Random BSODs

Hi,

I've been working on a Lenovo Ideapad Y570 for about 8 weeks now. Have been troubled with many BSODs over the past few days including PFN_LIST_CORRUPT and MEMORY_MANAGEMENT. Ran a system restore but still got a new BSOD. In desperate need of help since the system is just 8 weeks old. Attached here is the latest minidump.

Maddy.
 

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I know nothing about crash dump analysis, but a friend at work had a similar problem with her office computer. I watched the tech guys go to work on it.

The likely causes boiled down to three: bad RAM, an HDD or file system problem, or a corrupted driver. (I was told PFN_LIST_CORRUPT errors mostly point to driver issues. Not sure how accurate that is.)

As a first step, I'd suggest you test your RAM and your HDD with the approproiate utilities. For RAM, use Memtest86+. It's free and downloadable. You just need to burn the ISO onto a CD and then boot your machine with it. Let the test run for at least 7 complete passes -- the more the better.

You can try to use Windows to check your drives for errors. If for some reason you can't, try to acquire a copy of whatever disk checking utility Hitachi offers. Seagate has SeaTools, which I'm told works with drives produced by other manufacturers.

Once you've ruled out hardware, then you move on to checking your drivers. I'd go at it one by one, uninstalling each driver and sweeping with a cleaner until I get to the culprit. (Any exclamation points in Device Manager, by the way?) Or you can enable Windows' built-in driver verifier to find out which. Not too familiar with this utility, but you can read about it here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/244617 if you like.

(I think it's safer to disable it after you've checked your system)

Good luck!
 
Your Bsod you just posted points to bad driver or Ram problems. Go with what Dawn 1113 has posted. GoodLuck
 
Thanks Dawn1113 and Cobalt006 for the helpful responses.

The first thing I did when I saw the first bsod was to update all the drivers. I initially suspected the my WiFi driver to have caused the bsod since I was experiencing frequent disconnections of late. I still saw bsods pop up and so went ahead with a system restore. To my horror, I saw the BAD_POOL_HEADER and POOL_CORRUPTION bsods WHILE attempting to do a system restore.

I used the WinDbg (x86) tool to analyze the crash dumps myself and found ntkrnlmp.exe to be the possible cause each time.

I also used Memtest86+ to check the memory. It took close to 6 hours for 2 passes to complete showing errors in multiples of millions in each pass. I ran out of patience by then so I stopped the test there itself. I can do 7 passes if it is recommended but then it might take more than a day for the 7 passes to complete. Does Memtest86+ create a log of what kind of errors it has encountered?
 
You have bad RAM, maddy. You need to replace them.

No, you don't have to run seven passes anymore. I'm so sorry I was unclear. I meant you need to run at least 7 to be reasonably certain that you do not have defective RAM -- that is, provided that you do not encounter any errors in the course of those passes.

Best to replace your current RAM kit ASAP before those BSODs and improper shutdowns cause more damage to your system. Remember to check your mobo's QVL for compatible RAM kits. I'd refrain from booting the PC until you can get some new, working RAM in there. Those BSODs can hurt your HDD.

Good luck.
 
Well Dawn just beat me to it. I was going to say swap your ram out. Sounds like you have a bad stick or two
 
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