BSOD after startup

[majinboo555]

Hey guys kindly help me... im having BSOD after my startup happening once or more, Im not quite sure what's causing it so please take a look at my dump files. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

I suspect my power supply btw since I think I read something about the "power supply surges" during the 1st screen of the boot( not really sure since the screen goes for less than a second), although my ram may be the problem as well.

PC : windows xp
core 2 quad
4 gb ram ( 2 sticks w/ 2gb each)
nvidia GeForce GTS 250
UPS 600VA - power supply

thanks in advance. :wave:

 

[Mark56]

Three of these minidumps point to your Audio driver. Look for the audio device in Device Manager and right click on it, select properties and see under the General tab if it reports a problem.

The other minidump points to System Restore.

See what what is reported under your sound device first and post back.

I see from the minidump that you are still on SP2, this is no longer supported by microsoft so your PC is wide open to attack, switch on Automatic Update and keep your PC protected, you should be on SP3.

 

[majinboo555]

sir, i have done what you've said regarding the audio device

All from the list of @ sound and video and game controllers
have the status: "This device is working properly."

 

[Mark56]

OK, go back into Device Manager and uninstall the sound driver, then reboot. This will reinstall the driver, you should see a pop up telling you it is reinstalling the device.

Then post any further minidumps if it still crashes.

 

[Mark56]

I just came across this, it is the most up to date version of the Realtek HD audio driver.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/Realtek_Hi...P03_d4902.html

 

[majinboo555]

I have now uninstalled and reinstalled the audio driver... I even reattached my memory modules but still BSOD after startup and it happens more already as the pc reboots and reboots... I have attached the new dump files...

 

[Mark56]

These latest dumps give a more definitive result. The first two still point to your audio driver which is still listed as June 16th 2009 so it appears the reinstall of the new driver from the link I gave did not work. Nevertheless the last three dumps all state memory corruption, follow this guide to test your memory.

Power off the PC and remove the mains connection, always touch the metal of the case with your hands to avoid any static electricity from causing component damage. (On laptops ALWAYS remove the battery before removing or replacing memory modules). Remove all your memory modules. Clean the contacts with a soft rubber (up and down not from end to end) then insert just one module and reboot to test for any change in performance. Repeat this for every module one at a time and run for at least 24 hours (or until an error occurs) with memory intensive programs, playing games or a video. Obviously if you only have one module this cannot be done, but you should still remove and clean the module and reseat it and test.

If you only have one stick download this to test it. http://www.memtest.org/

You need to scroll down the page until you see the three blue screenshots. Just below is the list of downloads for Memtest86+ V4.10. Click on Download - Pre-Compiled Bootable ISO (.zip)and save to your desktop, When the download is complete right click the file and select Extract Here and burn the image to a CD. In windows 7 right click the extracted file, select Open With, then select Windows Disc Image Burning Tool then follow the prompts. For all other versions of windows (if you do not have an ISO burner) download this free software. http://www.isoimageburner.com/

Boot the PC into the Bios setup and set the CD/DVD drive to 1st in the boot sequence. Insert the disk in the drive then reboot and the disc will load into dos. Leave the test to run through at least 8 cycles.

The memtest will not be 100% accurate but should easily detect any major faults.

 

[majinboo555]

Okay sir. Here's my latest update.

I have not installed the audio driver from the link you sent me but I only installed the driver coming from my CD installer. Should I uninstall it again and install the link you sent me?

I have also tested my memory modules and somehow found something. If I used this specific module(2gb) to run my PC, BSOD occurs while the other nothing so far as I am still testing it right now. May I ask how I can efficiently test this memory module to make sure that BSOD will not occur with it and that the other memory module is the culprit.


I have attached a dump file regarding the memory module im testing now . Im hoping its regarding the audio (


Thanks again.

 

[Mark56]

That dump file again points to the audio driver but I would say your findings with the memory stick are fairly conclusive, you need to replace it. A faulty memory stick will often give misleading minidumps but there have been several dumps blaming memory corruption.

 

[majinboo555]

Thanks,i will try to install the audio driver in the link you sent me.. BTW that latest BSOD happened while i was playing w/ the client garena with the game warcraft III. Is it possible that warcraft 3 might have caused the BSOD since i have not installed it properly in my pc. I just "copy pasted" it in my pc.

Thank again. :wave:

 

[Mark56]

Yes, Warcraft was named in the memory dump as the process in use at the time of the crash but unless this was in use during all the crashes it cannot be the reason for the BSOD's.

As I have already said, your findings from running on seperated memory sticks is fairly conclusive which was backed up by several memory dumps that pinpointed your memory. Replace the faulty stick, then the problem should stop.

If your, slighty ify, copy of Warcraft was causing a BSOD it would most likely happen every time you use it, does it?

 

[majinboo555]

I'm not quite sure. Still, im not quite comfortable yet. Could the BSOD caused by my audio driver be related to warcraft. The last dump file pinpoints my audio driver thus may be related to the game itself since most of the time, its the only program i use in my pc.

Thanks anyway sir for helping me figure out that my RAM is causing it. I have installed the latest audio driver and im hoping no more BSODs. :wave:

 

[Mark56]

It is always wise to be certain before running out and buying new parts. It is unlikely that the BSOD was caused by the game or it would have indicated files related to the game itself and it is also unlikely that the game caused the Audio driver to cause a BSOD, but some odd things can happen from time to time. What is more likely is that the game makes the audio work harder and that causes the error to surface in the faulty RAM stick. The crash dump then blames the Audio driver as it is the one present in memory when the BSOD occurs.

The fact that you got BSOD's with one memstick and not the other would be sufficient proof to convince me that a new stick is required, as long as you used them in the same slot and ran the same programs when testing.

Make sure you get a memory stick that matches the original or better still by a matched pair. I would also suggest you don't go for the cheapest and stick with well known makes if you want something reliable that will last a good many years.

If you get any more BSOD's please post the minidumps and I'll have another look.

 

[majinboo555]

Wow thanks, this forum really did help me a lot. Thanks to you sir. U have provided me very excellent service. I will keep in touch.