New Computer BSOD, Technicians Can't Detect Problem

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chibiten

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Hi!

I'm new to this forum. I've checked out the post on troubleshooting and done most of what I can, but windows keeps giving me stop errors. My computer is new, only 2 months. On one restart, it hanged after memory testing and before detecting the drives. I've sent it to the shop and they said it was a faulty data cable which they replaced. It was ok for a while but the problem returned. I checked the RAM slots and found that the stick was loose and couldn't be locked in so I transferred it into another slot where it could be locked. It was ok for a while but then windows gave me stop errors again. The errors don't indicate any .dll files or drivers and searching on the net said it is most likely a hardware problem. The technicians said they'd tested the memory and the drive and that there were no errors. I've also tried updating my BIOS and my graphics card driver. I'm really at a loss here. =( I've attached my most recent dump files and some other info. PLEASE HELP!

WinXP Professional Service Pack 2
AMD Athlon X2 5200+ box (AM2) 2.6 ghz 1024kb/2.7ghz 512kb
GIGABYTE MA69G-S3H AMD690G HDMI (AM2)
2gb ddr2-800 pc2-6400 Kingston
250 seagate 8mb sata hdd
512mb Palit GF 9400 GT ddr2 Super (128bit) pcie
LH (GH22LS30/GH22Ls40) 22x dvdrw dual layer sata is lightscribe
AVR 500watts
generic 500w/525w wattage psu
 

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  • Mini012609-01.dmp
    88 KB · Views: 5
Two errors were 0x7F but they only cited ntkrpamp.exe and though this is a core Windows driver it is too general to be of much help.

The other error is 0x8E and these are almost always caused by hardware but sometimes it can be a device driver. It cited Pool_Corruption as the problem and though this is too general in itself it does tell us that there is a good possibility a driver or drivers are corrupted and thus causing your crashes.

As I looked further in this particular minidump I noted that it said Vax347b.sys could not be verified and thus not loaded.

Question: Do you run Alcohol 120%? The reason I ask is because this driver is the device driver for the Alcohol120% virtual DVD-Drive. Many people have had issues with this software and when they uninstalled it their BSODs went away. Perhaps that might work for you.

One other thing, your motherboard should be fully functioning which means if your memory clips are faulty and this is a new PC whoever you bought it from needs to fix that. That isn't right at all.

Also, keep an eye on your power supply. Generic ones are something many builders will not trust. You may want to consider purchasing a new one that has a good name brand reputation.
 
Thanks so much for the quick reply. Yes, I'm running Alcohol, and come to think of it, I never had the problem prior to installing it. I'll uninstall the program and see what happens. I'll also ask the shop to do something about my memory clips, and I'll see what I can do about my power supply. Is there anything other than memory dumps that can tell me more info about my problem?

Thanks a lot for your help. =)
 
Let us know how your system runs once you uninstall Alcohol 120%. It is a good program but many people have issues with it.

As for the minidumps, they have a lot of information even I can't decipher (it takes a well trained techie) but they do give the error code and probable cause. If you take your system back for repair just tell them that your minidumps were read and give the information -- especially if Alcohol 120% was indeed the problem. :D

As for a power supply, if you choose to purchase one in the future there are a number of people here who can give you solid advice and where to purchase. All you need to do is ask on the correct forum.
 
I uninstalled Alcohol but still got the bluescreens. After uninstallation, it restarted fine so I tried memory testing. Memtest gave me an "unexpected halt" so I manually restarted. It got to windows I think, but I got an error again. This time it was a "page_fault_in_non_paged_area". 0x00000050 0xf0a03d7c 0x00000000 0x80505d47 0x00000002

I restarted and got another bluescreen: 00000024 b42517c8 001902fe b42514c4 ba63740f

This time it indicated NTFS.sys so I tried diskchecking. I'm not sure if the diskcheck completed or not because it flashed a lot of info and then restarted. Still got the bluescreens after that.

I can't really post dump files coz the computer doesn't stay stable long enough to do so. I'm using my laptop right now. Any ideas?

I'm bringing it to the shop the day after tomorrow...

-----------------
[edit] I managed to save the minidumps into my flash drive. I'll upload the latest ones plus the first ever minidump I got. If the driver for Alcohol is mentioned there, I guess that program really is the culprit. I tried restoring my system to a time before I installed Alcohol and windows says it can't restore to that point... :(
 
First dump was error 0x24: NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM and is defined as...

A problem occurred within NTFS.SYS, the driver file that allows the system to read and write to NTFS file system drives. There may be a physical problem with the disk, or an Interrupt Request Packet (IRP) may be corrupted. Other common causes include heavy hard drive fragmentation, heavy file I/O, problems with some types of drive-mirroring software, or some antivirus software.

Well Alcohol 120% certainly could be in this mix. Couple this with another minidump error that is 0x8E and these are almost always caused by hardware issues though sometimes by a driver or BIOS issue.

In this 8E error it cites the driver klif.sys and this is a driver belonginging to Kaspersky (excellent antivirus I might add). Many people have had issues with this driver.

Another 8E error cited Ntfs.sys (see the above description)

So...

1. Do this first: Run a full harddrive diagnostics by utilizing the free utility from your harddrive manufacturer. Log on to their website and you should be able to find it. I know Seagate's Sea Tool utility works on many brands. If you use this tool make sure you run the Long DST.

* Get back to us with the results.

2. Run ChkDsk (just as I spelled it) in the Run Box in your Start menu.

3. Update your antivirus, but first do #s 1 and 2.
 
Hi again,

I used Seagate's Sea Tools and got these results:
--------------- SeaTools for Windows v1.1.1.0 ---------------
1/27/2009 3:58:20 PM
Model: ST3250310AS
Serial Number: 6RYF9RTY
Firmware Revision: 4.AAA
Long DST - Started 1/27/2009 3:58:20 PM
Long DST - Pass 1/27/2009 4:54:46 PM

[edit]
I ran chkdsk without any parameters. It gave this message: "Deleting an index entry from $0 of file 25." I think it reached 100% for the index checking but then it flashed a lot of info (which I couldn't catch) and then exited. Does that mean it finished?

I've also updated my AV. Did you mean I have to update my AV version? Coz I think I have to purchase a new license in that case.

[edit]
I tried testing my memory using MemTest. It gave me an "Unexpected Interrupt" so I had to restart manually. It got to windows but then gave me a bluescreen (which I wasn't able to read). When it restarted, it hanged right after the memory test (the usual one, not the MemTest--I removed the bootable CD). I can't get to windows anymore, so I'm stuck using my laptop. :(

My cousin says it could be an incompatibility with the RAM? Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.
 
Have you tried rebooting your PC into Safe Mode? If you can do that then send the latest minidump(s) along. You could also try rebooting with only one stick in at a time. I have never heard of your issue before.

The good news it isn't your harddrive.

As for the antivirus, by all means update. You certainly don't want to get infected. If you don't want to spend the money there are some very good free versions out there such as Advast or Antivir.

Just make sure you fully uninstall Kaspersky before downloading another antivirus. Keep in mind, Kaspersky has the best protection rate out of all of them.
 
I only have 1 2gig stick...

[edit]
So I tried restarting the pc again after a few hours and it booted up fine. My cousin defragged the disk and it went ok. It was stable for the time we were using it. We tried MemTest on my nephew's PC and it ran without any problems, so we decided to check my pc's memory with it again. We got the same result as last time. My memory apparently couldn't be tested. After manual restart, it hanged at the same place: after memory check before detecting drives. :(

Should I try a reformat? Or is this a hardware issue?

Thanks in advance.
 
Your error is a 0x8E and cites NDIS.sys and it is a core Windows driver. If it is corrupted it prevents you from starting your computer and thus difficult to deal with.

Here is a link from 2007. Read what the person did to fix it.

https://www.techspot.com/vb/all/windows/t-73773-BSOD-0x0000008e-etc.html

0x8E are normally hardware issues though sometimes it can be a driver. I am wondering if a Windows repair is in order here. But before we do that please refer to your motherboard manual and check their RAM recommended configurations. Also, does your BIOS have the RAM voltage at recommended settings?
 
Hi,

My cousin took my pc to the shop this morning (coz I had work -_-). I wasn't able to do the things in the thread you pointed me to. She said they changed the power supply and they managed to lock the RAM stick into place using the slot that we previously couldn't lock. The technician said we should do a complete reformat. I guess I'll just go and do that. Wish me luck.

I've attached my minidumps, just in case. I'll let you know how things go. Thanks a lot for all your help. :)
 
First error is 0x1A: 0x0000001A: MEMORY_MANAGEMENT

This memory management error is usually hardware related. See the General Troubleshooting of STOP Messages checklist above. If this occurs while installing Windows, also check the Windows system requirements including the amount of RAM and disk space required to load the operating system.

It cited corrupted memory as the cause.


Second error is 0xEA:THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER
A device driver problem has caused the system to pause indefinitely (hang). Typically, this is caused by a display driver waiting for the video hardware to enter an idle state. This might indicate a hardware problem with the video adapter, or a faulty video driver.

The driver cited is nv4_disp.dll which belongs to Nvidia. The internet is filled with people having issues with this driver.

* Tell us if the reformat works.
 
Hi again,

So I did the reformat. Installed drivers (had some trouble with the NVIDIA graphics card), installed AV, installed some programs. Then I ran MemTest again. This time it ran for a full hour and passed without any errors. I'm currently updating my AV and setting other stuff up but so far so good. Hope it stays that way. *crosses fingers*

I'll be observing it and I'll let you know if anything comes up or if things work out. Thanks again for all your help. :)
 
Still got the bluescreen and the pc still hanged at the usual spot. Brought it to the shop. They said it was a RAM issue. They gave me a service RAM in the meantime while I wait for the replacement. I didn't see a bluescreen but I got a windows error message after booting up. Minidumps attached.

*ready to surrender*

Thanks again in advance.
 
Two dumps specifically cited klif.sys and the third one is an 0x8 error which are caused by hardware but even that one noted that klif.sys was unable to load.

So the driver klif.sys was cited in all three minidumps. This driver belongs to Kaspersky and if you google it you'll find a great amount of people have issues with this driver.

I suggest going to Kaspersky forums and reading/researching how to resolve this. You may need to uninstall and re-install.
 
Thanks so much for the info. I'll be checking the Kaspersky forums in the meantime. I really like this AV program but if it's more trouble than it's worth, I might switch to one of the free AVs you pointed out before. Which do you suggest is a better choice, Avast or Antivir?
 
Thanks so much for the info. I'll be checking the Kaspersky forums in the meantime. I really like this AV program but if it's more trouble than it's worth, I might switch to one of the free AVs you pointed out before. Which do you suggest is a better choice, Avast or Antivir?

I have experience only with Avast free (two laptops and our second PC) and it seems to do the job. Next time though Iam empted to get their $ version. You can go to their website and compare the free alongside the paid. I do use it in conjunction with SUOERantispyware free version as well, but on my main rig I have the SAS $ version. I love the way you can configure it.

I know nothing about Antivir but a lot of people use it and like it.

As for Kaspersky, it has the best detection rate in the business. I would certainly try to get this worked out.
 
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