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BSOD and I Can't Figure Out, Help :(

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Post #1
Hello everyone,

I bought a new computer from Ibuypower in October and since receiving it I have had daily BSOD crashes. I have been online with their tech support but they give me the typical, update your drivers, uninstall and re-install your drivers, etc. I have run a disk check without any errors as well as a memory check without any errors. I have tried all suggestions and find myself lost. To clarify my situation I am going to list my computer build below as well as list the blue screen errors I have gotten just this weekend.

Computer Build
1 x Case NZXT Guardian 921 RB Gaming Case - Black w/ Blue Light
0 x Case Lighting None
0 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction None
0 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion None
1 x Processor AMD FX-8150 CPU (8x 3.60GHz/8MB L2 Cache)
1 x Processor Cooling Liquid CPU Cooling System [AMD] - ARC Dual Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow)
1 x Memory 16 GB [4 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair or Major Brand
1 x Video Card AMD Radeon HD 6970 - 2GB - HIS IceQ X Turbo - Core: 900MHz - Single Card
1 x Video Card Brand Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA
1 x Motherboard Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 – AMD 970
1 x Motherboard USB / SATA Interface [Free] Internal USB 3.0 PCI-E 2.0 x1 Expansion Card
1 x Power Supply 1000 Watt – Extreme Gaming Series
1 x Primary Hard Drive 120 GB Corsair Force Series 3 F120 SSD - Single Drive
1 x Data Hard Drive 2 TB HARD DRIVE – 64M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive
1 x Optical Drive [12X Blu-Ray] LG BLU-RAY Reader, DVD±R/±RW Burner Combo Drive - Black
0 x 2nd Optical Drive None
1 x Flash Media Reader / Writer 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer - Black
0 x Meter Display None
0 x USB Expansion None
1 x Sound Card 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
1 x Network Card Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
1 x Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel) - 64-Bit
1 x Additional Software Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Business - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook included
1 x Keyboard Razer Lycosa Gaming Keyboard
1 x Mouse MadCatz Cyborg R.A.T.5 4000dpi Gaming Mouse
1 x Monitor 24" LED 1920x1080 – ASUS VS248H-P
0 x 2nd Monitor None
1 x Monitor Cable 30 ft. DVI to HDMI Cable (Resolution up to 1080P)
1 x Speaker System iBUYPOWER 2.1 Channel Stereo Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System
1 x Power Protection Mighty Voltage Regulator - Opti-UPS SS1200-AVR
0 x Headset None
0 x Video Camera None
1 x Advanced Build Options Tuniq TX-2 High Performance Thermal Compound - The best interface between your CPU and the heatsinks
1 x Advanced Build Options Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower - Achieve exceptional airflow in your chassis
1 x Advanced Build Options Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower - Basic Pro Wiring

Crash Log For This Weekend (Items in red italics indicate what I was doing at time of crash)

On Sat 1/21/2012 1:02:05 AM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\012012-14149-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7CC40)
Bugcheck code: 0xD1 (0xFFFFF80047EA2F5E, 0xD, 0x8, 0xFFFFF80047EA2F5E)
Error: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode driver attempted to access pageable memory at a process IRQL that was too high.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.
(At this time I was only online on my school site angel.com in the middle of an extensive forum post to one of my peers. My post was of course lost… and the system crashed. Nothing running in the background, just my web browser google chrome).

On Sat 1/21/2012 3:02:17 AM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\012012-13743-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: hal.dll (hal+0x2469)
Bugcheck code: 0xA (0x203B, 0x2, 0x1, 0xFFFFF800033FB469)
Error: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
file path: C:\Windows\system32\hal.dll
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: Hardware Abstraction Layer DLL
Bug check description: This indicates that Microsoft Windows or a kernel-mode driver accessed paged memory at DISPATCH_LEVEL or above.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in a standard Microsoft module. Your system configuration may be incorrect. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver on your system which cannot be identified at this time.


On Sat 1/21/2012 3:02:17 AM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\memory.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: hal.dll (hal!HalMakeBeep+0x11A1)
Bugcheck code: 0xA (0x203B, 0x2, 0x1, 0xFFFFF800033FB469)
Error: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
file path: C:\Windows\system32\hal.dll
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: Hardware Abstraction Layer DLL
Bug check description: This indicates that Microsoft Windows or a kernel-mode driver accessed paged memory at DISPATCH_LEVEL or above.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in a standard Microsoft module. Your system configuration may be incorrect. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver on your system which cannot be identified at this time.
(I was browsing the web as well when it just crashed… frustrating)

On Sun 1/22/2012 9:36:25 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\012212-14695-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7CC10)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

On Sun 1/22/2012 9:36:25 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\memory.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntkrnlmp.exe (nt!KeBugCheck+0x0)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTIONh_NOT_HANDLED
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.
(I was working in Microsoft word and running Nitro Pro PDF to Word converter in the background).

On Mon 1/23/2012 12:27:11 AM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\memory.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: Unknown ()
Bugcheck code: 0xD1 (0x7FE, 0x2, 0x0, 0xFFFFF880016D3642)
Error: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode driver attempted to access pageable memory at a process IRQL that was too high.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
A third party driver was identified as the probable root cause of this system error. It is suggested you look for an update for the following driver: Unknown .
Google query: Unknown DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

On Sun 1/22/2012 9:36:25 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\012212-14695-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7CC10)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.
(Was loading game: Star Wars the Old Republic when computer crashed)

Any insight? Thank you in advance for your help!

Sincerely,
Nicole
Post #2 last edited
Hi Nicole26,
Welcome to WTT :thumbup:

You have a very clear warranty issue with this new computer from Ibuypower.

Bought new and it does not (never did?) work properly. As their tech. support have failed to resolve the issue, I would advise returning the computer for them to fix (it's not up to you) or replace as they are obliged to do. Read the ibypower warranty.

Cheers,
Lee
Post #3
Thank you for the advice Lee, This however is what I am trying to avoid. I use this computer for leisure, business, and schoolwork. Without it I am in serious trouble. I have to pay to ship the monster back, and who knows how long it will take the buggers to fix it and get it back to me…. months??? The way they work I wouldn't doubt it. In continuing to try and fix it myself I proceeded to completely re-install Windows 7. Re-installed all the most updated drivers, and windows updates. Still crashes. Before throwing in the towel used Memtest86 to test memory instead of the other one I used originally. And it found 125 errors by test #8 and then the system froze. I started by removing 1 stick of ram and testing all other sticks to try and find the culprit. After running memtest 4 times, errors were found every time. Therefore, maybe there are 2 bad sticks of RAM? So I continued to test each stick of RAM individually….. Each stick had errors, some more than others. Most errors occurred on test 7. All sticks tested bad individually. Went out and bought 2 sticks of 4GB DDR3 from my local best buy… Maybe I got 4 bad sticks of RAM? Tested these in different slots that I did the other sticks of RAM to try and rule out a bad port. They both got errors as well. The errors were significantly less of course. I only got 5 errors reported on these sticks compared to the 125 on all the others…. Any ideas? I have attached a screenshot of the last memtest on the new RAM. I am on hold with Ibuypower now. Have been on hold for 25min trying to get through. Called earlier today at 1PM and used their "callback" feature instead of waiting and still haven't gotten a call back from them. This is becoming increasingly furstraiting. When I spend over $2,500 on a computer I imaged that it would work correctly…. Don't they run tests for this kind of thing? Thanks all for your help!
Post #5

When I spend over $2,500 on a computer I imaged that it would work correctly…. Don't they run tests for this kind of thing?


Well obviously maybe not :angry:

I'm really sorry to hear about this purchase mishap, but for $2,500 (gasp) you would have been better off to have the pc put together locally so you could at least test it before paying. I assume your 30"display, keyboard and mouse are all OK …and were part of the price (?).

As you have bought new RAM already and are having problems with that too, it does seem to be a hardware issue as you have already re-installed the operating system. Replacing parts until you find the problem though is not the way to go.

If you really don't want to send the PC case back (no use to you whatsoever like it is), at least have a competent local tech. test it and tell you what the problem is, or if your pc savvy enough (hands on technical), you could isolate a hardware problem by following this guide, but in-case.

You will need to look up you motherboard beep codes as described.

Cheers,
Lee
Post #6

…. I use this computer for leisure, business, and schoolwork.
Without it I am in serious trouble. I….

You'll likely be in far worse trouble if you keep it.

I agree with Lee 100%.

The bugchecks and other dbug info like hal.dll (HAL = Hardware Abstraction Layer) all point to hardware failure.

Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED

The 1st parm 0x0 for a 0x1e bugcheck should be an exception code. Seeing 0x0 only serves to confirm hardware failure.

As Lee said -

…
… Replacing parts until you find the problem though is not the way to go.


I understand your reluctance to RMA - shipping, lost time, etc… but RMA really is the best option.

Regards. . .

jcgriff2
Post #7
Don't mean to gang up on you but I have to vote for a repair/replacement as well. There are almost certainly some hardware problems and nothing you do is going to change that. Make them honor their warranty and provide you with a working system,. Painful, yes, but less so than if you continue to battle this.
Post #8
I know you are all right. I called Ibuypower tech support last friday 2/3/12 we had a snowstorm so I spent all day trying to figure it out. I told them the original RAM tested consistently false and to verify it was not the ram I tested 2 alternative sticks of RAM that were known to be good from BestBuy and they also had errors. The man on the other line just said I definately had a RAM problem and he was shipping me two sticks of RAM. I tried to re-iterate that the new sticks also tested bad but he insisted….

Got my new RAM in the main today, almost 1 week later. Did a Memtest right away and this is what happend:

[external image: Posted Image]

I give up. I am calling tomorrow when they open again and telling them I am shipping it back and that I expect them to actually fix the problem and ensure that the problem is fixed before sending it back to me. This is really a joke… They held this thing up initially when it was being built because they claimed they were doing, "quality tests". Is their idea of a quality test just making sure that it turns on? Sorry for ranting this was supposed to be my computer dream, and instead it has turned into a complete computer nightmare. My old jimmy rigged HP worked better than this thing… sigh…. I swear to god they better not give me referb parts….and they better not take ten years to get it back to me….

Being a girl… all I want to do is cry… :wall:
Post #9
Ibuypower has certainly been getting a "great" customer review here.
I hope lots of potential customers have a good read of this thread. In fact I hope Ibuypower have good read too. :) .

How stupid can a company get! :smack:

Cheers,
Lee
Post #11 last edited
No Ztrucker, sorry to give that impression :unsure:

The italics were used for inconspicuous stressing.

Larry Trask ( Professor of Linguistics at University of Sussex) states: "It is possible to write an entire word or phrase in capital letters in order to emphasize it", but adds that "On the whole, though, it is preferable to express emphasis, not with capital letters, but with italics."

Emphasis (typography).

Cheers,
Lee
Post #12
UPDATE on my situation: Hello everyone! Well I thought you all might be interested to know that I decided after my birthday incident to get an RMA number and ship it back! I did have to pay $107 to ship it to them of course. They got the PC and someone named Tang signed for it on 2/16/12. To help them out I included a typed letter with the crash log I had been keeping, and a request that they provide a written explanation of everything they did to the PC when they returned it to me, along with the boxes for all parts replaced. It sat there and they claimed to have reformatted the hard drive, replaced the mother board, and done extensive testing. They shipped it back on 2/28/12. No list of what they did, and no boxes for replaced parts. However I was optimistic that this expensive computer nightmare had finally come to an end. Unfortunately for me I expected to much. I mean why would I think that they would actually fix the problem? After unboxing the beast and getting it setup I ran a memtest. At the 8th-9th test there were hundreds of errors again just like before. Then the computer crashed and gave me the same checkered screen. After a few veins popped in my brain I logged on to the ibuypower facebook site and read some posts from other disgruntled customers. I decided to reply to one of them. Alas, after writing about five paragraphs of hysterical text my computer crashed and gave me a blue screen error. Here is what whocrash said: On Fri 3/2/2012 6:24:41 AM GMT your computer crashed crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\030112-15366-01.dmp This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7CC10) Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0) Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System company: Microsoft Corporation description: NT Kernel & System Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch. This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem. The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time. This looks painfully familiar. Enraged I logged in again and tried to make my angry post, of course the computer completely froze and I had to hard reset. I have never been so disgusted. They didn't fix a thing. However it does appear that they replaced my front fan for some reason since it is a different color, and they forgot to plug in my DVD drive. Other than that there is no evidence that anything was done. I am at a loss. If anyone reading this was thinking about an Ibuypower PC, just don't. Who the heck is going to help me with this at Ibuypower… Tang??? :pullhair: Completely Hysterical, Nicole
Post #13
Nicole26,

I am dreadfully sorry that you are having such difficulty with you computer purchased from IBuypower.

I cannot predict that you will receive anything close to satisfaction in your effort to resolve this matter.
You have already been inconvenienced, frustrated, put to additional expense, received failing advice from the company, experienced failure of their supposed warranty service, and initially spent a large sum of money for a faulty product.

Ibuypower apprently does a lot of business. They may even have a large number of satisfied customers. But they also have a history of complaints that is easily discovered via a quick online search.
Whether or not your case represents an unusual exception in their product quality and repair warranty quality does you no good.
Some companies may be able to point to a very small rate of failure, and small rate of product and warranty dissatisfaction.
But for you it is 100%. And you should proceed accordingly.

Document every conversation, voicemail, email, etc. and include the date and time. You literally have to nag them to death!

Your problems with this computer apparently started shortly after you purchased it in October 2011. Therefore, your documentation should include your early interaction as well as this recent failure of warranty service. And since the problems began so early (and hopefully can be documented), you may have a case for replacement or refund.
There is a "Lemon Law" (Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act) which, though not specific to Computers, may provide you with some leverage.

It may or may not do you any good to contact the Better Business Bureau and/or Federal Trade Commission, in fact probably not.
More hopeful would be to contact a magazine new agency such as PCWorld - "on your side" in hopes that they may champion your case.
[removed] But be aware that they only select a few cases to build into stories.

You've been dealing with their "call center" people, and call centers are notoriously ineffective with all but the most routine situations.
Perhaps more likely to produce results might be to contact the Corporate offices of Ibuypower.

Did you buy directly from Ibuypower? They do sell through CompUSA, Sam's club, NewEgg, Overstock, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and similar.
These retailers will have will have walls of defense and policies asserting that they are not accountable for your difficulties with your Ibuypower machine.
But again it could possibly provide you with some leverage.

Nothing in what I've recommended above carries any authority beyond the hopefulness of finding an avenue for satisfactory response produced by your diligent and well documented efforts.

I do wish you the very best of results.
Post #14
Hi Nicole26, I have not posted in your topic as you have already received such good advice here from everyone…… However I reckon you have been far too nice…… far too helpful and accommodating to them….. The treatment you describe can only be described as poor, and inefficient. When you buy a computer you are entitled to one that works…… and yours doesn't….. The firm you mention appears to have been giving you the "run around" They have had their chance to fix it and have not been able to…… the repair they did, or say they did, either was insufficient or not carried out correctly,. this is their problem and not yours, the inconvienience in fixing the computer should rest with them…and not on you…..you are the innocent party here. I don't know what consumer protection laws operate in your neck of the woods, but if this situation, happened in the UK, it would not be tolerated….. Providing you bought as a private customer (not a business) the cost of carriage would have to be met by the firm concerned…..and it is a legal requirement (in the UK) that repairs/replacement. must be done to a satisfactory standard and in a timely way….. there would be no need to use or rely upon the guarantee at all, as your Statutory Rights under the Sale of Goods Act, would cover this situation…..and entitle you to repair or, replacement and without any undue delayor undue inconvienience to you If you are not in the UK it would be wise to check on consumer protection laws that operate in your part of the world in the hope that they are similar to those of which I speak. I hope you get it fixed….but do make it clear that you want it fixed, at no cost to you and immediately! Regards paws

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