I used was

• sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c: /offwindir=c:\windows

I mention this because the directions said that the drive letter was unlikely to be c:, but it was for my run. After reboot I performed another /scannow from cmd shell and found a line that seems to say that the stored system file was also corrupt:

• 2012-09-24 06:28:18, Info CSI 000000e6 [SR] Could not reproject corrupted file [ml:520{260},l:62{31}]"\??\C:\Windows\IME\IMESC5\DICTS"\[l:22{11}]"PINTLGB.IMD"; source file in store is also corrupted

I am attaching the CBS.log file, for whatever it might be worth. Would it be possible to get the correct files from my ASUS install-partition?
>> Hmm! I could download the DigitalRiver iso -- I have seen a tutorial on how to repair using the full windows disk. I do have the serial-number -- it was hidden under my laptop with the label "Serial Number" (Thanks, gregrocker)

Vir Gnarus: I see your post. Thanks, I will try it.

 

[cab]

Vir Gnarus: Yes, I do have [x](Write an Event to the System Log) checked and [](Automatically Restart) unchecked. This (I believe) would give me a BLU-SOD, but I do not get that (just an instant Black screen and a reboot), and it appears nothing is written to the Event Log until -after- reboot, it is a message that my system was not shut down cleanly, followed by a message that the preceding reboot was "unexpected."
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But I don't get an instant reboot. It takes a day, an hour, or sometimes only a few minutes--and can't be pinned down to a particular application--I might be in Word, reading a pdf file, or browsing with Firefox, Chrome or IE. Or, yes, writing a post here.

 

[Vir Gnarus]

That's the thing. You are not getting BSODs, you are getting instant restarts triggered by your hardware. If you were getting BSODs, your system would freeze and the appropriate blue screen would appear, regardless if it managed to create a crashdump/eventlog entry or not. This is not involved with any software or Windows, this is a hardware malfunction.

There's really no point trying to ascertain what hardware it is when you have the system under warranty with an OEM vendor. Your best bet is to call them up and force them (yet do so respectfully) to do a replacement of the whole system, telling them that your warranty is about to expire (is it?) and if they keep dodging the issue by trying to replace parts you may over extend this beyond the warranty's expiration date and you'll just be left with a bad system. You will need to be very aggressive with them as they will try to evade replacing the whole system. Again, make sure to backup with Clonezilla so you keep everything exactly as is so you can return it to its original state once you get the new replacement.

 

[gregrocker]

I see you ran memtest86 for 16 passes, but have you swapped around RAM sticks checking the slots for debris, tried different configurations?

Have you run HD Diagnostic extended CD scan followed by Disk Check from the installer/Repair CD Command Line? If necessary run Check File System from Partition Wizard.

Have you tried System Restore from installer System Recovery Options or System Repair Disk ?

The problems with running Disk Check and System Restore from Windows point to a major Win7 problem to be resolved to know if it's causing your crashes.

Sometimes stray boot sector code can also cause anomalous behavior which would still fall into the software realm. It's enough of a possibility I'd want a baseline perfect install on wiped HD to know for sure.

 

[cab]

Looks Like Solved

Did I mention that I am using an external USB mouse? I sure thought I did--but that may have been another forum because I see that I did not. So sorry, koolkat77, gregrocker and Vir Gnarus.

If I take away the USB mouse or click [x] disable touchpad when an external mouse is plugged in, the restarts stop. (Well I got one but that was early on, several days ago, and with the mouse, not with the touchpad-only--and none since). This doesn't prove it has been fixed, but I unchecked that box and got another reset within 1 1/2 hours.

I have other problems with the system, but I may live with them and not ship it to ASUS (Hooray). Thanks to the diagnostics you guys put me through I have more confidence in the unit. You three have been very generous with your time and expertise. This is a great forum. I learned a lot that will help with future problems.

With crossed fingers, I mark it solved.

-Cab-

 

[cab]

Oops! Not Solved

Looks like I jumped the gun--hoping it was solved--that seems to have been wishful thinking. Not having both the mouse and the touchpad working made a lot of difference, but even now I get the BLK-SOD about once every day or two, instead of 5 times a day. I've tried touchpad alone and mouse with touchpad disabled, still get some BLK-SOD's. So it may be driver-related. I've checked all the drivers, touchpad and USB, they seem to be the "latest."

Shipping it to ASUS? I already have the RMA, but I really can't afford to be without it for a month. But unless someone has some suggestions to try,
I'll have to do that. gregrocker if memtest86 passes as-is, is there a need to move the memory around?

 

[Vir Gnarus]

I will say and say again, black screen crashes and instant restarts without blue screens are caused by hardware, not software. Drivers cannot be involved here, especially since we've already done a number on replacing them. If they were involved, they would cause lockups and blue screens, but not instant restarts. Driver changes can sometimes alleviate symptoms a bit by causing alterations to hardware activity, but it does not resolve the underlying issue.

It looks like your only option will be the RMA at this point in time, or to somehow get a tech to come over (though I believe that's a business-only option). Your other option is to start buying separate replacement parts for your system and installing the replacements yourself, starting with the motherboard. This, however, is not a preferred venture, but it is an option.

 

[cab]

Thanks, Vin Gnarus. I am going to do an original restore today just to exhaust all possible remedies.

 

[cab]

So I finally restored the system and got rid of the external mouse and display--putting it in as-bought shape--and still got the reboots. I sent it to ASUS with a long explanation. They said they could not reproduce the problem, replaced the touch-pad (one of my complaints) and returned it to me as fixed. But as soon as I started it up, it rebooted again. If the problem only occurs every few hours or so, it -is- hard to reproduce. It doesn't occur when left unattended overnight, which may be all ASUS did. At ASUS you don't get to communicate with Repair (just with CustServ guards), and they never sent me an email during the 4 weeks they kept it. I know this is not the place to complain about warranty service--I'm just giving an update.
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I see that the entries in the event log when it reboots look just like the events recorded when manually powering down:

• (Critical) Kernel-Power 41 "The system was rebooted without cleanly shutting down first..."
• (Error) EventLog 6008 "The previous system shutdown ... was unexpected"

So it may be a loose wire or bad transistor in the power line on the mother board. (Of course, I never got to ask Repair if they looked for that). Probably a chip because when using external mouse or display the laptop is never touched or disturbed. I'm trying to find a reliable sequence to reproduce--but it happens when reading email, reading a pdf-file, surfing the web, etc--so far, just at random. It looks like it needs mouse-clicks, but not a the moment it reboots.