[SOLVED] Atikmpag.sys BSOD while playing games

AustinOlig

Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2014
Posts
11
· OS - Windows 7
· 64-bit
· What was original installed OS on system? - Windows 7
· Is the OS an OEM version (came pre-installed on system) or full retail version (YOU purchased it from retailer)? - Full retail version
· Age of system (hardware) - 2011 (Graphics card was just installed this Christmas)
· Age of OS installation, have you re-installed the OS? - 2011 (Reinstalled the OS January 1st 2014)

· CPU -
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
· Video Card - AMD Radeon HD 7770
· MotherBoard -
MSI 870A Fuzion ATX
· Power Supply - Corsair CX500 500W

· System Manufacturer - MSI
· Exact model number (if laptop, check label on bottom) - MS-7660

This problem has only happened when I play League of Legends. I just recently got this new graphics card and its a shame that this is causing me issues :( If I cant fix it, then I might have to go back to my old one, sell this one and buy a different one. If you need me to provide anymore information let me know. Thanks in advance!

I've tried reinstalling Win7 and I've reinstalled the drivers for the graphics card many times.
 

Attachments

Hi,

--
Oh and this issue only began happening after I got the new card​

First off, this is very indicative of a faulty GPU. I would recommend uninstalling your video card drivers, and then reinstalling the latest video card drivers. If you are already on the latest video card drivers, uninstall and install a version or a few versions behind the latest to ensure it's not a latest driver only issue. If you have already experimented with the latest video card driver and many previous versions, please give the beta driver for your card a try.

The attached DMP file is of the VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (116) bug check.
This indicates that an attempt to reset the display driver and recover from a timeout failed.

So, let me now explain what VIDEO_TDR_ERROR means. First off, TDR is an acronym for 'Timeout Detection and Recovery'. Timeout Detection and Recovery was introduced in Vista and carried over to Windows 7. Rather than putting exactly what Timeout Detection and Recovery does exactly, I'll just directly quote the MSDN article!
Timeout detection:
The GPU scheduler, which is part of the DirectX graphics kernel subsystem (Dxgkrnl.sys), detects that the GPU is taking more than the permitted amount of time to execute a particular task. The GPU scheduler then tries to preempt this particular task. The preempt operation has a "wait" timeout, which is the actual TDR timeout. This step is thus the timeout detection phase of the process. The default timeout period in Windows Vista and later operating systems is 2 seconds. If the GPU cannot complete or preempt the current task within the TDR timeout period, the operating system diagnoses that the GPU is frozen.
To prevent timeout detection from occurring, hardware vendors should ensure that graphics operations (that is, DMA buffer completion) take no more than 2 seconds in end-user scenarios such as productivity and game play.
Preparation for recovery:
The operating system's GPU scheduler calls the display miniport driver's DxgkDdiResetFromTimeout function to inform the driver that the operating system detected a timeout. The driver must then reinitialize itself and reset the GPU. In addition, the driver must stop accessing memory and should not access hardware. The operating system and the driver collect hardware and other state information that could be useful for post-mortem diagnosis.
Desktop recovery:
The operating system resets the appropriate state of the graphics stack. The video memory manager, which is also part of Dxgkrnl.sys, purges all allocations from video memory. The display miniport driver resets the GPU hardware state. The graphics stack takes the final actions and restores the desktop to the responsive state. As previously mentioned, some legacy DirectX applications might render just black at the end of this recovery, which requires the end user to restart these applications. Well-written DirectX 9Ex and DirectX 10 and later applications that handle Device Remove technology continue to work correctly. An application must release and then recreate its Direct3D device and all of the device's objects. For more information about how DirectX applications recover, see the Windows SDK.
With this being said, if Timeout Detection and Recovery fails to recover the display driver, it will then shoot the 0x116 bugcheck. There are many different things that can cause a 0x116, which I will explain below if they are necessary if needing troubleshooting.

------------------------

1. AODDriver2.sys is listed and loaded which is the AMD Overdrive; also in EasyTune6 for Gigabyte motherboard driver. It's very known to cause BSOD's, and may be causing conflicts with your GPU. Please remove the software ASAP.

2. Remove and replace Norton with Microsoft Security Essentials for temporary troubleshooting purposes:

Norton removal - https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/kb20080710133834EN_EndUserProfile_en_us;jsessionid=841A6D40BA6872C47697C6C6B19C8E11.4?entsrc=redirect_pubweb&pvid=f-home

MSE - Microsoft Security Essentials - Microsoft Windows

3. Lycosa.sys is listed and loaded which is the Razer Lycosa/Razer Tarantula Keyboard Driver. Older versions have BSOD issues with Win7. If we run an lmvm:
Code:
3: kd> lmvm Lycosa
start             end                 module name
fffff880`06473000 fffff880`06477980   Lycosa     (deferred)             
    Image path: \SystemRoot\system32\drivers\Lycosa.sys
    Image name: Lycosa.sys
    Timestamp:        [I][B]Fri Jan 18 03:51:42 [COLOR=#ff0000][U]2008[/U][/COLOR][/B][/I](4790689E)

Yours is dated from ~2008 which is fairly dated. Search for an update ASAP which as far as I know is going to likely be Synapse - Razer Support

The following hardware issues can cause a TDR event:

1. Unstable overclock (CPU, GPU, etc). Revert all and any overclocks to stock settings.

2. Bad sector in memory resulting in corrupt data being communicated between the GPU and the system (video memory otherwise known as VRAM or physical memory otherwise known as RAM).

GPU testing: Furmark, run for ~15 minutes and watch temperatures to ensure there's no overheating and watch for artifacts.

RAM testing: Memtest - Refer to the below:

Memtest:

Memtest86+:

Download Memtest86+ here:

Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

Which should I download?

You can either download the pre-compiled ISO that you would burn to a CD and then boot from the CD, or you can download the auto-installer for the USB key. What this will do is format your USB drive, make it a bootable device, and then install the necessary files. Both do the same job, it's just up to you which you choose, or which you have available (whether it's CD or USB).

How Memtest works:

Memtest86 writes a series of test patterns to most memory addresses, reads back the data written, and compares it for errors.

The default pass does 9 different tests, varying in access patterns and test data. A tenth test, bit fade, is selectable from the menu. It writes all memory with zeroes, then sleeps for 90 minutes before checking to see if bits have changed (perhaps because of refresh problems). This is repeated with all ones for a total time of 3 hours per pass.

Many chipsets can report RAM speeds and timings via SPD (Serial Presence Detect) or EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles), and some even support changing the expected memory speed. If the expected memory speed is overclocked, Memtest86 can test that memory performance is error-free with these faster settings.

Some hardware is able to report the "PAT status" (PAT: enabled or PAT: disabled). This is a reference to Intel Performance acceleration technology; there may be BIOS settings which affect this aspect of memory timing.

This information, if available to the program, can be displayed via a menu option.

Any other questions, they can most likely be answered by reading this great guide here:

FAQ : please read before posting

3. Corrupt hard drive or Windows install / OS install resulting in corruption to the registry or page file.

HDD diagnostics: Seatools - Refer to the below:

SeaTools | Seagate

You can run it via Windows or DOS. Do note that the only difference is simply the environment you're running it in. In Windows, if you are having what you believe to be device driver related issues that may cause conflicts or false positive, it may be a wise decision to choose the most minimal testing environment (DOS).

Run all tests EXCEPT: Fix All, Long Generic, and anything Advanced.

To reset your page file, follow the instructions below:

a ) Go to Start...Run...and type in "sysdm.cpl" (without the quotes) and press Enter.

- Then click on the Advanced tab,
- Then on the Performance Settings Button,
- Then on the next Advanced tab,
- Then on the Virtual Memory Change button.

b ) In this window, note down the current settings for your pagefile (so you can restore them later on).

-Then click on the "No paging file" radio button, and

- then on the "Set" button. Be sure, if you have multiple hard drives, that you ensure that the paging file is set to 0 on all of them.

-Click OK to exit the dialogs.

c ) Reboot (this will remove the pagefile from your system)

d ) Then go back in following the directions in step a ) and re-enter the settings that you wrote down in step

b ). Follow the steps all the way through (and including) the reboot.

e ) Once you've rebooted this second time, go back in and check to make sure that the settings are as they're supposed to be.

Run System File Checker:

SFC.EXE /SCANNOW

Go to Start and type in "cmd.exe" (without the quotes)

At the top of the search box, right click on the cmd.exe and select "Run as adminstrator"

In the black window that opens, type "SFC.EXE /SCANNOW" (without the quotes) and press Enter.

Let the program run and post back what it says when it's done.

- Overheating of the CPU or GPU and or other components can cause 0x116 bugchecks. Monitor your temperatures and ensure the system is cooled adequately.

- GPU failure. Whether it's heat, power issue (PSU issue), failing VRAM, etc.

The following software issues can cause a TDR event:

- Incompatible drivers of any sort

- Messy / corrupt registry

- Corrupt Direct X - How to install the latest version of DirectX

- Corrupt system files (run System File Checker as advised above)

- Buggy and or corrupt 3rd party drivers. If you suspect a 3rd party driver being the issue, enable Driver Verifier:

Driver Verifier:

What is Driver Verifier?

Driver Verifier is included in Windows 8, 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 to promote stability and reliability; you can use this tool to troubleshoot driver issues. Windows kernel-mode components can cause system corruption or system failures as a result of an improperly written driver, such as an earlier version of a Windows Driver Model (WDM) driver.

Essentially, if there's a 3rd party driver believed to be at issue, enabling Driver Verifier will help flush out the rogue driver if it detects a violation.

Before enabling Driver Verifier, it is recommended to create a System Restore Point:

Vista - START | type rstrui - create a restore point
Windows 7 - START | type create | select "Create a Restore Point"
Windows 8 - Restore Point - Create in Windows 8

How to enable Driver Verifier:

Start > type "verifier" without the quotes > Select the following options -

1. Select - "Create custom settings (for code developers)"
2. Select - "Select individual settings from a full list"
3. Check the following boxes -
- Special Pool
- Pool Tracking
- Force IRQL Checking
- Deadlock Detection
- Security Checks (Windows 7 & 8)
- DDI compliance checking (Windows 8)
- Miscellaneous Checks
4. Select - "Select driver names from a list"
5. Click on the "Provider" tab. This will sort all of the drivers by the provider.
6. Check EVERY box that is NOT provided by Microsoft / Microsoft Corporation.
7. Click on Finish.
8. Restart.

Important information regarding Driver Verifier:

- If Driver Verifier finds a violation, the system will BSOD.

- After enabling Driver Verifier and restarting the system, depending on the culprit, if for example the driver is on start-up, you may not be able to get back into normal Windows because Driver Verifier will flag it, and as stated above, that will cause / force a BSOD.

If this happens, do not panic, do the following:

- Boot into Safe Mode by repeatedly tapping the F8 key during boot-up.

- Once in Safe Mode - Start > type "system restore" without the quotes.

- Choose the restore point you created earlier.
If you did not set up a restore point, do not worry, you can still disable Driver Verifier to get back into normal Windows:

- Start > Search > type "cmd" without the quotes.

- To turn off Driver Verifier, type in cmd "verifier /reset" without the quotes.
・ Restart and boot into normal Windows.

How long should I keep Driver Verifier enabled for?

It varies, many experts and analysts have different recommendations. Personally, I recommend keeping it enabled for at least 24 hours. If you don't BSOD by then, disable Driver Verifier.

My system BSOD'd, where can I find the crash dumps?

They will be located in %systemroot%\Minidump

Any other questions can most likely be answered by this article:
Using Driver Verifier to identify issues with Windows drivers for advanced users

Regards,

Patrick
 
Ok so far I've tried installing an older version of the drivers and I disabled the AMD overdrive. I played a few games and it seemed to be working but I just got the crash again
:( I'm goign to try and install a beta driver. I'll try to do a memtest soon. Also I had troubles updating that Lycosa driver, I would install it and reboot and within 2 minutes of being logged in, my computer would freeze (no bsod). I tried with 3 different updates but no luck so I stuck with the 2008 driver. Hopefully I can fix this issue soon!
 
Interesting details regarding the Lycosa driver. That may be in relation to the problem, that's why I suggested updating. Rather than updating it, let's remove it and then force Windows to install the generic driver for keyboards.

First off, set a Restore Point - Windows 7 - START | type create | select "Create a Restore Point".

Next, let's change your Update Settings so we don't get the Windows Update Razer driver over and over again - Start > search bar > Windows Update > Change Settings (left hand side) set to check but let me choose whether to download or install.

Next, uninstall your Razer drivers. Rather than selecting Restart, let's do a Shut Down. Unplug the mouse, boot back up, and when you get to your Desktop, plug the mouse back in. As long as the Windows Updates are set to only check for latest but not install, the generic Windows driver will be installed as opposed to Razer's from Windows Update.

Regards,

Patrick
 
the beta drivers didn't fix my issue so im going to try your latest post. did you mean to unplug my keyboard, not mouse ?
 
Yes, my apologies. I for some reason automatically assumed mouse when in actuality Razer makes all sorts of devices : )

Regards,

Patrick
 
Okay :) so I just finished doing that after uninstalling razer synapse and the drivers from device manager. After rebooting, device manage now says "HID Keyboard Device" under keyboards. And in the system32 drivers folder, the Lycosa.sys is now dated at 9/30/2009. I'm not sure if I did everything correctly or what I should do next
 
From what you described, it sounds like it went as expected. Keep me updated after doing so.

Regards,

Patrick
 
Will do! Thanks for the help so far. I'm going to get some sleep and play a few games tomorrow to check for errors. Would you recommend me staying on this beta driver (graphics card) or updating it to the latest stable driver now that we know both give me BSOD?
 
I'm still getting the BSOD with the same error. I've uploaded my latest minidump file just incase it may help. https://www.mediafire.com/?32j7o8w6qml322f I think that I just have a faulty graphics card or possible incompatible. It requires 500W and my power supple provides that exact amount, maybe I should think about getting a better one like 600W or maybe even going back to an Nvidia card.
 
It's possible, yes. Does your motherboard support integrated graphics? If so, you could uninstall the video card drivers, physically remove the video card, and enable integrated graphics. If you don't crash, it's likely a faulty GPU.

Also, have you attempted to run a Memtest for at least ~8 passes?

Regards,

Patrick
 
I'm going to put in my old graphics card (Nvidia) and see if I still get any blue screens. And no sorry I still haven't gotten around to that.
 
I've switched my card back to my old one and I haven't had a problem since. I'm considering buying another graphics card and getting rid of this one
 

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