I'm running Win XP SP2, AMD Athlon 64, 2000 MHz, ASrock Motherboard, 1 gig DDR SDRAM , and a radeon 9700 pro graphics card.

I'm getting a Blue screen crash seemingly at random, and it gives the error code listed in my subject line, 0x0000009c.

I run WoW fairly often, but it doesn't seem to crash noticably more often while I'm playing a graphics-heavy game. After reading about someone else's similar problems on this forum, I downloaded Everest and did a system report, and got the following values for the power supply:


CPU Core 1.44 V
Aux 1.47 V
+3.3 V 3.36 V
+5 V 5.24 V
+12 V 12.65 V
-12 V 2.20 V
-5 V 2.75 V
+5 V Standby 5.04 V
VBAT Battery 0.02 V
Debug Info F FF 31 FF
Debug Info T 24 26 24
Debug Info V 59 5C D2 C2 D0 D0 D0 (01)


Any help or info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[B]Hello and welcome to Techspot.[/B]

This is the meaning of the 9C bugcheck.

0x0000009C: MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION
(Click to consult the online MSDN article.)
This is a hardware issue: an unrecoverable hardware error has occurred. The parameters have different meanings depending on what type of CPU you have but, while diagnostic, rarely lead to a clear solution. Most commonly it results from overheating, from failed hardware (RAM, CPU, hardware bus, power supply, etc.), or from pushing hardware beyond its capabilities (e.g., overclocking a CPU).

As you can see it means you have some kind of hardware failure. You will need to diagnose exactly which hardware is at fault.

Start by testing you ram and work from there. It`s also a good idea to disconnect anything not required to run your system and see if you still get the crashes. If you do, then the problem lies in what`s left in your system. check your system temperatures. If you are overclocking, reset to the defaults.

See this thread [URL="http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic51365.html"]HERE[/URL] for instructions on testing your ram.

Regards Howard

Thank you for your swift reply.

I should have mentioned that I ran a defrag, checkdisk, and a memory check program called memscope. The ram returned no errors on one pass, at the time I didn't realize that running multiple passes was neccesary.

I will try to disconnect and troubleshoot as much as I can, and come back wit anything I find. I'm inclined to think it is the graphics card but I'm certainly not sure about that.

Thanks again for your help, I'll continue reading your links to the common problems of this type.

Well, I know for sure now that it's not the graphics card, as I just bought a new one and installed it and it just crashed again. -Sigh-

I'm currently running my RAM check program, and I will let it go through for at least 7 passes.

I'm starting to think it's the powersupply now, but obviously my hunches aren't doing me much good with this problem. Is there a definitive way to figure out if the powersupply is defective without just buying a new one?

You could download the free Everest programme from [URL="http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181"]HERE[/URL] and see if your psu`s voltages are ok.

You also need to take into account whether your psu is powerful enough for your system. This means you need to look at the psu label and check the wattage and the output in amps on the 12volt rail.

This [URL="http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp"]psu wattage calculator[/URL] is very handy for working out the psu power you need to run your system.

An underpowered or failing psu can cause all manner of system crashes and definitely needs to be looked at as a possible cause.

Regards Howard

I've run 4 passes on the RAM checker with no reported errors.

My PSU sticker says: ATX 400W switching power supply

With the following listed for the 12v rails:

+12v1 - 14A
+12v2 - 15A

I've attached the quick report from Everest that I ran a couple minutes ago. I don't know if that helps. I can attach the minidump files if that would be useful.

Thanks again for your continued help.

-N

Everest Report text file.

Attached Files

Report.txt (29.2 KB, 3 views)

Your temps and psu voltages look ok.

Please attach 5 or 6 of your latest minidumps.

Regards Howard

You asked for 5 or 6, but it looks like there are only 2 in the file C>Windows>Minidumps.

Also, they're dated the 6th and 8th of February. Shouldn't there be one for every time I get a crash?

In any case, here they are.

Attached Files

	Mini020607-01.dmp (92.0 KB, 3 views)
	Mini020807-01.dmp (92.0 KB, 2 views)

Yes there should be a minidump written every time you get a bsod.

Do the following. Right click my computer and select properties. Click the advanced tab and under startup and recovery click settings. Check to make sure the overwrite any existing file box is unchecked. If it`s checked, change the small memory dump(64k) to Kernel memory dump, then uncheck the overwrite any existing file box. Now change the kernel memory dump back to small memory dump(64k). Click ok/apply/ok and reboot your system.

Your two minidumps both crash at your ATI video card drivers and have a bugcheck of 7F.

0x0000007F: UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP

One of three types of problems occurred in kernel-mode: (1) Hardware failures. (2) Software problems. (3) A bound trap (i.e., a condition that the kernel is not allowed to have or intercept). Hardware failures are the most common cause (many dozen KB articles exist for this error referencing specific hardware failures) and, of these, memory hardware failures are the most common.

Try updating your videocard drivers.

Regards Howard

I checked the startup and recovery settings, and that optioin was indeed checked, so I followed your directions and undid it.

As for the video card, it is running right now with my brand-spankin' new geforce 7600GT that I installed today. The crashes have not changed even after upgrading the video card.

I have rebooted since then, and I will keep an eye on it to see if it crashes again.

Ok, post any further minidumps you get.

Regards Howard

Went a long time with no crash last night, and I thought that unchecking that one little box had cleared it up.

But, alas, another crash this morning, same 'machine_check_exception' bsod, and I had to manually restart it.

But no new minidump files in the folder. What's that all about? I let the machine sit on the bluescreen for about 10 mins, should I just let it sit on that screen until it restarts itself?

I really don`t know why it`s not writing minidumps.

It should be fairly instant, so leaving it on the blue screen, won`t make any difference.

Have you tried running your system with just one stick of ram?

I think your problem is probably caused by faulty psu/ram/mobo. Try swapping out the psu and see if that helps. Hardware problems can be very difficult to diagnose, particularly if you don`t have spare parts available for testing.

Regards Howard

Another crash, this time with a minidump file! How exciting.

Also, I've run both RAM chips individually, and it has crashed to the blue screen eventually with either one. Even used a different slot.

Most recent minidump is attached.

Attached Files

Mini030207-01.dmp (88.0 KB, 1 views)

Your minidump crashes at mfehidk.sys and has a bugcheck of 50. This is a McAfee driver. Try uninstalling daemon tools and see if that helps. Apparently, this driver seems to have an issue with the Daemon tools programme.

Edit: Have remove a big mistake I made.

Regards Howard

I am running McAfee, and I've been debating about getting rid of it!

Would uninstalling Mcafee and trying something else help? I've been considering AVGfree, which was recommended by a friend. Any thoughts?

Oh, also, I don't know what Daemon tools are. They sound sinister.

If you want to get rid of McAfee,then Id recommend the following antivirus and firewall programmes.

[URL="http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1"]AVG free[/URL] or [URL="http://www.avast.com/"]Avast[/URL] antivirus programmes.

[URL="http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp;jsessionid=EElu1mSWlQjHS1lqOdGhtXP8vPmn2BX3FugIF1oqBBJ4j9pn XWWc!-559734354!-1062696904!7551!7552!NONE?dc=12bms&ctry=US&lang=en&lid=dbtopnav_zass"]Zonealarm[/URL] or [URL="http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Kerio.cfm"]Kerio[/URL] free firewall programmes.

Daemon Tools allows you to mount images of cd`s etc as virtual drives. You`ll find the programme in add remove programmes in your control panel.

Regards Howard

I will look into switching to AVG free and try it out.

I really don't know about the daemon tools though, it doesn't appear on my program list and I don't think I've ever had it installed.

I`m sorry, it looks like I made a mistake. The mfehidk.sys is actually a McAfee driver that has issues when daemon tools is installed. however, It seems like you don`t have Daemon tools installed, so perhaps there`s another issue or it`s just something to do with Mcafee. In any case I suggest you get rid of mcAfee and see how your system performs.

Regards Howard

I uninstalled mcaffee and now it seems to be crashing about every 15-30 seconds. I have AVG free installed, but it's crashing too soon to complete an initial scan.

I've attached the last few mindump files.

Attached Files

	Mini030207-02.dmp (88.0 KB, 2 views)
	Mini030207-03.dmp (88.0 KB, 2 views)
	Mini030207-04.dmp (88.0 KB, 2 views)
	Mini030207-05.dmp (88.0 KB, 2 views)