Skyrim BSOD and frequent crashes (.dmp included)

[Panthon13]

I have a .dmp file attached.
The crashing seems to only happen while playing Skyrim, whether the game crashes to desktop, freezes, suffers heavy sudden lag then freezes, restarts my computer instantly, or bluescreens then restarts my computer. It's the only game that this happens with it seems...

Please let me know what information you need to know about my computer. I believe this may be stemming from my graphics card. I have an MSI Nvidia GTX 570 Frzr III Power Edition. The game runs on Ultra settings, everything turned to max, and these crashes happen with or without mods, so they aren't the source.

My settings under the graphics control panel are set to default, and I use the overclocking MSI Afterburner software to overclock the graphics card, and the crashes happen just the same without any overclocks.

I can't come to any conclusion since I can't even open this .dmp file, and I don't know how to read them.

Thanks for any help you give.

 

[Panthon13]

This post contains the information from a System Health Report and a BSOD Dump collector app that is in the BSOD posting requirements tutorial on this website. While all my dumps are in this folder, the one pertaining to this crash is the most recent dump, 070312-20904-01.dmp

 

[writhziden]

Device Concerns:

Unknown Device	USB\VID_0000&PID_0000\5&15D9C317&0&3	43

Make sure all drivers for USB devices are installed and working properly.​

Software Concerns:

Start Menu\Programs\MSI Afterburner	Anthony-PC\Anthony:Start Menu\Programs\MSI Afterburner	Anthony-PC\Anthony
Start Menu\Programs\MSI Kombustor	Public:Start Menu\Programs\MSI Kombustor	Public

MSI Afterburner/RivaTuner is known to cause instability with systems. Please remove the software. Software overclocking does not provide reliable overclocking. Overclocking should be accomplished through the BIOS or through the graphics card manufacturer's software.​

Analysis:

Crashes are likely due to RTCore64.sys which is your MSI Afterburner software. Yours is seven years old and the older version of the software is known to cause conflicts with Windows 7. See if removing it provides more stability. If you are using it for fan profiles: SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer is a good replacement.​

 

[Panthon13]

Okay, thank you for your response. I uninstalled both of MSI's software. I'll see if that helps. As for the USB device, that's the receiver dongle to my Logitech G930 Headset. I've tried updating the driver, but it says that it is up to date. I tried uninstalling the device driver. While the headset completely functions without it, as soon as I unplug the receiver and plug it back in, the unknown device installs. I also reinstalled all the software pertaining to the headset, and it changed nothing. What would you propose I do about that?

 

[writhziden]

Contact Logitech Support: Support + Downloads. They stand by their products and provide excellent support from what I have seen.

 

[Panthon13]

Another blue screen

I ran into another blue screen today playing the game, and a few crashes yesterday. Here are the dmp files. I also got an error that said something along the lines of

"Nvidia OpenGL detected a problem with the display driver, Error Code: 3"

 

[writhziden]

One of your crashes was DirectX/graphics card related. DirectX comes installed with Windows, so this may indicate Windows corruption. It may also be that you have corrupted drivers or a graphics card hardware problem.

• If you are overclocking any hardware, please stop.
  
  
• Check Windows for corruption. Run http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html up to three times to fix all errors with a restart in between each. Post back if it continues to show errors after a fourth run or if the first run comes back with no integrity violations. Use OPTION THREE of http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html to provide us with the sfcdetails.txt file if errors occur.

Follow the steps for Diagnosing basic problems with DirectX. To re-install your display card drivers as outlined in the DirectX link, use the following steps.

1. Download the drivers you want for your display card(s)
2. Click Start Menu
3. Click Control Panel
4. Click Uninstall a program
5. For NVIDIA:
   • Uninstall the NVIDIA Graphics Driver (this should uninstall all NVIDIA software and drivers)
   • Restart your computer
   • Make sure NVIDIA 3D Vision Driver, NVIDIA 3D Vision Video Player, NVIDIA HD Audio Driver, and NVIDIA PhysX System Software are not still listed under Uninstall a program through Control Panel
   • If any remain of the above, uninstall one at a time
   • If asked to restart after uninstalling any of the above, do so, and continue uninstalling any remaining NVIDIA items until all are removed
6. Restart your computer after uninstalling drivers for all display cards
7. Install the driver you selected for the display cards once Windows starts

Remember to try multiple versions of the graphics drivers, download them fresh, and install the freshly downloaded drivers.

 

[Panthon13]

I did two scans, the first found errors and repaired them, the second found no errors.

I am now going to reinstall my drivers for the graphics card, and I'll post up if any more problems occur on my next play.

 

[Panthon13]

Okay, I'm not getting bluescreens as of recent, but I'm getting crashes resulting from the same stuttering and graphics mess up in the game, but this is popping up now at the bottom of the screen. I have a screenshot attached of the error.

EDIT:
It's weird that it's a driver crashing, because I completely removed and reinstalled my drivers earlier. Any suggestions?

 

[Panthon13]

Perhaps I spoke to soon. I managed another BSOD. Here is the .dmp.

Good luck, and thank you so much for helping me on your own time. I appreciate the help.

 

[writhziden]

Analysis:

BugCheck 0x116

   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!!!

Your crash to the desktop is similar to 0x116 Video TDR Error crashes:

• 
  

  These are all stop 0x116 VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE conditions.
  
  It's not a true crash, in the sense that the bluescreen was initiated only because the combination of video driver and video hardware was being unresponsive, and not because of any synchronous processing exception.
  
  Since Vista, the "Timeout Detection and Recovery" (TDR) components of the OS video subsystem have been capable of doing some truly impressive things to try to recover from issues which would have caused earlier OSs like XP to crash. As a last resort, the TDR subsystem sends the video driver a "please restart yourself now!" command and waits a few seconds. If there's no response, the OS concludes that the video driver/hardware combo has truly collapsed in a heap, and it fires off that stop 0x116 BSOD.
  
  If playing with video driver versions hasn't helped, make sure the box is not overheating. Try removing a side panel and aiming a big mains fan straight at the motherboard and GPU. Run it like that for a few hours or days - long enough to ascertain whether cooler temperatures make a difference. If so, it might be as simple as dust buildup and subsequently inadequate cooling.

  
  The above quote was taken from http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/25912-bsod.html#post280172, which is linked to in usasma's thread about this error. Closely follow the first three posts of usasma's thread outlining http://www.sevenforums.com/crash-lo...op-0x116-video_tdr_error-troubleshooting.html and proceed through each step. Let us know if you need further help.

Hardware Checks:

The blue screen points to a hardware issue. You have already run some of the hardware checks for the 0x116 crash (hopefully), so run the checks that you have not done yet:

• 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.

 

[Panthon13]

Furmarks ran and found no errors or heat problems, maxed out at 63C after an hour.

I allowed VMS Test to run for 7 passes, no errors.

I'm doing prime95 right now, highest temp is 49C on one of my temp readings from SpeedFan.

I did the STOP 0x116: VIDEO_TDR_ERROR troubleshooting and came up with no errors.

The only thing I have yet to do is check for other hardware updates, such as bios and whatnot, but I will do that soon.

I also unplugged my computer from my surge protector and plugged it directly into the outlet as well. Is it possible that it might not be my graphics card, but my power supply failing? I recall that at one point while playing Skyrim in December of last year, Certain points in the game would cause the surge protector to beep, loudly and constantly, if in my game I was looking in a direction that was highly graphic intensive. Would this mean that my PSU or the surge protector was being overloaded? Sometimes the computer would completely shut down if it would beep for too long.

I'll let you know of my results from the prime95 tests later tonight.

I also had a thought that maybe I could try installing Windows 8 Consumer trial from scratch, only installing my game and graphics drivers, and seeing if there are similar crashed in the new OS with it's freshly installed DirectX. I figured it was worth a try.

Thanks for your help.

EDIT:
prime95 ran for a few hours. No errors in result.

 

[writhziden]

It could be a PSU or surge protector issue. Have you had any problems since removing it from the surge protector?


Your Windows 8 step is also a good troubleshooting step. See what happens with the surge protector removed first, though. We do not want to do too many steps at once.

 

[Panthon13]

Okay, so I've taken some time to play with some settings and try a few things the passed few days, but to no avail. Right now, I'm downloading the game on Windows 8, and if that doesn't work, I'm going to downgrade my graphics drivers. Something in common with almost all my dmp files is that they have an issue with the same driver directly related to Nvidia.

EDIT: After unplugging from my surge protector, I still get BSOD's, and removing some mods I thought were causing problems did nothing as I watched the BSOD's become more frequent. I'm not so sure if it's the power supply since I have absolutely no other problems with this computer. If I continue to get BSOD's on Windows 8 and on Windows 7 on previous drivers, I will try other graphics intensive games to see if I can get a BSOD to spark.

 

[gamaz]

Hello,

i hope the thread operator will read this I have the same problem like you with Skyrim and Mafia2. I dont know what is it -.- Playing BF3 max and Crysis2+dx11 patch max and no crash or something -.-
Do you have any solution for your problem?
ill hope so...

Regards,

Gamaz