Windows 7 64-bit BSOD after opening firefox

[K31415926]

I opened firefox after logging on and windows 7 crashed. I've used firefox before on the same machine with the same os with no problems at all. My os is windows 7 ultimate 64-bit oem. The machine details can be seen in my info. I've had previous bsods because of memory issues but I suspect this time the issue is different.

 

[K31415926]

I used bluescreenview on the dump file and it was caused by the address hal.dll+f64c. What does this mean?

 

[usasma]

Last question first: hal.dll is the way that Windows communicates with the hardware on your system. If the hardware isn't recognized by hal.dll, there won't be any communication - and there will be errors (such as BSOD's). This mostly happens with hardware problems and/or incompatibility issues.

Back to the first post....

MSINFO32 shows these 2 devices having issues:

Security Processor Loader Driver    ROOT\LEGACY_SPLDR\0000    This device is not present, is not working properly, or does not have all its drivers installed.

sptd    ROOT\LEGACY_SPTD\0000    This device is not present, is not working properly, or does not have all its drivers installed.

I see the first one most often with malware infections, so I'd suggest running one of the free scans here: Malware (read the details at the link)

I see the second one most often when there's issues with Daemon Tools or Alcohol 120%. Please uninstall Daemon Tools, and then run this free program to UNINSTALL the sptd.sys file: DuplexSecure - Downloads

Check Device Manager when done with the above to ensure that there's no errors remaining there.

While you're at it, please uninstall the Catalyst Control Center. It can cause issues with some Win7 installations. If you need it, feel free to reinstall the latest version AFTER we're finished troubleshooting.

The BSOD error is a STOP 0x124 error. This is an error that's captured by your CPU and forwarded to Windows for processing - as such there's not much information that we can understand.

Most of these errors are hardware problems or compatibility issues. They can also be Windows issues, or corrupted drivers (not all analysts agree with the last one).

You can check compatibility of your hardware and software here: Windows 7 Compatibility: Software Programs & Hardware Devices: Find Updates, Drivers, & Downloads

And, to troubleshoot the STOP 0x124 error, please start with this topic: http://www.sevenforums.com/crash-lockup-debug-how/35349-stop-0x124-what-means-what-try.html

BSOD BUGCHECK SUMMARY

[FONT=lucida console]
Built by: 7600.16617.amd64fre.win7_gdr.100618-1621
Debug session time: Sat Oct  9 20:35:59.228 2010 (UTC - 4:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:14.102
BugCheck 124, {0, fffffa8004baf8f8, 0, 0}
Probably caused by : hardware
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x124_AuthenticAMD
PROCESS_NAME:  System
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
  
  [/FONT]

 

[K31415926]

I ran the windows security essentials virus scan and came up with nothing so it may mean that it wasn't caused by malware or that the scanner wasn't able to pick it up. I uninstalled Daemon tools but when I went to uninstall the sptd.sys file the program said that there was no installation detected. I'm not sure how to check for errors in the device manager and I don't know how to uninstall the Catalyst Control Center. There's no uninstall program in the folders for it and I don't know how to manually uninstall it.

 

[usasma]

To check for sptd.sys - open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers and see if it's there. If you find it there, then rename it to sptd.BAK

For the Device Manager, go to Start and type in "devmgmt.msc" (without the quotes) and press Enter. That'll open Device Manager.

To remove the Catalyst Control Center - go to Start...Control Panel...Programs...Uninstall a program. It'll be listed there, just right click on it and select "Uninstall"

 

[K31415926]

I found sptd.sys and renamed it to sptd.bak. I opened device manager and it looks normal and there's no sign of errors(how would I check for errors in the device manager?). On the uninstall list there's only an entry called "ATI Catalyst Install Manager" and there's no option of uninstalling it, only Repair and Change. If I try either of those two options a window pops up saying I can't do this in safe mode. Should I risk booting in normal mode to try and change or repair the ati catalyst install manager? After changing sptd.sys to sptd.bak it is still not recognized by SPTDinst.

 

[usasma]

SPTD.BAK will stop the driver from loading - so there's no need to uninstall it.
Don't worry about the ATI stuff right now.
If there's errors in Device Manager, I believe that you'll see them. As an experiment, disable your network adapter (right click and select "Disable") and see what it looks like. Then, DON'T forget to re-enable it (right click and select "Enable").

Then wait and see if you get any more errors. If you can cause the BSOD (you mentioned that it occurred when opening Firefox), then go ahead and do that.

 

[K31415926]

Alright, I disabled my network card and clicked scan for any hardware changes which showed me that it was disabled. If a driver or a program is defective and is causing problems (for example, Catalyst Control Center), will it immediately cause a bsod or will there be a delay? I ask this because I've had catalyst control centre installed for about a month now and I've just gotten a bsod now.

 

[usasma]

There's no telling if it will cause it immediately or if there will be a delay. The system is complicated enough that you may not even notice a change that results in a BSOD.

We're holding off on the Catalyst Control Center (abbreviated CCC) as it's not as common a problem now as it was a couple of months back. So rather than divert all our energy to finding and removing it (even if it's not a problem), let's just see what happens.

You've done everything else, so if it still BSOD's, then we'll have to look at the CCC - but until then let's just assume that it's OK.