Various BSODs

[Nick]

Hi all,

I've been having some BSOD issues with a relatively new laptop that I received sometime in early November which has only been in use for less than a month.
After uninstalling the OS and doing a clean install of it again, I am still having the same BSODs.

I've attached the requested files.
Any help would be greatly appreciated,
Thank you! :smile9:


· OS - Windows 8, 7, Vista ?: Windows 8
· x86 (32-bit) or x64 ?: x64
· What was original installed OS on system?: Unspecified. Custom build
· Is the OS an OEM version (came pre-installed on system) or full retail version (YOU purchased it from retailer)?: OEM
· Age of system (hardware) : Less than 2 months
· Age of OS installation - have you re-installed the OS? Re-installed OS 4-5 days ago

· CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4700MQ CPU @ 2.40GHz
· Video Card: GeForce GTX 780M
· MotherBoard: MS-1763 (SOCKET 0)
· Power Supply - brand & wattage (if laptop, skip this one): N/A

· System Manufacturer: MSI_NB
· Exact model number (if laptop, check label on bottom): MSI GT70 20C/20D

 

[Patrick]

Hi,

We have various bug checks:

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (a)

This indicates that Microsoft Windows or a kernel-mode driver accessed paged memory at DISPATCH_LEVEL or above.

This bug check is issued if paged memory (or invalid memory) is accessed when the IRQL is too high. The error that generates this bug check usually occurs after the installation of a faulty device driver, system service, or BIOS.

Probably caused by : hardware ( nt!KeUpdateTime+373 )

IMAGE_NAME: hardware

MODULE_NAME: hardware

FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: X64_IP_MISALIGNED

PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA (50)

This indicates that invalid system memory has been referenced.

Bug check 0x50 usually occurs after the installation of faulty hardware or in the event of failure of installed hardware (usually related to defective RAM, be it main memory, L2 RAM cache, or video RAM).

Another common cause is the installation of a faulty system service.

Antivirus software can also trigger this error, as can a corrupted NTFS volume.

DRIVER_CORRUPTED_EXPOOL (c5)

This indicates that the system attempted to access invalid memory at a process IRQL that was too high.

STACK_TEXT:
fffff880`1ced83f0 fffff880`0425517c : fffff880`00000000 fffff880`1ced8620 00000000`00000801 00000000`00000000 : nt!ExAllocatePoolWithTag+0x442
fffff880`1ced84c0 00000000`00000000 : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : dxgmms1!VIDMM_GLOBAL::CreateOneAllocation+0xbb8

^^

MODULE_NAME: dxgmms1

IMAGE_NAME: dxgmms1.sys

^ Direct X MMS.

From what I am seeing here, we are likely dealing with a RAM issue. Let's go ahead and run a Memtest for NO LESS than ~8 passes (several hours):

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

Regards,

Patrick

 

[Nick]

Hello Patrick,
I've run memtest for 10 passes and it hasn't found anything at the moment.
It's still running, should I leave it running?
Attached is a picture of the memtest.

 

[Patrick]

No, that's fine, you can go ahead and end the test. Good, at least we know your RAM is healthy! Let's move onto HDD diagnostics:

Chkdsk:
There are various ways to run Chkdsk~

Method 1:

Start > Search bar > Type cmd (right click run as admin to execute Elevated CMD)

Elevated CMD should now be opened, type the following:

chkdsk x: /r

x implies your drive letter, so if your hard drive in question is letter c, it would be:

chkdsk c: /r

Restart system and let chkdsk run.

Method 2:


Open the "Computer" window
Right-click on the drive in question
Select the "Tools" tab
In the Error-checking area, click <Check Now>.

If you'd like to get a log file that contains the chkdsk results, do the following:

Press Windows Key + R and type powershell.exe in the run box

Paste the following command and press enter afterwards:

get-winevent -FilterHashTable @{logname="Application"; id="1001"}| ?{$_.providername –match "wininit"} | fl timecreated, message | out-file Desktop\CHKDSKResults.txt

This will output a .txt file on your Desktop containing the results of the chkdsk.

If chkdsk turns out okay, run Seatools -

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.

Regards,

Patrick

 

[Nick]

Hello again,

I ran chkdsk and upon restarting I was brought to the windows start-up screen which read: Scanning and repairing drive (C:).

For about 30 minutes it froze at: Scanning and repairing drive (C:): 27% complete, then I got a BSOD.
Upon restarting I was again brought to the Scanning and repairing drive (C:) but again, it froze for another 30 minutes at 27% complete, and again, the computer restarted due to a BSOD.

On the start-up after the second BSOD, instead of it displaying the text "Scanning and repairing drive (C:)" it showed "Attempting repairs..." I'm not entirely sure how long this lasted but it was long enough for me to call it a night, so I went to sleep.

Upon waking up, I noticed the computer was now at the login home screen.
It seems that the computer restored itself to one of the days shortly after I re-installed the OS, as I noticed that some programs were missing after logging in.

None of the BSODs that I had while running chkdsk appear in the minidump. Running the prompt to output the results of chkdsk leaves me with an empty text file. My FN or windows key no longer works for things such as minimizing to desktop (fn D) or opening the cmd (fn R) but it still works for things like volume control (fn + right arrow key increases volume) and brightness (fn + up arrow key).

When I now try to run chkdsk, the start-up text asks me if I would like to skip chkdsk by pressing any key, but regardless of what of I do (pressing a key or not), this text disappears and the system will load up normally and brings me back to the login page.

Should I still try SeaTools?

Thanks a lot
and Happy New Year! :smile9:

 

[Patrick]

Thanks for the info, it's much appreciated. From what you provided, your hard disk sounds faulty. I would go and run Seatools, yes.

Regards,

Patrick

 

[Nick]

All the tests in SeaTools passed.
The ones I tested were: S.M.A.R.T Check, Short Drive Self Test and Short Generic.
Thanks!

 

[Patrick]

Was this Seatools via Windows or DOS? Passing Seatools is no indication of a healthy hard disk, I just recommend it for an extra tool. If you did it in Windows, do it in DOS now you have any bootable media such as CD, etc, to burn it to.

Also, what happens if you run chkdsk again. Does it freeze?

Regards,

Patrick

 

[Nick]

The tests passed on the Windows Seatools.
When running the DOS Seatools it says it cannot find my hard drive, I will attach a screen shot.
When running chkdsk in the command prompt and then restarting, it loads a black screen with a blue Windows logo and text beneath it reading "To skip disk checking, press any key within 1 second."
After that it loads straight to where I log in to my Microsoft account without running chkdsk.
Thanks again!

 

[Patrick]

Okay, at this point, since chkdsk is either freezing or not working, and Seatools fails to detect the drive, I would replace the hard disk. If you have not already, I would before doing that try different SATA cables to ensure you don't have a faulty connection between the hard disk and the SATA controller.

Regards,

Patrick

 

[Nick]

Thought I'd update regarding the DOS SeaTools before checking and replacing the drive..
In the BIOS I switched one of the settings from AHCI to IDE and then DOS SeaTools was able to find the drive.
I ran both tests and they both passed, I'll attach screenshots.


Chkdsk still does not work from the command prompt.
Running it by right clicking the drive and selecting check works, but it says that it "found no errors."


Not sure if it will help but I've attached more BSOD dump files just in case.


So if I understand correctly, even if the tests pass in SeaTools the hard disk could still be faulty,
and if after checking and changing the cables, I still get the same BSODs, you would advise that it is the hard drive that needs to be replaced... Right?


Thanks a lot for the help! :smile9:

 

[Patrick]

Chkdsk still does not work from the command prompt.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by it doesn't work? Depending on your answer will give us our next step.

Regards,

Patrick

 

[Nick]

I've attached a screenshot of the CMD when I run chkdsk.
It asks if I would like to run chkdsk the next time I restart.
When it boots, it loads a black screen with a blue windows logo.
The text that appears below the loading symbol asks if I would like to skip the disk check by pressing any key. I've attached a screenshot of this too.
After about two seconds it goes to a black screen which then loads the page where I log in to the computer.
I've attached a screenshot of this as well.
Thanks! :smile9:

 

[Patrick]

What happens if you insert the Windows CD and boot to the recovery console to do a chkdsk via the CMD there?

Regards,

Patrick

 

[Nick]

It works, it says there were no problems though.
I've attached a screenshot.
Thanks!

 

[TomasD]

Have we tried enabling Driver Verifier to see if it points to something?

 

[Patrick]

HDD seems okay at this point, actually. Thanks for going through all of the tests for it. I noticed a fair bit of *3B bug checks as far as the latest ones go. As Tomas said, let's give verifier a try.

Regards,

Patrick

 

[Nick]

Sorry about the delay!
I've attached the BSOD dumps I received while running driver verifier.
Thanks again!

 

[TomasD]

Hi Nick,

All of the Verifier-enabled crashes you uploaded are pointing to nvlddmkm.sys driver, which belongs to NVIDIA. Could you try installing the latest Beta driver for your GTX 780M GPU to see if it helps?

 

[Nick]

With the 331.93 beta driver and the 332.21 official driver for the nVidia video card I no longer get BSODs while running driver verifier, but I'm still getting them while verifier is off, I'll attach the dump files.
I'll leave verifier on overnight to see if it finds anything.
Should I be using the computer or leaving it idle while verifier is enabled?
As always, thanks again for all the help!