Solved Windows 7 - Random Freezes during browsing

[BrainYtje]

I've experienced random freezing while using firefox and I thought firefox was the problem since it always kept doing it while browsing in firefox. I re-installed my whole computer and now I experienced today the same with Google Chrome. I'm not sure what is going on.

I've done a memtest and no errors were found.

My computer:
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
Mobo: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-770T-USB3 (Socket M2)
CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 635 (2.9ghz)
RAM: 8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 670MHz
GPU: 768MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 (Gigabyte)
HDD: 466GB SAMSUNG HD502HJ ATA Device (SATA)
PSU: 600W OCZ

Temperatures seem fine (idle):
CPU 107F
MOBO 79F
GPU 85F
HDD 76F

I'm going to try to run http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html and http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html for more information!

Recently, my nvidia driver also crashed and gave the kernel(something) error.

 

[nommy the first]

Hello BrainYtje and welcome to the Forums,

You said that you are going to try Chkdsk, so here is my advice on how to do it;

   Warning

Do not do this step if your hard drive is an SSD!

Please scan your hard drive with Chkdsk.

1. Click on the rb:
2. Open an Elevated Command Prompt.
3. Type the following;
   chkdsk C: /F
   :ar:Replace C: with the letter of your hard drive.
4. You will get a message that your drive is in use and that Chkdsk will be run at start up.
5. Please exit the command prompt, close and save any open programs and restart your machine. Chkdsk will now scan at boot.
6. After this, please follow this tutorial and post the log between [code][/code] tags.

   Warning

Do not attempt to cancel or stop the scan, this might result in a loss in data and could render your Windows unusable!

----------

And here's my advice on how to correctly use the SFC /SCANNOW command;
Please use the SFC /SCANNOW command as displayed in option two of this tutorial.

1. Click on the rb:.
2. Open an elevated command prompt.
3. Type "SFC /SCANNOW" without the quotations.
4. Let SFC do it's thing, and then prompted to, restart.
   
   If SFC found and repaired anything, please do the following:
5. When restarted, open an elevated command prompt.
6. Type (or copy) the following, this will create a .txt file on your desktop;
   findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log >"%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt"
7. In your next reply, please attach this file using the method displayed in this tutorial.

----------

Please follow this to test your hard drive for errors;

   Warning

The Following Method Should NOT Be Performed On An SSD!

Testing the HDD:

1. Perform a Disk Check | Disk Check - Use the /r switch, Follow OPTION TWO - command prompt at startup.
2. Then Post the results following |THIS METHOD
3. Download SeaTools for DOS if you don't want to use a CD to test the HDD you can use YUMI – Multiboot USB Creator to create a bootable USB (instructions are found at the bottom of both pages).
4. If SeaTools for Windows is unable to recognize your HDD visit HDDdiag and follow the instructions.

If SeaTools For DOS does not recognize the drive;
Boot into the BIOS using the *Fxkey.
Look for an entry called SATA Mode (or something similar), it should be set to IDE / AHCI.
It's probably set to AHCI which is why SeaTools doesn't recognize them in the DOS environment.
Set it to IDE then save and exit usually by pressing the F10 key.
Now boot into SeaTools and it should detect the drives.
Start the Long Test and let it run.
Upon completion don't try to boot into Windows as it will only result in a BSOD, go back into the BIOS
and change the SATA setting back to what it was in the first place.

----------

Seeing that your CPU temps are on the high side when idle, I'd also advice you to stress test the CPU;
Stress test the CPU with Prime95.

   Tip

Be sure to keep an eye on your temperatures when running these tests, especially the Large FFTs. We recommend the free utility Speedfan.

   Note

As with all hardware tests, Prime95 is not fail-safe. If the test passes for 2 hours with no errors, it is most likely to be stable. Unfortunately, it sometimes makes mistakes and gives a clean bill of health to faulty hardware.

   Note

When Prime95 has crashed your system, please continue by following the BSOD posting instructions.

----------

You also mention that you have already ran Memtest. For how many passes have you ran it? It is recommended to run it for at least 10 passes to get an accurate result. And have you also tested all sticks in different DIMM slots, to rule out faulty slots?

Suppose you have got the result like that:

test|Slot1|Slot2
RAM1| Error | Error
RAM2|Good|Good

It is a RAM, a bad RAM.

But if you have got a result like that:

test|Slot1|Slot2
RAM1| Error |Good
RAM2| Error |Good

It is a motherboard issue. The particular slot is bad.

   Note

If any of these tests make your system crash or freeze, please post your reply according to the BSOD Posting Instructions and upload the .zip file created so that we can analyze your problem and pinpoint the cause.

----------

For the Nvidia crash; which driver are you currently using for your Geforce GTX 460?

Good luck and keep us posted,
Nommy

 

[BrainYtje]

Dear nommy, so far I have ran:

sfc /scannow and it didn't find any integrity violations
sfc /verifyonly and it didn't find any integrity violations

chkdsk will be running after I wrote this (reboot).

I was using the latest GTX 460 driver and now I am using the BETA driver for BF4

The memtest question.. I'm not sure. I put the program on my flash drive.. ran it after reboot. I didn't choose anything.. It just automatically started an no errors were found.

 

[BrainYtje]

Chkdsk:

TimeCreated : 10/8/2013 1:41:46 PM
Message     : 
              
              Checking file system on C:
              The type of the file system is NTFS.
              
              
              A disk check has been scheduled.
              Windows will now check the disk.                         
              
              CHKDSK is verifying files (stage 1 of 3)...
                198400 file records processed.                                 
                      
              File verification completed.
                898 large file records processed.                              
                   
                0 bad file records processed.                                  
                 
                2 EA records processed.                                        
                 
                44 reparse records processed.                                  
                  
              CHKDSK is verifying indexes (stage 2 of 3)...
                259430 index entries processed.                                
                      
              Index verification completed.
                0 unindexed files scanned.                                     
                 
                0 unindexed files recovered.                                   
                 
              CHKDSK is verifying security descriptors (stage 3 of 3)...
                198400 file SDs/SIDs processed.                                
                      
              Cleaning up 476 unused index entries from index $SII of file 0x9.
              Cleaning up 476 unused index entries from index $SDH of file 0x9.
              Cleaning up 476 unused security descriptors.
              Security descriptor verification completed.
                30516 data files processed.                                    
                     
              CHKDSK is verifying Usn Journal...
                36521272 USN bytes processed.                                  
                        
              Usn Journal verification completed.
              CHKDSK discovered free space marked as allocated in the
              master file table (MFT) bitmap.
              CHKDSK discovered free space marked as allocated in the volume bi
              tmap.
              Windows has made corrections to the file system.
              
               488282111 KB total disk space.
               123219664 KB in 166843 files.
                  122576 KB in 30517 indexes.
                       0 KB in bad sectors.
                  317363 KB in use by the system.
                   65536 KB occupied by the log file.
               364622508 KB available on disk.
              
                    4096 bytes in each allocation unit.
               122070527 total allocation units on disk.
                91155627 allocation units available on disk.
              
              Internal Info:
              00 07 03 00 fb 02 03 00 0c e3 05 00 00 00 00 00  ................
              c7 0d 00 00 2c 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ....,...........
              00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ................
              
              Windows has finished checking your disk.
              Please wait while your computer restarts.

 

[nommy the first]

Hello BrainYtje,

Thanks for the update.

Regarding Memtest, I would advice you to run it again, but this time by following these instructions to make sure that it's ran properly;
Please run Memtest86+ to test your RAM for issues.

   Tip

Let Memtest run for at least 10 passes and preferably overnight as it may take very long to complete.
:ar: Especially read part three of the tutorial, which explains you to test each RAM stick in all DIMM slots to filter out failing slots.

Suppose you have got the result like that:

test|Slot1|Slot2
RAM1| Error | Error
RAM2|Good|Good

It is a RAM, a bad RAM.

But if you have got a result like that:

test|Slot1|Slot2
RAM1| Error |Good
RAM2| Error |Good

It is a motherboard issue. The particular slot is bad.

----------

SFC and CHKDSK did not find anything wrong, good.

----------

As for the Nvidia driver, it's recommended to use the 314.22 WHQL driver, which is the most stable one. Please install it by following the following;

Lately we have experienced some issues with the latest driver. Install the 314.22 WHQL only.

• Uninstall All nvidia items in Control Panel > Programs and features
  • 3D Vision Control Driver
  • 3D Vision Driver
  • Graphics Driver
  • HD Audio Driver
  • PhysX
  • nvidia Update
  (Are you using nvidia chipset drivers? If so, dont uninstall anything other than those are listed).
• Now follow Drivers - Clean Left over Files after Uninstalling
• Boot normally now. Go to Drivers - Download NVIDIA Drivers, Download 314.22 WHQL. While installing, Select Custom (Advanced) install. In the next page, follow this settings:
  
  

Regarding the "BF4", from a BSoD point of view, it's not recommended to use the beta driver, as they will more than often cause issues; please downgrade it to the most stable version (I won't be able to link it, as I don't have the results of your scan with the SF Diagnostic Tool).

----------

:arlease do follow the BSoD Posting Instructions as linked in my previous post so that I can look at your dump files and system files to get a better idea of what's going on and so that I'm able to pinpoint the cause of this problem. Without looking at them we're really just shooting in the dark.


Good luck and keep us posted,
Nommy

 

[BrainYtje]

SeaTools for DOS long test passed!
SF files attached!

I don't understand why exactly I have to downgrade the version of my nvidia driver, but I will do so! I've seen that many people had the same problem as me in the past with even other older drivers.

I'll perform a memtest tonight since your tutorial even says it may take long.


Note: I'm actually from Belgium, but I am in the US

 

[BrainYtje]

Prime95:
http://i.imgur.com/zw7cD5e.png
http://i.imgur.com/CQAzFKv.png

FurMark:

 

[BrainYtje]

Okay I've read the memtest tutorial and I'm positive I did more than 10 passes, because I let it run all night whenever I did it. It didn't give me any errors (I let it run all the way until it stopped scanning). That's what you wanted me to do, right? I installed the new Nvidia driver and I have yet to encounter the issue. I do have to say.. In the past, I had a BSOD.. I guess the SF files that I attached will tell you the BSOD?

 

[nommy the first]

Hello BrainYtje,

Note: I'm actually from Belgium, but I am in the US

Oh nice lol, so we're kind of neighbors
If you ever have a question or don't understand something in English, don't hesitate to ask for an explanation in either Dutch or French

----------

I don't understand why exactly I have to downgrade the version of my nvidia driver, but I will do so! I've seen that many people had the same problem as me in the past with even other older drivers.

This is because the 314.22 WHQL is the most stable release, which means that it crashes the least and generally causes the least issues.

----------

I guess the SF files that I attached will tell you the BSOD?

Normally they would yes, but your SFDT run seems to be missing any dump files.
Please follow this to manually upload them;

1. Navigate to C:\WINDOWS\Minidump (Replace C: with the letter of the drive where you installed Windows on).
2. Select all the files there by clicking on the first file, holding down the SHIFT key, and clicking on the last file.
3. Copy all files by hitting Ctrl+C.
4. Create a folder on your desktop called "Dumpfiles" and paste all .dmp files in that folder.
5. Right click on the folder and click on Send to. Then click on Compressed (zipped) folder.
   This will create a .zip called Dumpfiles.zip on your desktop.
6. Please upload the .zip file by following this tutorial.
   • If your Windows is not set to create dump files upon a BSOD, please follow this tutorial to configure it.
   • If no dump files are found in that folder, please report back.

----------

Your temperatures seem to be well within the error margin, even when using Prime95, good.
Same goes for Furmark, besides the crashing driver the GPU seems to be fine.

----------

Event[4837]:
  Log Name: System
  Source: Microsoft-Windows-WER-SystemErrorReporting
  Date: [COLOR=Red][B]2013-10-03[/B][/COLOR]T22:23:44.000
  Event ID: 1001
  Task: N/A
  Level: Error
  Opcode: N/A
  Keyword: Classic
  User: N/A
  User Name: N/A
  Computer: BJORN-DESKTOP
  Description: 
The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck.  The bugcheck was: 0x00000[COLOR=Red][B]101[/B][/COLOR] (0x0000000000000031, 0x0000000000000000, 0xfffff88002fd5180, 0x0000000000000003). A dump was saved in: C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP. Report Id: 100313-32651-01.

Usual cause: BIOS bug, faulty driver, hardware defect.
More info :ar: Bug check 0x101.

----------

We've tested for failing GPU, CPU and RAM, so that can't be the issue. Let's wait for the dump files to see where they point to

----------

BIOS Version:              Award Software International, Inc. [COLOR=Red][B]F3, 5/14/2010[/B][/COLOR]

Your BIOS is very old, please updade it to the F4 version from here.
:info: Do make sure to fill in your specs before clicking the download, and do not download the BETA.
View attachment 288969

----------

If there are no dump files or if there is no C:\WINDOWS\Minidump and the other things yield no results, then please enable Windows to save dump files upon BSoD by following this tutorial, and after that, please do the following;

Run Driver Verifier for 24 hours or the occurrence of the next crash, whichever is earlier.

   Information

Why Driver Verifier:
It puts a stress on the drivers, and so it makes the unstable drivers crash. Hopefully the driver that crashes is recorded in the memory dump.

How Can we know that DV is enabled:
It will make the system bit of slow, laggy.

   Warning

Before enabling DV, make it sure that you have earlier System restore points made in your computer. You can check it easily by using CCleaner looking at Tools > System Restore.

If there is no points, make a System Restore Point manually before enabling DV.

   Tip

• If you fail to get on the Desktop because of DV, Boot into Advanced Boot Options > Safe mode. Disable DV there. Now boot normally again, and try following the instruction of enabling DV again.
• If you cannot boot in Safe mode too, do a System Restore to a point you made earlier.

----------

I installed the new Nvidia driver and I have yet to encounter the issue.

Good! If you experience no further issues for four to five days, please report back here and mark the thread as solved.


Good luck and keep us posted,
Nommy

 

[BrainYtje]

I have a little update for you... I upgraded my motherboard and CPU today to:

Asrock Z87 Extreme4
Intel i5 4670k haswell

I did have a folder called minidump, but no files were showing in it.

What do you suggest to do now? Did I mess up our whole process? I have yet to encounter the freezing issue by the way!

Note: I need a Nvidia driver higher than 320.00 to be able to play battlefield 4 beta btw

 

[nommy the first]

Make sure that your BIOS is up to date, the latest version is 2.30 and can be downloaded here.
You haven't messed up anything, don't worry If you need to choose a 320 driver I'd suggest the 327.23 WHQL one.
Regarding the minidumps, they'll only be created if your system is set to do so, you can achieve this by following this tutorial.

----------

If there are no more problems I'd suggest that you use your machine like you normally would for four to five days, and if you don't get a freeze or BSoD again, report this back and mark the thread as solved. If you do get it again, run the SF Diagnostic Tool again, and report back with a fresh .zip (do make sure to configure your system to create dump files).


Good luck and keep us posted,
Nommy

 

[BrainYtje]

Regarding the minidumps, they'll only be created if your system is set to do so, you can achieve this by following this tutorial.

It says I have to use a higher driver than 320.. but if I click ok.. it works anyway!

I did have the settings set to Kernel dump or whatever.. but I don't have the option to make a complete dump file though.

I guess I'll get that BIOS... So far I love my new 2 pieces instead of AMD crap lol. I won't have to do anything special other than follow the instructions right?

 

[nommy the first]

Hello BrainYtje,

Kernel dumps will do just fine

Yup, nothing special at all required. If correct it should be a five to ten minute process.

Good to hear that the new hardware is working out for you


Good luck and keep us posted,
Nommy

 

[BrainYtje]

Haven't noticed any problems.

 

[nommy the first]

Hello BrainYtje,

Sorry for my late reply, I was on vacation

Good to hear! Is the Battlefield 4 BETA still working with the 314.22 WHQL?


Nommy

 

[BrainYtje]

PC is working great now, sorry about the late reply as well

 

[nommy the first]

No problem mate
Great to hear that your machine is working as it should be, and thanks for posting back!


Nommy