Continual BSOD's

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feverlax

Limp Gawd
2FA
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Mar 1, 2005
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So, lately I haven't been able to watch a flash based video online(a la hulu or revision3) without my computer BSOD'ing, and its different almost everytime.

For awhile the BSOD was the one related to drivers(IRQL NOT LESS THAN OR EQUAL... or something like that), so I tried changing video card drivers, and that didn't do anything. I even tried changing video cards(scrubbing the drivers and then reinstall the proper ones of course), but I continued to get BSOD's.

A couple of times I got Memory_Management BSOD's so I tried swapping out the memory, but the BSOD's continued. I ran memtest and everything was fine.

My last thought was that it was the sound driver causing the driver BSOD, but I wasn't sure if that were right because I had been using the same sound driver for like a year or so without any problems. Either way I tried disabling the sound and playing a video, but it still BSOD'ed. (I only disabled the sound because I didn't want to have to uninstall what I at least think is a perfectly functioning sound driver).

I even thought there might be something wrong with my HDD, so I tried running everything off a different drive, but nope, still BSOD'ing.

Eventually I got tired of it so I wiped the drive. I tried installing W7 in place of XP, but no luck, still BSOD'ing while watching flash videos. I even tried installing OSX on it, but now that just freezes after watching a few minutes of a flash video. I then tried to reinstall XP, but when the installation gets to the installing devices part, it BSOD's with the driver BSOD I mentioned earlier.

Does anyone happen to know why this is doing what it's doing? The only thing I can think of is that there is a problem with the motherboard drivers or something, but I'm not sure, and before I go out and get a new board(I really hate this one) I'd like to know if that's the actual problem.

PS, another weird thing is that flash youtube videos work fine. I've left a youtube video playing for an hour with no BSOD's, but I can't go 15 minutes on Hulu, Revision3 or Megavideo without BSOD'ing.

Thanks guys
 
Yeah, I just can't figure out what hardware it would be. I installed a new video card, but that was like 5 months ago, and like I said, it still BSOD's when I put the old card in.

The one thing is, is it possible for this to be because of my wireless card? I can't think of anything else that would be doing this other than something wrong with either my mobo or my wireless card.
 
Time to start switching out parts... if you think it could be the wireless card then try some flash sites while you're plugged in.
 
I vaguely recall an issue with nForce boards and trying to play some video back, but I can't remember the details. If you can, try another mobo, hehe. BTW, be sure to take down the hex error numbers whenever the system BSODs (stop error code). ;)
 
enginurd said:
I vaguely recall an issue with nForce boards and trying to play some video back, but I can't remember the details. If you can, try another mobo, hehe. BTW, be sure to take down the hex error numbers whenever the system BSODs (stop error code). ;)
Click to expand...

Well I don't have another AM2 board to try, but I'll try and rule out all the other parts of my rig that I haven't tested yet, and if I still get BSOD's I guess I'll look at a new motherboard.

I'll see if I can get it to BSOD in a minute then I'll write down the stop error codes.
 
OP

You mentioned disableing the sound, but how about removing the sound card? You don't have to remove any drivers.. just if your on like a Soundblaster live or something, pull it out, and try and let a video play. (of course pull the card with the PC off)

--unrelated (maybe) are you by chance running the system via HDMI off the video card? just curious.
 
I'm not using a sound card actually, it's just the built in Realtek audio on the motherboard, and I'm not using HDMI for anything either.
 
Ok, so I finally got around to making Windows BSOD again, but it's a new one this time, probably because it was during installation and not during normal use. I had previously uninstalled XP in hopes that a reinstall would fix my problems, but apparently its made it worse.

The new BSOD is for atapi.sys and the hex stop code is Stop 0x000000D1(0x89DFD6A4,0x00000007,0x00000000,0xF72EF688). Last time I tried to reinstall XP I got a BSOD during the installing devices stage, this time it was in the installing windows part without about 20 minutes left in the install(or so it said).

I had previously thought that maybe my wireless card was making the BSODs, but I pulled it out before I started this install, and I got the BSOD I just mentioned above, so unless that BSOD has anything to do with a lack of wireless card, then I doubt the card is the problem, which is making me think the solution to this problem will be more expensive than I had hoped...
 
feverlax said:
Well I don't have another AM2 board to try, but I'll try and rule out all the other parts of my rig that I haven't tested yet, and if I still get BSOD's I guess I'll look at a new motherboard.

I'll see if I can get it to BSOD in a minute then I'll write down the stop error codes.
Click to expand...


its the memory.. try running memtest86.. if it fails.. pull a stick out.. test again.. if it fails replace that stick with the other one.. this will tell you which one is bad.. but im leaning toward the memory being the issue.. since both of the BSOD's you describe are memory related.. you can run it off a boot disc or a usb thumb drive.. so that windows isnt a variable in the testing..
 
It's definitely not the memory, I ran memtest for 12 hours last night and it has reported no errors so far.
 
0x000000D1: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

The system attempted to access pageable memory using a kernel process IRQL that was too high. The most typical cause is a bad device driver (one that uses improper addresses). It can also be caused by caused by faulty or mismatched RAM, or a damaged pagefile.
Click to expand...

http://www.aumha.org/a/stop.php
 
Memtest would be able to detect if the memory was the reason for that Blue Screen correct? If so, then it's probably a device driver, and the blue screen also said atapi.sys, so which driver would that be? I'm assuming that it would be for the ATA bus, so would the problem be with the port on the motherboard or with one of the drives connected to the ATA(IDE) port.
 
sounds like a bad south/north bridge. try putting a fan directly on them. even if they are not overclocked they might be overheating becasue they couldve been chips that shouldve been caught during manufacture. I would up the voltage abit if that didn't work just to see before sending back the board.
 
Gahh, this will be the second time they have gone bad. I had to RMA the board last year cause the southbridge was overheating. Gahh...
 
yield on a chip is determined by how much heat it put's out based on clockspeed per volts. if you don't want to rma then put a fan directly on it to see if its stable. if that doesn't work up the volts a bit .1 at a time to see if it stablizes teh extra heat putout doesn't matter if it runs at a certain degree say 75 with the fan on it. which is the same thing as lower volts and 75 degrees without the fan.

this may make it last a couple more months or years

if you had to rma before for the same problem you think you may be haveing... you need more case fans
 
Ok, I have some fans laying around, I will try to line it up with the southbridge, but I don't know how well that will work because my video card is directly on top of it. There is a little bit sticking out on the right hand side, so I guess I will try putting it there, but for the most part the only thing sticking out is the fan it has built in on the left hand side.
 
from what i see the video card may use 150 watts (just guessing) so 150 watts is being dumped into your case becase that vidoe card takes the air from instide the case and dumps the heat back inot the case. heat will be fine on componets that have a fan directly on them. even if you have plenty of airflow going outside yoru case sometimes just sticking a small fan on a bridge will drop it 10 degress.

chips either work are they don't but p/n junctions in a chips transistors are weakend by heat the silicon are germain dopeing literally breaks up and the electrons and ion barrier is broken down.....
so even if you tried a diffrent video card.... later yoru bridge may have already had the damage done.
 
Is there a heatsink that I could put on the southbridge instead of the one that is there now? Would that help at all? The only thing that I've been thinking is that the last time I sent back the mobo because of the faulty southbridge, I did so because I read that there were problems with some of them on this board that made them overheat and break.

If there is already damage to the southbridge(either because that was the way it came or because it overheated) will adding the fans and whatnot do anything to help, or am I kind of screwed.
 
i would open the case up and take a box fan are floor fan are some kind of fand and focus it on the motherboard.... then try to make it happen. if it happens then we are back to square one... Although trying other parts has me thinking its the board myself.. if so even if this fixes the problme upgrade..... :D just explain it to the mistress are if you are a bacheler... just upgrade. yes adding fans should stabilze it. think of it as a balance between stabilty tempetrue and volts are 3 toothpicks ontop of some shotglasses. if one is off they all will fall. but no matter what volts tempetrue (stabilty tempture) its at its ok as long as it is stable at that temp. as long as they are balanced your ok. this is where yeild comes in. say 3 volts brings 70 degres at this clockspeed. it passes. yet 3 volts brings 10 degress higher on another chip at that clockspeed it fails.
 
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Actually, I have already used a box fan before to try and keep things cool. My case does not exactly have the best airflow and only has two mounting points for fans.

I will hook up the box fan again and see if it BSOD's again. If it does then I guess I will use it as an excuse to upgrade.
 
feverlax said:
Actually, I have already used a box fan before to try and keep things cool. My case does not exactly have the best airflow and only has two mounting points for fans.

I will hook up the box fan again and see if it BSOD's again. If it does then I guess I will use it as an excuse to upgrade.
Click to expand...


could jsut be a bad bridge no matter what temp its at.. this was just one of the ways to make it work... if yoru still haveing probelms it could be just faulty. but in regards to it i think its the board either way if it makes you feel better.
 
Yeah, the temperature has definitely changed(gotten colder) and it's still got the same problems, but there is one other thing that I was just thinking. Is it at all possible that the CPU is causing this problem? The CPU and Motherboard are the only two parts that I haven't been able to replace and test.
 
Its rare for CPUs to go bad, but its not impossible. I'd RMA the board first, but I can understand your reluctance since you already RMA'd it once before.
 
I was just thinking the CPU since its old (X2 4200+) and because I bought it second hand. I'll definitely wait to RMA the board first. I'm hoping that because this will be the second time Gigabyte will just replace it. Though I am thinking about buying a new board anyway, and then just trying to sell whatever Gigabyte sends me back because I want to make sure I can get a board that is solid and stable.
 
have you dropped yoru case lately maybe the ram are cpu itself isn't getting a good connection(doubt it seriously but who knows) wierder things have happend. .... i found a condom wrapper under the receptionist desk under the tower which sat next to the trash once when repairing a pc.
 
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