windows 7 crashes repeatedly during start up

[Andrewcook]

im running windows 7(rtm) on a hp dv9620us, i have tried reinstalling about 15 times now(half of those were x64 and the others were x86)
when i do a fresh install the system runs fantastic for the first 3 to 5 startup and shut down cycles. then it will freeze on the loading screen at the point when you start to see a few red pixles(from the red orb in the windows logo) i then power down and restart,run start up repair, start up repair then freezes, shut down and restart. the second time i run start up repair it ussually works and im up and running till the next time i shut the system down then the whole cycle repeats, ive tried doing all the updates, ive also tried installing and then not updating(or installing any programs) but always the same result

help please!

 

[Andrewcook]

also this messege came up after reboot the last time it froze

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.48
Locale ID: 1033
Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: 124
BCP1: 0000000000000000
BCP2: FFFFFA80029038F8
BCP3: 0000000000000000
BCP4: 0000000000000000
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1
Files that help describe the problem:
C:\Windows\Minidump\090309-24523-01.dmp
C:\Users\Andrew\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-38438-0.sysdata.xml

 

[Tews]

Type event viewer in your search box and open to the application section...if there are any critical errors listed, take a screenshot of the page and post it here... Also upload the .dmp file for analysis..

 

[Andrewcook]

here is the dump and xml files

 

[H2SO4]

here is the dump and xml files

Your hardware is reporting an uncorrectable error and Windows is passing on the message:

WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR (124)
A fatal hardware error has occurred. Parameter 1 identifies the type of error
source that reported the error. Parameter 2 holds the address of the
WHEA_ERROR_RECORD structure that describes the error conditon.
Arguments:
Arg1: 00000000, Machine Check Exception
Arg2: 856ed594, Address of the WHEA_ERROR_RECORD structure.
Arg3: 00000000, High order 32-bits of the MCi_STATUS value.
Arg4: 00000000, Low order 32-bits of the MCi_STATUS value.
​

Given the number of times you've reinstalled, and the fact that these crashes have occurred even before updates (good job on the troubleshooting by the way!), an underlying hardware fault would have been the suspected culprit even without the evidence from that minidump.

Unless you're overclocking or under-cooling the machine, it's time for some serious diagnostics such as memory testing and ripping out non-essential hardware as a test. Of course, if the machine is still under warranty, you'd probably want to take it back instead. The minidump is unequivocal evidence of an underlying hardware problem which would justify replacement hardware - if you can get it into the hands of the right HP tech.

Good luck.

 

[Andrewcook]

well, its about a year and a half old so i dont think warrenty will help me out, i ran memtest86 and let it go for 3 full passes and it returned no errors. but if you can make any other suggestions, im not afraid to tear into the laptop if i have too
thanks for your time

 

[H2SO4]

well, its about a year and a half old so i dont think warrenty will help me out, i ran memtest86 and let it go for 3 full passes and it returned no errors. but if you can make any other suggestions, im not afraid to tear into the laptop if i have too
thanks for your time

It's possible to dig out more info from the hardware's error report (those numbers I posted), but the end result is always something highly esoteric which doesn't readily lend itself to working out what's faulty... "the 5th pipeline in the 3rd execution unit reported a 7th order NMI while accessing the 4th register from the left".

It's always gratifying when memtest doesn't find anything, but remember that it's not conclusive. The OS and all the apps are together just one massive memory stress tester, and yet the crashes are usually relatively rare. Think about running the Windows memory tester too - for several days if necessary.

Perhaps it has nothing to do with memory. Is the laptop sufficiently cooled? Overheating can cause just about any symptom imaginable.

Try to remove anything which doesn't absolutely need to be there for testing: optical drives, PCMCIA cards, non-original memory...

I wish I could suggest something more specific but these types of errors - known as Machine Check Exceptions - are notoriously fiddly to diagnose.

 

[Andrewcook]

i contacted HP tech support, they told me that this laptop is not compatable with windows 7, is that possible, i would think if that were true i wouldnt be using it right now and that it would fail the first time i tried to run it

 

[H2SO4]

i contacted HP tech support, they told me that this laptop is not compatable with windows 7, is that possible, i would think if that were true i wouldnt be using it right now and that it would fail the first time i tried to run it

It's possible, but there are several nuances when you hear something like that from the manufacturer, and I have no way of telling which of these they were implying:

"Unlisted": It's old. We'd really much rather you bought one of our new ones.

"Unsupported": We haven't done any real testing on that combination. It'll probably work, but we're not prepared to guarantee it because that might be expensive for us.

"Incompatible": we know it doesn't work, and we also know why, though we may not tell you.

If you reckon the HP tech was suggesting the last category, persisting with it may be more hassle than it's worth. Personally, I'd ask them to explain precisely why the combination is "incompatible" and what they're going to do to address my concerns.

Win7 is going to be a huge product. Are they planning on releasing BIOS and driver updates for your laptop to address those "incompatibilities"? When?