BSOD's 10 x Day

I had an nVidia GTX295 that started going bad and was causing system freezes. EVGA replaced it under warranty with a GTX480. In anticipation of installing the new card I completely uninstalled the drivers, installed the new card and freshly reinstalled the latest drivers. I started getting BSOD's 12 times a day or more, all with different stated causes. I ran all the standard trouble shooting steps like System Restore, memtest, System Files Checker, Norton Internet Security, Super Anti-Spyware, Malwarebytes anti-Malware and Uniblue Power Suite to clean and tune registry and update all drivers. None of this worked but then on one boot up I got a message that new drivers for the video card were available and I installed them and the BSOD's stopped for about 16 days then they started up again although I had made no changes in hardware or software to my system! Now my system will go for hours sometimes with no problems then BSOD in less than an hour with no apparent cause & effect. I got a program called Blue Screen view and look at each crash report but at my level of expertise it's mostly all Greek to me other than it shows about a dozen different reasons for the crashes. I built this system about two years ago and up until now I had only two BSOD's that never recurred. This is driving me crazy and ruining my computing experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I just hope I can get this written and posted before the next BSOD occurs…

Hi there Granpuff,

Uniblue Power Suite
These sort of programs are snake-oil and will eventually cause you problems, especially the the registry cleaner.

BSOD is the default behavior when Windows XP encounters a system failure.

To see what the error was right click on “My Computer” in the Start menu and choose “Properties”. Go to the “Advanced” Tab and under “Startup and Recovery” press the “Settings” button.

Under the “System Failure” box there will be a checkbox saying “Automatically Restart”. Untick this box and click Ok.

Next time the system suddenly reboots it will show the Windows error BSOD and it will have an error code, write this code down and post it here.

Cheers,
Lee

Since the problem is most likely related to Memory or to driver corruption of the graphics card, you have apparently already done the first line diagnostics. That the problem appears both regularly and intermittently makes me somewhat suspicious of wider based environmental problem. Heat Failing or insufficient PSU Please run the native Windows Memory Diagnostic You "may" find that you must remove all but a maximum of 4gb, as Windows Memory Diagnostic may not test beyond that limit. Consider Uninstalling your graphic card driver via Device Manager - Uninstall Whether or not you also use a Driver Cleaner as well is a matter of contested opinion, and I'll leave that to you. Edit: Then of course freshly install the driver. _________________________ Install Speedfan or CoreTemp to monitor temperatures… post back results Tell us about your PSU

I hear what you say about the registry correction programs but my research gave this one pretty high marks in all the reviews I read, PCWorld in particular. It seems every Tech support site has links to these sort of programs. I had already turned off the automatic restart. I have a program called BlueScreenView that shows every one of the BSOD's: Here is just a sampling of the MANY different results for several of the most recent crashes: Technical Information: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA *** STOP: 0x00000050 (0xfffff6801f801f80, 0x0000000000000000, 0xfffff800038ac238, 0x0000000000000002) *** ntoskrnl.exe - Address 0xfffff80003898c40 base at 0xfffff8000381c000 DateStamp 0x4e02aaa3 Technical Information: SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION *** STOP: 0x0000003b (0x00000000c0000005, 0xfffff880094e38ea, 0xfffff8800a3d4fb0, 0x0000000000000000) *** EX64.SYS - Address 0xfffff880094e38ea base at 0xfffff88009400000 DateStamp 0x4e32b25f Technical Information: CRITICAL_OBJECT_TERMINATION *** STOP: 0x000000f4 (0x0000000000000003, 0xfffffa800e7e9b30, 0xfffffa800e7e9e10, 0xfffff80003be78b0) *** ntoskrnl.exe - Address 0xfffff800038e3c40 base at 0xfffff80003867000 DateStamp 0x4e02aaa3 Technical Information: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL *** STOP: 0x000000d1 (0xfffff88003200000, 0x0000000000000002, 0x0000000000000001, 0xfffffa801159599e) *** ntoskrnl.exe - Address 0xfffff800038cdc40 base at 0xfffff80003851000 DateStamp 0x4e02aaa3 Technical Information: BAD_POOL_HEADER *** STOP: 0x00000019 (0x0000000000000003, 0xfffffa8011596d20, 0x0000000000000000, 0xfffffa8011596d20) *** ntoskrnl.exe - Address 0xfffff8000389ac40 base at 0xfffff8000381e000 DateStamp 0x4e02aaa3 Technical Information: (no title on this one) *** STOP: 0x00000109 (0xa3a039d8a321b6f8, 0x0000000000000000, 0x751db3e444fac797, 0x0000000000000101) *** ntoskrnl.exe - Address 0xfffff800038c5c40 base at 0xfffff80003849000 DateStamp 0x4e02aaa3 Technical Information: NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM *** STOP: 0x00000024 (0x00000000001904fb, 0xfffff88013816788, 0xfffff88013815fe0, 0xfffff8800141a525) *** Ntfs.sys - Address 0xfffff8800141a525 base at 0xfffff88001414000 DateStamp 0x4d79997b Technical Information: DRIVER_CORRUPTED_EXPOOL *** STOP: 0x000000c5 (0x0000010200000e40, 0x0000000000000002, 0x0000000000000001, 0xfffff800039be617) *** ntoskrnl.exe - Address 0xfffff8000388fc40 base at 0xfffff80003813000 DateStamp 0x4e02aaa3 Technical Information: CACHE_MANAGER *** STOP: 0x00000034 (0x00000000000007b2, 0xffffffffc0000420, 0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000) *** Ntfs.sys - Address 0xfffff880014e3182 base at 0xfffff88001424000 DateStamp 0x4d79997b Technical Information: SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED *** STOP: 0x1000007e (0xffffffffc0000005, 0xfffff80003bd0c31, 0xfffff880035d28d8, 0xfffff880035d2130) *** ntoskrnl.exe - Address 0xfffff80003bd0c31 base at 0xfffff8000385d000 DateStamp 0x4e02aaa3 Technical Information: BAD_POOL_CALLER *** STOP: 0x000000c2 (0x0000000000000007, 0x000000000000109b, 0x0000000000000000, 0xfffffa8010150440) *** NETIO.SYS - Address 0xfffff8800178035b base at 0xfffff88001773000 DateStamp 0x4ce79381 Technical Information: PFN_LIST_CORRUPT *** STOP: 0x0000004e (0x000000000000009a, 0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000) *** ComcastSecureBackupShare.sys - Address 0xfffff8800188bf10 base at 0xfffff8800187b000 DateStamp 0x4be96e19 (I have since uninstalled the Comcast Secure Backup but it made no difference) Technical Information: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED *** STOP: 0x0000001e (0xffffffffc0000005, 0xfffff8000390dc5a, 0x0000000000000000, 0x00000001ffeefffe) *** tcpip.sys - Address 0xfffff880018c8e01 base at 0xfffff8800189c000 DateStamp 0x4e001123 These are the same BSOD's I've been getting over and over with no particular cause and effect to what I'm doing on the computer. I hope this provides enough information to help me fix it it. Thanks for your input and suggestions.

I currently have a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Watt PSU but sitting in a box I have a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 950 Watt I just got so I can add a second GTX480 in SLI with the current one (I already have the second GTX480 in the box waiting to install) I was really hoping to get this damned BSOD problem solved BEFORE installing the upgrades but maybe I should just go ahead and tear it apart and install everything and include nuking the current nVidia drivers and reinstalling with the new setup. I did investigate overheating issues and did a thorough cleaning of dust bunny's from my big Zalman CPU cooler and my case is the HAF 932 with loads of fans and cooling and heat parameters were in the norm. I wanted to get this posted later I will double check with Speed fan or Core temp will try. Thanks for your suggestions.

PS Edit:
I obviously need to type a lot faster as your post beat me too it
—————————————————————————————————-


The GTX 480 with a Nvidia GF100 chip, DirectX 11 and all the latest hi-tech , is one heck of a card!. Maybe too much card for your XP system and current PSU / CPU if your running it with everything on high performance (?).

From PC World.

GeForce GTX 480 runs very hot though and the power ratings are heady indeed. The GTX 480 theoretically puts out 250 Watts at maximum load – we've found the real figure can exceed 350 Watts – the 5870 generates just 188. Even when idle, 47 Watts (almost twice that of the 5870) is a pretty substantial figure. One six-pin and one eight-pin connector will be needed. A few PCs can only support a pair of six-pin connectors, so you’ll need to watch for this.

It does sound as if the card might be overwhelming-
Cooling
PSU
CPU

Since the problem is most likely related to Memory or to driver corruption of the graphics card, you have apparently already done the first line diagnostics.

That the problem appears both regularly and intermittently makes me somewhat suspicious of wider based environmental problem.

Heat
Failing or insufficient PSU

Please run the native Windows Memory Diagnostic
You "may" find that you must remove all but a maximum of 4gb, as Windows Memory Diagnostic may not test beyond that limit.
_________________________
Install Speedfan or CoreTemp to monitor temperatures… post back results

Tell us about your PSU

Doug's suggestions above sound like a good idea as all the various error codes you posted, just point too "too much of everything" going wrong.

Cheers,
Lee

Just finished running Windows Memory Diagnostic and it found no errors. I am running Windows 7 Ultimate x64. My EVGA Predcision Advanced Graphics Tuning program has my GPU Idling at around 44 C and doesn't seem to get above 75 C under full stress maxed out settings in games. The GTX295 that went bad had temps as high as 120 C and was freezing the system regularly.

Hi Granpuff,

Yes, the present temperature readings on your graphics card do seem to be within the range of safe-and-sane.
(I may be a relic and my owned equipment is "old", so I start getting worried with temps over 50° C. LOL)
But you're correct that newer higher performance CPU and GPU's can stand a lot more heat.

Looking at the PSU might be a next good step.
Will you please consider leaving all of your other hardware in place as is, and replace only the PSU?
Then run the machine for a few days to see if that resolves the BSOD issues.
Also keep track of Temps
I recommend also using a second utility for comparison in addition to your EVGA Predcision Advanced Graphics Tuning utility.
I like CoreTemps, or Everest, or Speedfan

Also, I'd like to get a look at the overall components, configuration and performance of your machine.

Please consider running the PCPitstop OverDrive Full Tests, and posting a link to your results back here in this thread.

Here's how:

You must use your Internet Explorer for this procedure. (doesn't work so well in Firefox or others). If your machine is running Vista or Windows 7, you must Select IE to “Run as Administrator”. After completing PCPitstop OverDrive you can close your IE browser and re-open it Normally so that you are no longer running as administrator.

Go to: http://www.pcpitstop.com
Click on "Free Computer Check-up" listed below PC Pitstop OverDrive
In the User Login - Click on "Sign up FREE!"
You'll need to submit a valid email address and create your own password, then click - Create Account(button)

Now enter your email address and password to Log in, Select - Scan this system Now!(button)
You will then be asked to download an ActiveX component and allow it to install.
It is safe and does not compromise your privacy.
Follow the on-screen prompts to install the ActiveX and to allow the Full Tests to be run on your machine.

The Full Tests take about 2 1/2 - 3 minutes on most machines.
When complete, a Results - Summary - Recommended Fixes will be displayed.

Please post the URL internet address, from your Results, back here into this Topic Thread so that we can review the configuration and present performance levels of your machine.

Note: During the graphics 2D and graphics 3D testing, your screen will display some rapidly moving objects.
If you are sensitive to visual flashing, it may cause dizziness. Therefore, look away from the screen during that portion of the testing.

After reviewing the results we will be more informed and may be able to provide better recommendations for you to work towards improving your machine's performance.

While PCPitstop does offer a variety of Paid Products, the PCPitstop OverDrive testing is FREE. Please ignore the references to Paid Products. At WTT we prefer to provide manual solution instructions that you can apply directly to your machine.

Best Regards

Followed your instructions and here is the resulting address. It's been 8 hours since my last BSOD. But like I said it went for 16 days without one then just started doing it again for the past 6 days

http://www.pcpitstop.com/betapit/sec.asp?conid=24535903

Thanks again for you time, energy and patience in helping me with this problem!

After a quick look, I must first ask the obvious concerning RivaTuner v2.24 MSI Master Overclocking Arena 2009 edition
(v2.24 MSI Master Overclocking Arena 2009 edition)

If at all, how far are you pushing it ?

Cheers,
Lee

Let's get back to considering the 750 watt PSU. A simple run through an online Power Supply Calculator finds your system demands 814 Watt PSU CAVEAT: I was only able to push the calculator to Quad Core — You have 8 core i7 @ 2.67ghz (apparently not OC'd, at least at the time of the Pit Test) I also didn't know how many fans and any internal cold ray lights, etc. Not only do you have no "overhead", you are seriously Under Powered. You won't even have much "overhead" if you install your new 950 watt PSU. Maybe consider 1100 watt and plenty more cooling? But then maybe you don't believe in PSU Calculators. Many folks don't. But for such a monster machine as you have, I wouldn't even consider risking being Under Powered. I sure wouldn't put in that second GPU SLI, until I had a seriously larger PSU of excellent quality. And then eventually we should look at cleaning up all those demoes, P2P file sharing utilities, and temp files. With all that stuff running and phoning home in the background, there's no telling when you will stumble into a CPU spike.

i'd say the easiest way to test if it's a power problem(looking likely) would be to just power the gtx480,motherboard and cpu from the spare 950 watt supply leaving the 750 to power everything else and see if it still blue screens.



don't know what calculator you used doug but here's a good one that lists the i7 920 cpu in options :- http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

Nothing in my system is overclocked. My Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600 3 Channel is only running at 1066 (future project to figure out how to get it to run at the rated 1600 ) My new PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Performance 80PLUS Silver SLI Crossfire ready Power Supply actually comes very close to your recommendations. What I love about PCP&C is that, unlike many PSU manufacturers, they actually *understate* their PSU capacity. This 950W Silencer MkII is actually rated at 1000W continuous and 1080W peak. With a 98% power factor and 88% efficiency, a single monster 83A 12v rail , non-modular cables (modular cables are another gimmick that can result in power loss and inefficiency), and plenty of connectors, it's a very well designed, high-quality power supply that was a bargain at $114.99 from NewEgg after discounts & rebate. The next model up I considered was PC Power and Cooling Turbo-Cool 1200W Server-grade High Performance SLI Crossfire ready Power Supply rated 1.2KW Continuous (1.4KW peak) priced at $449.99 for only about 200 watts more. With my budget the $335.00 difference was a no brain-er. My Cooler Master HAF 932 has 1 x 120mm rear fan, 1 x 200mm Red LED front fan, 1 x 200mm top fan and 1 x 200mm side fan with space for an addition fan on the bottom behind the PSU. Tons of cooling with a monster size ZALMAN CNPS9900 NT 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler. The suggestion of using both my PSU at the same time is an interesting idea but I think a more logical 1st step would be to install the Silencer 950 but NOT install the additional 480GTX in SLI just yet to see if that has any effect on the BSOD's.

BTW: as part of my troubleshooting I used MSCONFIG to try many boot up scenarios adding and subtracting various programs to try and isolate what background program could be causing the BSOD's. No luck there either. When it was working just fine for over two years I always had most of that background stuff running with no problem. Once in a very great while Norton Internet security will have a pop-up warning is anything is taxing system resources and that's usually the Western Digital Drive Manager doing it's constant updating via the external USB 3.0 3 TB My Book Essential Drive. The Uniblue Suite Definitely is a system hog if I choose to leave it running in the background. What drives me crazy is that all this was running just fine before the BSOD plague set in and eliminating them from the equation just doesn't help. Thanks again for the suggestions and tips but I don't think the problem has been isolated yet. Also, my main reason for adding the additional GTX480 in SLI is to be able to add a third Dell 2407FPB monitor to my current dual monitor setup. I already bought the 3rd monitor and it will be here in a few days. Yes, my machine is a Monster and it's name is "CompZilla" :PLOL That's what happens when a 65 year old Computer Enthusiast becomes a widower with no wife or girlfriend to support or consult on his "Hobby"