BAD_POOL_HEADER BSOD Problem in Windows XP

[AlanJohn]

So I have an old Toshiba laptop with a home version of windows xp with sp3. I got a BSOD that refers to itself as "BAD_POOL_HEADER". Now I would have just simply googled for this problem, and I did, but it didn't help me. GBAtemp is my only hope left!
What I've tried:

• Going into safemode and doing a sfc /scannow (I get a bsod when entering safe mode)
• Using a live Windows XP boot cd (It just goes right into installing windows, no options for recovery and such)
• Cleaning my registry with CCLeaner (it didn't help, not to mention I have about 30 seconds until my pc goes BSOD)
• Googling the problem (the results are either commercials for spamware or forum threads that have similar problems, but the solution to them was entering safe mode or using a bootdisk, which didn't work for me)

NEW:

• Tried memtest + a check with gparted by using a debian live disk, there are no problems with my hdd
• Tried booting through a usb stick with ubuntu on it (so I can copy windows files from a disk onto my pc), didn't work. PC doesnt show any options for booting from USB, only from HDD, Floppy, CD Rom and lan.

 

[Arras]

I doubt this is very useful, but I'll link it anyway.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff557389(v=vs.85).aspx
Apparently it's some memory corruption thing. Try running memcheck?

 

[Originality]

RAM issues, or IO misreads sending corrupt data to the memory pool. Sometimes caused by driver issues. This usually occurs in conjunction to other BSOD messages such as IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.

Top google result suggests trying to unplug all external devices (aside from monitor) to see if any peripheral drivers are causing it.
You can also run a memtest and a chkdsk to test the RAM and primary HDD for issues.
For more detailed checks, you can try getting a diagnostic tool for your specific HDD (e.g. Seatools for Seagate HDDs).

 

[AlanJohn]

Updated OP with 2 more things I've tried.

 

[FireEmblemGuy]

Sounds like a RAM issue to me. Download something like Memtest86+, get it running, and leave it testing overnight. If it pops up any errors, you probably need to replace the RAM.

 

[Plainscript]

Feel free to try this (just to be sure there isn't some dodgy driver issue)

Try Safe Mode with Command Prompt, if possible.

Print/copy/whatever the following page and scroll down to Command Line Interface: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/244617

Try: verifier.exe /standard & more importantly

verifier.exe /all

Might do a couple of reboots.

 

[Taleweaver]

I had this error on a couple of my users...in the end, we had to replace the memory (memtest86+ showed errors). If it's too hard to create a bootCD containing memtest86+, at least try removing some of the memory bars (assuming you've got more than 1) to see if that changes things.

While the "Chkdsk /f" command does some fixing, it doesn't make for a permanent solution (at least not in the cases I've found). To be honest, I think it just clears out the garbage from the last crashes without taking care of the real problem.