Hey guys,

Well, there's more to this than the header suggests, that's just the most recent reboot message I pulled from the event viewer. I'm new here, but I was hoping you all might able to assist me with some crashing I've been having. First, here is a little history that might help.

I built the machine in question back in late 2009 (specs are listed below.) Everything came together nicely except for one thing. The system would just randomly crash. My gut instinct was to test the memory. So I used MemTest86+ to test each of the three modules individually over the course of three nights—no errors. I next checked the timings and voltage settings to make sure they were to Corsair's specifications—they were. Then I tried downclocking the memory. It’s rated for 1600, but I set it to1333. This seemed to do the trick for the next year or so (up until yesterday morning). Suddenly, my machine is crashing once again, typically in the morning while I’m sleep. I can run through a bevy of games or browse and be just fine. So far, it’s been limited to while the system is “idling.”

I suspect the memory modules are still somehow at fault, and I have replacements on the way. Still, I’m curious to see if there’s something else amiss. The most recent actions I performed before these issues started happening was installing Service Pack 1 for Windows 7, a “reliability update for x64-based systems” from Windows Update, and a cumulative DirectX update so I could play the Dragon Age 2 demo (fun game). I encountered no issues while installing these updates. My system specs are below:

------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 3/1/2011, 07:44:20
Machine name: GAMEBOXPLUS
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: System Product Name
BIOS: BIOS Date: 11/03/09 13:28:23 Ver: 08.00.15
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 960 @ 3.20GHz (8 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
Memory: 6144MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 6136MB RAM
Page File: 2044MB used, 10223MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 32bit Unicode

Motherboard: ASUS Rampage II Extreme
Soundcard: Onboard SupremeFX
Video: Sapphire Vapor-X ATI Radeon HD 5870
Memory: Corsair Dominator 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Model TR3X6G1600C8D
Primary Drive: Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2M080G2XXX 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Secondary Drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
PSU: OCZ Z Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W ATX12V 2.3/ EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Here are the Blue Screen View logs of both the most recent crashes and the ones I had in the past. Perhaps a correlation can be drawn:

RECENT:

==================================================
Dump File : 022811-11996-01.dmp
Crash Time : 2/28/2011 6:55:11 AM
Bug Check String : MEMORY_MANAGEMENT
Bug Check Code : 0x0000001a
Parameter 1 : 00000000`00041790
Parameter 2 : fffffa80`00859800
Parameter 3 : 00000000`0000ffff
Parameter 4 : 00000000`00000000
Caused By Driver : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+80640
File Description : NT Kernel & System
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\022811-11996-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7601
Dump File Size : 276,344
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : 022811-12620-01.dmp
Crash Time : 2/28/2011 5:33:46 AM
Bug Check String : MEMORY_MANAGEMENT
Bug Check Code : 0x0000001a
Parameter 1 : 00000000`00041201
Parameter 2 : fffff680`0000f008
Parameter 3 : 94400800`1f3b7805
Parameter 4 : fffffa80`074524b0
Caused By Driver : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+80640
File Description : NT Kernel & System
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\022811-12620-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7601
Dump File Size : 276,344
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : 022811-12979-01.dmp
Crash Time : 2/28/2011 9:15:26 AM
Bug Check String : PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
Bug Check Code : 0x00000050
Parameter 1 : fffffca0`00023748
Parameter 2 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 3 : fffff800`02d5c670
Parameter 4 : 00000000`00000007
Caused By Driver : 1394ohci.sys
Caused By Address : 1394ohci.sys+3b2cf70
File Description :
Product Name :
Company :
File Version :
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\022811-12979-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7601
Dump File Size : 287,181
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : 030111-12558-01.dmp
Crash Time : 3/1/2011 5:53:24 AM
Bug Check String :
Bug Check Code : 0x00000109
Parameter 1 : a3a039d8`9e6bf5bd
Parameter 2 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 3 : 0d1f43dc`20338052
Parameter 4 : 00000000`00000101
Caused By Driver : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+80640
File Description : NT Kernel & System
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\030111-12558-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7601
Dump File Size : 288,717
==================================================

OLDER:

==================================================
Dump File : 061210-12714-01.dmp
Crash Time : 6/12/2010 4:47:59 PM
Bug Check String :
Bug Check Code : 0x00000124
Parameter 1 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 2 : fffffa80`05ce58f8
Parameter 3 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 4 : 00000000`00000000
Caused By Driver : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+4a5f3c
File Description : NT Kernel & System
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\061210-12714-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7600
Dump File Size : 262,144
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : 033010-12090-01.dmp
Crash Time : 3/30/2010 10:55:31 AM
Bug Check String :
Bug Check Code : 0x00000124
Parameter 1 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 2 : fffffa80`05cd88f8
Parameter 3 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 4 : 00000000`00000000
Caused By Driver : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+4a63cc
File Description : NT Kernel & System
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\033010-12090-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7600
Dump File Size : 262,144
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : 110909-11528-01.dmp
Crash Time : 11/9/2009 7:32:10 PM
Bug Check String :
Bug Check Code : 0x00000124
Parameter 1 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 2 : fffffa80`05ce88f8
Parameter 3 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 4 : 00000000`00000000
Caused By Driver : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+4a63cc
File Description : NT Kernel & System
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\110909-11528-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7600
Dump File Size : 262,144
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : 110909-12074-01.dmp
Crash Time : 11/9/2009 5:20:09 PM
Bug Check String :
Bug Check Code : 0x00000124
Parameter 1 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 2 : fffffa80`05ce18f8
Parameter 3 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 4 : 00000000`00000000
Caused By Driver : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+4a63cc
File Description : NT Kernel & System
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\110909-12074-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7600
Dump File Size : 262,144
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : 110909-11278-01.dmp
Crash Time : 11/9/2009 3:15:50 AM
Bug Check String : SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
Bug Check Code : 0x1000007e
Parameter 1 : ffffffff`c0000005
Parameter 2 : fffff880`04f83d0c
Parameter 3 : fffff880`0433f808
Parameter 4 : fffff880`0433f060
Caused By Driver : dxgmms1.sys
Caused By Address : dxgmms1.sys+215e1
File Description :
Product Name :
Company :
File Version :
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\110909-11278-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7600
Dump File Size : 276,288
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : 110809-11310-01.dmp
Crash Time : 11/8/2009 9:10:36 AM
Bug Check String :
Bug Check Code : 0x00000124
Parameter 1 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 2 : fffffa80`05cee8f8
Parameter 3 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 4 : 00000000`00000000
Caused By Driver : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+4a63cc
File Description : NT Kernel & System
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\110809-11310-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7600
Dump File Size : 262,144
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : 110809-12916-01.dmp
Crash Time : 11/8/2009 6:03:55 AM
Bug Check String :
Bug Check Code : 0x00000124
Parameter 1 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 2 : fffffa80`05cc58f8
Parameter 3 : 00000000`00000000
Parameter 4 : 00000000`00000000
Caused By Driver : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+4a63cc
File Description : NT Kernel & System
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\110809-12916-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7600
Dump File Size : 262,144
==================================================

I’ve also included the minidumps for all these crashes. If there’s anything further you need just let me know and I’ll do what I can. Thanks!

There are a lot of 124 eror codes in the above so this would be a good place to start.

http://www.sevenforums.com/crash-lockup-debug-how/35349-stop-0x124-what-means-what-try.html

Memtest86+ is good but it can miss minor errors. The best test possible is to run the machine on one stick at a time for a day or two and see if the crashes continue with any particular stick.

Running Driver Verifier would also be worth while, as follows:

Well, I went ahead and gave the Driver Verifier a quick run. The computer booted normally, but it only took maybe a minute or two before the screen froze and the computer rebooted. I find this interesting because I generally can't cause the computer to freeze quickly like that when running normally. It doesn't seem to be dependent on load, either. Star Trek Online and Dragon Age 2 both ran fine and with settings maxed (so far). Interestingly enough, when left idle the freezing seems to occur during the morning around 5 AM to 9 AM, then it's fine for the rest of the day. That's my observations so far over the past two days.

Here's a Blue Screen View of the minidumps generated:

==================================================
Dump File : 030111-18267-01.dmp
Crash Time : 3/1/2011 7:23:51 PM
Bug Check String : DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION
Bug Check Code : 0x000000c4
Parameter 1 : 00000000`000000f6
Parameter 2 : 00000000`00000130
Parameter 3 : fffffa80`06f2eb30
Parameter 4 : fffff880`03fb66f6
Caused By Driver : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+80640
File Description : NT Kernel & System
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\030111-18267-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7601
Dump File Size : 287,245
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : 030111-16754-01.dmp
Crash Time : 3/1/2011 7:20:33 PM
Bug Check String : DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION
Bug Check Code : 0x000000c4
Parameter 1 : 00000000`000000f6
Parameter 2 : 00000000`00000130
Parameter 3 : fffffa80`079edb30
Parameter 4 : fffff880`03f076f6
Caused By Driver : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+80640
File Description : NT Kernel & System
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\030111-16754-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7601
Dump File Size : 287,053
==================================================

Well driver verifier has done its job but I doubt if the driver mentioned is the true culprit. Please list your Anti Virus/Malware/Spyware programs and Firewall.

I'm using ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 for my antivirus and Windows Firewall for my firewall. It also appears that Windows Defender is also active.

There was another crash during the night. I'm noticing a pattern. So far, the system has always crashed between 5 AM and 6AM. Sometimes it will crash again after that, but there’s always at least one crash at around that time. I know there is a daily scan scheduled to run at 5:00 AM every day. I've run a scan before, though, and it hasn't caused a crash, but I find it interesting.

Curious, I also noticed that Windows Defender had a quickscan at 5:29 AM. I'm not sure if that's relevant, but it's something I noticed. I also ran chkdsk /r /f on my C: drive, but it's an SSD so I'm not sure if that's going to do much. Windows took about two seconds to perform the check and reported the volume as clean.

Also, here is the Blue Screen View for the two crashes the other day:

==================================================
Dump File : 030211-14788-01.dmp
Crash Time : 3/2/2011 5:46:54 AM
Bug Check String : SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION
Bug Check Code : 0x0000003b
Parameter 1 : 00000000`c0000005
Parameter 2 : fffff960`00356063
Parameter 3 : fffff880`09678000
Parameter 4 : 00000000`00000000
Caused By Driver : tunnel.sys
Caused By Address : tunnel.sys+52d0000
File Description :
Product Name :
Company :
File Version :
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\030211-14788-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7601
Dump File Size : 288,717
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : 030111-12651-01.dmp
Crash Time : 3/1/2011 10:47:14 PM
Bug Check String : SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION
Bug Check Code : 0x0000003b
Parameter 1 : 00000000`c0000005
Parameter 2 : fffff880`0497f817
Parameter 3 : fffff880`078618f0
Parameter 4 : 00000000`00000000
Caused By Driver : ntoskrnl.exe
Caused By Address : ntoskrnl.exe+80640
File Description : NT Kernel & System
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Processor : x64
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\030111-12651-01.dmp
Processors Count : 8
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7601
Dump File Size : 288,717
==================================================

First try disabling Defender and see how it goes, that should not be running with Norton on there.

Hey Mark,

Here’s an update on the situation. I received the new DIMMs two days ago and have since installed them. So far, the system has not yet crashed. At this point, bad RAM appears to have been the culprit here. I’ll be away for a few days, and if there are no crashes during that time then I think it’ll be safe to say the machine is fine. All the same, I appreciate the input.

As a side note, I also ran Intel’s own SSD integrity and SMART tools against my SSD and it passed their comprehensive scan without issue. Therefore, I don’t think the primary drive is an issue at this time. Next, I’ll turn off Windows Defender.

Memory was always a possibility so well done for trying it.

Fingers crossed, no more crashes. And thanks for the update.