[Win10] freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

[Xerxes]

My desktop repeatedly freezes and the only remedy seems to be a hard reboot. I've also been getting a few CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT BSODs. Perfmon doesn't seem to be collecting anything, and the Sysnative collection app won't even install. I also get a lot of notices to reconnect the external drive, but it's clearly there and I can see all the files on my backup drive. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[Xerxes]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

Details about the system I forgot to post (in the OS.docx):

· OS - Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista ? 10
· x86 (32-bit) or x64 ? x64
· What was original installed OS on system? Windows 8
· Is the OS an OEM version (came pre-installed on system) or full retail version (YOU purchased it from retailer)? Online upgrade to Win10
· Age of system (hardware) Purchased March 2015
· Age of OS installation - have you re-installed the OS? Win10 installed July 2016, re-installed Oct 2016

· CPU AMD64
· Video Card Nvidia GeForce GTX 760
· MotherBoard - (if NOT a laptop) Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Rev 6001
· Power Supply - brand & wattage (if laptop, skip this one) Corsair CX750M 750W

· System Manufacturer iBuyPower
· Exact model number (if laptop, check label on bottom) 02589-000-656-363

· Laptop or Desktop? Desktop

OS Name Microsoft Windows 10 Home
Version 10.0.14393 Build 14393

 

[Xer]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

Hi Xerxes,

Please zip and upload any files found below C:\Windows\Minidump\. You may find you need to copy the files out to a directory like your documents folder before you're able to zip them. It should be small enough that you're able to attach the file to a post here, but if it's too large, please upload the file to a file hosting site like Google Drive, or Mega.co.nz.

 

[Xerxes]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

Here's the minidump.

 

[Xer]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

The minidumps suggest memory corruption. Run MemtestX86 using the instructions outlined here, and let it run for at least 8 passes.

 

[MichaelB]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

beside to Xer's suggestion,

a recently provided full dump from a customer showed the same failure and the reason was his ESET, so pls uninstall ESET and test again.

 

[Xerxes]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

I can't get it to boot from the USB. I'll try uninstalling ESET to see what happens.

 

[Xerxes]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

I've uninstalled ESET and made a MemTest86+ bootable CD, but it doesn't like that either. At startup it says "Invalid system disk" and then press any key to continue which just goes back to the usual startup.

 

[xilolee]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

Hi everybody. :)

Memtest86 (without the plus) is more updated than memtest86+: 13 Dec 2016 vs 27 Sep 2013.
I'm not sure if Xer intended memtest86 or memtest86+...

 

[Xerxes]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

Tried the other Memtest86 and got the same invalid system disk message.

 

[xilolee]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

Enter in your bios settings, go to advanced bios features, set:

• first boot device: cdrom
• second boot device: hard disk
• Press F10 key on your keyboard: it should save the bios settings and exit.

Later, after you test the ram, you can set them as before.

 

[Xerxes]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

Thanks, xilolee. I reset the bios and let it boot with MemTest86+ on the CD, but it just blew right past it and went to the hard disk. It may have tried to boot from the CD but if it did, it gave up very quickly.

 

[xilolee]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

Does this happen only with memtest86/memtest86+ CDs? Or did you try also with windows installation/repair CDs?


Let's try to get some more logs; run the folllowing commands from an elevated command prompt:

Read More:

You should find two files on your desktop after these commands: DXDIAG report.txt and Drivers - path - hosts.txt.
I don't know why, but the dxdiag /t parameter doesn't like the "" for the path, hence run it without "" (don't add them).

dxdiag /dontskip /whql:on /t %userprofile%\desktop\DXDIAG report.txt

(echo UNSIGNED DRIVERS && (driverquery /si /fo table |find /v /i "true") && echo\ && echo\ && echo SIGNED DRIVERS && echo\ && (driverquery /si /fo table |find /i "true") && echo\ && echo\ && echo DRIVERS IN OTHER FOLDERS ^(NON IN C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32^) && echo\ && (driverquery /fo table /v |find /v /i "system32") && echo\ && echo\ && echo DRIVERS IN C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 && echo\ && (driverquery /fo table /v|find /i "system32") && echo\ && echo PATH ENVIRONMENT VARIABLE && echo\ && path && echo\ && echo HOSTS CONTENT && echo\ && type c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts) > "%userprofile%\desktop\Drivers - path - hosts.txt"

Then, attach/upload the files here...
(Those commands worked on my system: windows 10 home x64)

• System information log
  The following command should be run from an elevated command prompt.
  It should generate a log, named MsInfo.nfo, on your desktop, after some time (few seconds or minutes).
  Read More:

  How to open an elevated command prompt in ALL windows versions: click (or right-click) on Windows Start, click in the searchbox (or click Search, or start to type directly), type CMD, press and hold CTRL and SHIFT keys (on your keyboard), press enter (on your keyboard), release all the keys, click yes to UAC window (if you disabled UAC, this shouldn't appear)

  msinfo32 /nfo "%userprofile%\desktop\MsInfo.nfo"

  (Then upload it here)

• Retrieve System Information, using speccy
  1. Download Speccy portable - current version 1.30.730 (click), unzip/decompress it and put it on your desktop.
  2. When the program opens, it will retrieve some information regarding your system.
  3. Once it's done, select the File menu and choose Publish snapshot. Answer Yes to the confirmation message.
     (Or generate a log in your pc, if you prefer to not publish the snapshot for some reason)
  4. On the next screen that comes up, choose the Copy to Clipboard button and paste this link in your next reply.
     (Or upload here the generated log, in case you didn't publish the snapshot)

 

[Xerxes]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

I haven't tried to reinstall Windows yet. I was hoping to find a less drastic solution, but if you think that's the best thing to do, I can reset it. Here's the link to the results from Speccy:

http://speccy.piriform.com/results/Cl5V8p7neoCHJvCx5QzbAF3

 

[xilolee]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

I just wanted to know if the repair/installation CDs starts or doesn't start like memtest86/+ CDs.

Try to:

• modify your environment variable PATH (from Control Panel\System and Security\System - advanced system settings, click environment variables, double-click path, click edit text, paste the following line in the variable value entry, then click always ok) to (I've just removed the doublets):
  Read More:

  C:\emacs-24.5\bin;C:\PhantomJS;C:\PhantomJS\bin;C:\Program Files (x86)\Bazaar;C:\Program Files (x86)\GNU\GnuPG\pub;C:\Program Files (x86)\LyX 2.1\Perl\bin;C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\miktex\bin\;C:\Program Files (x86)\NVIDIA Corporation\PhysX\Common;C:\Program Files\Git\cmd;C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2015b\bin;C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2015b\runtime\win64;C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2016a\bin;C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R2016a\runtime\win64;C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\miktex\bin\x64\;C:\Program Files\Steel Bank Common Lisp\1.3.4\;C:\ProgramData\Oracle\Java\javapath;C:\Users\Xerxes\Anaconda3.5;C:\Users\Xerxes\Anaconda3.5\Library\bin;C:\Users\Xerxes\Anaconda3.5\Scripts;C:\Users\Xerxes\Anaconda3\Lib\site-packages\selenium\webdriver\chrome;C:\Users\Xerxes\Anaconda3\Lib\site-packages\selenium\webdriver\firefox;C:\Users\Xerxes\AppData\Local\atom\bin;C:\Users\Xerxes\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;
• remove gigabyte easytune6 (ET6).
• Is your Video Card (Nvidia GeForce GTX 760) made by asus?
  If yes, keep it.
  If no, I don't understand why you have asus gpu tweak installed and I think you should remove it.
• Reboot and enter in bios settings: load optimized defaults, save
• There's a bios update for your motherboard, I don't know if you already updated it: available downloads for GA-78LMT-USB3 (rev. 6.0) (click).
  Read carefully your manual instructions if you intend to update the bios.

 

[Xerxes]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

Yes, the video card is the Nvidia GeForce GTX 760. I got it at the same time as the desktop, and then I also upgraded the power supply. Do you have suggestions on removing easytune 6? I can't find anything in the registry or in a search of files.
I think the bios is the most recent, version F2 11/25/2014.

 

[xilolee]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

iomap64.sys should be a file related to gigabyte easytune6: I can see it in msinfo - software environment - system drivers (it's started and running).
Don't you have easytune 6 - ET6 - in control panel\programs\programs and features?
Or other gigabyte software?

Given that speccy shows 70 Celsius for your CPU, let's see if that's true.
Go to BIOS settings and enable:

• PC Health Status
  Hardware Thermal Control
  CPU Warning Temperature --> 60 Celsius/140 Fahrenheit
  CPU/SYSTEM FAN Fail Warning
  CPU/System Smart FAN Control​
• Advanced BIOS Features
  AMD K8 Cool&Quiet control (auto or enabled)​

If you'll get a warning from your MB, maybe it's time to consider to clean the interior of your machine and its components (short list... If you need more information, google is your friend):

• If the machine is still under warranty, bring your machine to the authorized Computer Repair Workshop.
• If you're not handy when handling electrical components, ask it to a friend of yours or bring your machine to the Computer Repair Workshop (they won't do it for free, as you know...).
• It could be difficult to open a laptop: see previous point.
• Unplug the machine from the mains (and remove the battery from the laptop).
• "Touch bare metal of the case interior before reaching in" (I quoted Digerati, given that his English is better than mine :smile9:).
• "Never, as in NEVER EVER, touch the electrical contacts of the RAM sticks" or every other contacts, I'd add (I quoted Digerati).
• You can use brushes, vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, Compressed Air Dusters, to remove the dust (gently and carefully).
• You shouldn't spin too much the fans: keep them blocked.
• Check How to Remove & Apply Thermal Paste on CPU - YouTube (click) about thermal paste or thermal compound.
  But be careful: there's the risk to bend the cpu socket pins.
• If the things still don't work as expected, reducing the heat, add another fan or think about a better cpu cooling solution.
• :shame2: Don't open the PSU! Death danger! :shame2:
  Don't try to open the PSU (power supply unit) to clean it: it could be dangerous given that capacitors, inside it, still hold voltage (aka potential difference, electric tension).
  Thegnomesdidit said (here (click)): "a lot of PSU's i've taken apart in the past few years have a drain resistor wired in parallel to the capacitors that discharges them to safe levels within a few minutes. I would advise however, that whenever you open up any equipment that is mains powered, you assume the capacitors hold a charge".
  Hence, be always very careful with it, if you open it.

 

[Xerxes]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

Today I opened up the case and found that it was pretty clean inside. I wiped a little bit of dust off of the cooling fins, but otherwise it wasn't too bad. I reset the BIOS as you recommended and the CPU temperature was reading 95C, and when I tried to continue booting it completely failed with error message "Inaccessible boot device". At that point I boxed it back up and took it in to the store where I bought it 2 years ago. I feel pretty stupid now because it turned out that there was a three year warranty on it, so I'm letting them figure it out for free. Thanks for everyone's help here, and I'll let you know what they find.

 

[xilolee]

Re: Windows 10 freezes / CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

Well, good luck!
Just inform them about the changes in the bios, if you did them (like I wrote in previous post: the health status options).
Or load optimized defaults (or Load Fail-Safe Defaults: first time I see this option; usually there is only "load optimized defaults" or something along that line) before you bring your machine to the assistance.