First BSOD, very bummed, thoughts?

JesseM

Posts: 237   +10
My laptop's been acting a bit odd the last few days and just a few minutes ago it had its first ever BSOD. Just before the crash I tried plugging in my external drive (eSATA) that is plugged in all the time and the laptop didn't see it, and to test my ports I unplugged my USB mouse and when I plugged it back in it too did not work. I take really good care of this thing and have never even come close to getting a virus, even though that is always a possibility.

My worst fear is a hardware failure somewhere, but I'm just not sure what to think. Nothing in particular has given me trouble since I got the laptop a year or so ago, so I'm not sure how to go about a diagnosis. Any ideas? I'd love to figure out what went/is going wrong so I can make sure it doesn't happen again.

*EDIT*
Just to clarify, once my comp booted up after the blue screen everything appears to work fine again. It just has me worried.
 
How to find and post your Minidump Files:

My Computer > C Drive > Windows Folder > Minidump Folder > Minidump Files.

It is these files that we need (not the folder). Attach to your next post the five most recent dumps. Notice the Manage Attachments button at the bottom when you go to post the next time. You can Zip up to five files per Zip; if you only have one or two you don’t need to zip them, just attach as is. Please do us a favor and don’t Zip each one individually.
 
Thanks for your help, however there is no folder named "minidump" in my C:\Windows folder. Any idea where I could find these files?
 
Do the following to enable Minidump Files to be created:

1. Right click My Computer > click Properties > click Advance tab

2. The Advance Screen at the bottom right has Error Reporting. Click this on.

3. Click Enabled error reporting and also check both boxes underneath: Windows operating system and Programs.

4. Now click Choose Programs and click All Programs. Then click Okay and that screen will close. At the next screen click Okay and that will close.

5. You are back to the Advance screen. Find the Start up and Recovery which has underneath it System startup, system failure, and debugging information. Click the Settings box.

6. Another screen will open. You want the System failure section. Enable all three boxes.

7. Under these boxes is Write debugging information. Choose the option Small memory dump (64kb). Click OK and that screen will close.

8. Click OK one more time and you'll be finished. Now the ability for your system to write minidumps should be enabled.

* Of course we'll have to wait for your next BSOD. Keep us posted.
 
I'm not sure if you're thinking I have Windows 7 or a different OS (I have 7 Home Premium) but your guide isn't relevant to my OS.

1. My Comp > Properties gets me to a screen with no tabs at all, but a "View basic info about your comp" screen. I can click on a link "Advanced System Settings", which brings me to a tabbed "System Properties" window on the advanced tab. I assume this is the same location as you directed me.

2. There is no "advanced screen", but three settings buttons, one for "Startup and Recovery", including system failure and debug info. I click this and it tells me that a memory dump file is being sent to %SystemRoot%\MEMORY.DMP
 
For Windows 7:

Go to the Control Panel, choose 'System And Security', and then click 'System', and then click the 'Advanced System Settings' link.

In the opened window, click the 'Advanced' tab and then inside the 'Startup And Recovery' frame, click the 'Settings' button.

In the opened 'Startup And Recovery' window, there is 'Write Debugging Information' section. You should set the combo-box in this section to 'Small memory dump', and then click 'ok' to confirm the change.
 
Thanks Route44, I completed those steps. Now I'm assuming my computer did not create these minidump files so I'm kind of out of luck here, but next time anything happens I'll be able to post these logs here. Is that right?
 
Yes; in fact if you want you could continue to post on this thread rather than making another one especially if a BSOD occurs in the next 2 to 3 weeks. We are notified concerning any thread that we have answered previously and therefore it won't be buried but rather moved to the forefront.
 
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