Windows 7 64 bit crashes.

[dook]

When i first started messing with Win7 6801 onwards, everything was running so smoothly for me. Right up until 7068.

Since I've upgraded from that, I think it was 7077 next where it started being much slower and had random crashes etc.

Once I upgraded to RC1 It was even worse, it was crashing whenever i loaded it up. So much so that i gave up and went back to Vista 64 bit. (Whcih i found to be at least twice as fast.

I installed builds since this but kept getting the same problem.

Anyway along came 7264 and it ran perfectly! No problems at all. So i figured they'd ironed out whatever my problem was. So along came 7600. (85) I installed this 2 days ago and suddenly my crashes are back. IRQ Less than or Equal to is my BSOD.

So again i just thought nevermind i'll go back to 7264. However, when i went back to 7264, it's giving me the crashes there as well now too. I installed it exactly the same, with the exact same drivers, exact same install disk (not reburned, the actual one.)

So now I'm very, very confused.

I'm running;

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 (2.5ghz)
8GB Corsair DDR2 800mhz
1.5TB 7200 Samsung
500GB 7200 Seagate
512mb XFX Geforce 9800GTX+
M-Audio Audiophile 2496 (Windows Vista X64 Driver)

There's only the M Audio card that's using a non Windows 7 driver.

Any ideas anyone? I've no memory dumps atm because I've formatted and gone back to vista. If required i'll install it tonight when i get home from work and see what it spits out?

Thanks

 

[Squuiid]

Do two things.

1. Download, burn and boot off of this:
http://www.memtest.org/download/2.11/memtest86+-2.11.iso.zip
If you get any errors remove some DIMMs and retest until no errors.

2. Do a clean install of Windows 7 x64 WITHOUT the sound card in there.

 

[billdo]

It seems to be random. My guess would be corrupt installations due to memory and or HD failing. Sometimes your getting lucky and not corrupting critical system files... sometimes not.

You may also want to check your media used to install ie:flash drive,dvd,etc...You may of had a bad burn or your optical drive is failing if using disc.

 

[copernicus]

I'm gonna say it's your HD on it's way out, start backing up just in case.

 

[7Dreams]

i don't recommend doing this but you can go bakc to the older build of windows 7 and see it still works like it use too... but if it doesn't... it could be your HDD or the Sound Card.

 

[PotatoMan83]

back up your files and run a stress test

 

[usasma]

Try the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor beta: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...90-7659-4BD9-9E51-2497C146AF15&displaylang=en

Post the memory dumps when you get 'em.

Most likely it's a driver that doesn't like Win7. I suspect that Microsoft is using Vista drivers on Windows Update - as it updated my RAID card, yet the manufacturer says it's not going to make Win7 drivers for my card.

 

[dook]

Thanks for the responses guys

Interesting you say about the hard drive, I can't rememebr when exactly but my hard drive is only a few months old so it might be the problem? Perhaps I was using my old hard drive on the old ones - it's too far back to remember now.

Also an interesting note, thinking about it now is when i was running 7264 succesfully last time, i'd partitioned the drive into like a 600 and an 800 (something like that) and it was running fine on the 600.

Time for a partition I think. Could this be something to do with partition tables? I'm not very good with hard drives & boot sectors and all that lot.

Any recommendations on that?

My gut was telling me it was my sound card, but it's strange that the fault's intermittent like this.

I'll try the other suggestions on here too.

Thanks so much.

 

[dook]

Oh also @bildo I installed 7600 off of my pen drive and got the problems and installed the other builds all from disk, so I don't think it's the media.

Thanks

 

[Squuiid]

Interesting you say about the hard drive, I can't rememebr when exactly but my hard drive is only a few months old so it might be the problem? Perhaps I was using my old hard drive on the old ones - it's too far back to remember now.

Also an interesting note, thinking about it now is when i was running 7264 succesfully last time, i'd partitioned the drive into like a 600 and an 800 (something like that) and it was running fine on the 600.

Time for a partition I think. Could this be something to do with partition tables? I'm not very good with hard drives & boot sectors and all that lot.

Any recommendations on that?

My gut was telling me it was my sound card, but it's strange that the fault's intermittent like this.

I'll try the other suggestions on here too.

Thanks so much.

Definitely not your hard drive. Red herring for sure.

 

[SquonkSC]

Hi,

I would say that if your 7264 and your vista are running without problems, there's nothing wrong with your hardware.

The BSOD states a warning about IRQ.

This indicates to me it could be the way 7600 handles ACPI.

Probably two pieces of hardware sharing the same IRQ are conflicting.

Try putting your soundcard into another PCI slot, thus forcing it to use a different IRQ.

I advise doing a clean install after that.

Good luck!

 

[dook]

Definitely not your hard drive. Red herring for sure.

Any ideas as to what then? The sound card perhaps?

I'll install 7600 now and post any memory dumps.

Thanks guys.

 

[SquonkSC]

Any ideas as to what then? The sound card perhaps?

I'll install 7600 now and post any memory dumps.

Thanks guys.

Read my post just above this one you posted.

Good luck.

 

[Squuiid]

Any ideas as to what then? The sound card perhaps?

I'll install 7600 now and post any memory dumps.

Thanks guys.

Check my 1st post on this thread.
Go with your gut. Either sound card or RAM in my opinion.

 

[dook]

Well in a twist of usual stupid fate (haha) I've just installed 7600 on a partitioned space and there's not an error in sight. It's nice and smooth!

So I'm just gonna stick with this for now! I really don't understand how partitioning the harddrive can stop the errors but I'm not complaining!!

Also, I know this could have been part of the problem, thinking back, I've been running 2 graphics cards, a Nvidia 9800gtx+ and a Radeon HD2600 so I can run 4 monitors.

This was the one thing that i couldn't stick with vista for, because vista requires identical WDDM drivers to run 2 cards whereas 7 can use 2 different ones.

Needless to say it's running perfectly now!

Thanks

 

[dook]

Spoke to soon as always.

I left my PC on today with uTorrent running and when i've come home it has litterally crashed about 10 minutes after i'd left.

I seem to recall that uTorrent's been running every time that it's crashed.

Incidentally, It's the same torrent everytime - but surely a torrent can't be crashing my desktop? There's about 1000 seeds and like 2000 leechers!!

It's truly bizzare. Anyway I'm gonna try a different client maybe.

Anybody heard any compatability isseus with uTorrent and Win7??

Cheers.


Btw it's a total freeze i'm getting. The image on the screen is the one from the time it crashed - ie. the clock still says 5:30pm at 11pm...

Thanks

 

[SquonkSC]

dook,

A few posts up I wrote you a possible solution.

Try moving your soundcard to different PCI slot in your pc.

It is most likely an IRQ issue.

Greetz

 

[dook]

@squonksc

Sorry man I've been completely ignorant towards you I don't know why I've repeatedly ignored what you've put. I sware it wasn't purposeful!!

All my PCI slots are being used, so i'll have to swap them around - will this be enough?

also could you explain to me what IRQ is? and what issues you can have?

Many thanks

 

[SquonkSC]

@squonksc

Sorry man I've been completely ignorant towards you I don't know why I've repeatedly ignored what you've put. I sware it wasn't purposeful!!

All my PCI slots are being used, so i'll have to swap them around - will this be enough?

also could you explain to me what IRQ is? and what issues you can have?

Many thanks

No problem dook,

Explaining IRQ is a topic of it's own so I will give you a link to Wikipedia.
Interrupt request - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But what you should know is that hardware used to have it's own IRQ, but nowadays hardware can share IRQ.

This is normally a good thing because you can add more hardware, but it sometimes it can be the source of major problem / conflicts.

You said all your PCI slots are filled. I don't know how many you have, but filling more than 3 PCI slot is know to cause major conflicts too.

Depends alot on the hardware in question.

You should consider taking a card out, but if they are all absolutely necessary, you have to start moving them around and test it until you find a stable setup.

The hardware tab can actually assist you in this because you can find out which IRQ the different hardware is using.

If I were you I would first move the soundcard to the 1st PCI slot.

Older hardware is more likely to cause problems in the 3rd or 4th PCI slot.

If it's already in the 1st, put it somewhere else.

Also taking them all out and one for one putting them in can help you find the root of the problem.

It's a bit of fiddling but it will most likely solve your problem.

Good luck.

 

[dook]

Well I only have 2 PCI slots, the rest are PCIe

It's in the second at the minute so I'll give it a swap around.

I've had the soundcard for maybe 4 months now and it runs fine on Vista / XP which is why i can't understand why Windows 7 has a problem with it.

But i'll definately switch it around tomorrow morning when i get up.

I still can't help but think Utorrent is somehow responsible. I've read on the utorrent forums of other people with the exact same issue but people over there are saying only a driver could be causing the problem - which is strange.

Thanks man