Solved Thinkpad T420s - Random BSOD

[naomi]

Hi

I have a Lenovo Thinkpad T420s 4173-W1J. It is ca. 18 months old.

A few months after buying it, I started to get BSOD in irregular intervals for no apparent reason. Sometimes I have been listening to music (itunes/winamp) when the crash occured.
In August I caught a Malware and had to re-install Windows. I didn't use the pre-installed Windows from the recovery partition, but a legit version I got at university. I downloaded all drivers for my notebook from the lenovo support page and they should be up to date.

I am still experiencing irregular BSOD now. I tried bluescreenview, but I don't really know a lot about computers, so that didn't help.

I still have warranty for this notebook, so it would already help to know if this is a hardware problem, so I can send it in.

I'd appreciate any help or suggestions on how to handle the problem.
Thank you!

 

[koolkat77]

Welcome

PROBLEMATIC SOFTWARE:

These contribute in BSOD-s.

[LIST=1]
[*]Start Menu\Programs\Avira	Public:Start Menu\Programs\Avira	Public
[*]Start Menu\Programs\Avira\Avira Desktop	Public:Start Menu\Programs\Avira\Avira Desktop	Public
[*]Start Menu\Programs\Check Point	Public:Start Menu\Programs\Check Point	Public
[*]Start Menu\Programs\Check Point\ZoneAlarm	Public:Start Menu\Programs\Check Point\ZoneAlarm	Public
[/LIST]

Please uninstall the above with the free version of Revo uninstaller. Use Advanced Mode to uninstall.

• Download Revo Uninstaller Freeware - Free and Full Download - Uninstall software, remove programs, solve uninstall problems

Reboot the system if you are prompted.

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MSE is recommended from a strict BSOD perspective, compatibility & stability compared to other antiviruses/internet security software:-

1. Microsoft Security Essentials - Free Antivirus for Windows
2. Malwarebytes - Free
3. http://www.sevenforums.com/system-security/206705-good-free-system-security-combination.html
​

:warn: Do not start the free trial of Malware Bytes; remember to deselect that option when prompted.

Run a full scan with both (separately) once downloaded, installed and updated.​

Go to this link: Intel® Driver Update Utility *Check the system for latest updates. Download and install all it finds.

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Run the System File Checker. It allows the user to scan for and restore corruptions in Windows system files.

• 
  1. Click on the rb:
  2. Type CMD on Search
  3. Left click and Run as Administrator
  4. Type SFC /scannow

Full tutorial here:

• http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html

---

Run Disk Check on your hard disk for file system errors and bad sectors on it:

• http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html

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Do you have a second video card? If yes:

Perform a clean install of the video drivers:

Click on the Start rb: ► Control Panel ► Programs ► Uninstall a program ► Uninstall everything related to; NVIDIA. Reboot the system. Delete remnants of its drivers/older drivers using Driver Fusion/Sweeper

Download and install this version of the driver: Download NVIDIA Forceware 301.42 WHQL XP - FileHippo.com

Video Card - Stress Test with Furmark

• http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/100356-video-card-stress-test-furmark.html

Monitor your temps with Speccy during these tests

• Speccy - System Information - Free Download

---

Let us know if this brings any stability.
___

Then test RAM. Take memtest. Run for 8 passes and test each stick in a know good slot for an additional 6 passes.

• http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/105647-ram-test-memtest86.html

The goal is to test all the RAM sticks and all the motherboard slots.

Check your motherboard manual to ensure the RAM sticks are in the recommended motherboard slots. Some motherboards have very specific slots required for the number of RAM sticks installed.

If you get errors, stop the test and continue with the next step.

1. Remove all but one stick of RAM from your computer (this will be RAM stick #1), and run Memtest86 again, for 7 passes.

*Be sure to note the RAM stick, use a piece of tape with a number, and note the motherboard slot.
​

If this stick passes the test then go to step #3.

2. If RAM stick #1 has errors, repeat the test with RAM stick #2 in the same motherboard slot.

*If RAM stick #2 passes, this indicates that RAM stick #1 may be bad. If you want to be absolutely sure, re-test RAM stick #1 in another known good slot.
​

*If RAM stick #2 has errors, this indicates another possible bad RAM stick, a possible motherboard slot failure or inadequate settings.
​

3. Test the next stick of RAM (stick #2) in the next motherboard slot.

*If this RAM stick has errors repeat step #2 using a known good stick if possible, or another stick.
​

*If this RAM stick has no errors and both sticks failed in slot#1, test RAM stick #1 in this slot.
​

4. If you find a stick that passes the test, test it in all the other motherboard slots.

If Part 2 testing shows errors, and all tests in Part 3 show errors, you will need to test the RAM sticks in another computer and/or test other RAM in your computer to identify the problem.

In this way, you can identify whether it is a bad stick of RAM, a bad motherboard, or incompatibility between the sticks.

:info: Errors are sometimes found after 8 passes.
:tip: Do this test overnight, before going to bed.

Post back results. Good luck!

 

[naomi]

Hi koolkat77,

thank you very much for your comprehensive and detailed explanation!

I've started going through it step by step and everything went perfect up to now.

Using Driver Fusion to delete remnants of all NVIDIA drivers I have encountered one problem though. No matter how many times I delete them, after rebooting Driver Fusion will always show the same list of registry entries.

Is that a problem or should I just continue with downloading and installing NVIDIA Forceware?
Which leads to my second question: my video card (NVIDIA NVS 4200M) is not listed as supported by Forceware 301.42 WHQL, should I install it anyway?

Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it!
Naomi

 

[koolkat77]

Use Ccleaner. See if it allows to clear them.

• CCleaner - PC Optimization and Cleaning - Free Download

Go to:

1. Registry tab
2. Scan for issues
3. Fix selected issues​

 

[naomi]

Hi,
unfortunately CCleaner didn't find these entries.

 

[koolkat77]

Try Revo uninstaller free: Download Revo Uninstaller Freeware - Free and Full Download - Uninstall software, remove programs, solve uninstall problems
Check if it finds any of the NVIDIA software..Uninstall it using Advanced Mode.

 

[naomi]

Revo uninstaller doesn't find anything NVIDIA related either.

 

[koolkat77]

OK.
Go ahead with installing the drivers for NVIDIA.

 

[naomi]

Ok, thanks!
My video card (NVIDIA NVS 4200M) is not listed as supported by Forceware 301.42 WHQL, should I install it anyway?

 

[koolkat77]

In that case try this link: NVIDIA Driver Downloads - Automatically Detect NVIDIA Products

 

[naomi]

I used the nvidia tool to find the right driver and ran the furmark stresstest afterwards.

I ran it for 10min without artifacts and the temperature settling at ca. 86°C.
Does that mean the video card /driver passed the test?

I will run the RAM test tonight and keep you posted

Thanks again!

 

[koolkat77]

You're welcome, keep us posted.
Good luck!

 

[naomi]

RAM test over night went well, 8 passes with no errors.
If no BSODs occur this week, I will mark this thread as solved.
Thanks again!

 

[koolkat77]

Thanks for the update, good luck
We'll be here for an update.