Hardware Blue Screen of Death problems

[MindC0ntroll]

Yeah, I have a BSOD problem

I seem to be having crashing issues lately on my computer. Mozilla keeps crashing, Flash keeps crashing and I've gotten two Blue Screen of Deaths, one a few days ago and the other one just a few minutes ago from typing this. They may be crashing from different issues completely unrelated but I think it has something to do with my computer itself (probably a virus/trojan?)

Anyway, windows told me that it's a driver problem. But I don't know which one. The last changes I've made to my computer were a graphics card (NVIDIA GTX 560 ti) and the driver installations for it. I remember that Windows Update downloaded an Nvidia display driver and afterwards, the screen turned blue (not Blue screen of death). I deleted and reinstalled the driver from the main site. (Note, I never had another graphics card installed before, so I have no old drivers to delete)

I assumed everything seemed to be working fine (since I was able to play the Just Cause 2 demo with no issues whatsoever) but then I got my first Blue screen of death. I stupidly restarted the computer and since Windows loaded normally, I thought the issue was gone (yeah, facepalm I know)

A few days later, I received my second Blue screen of Death. So now I definitely have to do something about it.

Here are the problem details

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.1
Locale ID: 1033

Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: 1a
BCP1: 0000000000041287
BCP2: 0000000000000030
BCP3: 0000000000000000
BCP4: 0000000000000000
OS Version: 6_1_7601
Service Pack: 1_0
Product: 256_1

Files that help describe the problem:
C:\Windows\Minidump\091712-26005-01.dmp
C:\Users\NewOwner\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-36270-0.sysdata.xm

Yeah...need help...

 

[Foxi4]

Run a memtest with at least 7 passes, report your findings.

BSOD 1a is a Memory-related issue, so your RAM may be failing, it may have insufficient or excessive voltage setting or it may be keeling over. Alternatively, your HDD decided to play funny buggers with you.

If neither of those check-out, it could indeed be the driver, but better safe than sorry.

 

[MindC0ntroll]

BSOD 1a is a Memory-related issue, so your RAM may be failing, it may have insufficient or excessive voltage setting or it may be keeling over. Alternatively, your HDD decided to play funny buggers with you.

Do you mean that the RAM itself might not be compatible with my motherboard or is it just not properly installed? (RAM isn't pushed in all the way onto the motherboard)

 

[Foxi4]

I meant that it may be failing. Physically dying on you. It may be in first stages of becoming broken. The fact that you recently installed drivers that Windows violently rejected is a gleaming beam of hope though, so I want you to scan the RAM with a bootable CD of memtest to make sure. You'll also want to use an HDD scanner afterwards, that's why I'll recommend Hiren's Boot CD which contains all the tools you will need.

If those don't show any hardware failures, it's a matter of the driver and the driver alone. You can work from there by using the Windows CD/DVD and its repair functions.

 

[Rydian]

C:\Windows\Minidump\091712-26005-01.dmp

Upload that to a file hosting site for us. You'll likely need to copy the file to the desktop, then upload the copy.

 

[MindC0ntroll]

C:\Windows\Minidump\091712-26005-01.dmp

Upload that to a file hosting site for us. You'll likely need to copy the file to the desktop, then upload the copy.

Uh... what for exactly?

 

[Foxi4]

I guess a peak won't hurt, yeah.

EDIT: That's the error dump - it contains a more specified report on what went wrong.

 

[MindC0ntroll]

I meant that it may be failing. Physically dying on you. It may be in first stages of becoming broken. The fact that you recently installed drivers that Windows violently rejected is a gleaming beam of hope though, so I want you to scan the RAM with a bootable CD of memtest to make sure. You'll also want to use an HDD scanner afterwards, that's why I'll recommend Hiren's Boot CD which contains all the tools you will need.

If those don't show any hardware failures, it's a matter of the driver and the driver alone. You can work from there by using the Windows CD/DVD and its repair functions.

Okay, so first memtest on a bootable CD, then "Hiren's Boot CD" and if there are no failures, I use the Windows 7 installation disc's repair functions?

 

[Foxi4]

It would be best if you do what Rydian says first, actually.

Hiren has a copy utility built-in, once you boot it, you should be able to copy that file onto removable storage and then upload it from somewhere... unless you can still boot normally, that is - then it's easy-peasy. Also, Hiren has the memtest built-in, so no need for two CD's.

 

[MindC0ntroll]

Would mediafire be cool?

 

[Rydian]

Yeah that works.

 

[MindC0ntroll]

Uploaded the file. But who do I share it with, or do I provide a link?

 

[Rydian]

Yeah just post the link, there's no personal info in it.

 

[MindC0ntroll]

http://www.mediafire.com/?68n2z77dw34zo46

 

[Rydian]

Yeah there doesn't appear to be any third-party software involved, I'd wager the RAM or the video card.

 

[MindC0ntroll]

So it's not the drivers but the RAM or graphics card? Great...

 

[Foxi4]

Just run the scans - this may be a false alert.

 

[MindC0ntroll]

I got another BSOD

http://www.mediafire.com/?6116n0xqurm595p - Link to dump file

Problem details:

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.1
Locale ID: 1033

Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: a
BCP1: 0000000000000000
BCP2: 0000000000000002
BCP3: 0000000000000000
BCP4: FFFFF80002A7A414
OS Version: 6_1_7601
Service Pack: 1_0
Product: 256_1

I'm still downloading Hiren's Boot CD, so I haven't checked for any system or hardware failures yet

 

[Rydian]

That crash is happening right in the windows kernel (not a third-party driver) too. In these cases it's often hardware or OS corruption. Like Foxi said try a memory test because it may just be a bad stick or something.

 

[MindC0ntroll]

So I finally ran the memtest and HDDScan

Yeah, I have faulty RAM. I found 19 errors on just 1024 MB of RAM. I have 2 sticks of 4 GB RAM, 8 GB in total. I hope it's just one of the sticks...Is there anyway to check which stick of RAM is faulty? Or is it just removing one and testing it and then testing the other stick of RAM?

Anyway, I'm not sure about the results for the hard drive scan so I'll post:


WDC WD3200AAKX-001CA0-WD-WCAYUEZ59631-SMART.mht
HDDScan S.M.A.R.T. Report
Model: WDC WD3200AAKX-001CA0
Firmware: 15.01H15
Serial: WD-WCAYUEZ59631
LBA: 625142448

Report By: HDDScan for Windows version 3.3
Report Date: 9/18/2012 1:00:01 AM


Num Attribute Name Value Worst Raw(hex) Threshold

001 Raw Read Error Rate 200 200 0000000000-0000 051

003 Spin Up Time 144 141 0000000000-0EC7 021

004 Start/Stop Count 100 100 0000000000-0175 000

005 Reallocation Sector Count 200 200 0000000000-0000 140

007 Seek Error Rate 100 253 0000000000-0000 000

009 Power-On Hours Count 100 100 0000000000-01F8 000

010 Spin Retry Count 100 100 0000000000-0000 000

011 Recalibration Retries 100 100 0000000000-0000 000

012 Device Power Cycle Count 100 100 0000000000-015F 000

192 Emergency Retract Count 200 200 0000000000-0071 000

193 Load/unload Cycle Count 200 200 0000000000-0103 000

194 HDA Temperature 111 099 32 C 000

196 Reallocation Event Count 200 200 0000000000-0000 000

197 Current Pending Errors Count 200 200 0000000000-0000 000

198 Uncorrectable Errors Count 200 200 0000000000-0000 000

199 UltraDMA CRC Errors 200 200 0000000000-0000 000

200 Multi Zone Error Rate 200 200 0000000000-0000 000