Windows 7 starts and flashes to a bsod and restarts

[colers]

Hello,

I bought a new pc some time ago and had a good time with it. however, suddenly, bsods plagued me. I was forced to install 32 bit since my 64 bit disk didnt work. now, I managed to install 64 bit again on another partition than my 32 bit. install worked, but when I tried to start it, it gives a blue flash (so fast letters dont even render yet).

I then tried to run the "do not restart on error" function. the BSOD was unlike those I saw before. instead of the text being on the entire page, along with the usually not-so-usefull tip on how to fix it, it only showed a single line, in the top, saying STOP:c0000005 the instruction at 0x%08lx referenced memory at 0x%08lx. the memory could not be %s fix.

2 important notes:

1. my RAM might be damaged (heck, I am near certain of it), but even than I do not believe it would stop me from entering windows since 32 bit works without problems

2. the error might be 0xc0000005 instead of c0000005

 

[Tmagic650]

"1. my RAM might be damaged (heck, I am near certain of it), but even than I do not believe it would stop me from entering windows since 32 bit works without problems"... With a 32-bit OS the computer will only see 3.2GB total memory, no matter how much more memory is installed. A 64-bit OS will see past 3.2GB of memory. How much memory is installed?

 

[colers]

8 gb ram. I am aware of the difference between 32 bit and 64 bit when it comes to memory, but can this really stop me from even entering windows. the earlier mentioned bsod that made me remove 64 bit to start with were memory related, but only showed on peak moments. starting up is hardly a peak moment (I might be wrong with this statement). another interesting note might be that another install failed too, which also gave a bsod after the windows icon saying hal.dll was missing or corrupt. might there be a connection between the 2?

 

[Tmagic650]

What are the complete specs of this computer?

 

[colers]

What are the complete specs of this computer?

Motherboard: ASUS M5A78L-M USB3
Graphic card: Nvidia geforce GTX 760
Processor: AMD FX-8350 eight-core processor 4.0 ghz
cooler/fan:normal
sound card: normal
RAM memory: 8gb

 

[colers]

I think I am going to reinstall it again and see if I can duplicate the issue

 

[colers]

I think I am going to reinstall it again and see if I can duplicate the issue

install from usb runs into the same problem as the install from disk atm: after a short while it simply says it cannot read the files.

also, to my first post, teh error code is most definitivily c0000005

 

[Cycloid Torus]

1. clear all the dust bunnies out of your machine
2. remove RAM, inspect, clear sockets with compressed air
3. check specifications for RAM voltage & timing
4. insert first RAM stick
5. confirm BIOS is correct for RAM spec
6. run memtest86
7. insert another stick
8. run memtest86
9. loop to 7 until all sticks tested individually
10. insert all RAM
11. run memtest86

If this has worked up to here, try to reinstall again.

 

[colers]

1. clear all the dust bunnies out of your machine
2. remove RAM, inspect, clear sockets with compressed air
3. check specifications for RAM voltage & timing
4. insert first RAM stick
5. confirm BIOS is correct for RAM spec
6. run memtest86
7. insert another stick
8. run memtest86
9. loop to 7 until all sticks tested individually
10. insert all RAM
11. run memtest86

If this has worked up to here, try to reinstall again.

first gotta ask the game pc shop whether or not I am allowed to open up my pc without losing my 2 year guarantee. currently memtest gives me a 5 digit number nearing 90000 after 50 minutes, so yea, my RAM has problems and those problems have problems. what I am mainly doing at the point is troubleshooting and seeing if I can get 64 bit to run again to see if I get MEMORY_DUMP bsods again. if I cannot find a answer to my issue by the end of the week, I am going to give up and send it back for repairs

 

[Cycloid Torus]

first gotta ask the game pc shop whether or not I am allowed to open up my pc without losing my 2 year guarantee

Sounds like the immediate thing to do.
I build my own, so I service my own..no luxury of long term guarantee.

 

[Tmagic650]

"memtest gives me a 5 digit number nearing 90000 after 50 minutes"... You are going to need to have the memory replaced. So you may as well turn it in for warranty repair

 

[colers]

Well, that settles it then

 

[colers]

Well, I managed to reinstall it again (after many times hearing that it couldnt find the data. is this also caused by corrupted RAM?), and now it does basicly the same, with 2 differences:

1. it now first shows "setup is updating registry settings"
2. the BSOD is no longer a lone line in the top of my screen, but a memory dump BSOD without the words MEMORY_DUMP on the screen.

another new bsod one of the installs gave me was (I believe) PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA.

I am planning to return my pc this sunday (unless the shop shows me how to fix a ram corruption (since it is plausible at best that a 3 month old ramcard is broken instead of corrupt) without losing guarantee. I already found out my pc has guarantee per part, not on the build, so I am allowed to open the casing of my pc)

anyways, does anyone knows whether it is possible to limit my ram to bypass the issue temporarily? (all the memtest errors appeared on 7.3 gb ram or higher, so if I by some means can limit my ram to 6 or lower, I should be able to temporarily bypass the issue)

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Since you have a supportive computer store - and your components have guarantees, then you might want to visit them straightaway. They may need to keep it for a day or two.

 

[colers]

Since you have a supportive computer store - and your components have guarantees, then you might want to visit them straightaway. They may need to keep it for a day or two.

the reason why I am planning to do it sunday is because the computer store is 120 km away from where I live, which means that I will at least miss it for 4 days. in the weekend, my brother is home and uses my old pc, so if the pc is gone in the weekend, I have no replacement. during weekdays, I do have a replacement.

anyways, I am soon going to open up my pc and put my RAM card ( it is only 1 card by the looks of it (see through side panel)) in another RAM slot and see if the problem lies with the slot instead of the card.

but does anyone knows if there is a way to limit the capacity of a RAM card, as a temporary fix

 

[Tmagic650]

If there is only 1 ram stick installed you have to use that same slot or the computer won't start. If you have 2 or more ram sticks installed you can swap them around... Won't doing this void the warranty?

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Do you have a manual for the mainboard? If not, download from ASUS and read about RAM, RAM slots and grounding to avoid Electrostatic Discharge causing damage.

I checked NewEgg and learned that quite a few folks are having trouble with this mainboard.. it might not be RAM and so your best bet is the computer store.

 

[colers]

Do you have a manual for the mainboard? If not, download from ASUS and read about RAM, RAM slots and grounding to avoid Electrostatic Discharge causing damage.

I checked NewEgg and learned that quite a few folks are having trouble with this mainboard.. it might not be RAM and so your best bet is the computer store.

then I will do that

If there is only 1 ram stick installed you have to use that same slot or the computer won't start. If you have 2 or more ram sticks installed you can swap them around... Won't doing this void the warranty?

then I guess I should just see whether it is in place correctly (and not losened slightly). and no, I specifically asked the shop: I have warranty on every part and I am allowed to temporarily remove the ram for troubleshoot purposes.

 

[colers]

then I will do that

the Newegg says little to none about RAM issues

If there is only 1 ram stick installed you have to use that same slot or the computer won't start. If you have 2 or more ram sticks installed you can swap them around... Won't doing this void the warranty?

Are you absolutely sure about the slot thing btw? I poked around on the internet a bit to see if there is info about this problem being fixed by reseating the ram. and I did here http://www.fixcleaner.com/blog/index.php/virtualmemory/264-reseat-ram-to-fix-bluescreens . of course, I am not aware how legitimate this source is, but it most certainly says that you need to test each ram card in all of the slots

 

[Cycloid Torus]

the Newegg says little to none about RAM issues

True, but it does say (at least the 1 egg folks and some of the 2 egg folks) that there can be a number of problems. When I see a high percentage of folks with issues, I begin to wonder if something basic needs fixing - like a revised BIOS or such. I have 3 ASUS boards and every one of them has been and is still rock solid.

 

[Cycloid Torus]

=>colers Yes, RAM seat can matter. So can cables and wiring to switches and USB ports, etc. I looked at the 'fixcleaner' advice and it seemed 'ok', but I would add determining specs on the RAM and confirming that the BIOS is set to that.

I should add - check the mainboard manual for proper slot(s) for the memory that you have.

WAR STORIES: I had one 'bad board' - after much troubleshooting, I discovered I had plugged a cable in one hole to the left!! Another time, I had not gotten both ends of the RAM into the socket all the way before I moved it up straight. Another time I found a very tiny clipping of copper wire which had dropped into a slot - and caused the card I put into the slot to fail. I had another machine which had built up so much dust that the fan couldn't spin and another where a wire pressed down and held a fan from spinning.

If you want to troubleshoot, make a plan..take it step by step..be careful to avoid problems with static...write what you do down so you can remember what you may need to undo.. etc.

 

[colers]

If you want to troubleshoot, make a plan..take it step by step..be careful to avoid problems with static...write what you do down so you can remember what you may need to undo.. etc.

Already made a plan. not that complicated really. the steps are:

before removing ram card, take out all the cables
Before touching the ram card or any other hardware, ground yourself. this can be done by means of touching the casing of the pc when it is unplugged or if you want to be sure, touch a water tap.

First reseat ram, then try to get into 64x. may fail because it was installed with the bad ram. if that does not work, run ram test for 50 minutes and compare this error count with the previous one.

If this does not fix problem, run mem test with the card in a different ram slot

additional steps might be to clean the ram slots with compressed air in case dust is causing the problem.

if this does not work, throw your hand in the air, yell "fck this bs" and start looking for the box of the pc


Are these steps correct or am I forgetting something?

 

[Tmagic650]

If you open the computer case you will void any warranties

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Basically 'OK'.

I would not bother with trying to install anything if memtest is giving a report of any errors, even just one or two. If you have two or more sticks of RAM, one of them should be the culprit...if you have two sticks or more of RAM and they all have errors, I would suspect the timing/voltage settings in BIOS or the mainboard.

Were you able to get a copy of the manual for the mainboard? Can you refer to it as you put things back together? You may need to do so.

 

[colers]

Basically 'OK'.
Were you able to get a copy of the manual for the mainboard? Can you refer to it as you put things back together? You may need to do so.

yep. I also ran memtest again (no, I still havent touched the ram. I did this so I have a comparison to test with, and noted the results down accuratly), the result was pretty much the same.

the evolution of errors was the following:

1 min: 2000
2 min: 4300
5 min: 25000
10 min: 38000
20 min: 71000

also, side question, in memtest, under the progress bar, the RAM value was 653 Mhz (DDR 3 1053), even though my ram card is 1600 mhz. is this also a indication of error or is it normal?