System Freezes for 2min and Recovers

Z

ZeRo_1

n00b
Joined
Jul 21, 2004
Messages
36
The Problem:

Temporary system freeze with audio stutter. The system recovers 30sec - 2min later.
Key presses made during freeze will execute after system recovers (ctrl+alt+delete for example)
Usually, but not always, I see an error message in the system tray and I do NOT experience bsod.
This happens seemingly at random from 3D accelerated applications, and web browsing. Games such as BF3 (moderate), WoW (seldom), Planetside 2 (frequently), Minecraft (seldom), Hawken (seldom), etc.
Also happens frequently in both Internet Explorer 9/10, Firefox, Chrome, and Steam store browser. Typically when watching steaming video (youtube, HULU, flow player, etc)
but Pandora audio streaming also seems to create the conditions where this happens.

Error Message:

"Display driver stopped responding and has recovered
Display driver NVIDIA Windows Kernal Mode Driver 314.07 stopped
responding and has successfully recovered"

The problem also shows up in the Windows reliability history with the following data:

-----------
Source
Windows

Summary
Video hardware error

Date
‎3/‎6/‎2013 9:11 PM

Status
Not reported

Description
A problem with your video hardware caused Windows to stop working correctly.

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: LiveKernelEvent
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033

Files that help describe the problem
WD-20130306-2010.dmp
sysdata.xml
WERInternalMetadata.xml

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 117
BCP1: FFFFFA8011E0C4E0
BCP2: FFFFF8800654A198
BCP3: 0000000000000000
BCP4: 0000000000000000
OS Version: 6_1_7601
Service Pack: 1_0
Product: 768_1
-----------

My System Hardware:

CPU: Intel i7 2600k @ 4.5ghz
Motherboard: MSI p67a-gd65 (B3 stepping)
Memory: G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
GPU: Originally MSI 6950 2GB. Replaced with EVGA 670 FTW 2GB.
PSU: CORSAIR HX Series HX850 850W
HDD: 3x Western Digital WD RE4 WD5003ABYX 500GB in Raid 0
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 with all updates
Case/Cooling: Silverstone Raven 2E with Thermalright silver arrow cpu heatsink

What I've tried:

Updated all motherboard drivers and bios (4.3) to current versions (no improvement)
Updated display drivers (in safe mode with driver sweeper. No improvement)
Updated Realtek Audio drivers for onboard sound (no improvement)
Updated Intel Rapid Storage drivers (no improvment)
Cleared CMOS and tested system at default settings with no overlock (no improvement)
Flashed 6950 back to 6950 stock bios and removed overclock (no improvement)
Replaced old 6950 with new GTX 670 (problem still occurs in the same exact way)
Tried GPU in 2nd PCIe slot. No improvement.
Checked GPU Temps. GTX 670 fan profile in EVGA Precision X set to keep temp below 70 degrees Celcius. Card maxes at 60 degrees under heavy gaming load.
Complete reformat of raid array with fresh install of Windows (4 different times) Seemed to help for a few days, then freezes came back
Ran OCCT and Prime 95 Torture tests separately for a few hours at stock and OC settings. System stable with core temps of high 50's overclocked, and low 40's stock.
Ran Memtest86 for 10 hours with zero errors.
Used digital multimeter to test 12v rail on PSU. Noted solid 12v reported. Didn't test other rails.
Unplugged PSU cables from motherboard and reattached firmly
Ran HD Tune and Data Life Guard Tools for error checking on hard disks. Zero errors found.
Disabled Windows Aero (no improvement)
Updated Adobe Flash Player to latest setting (no improvement)
Removed Adobe Flash Player (no improvement)
Turned off Adobe Flash hardware acceleration (no improvement)
*EDIT: Forgot that I also adjusted Nvidia driver profiles for apps that have frozen to include power preference to max performance

All of my hardware with the exception of the new 670 was purchased and configured back in February of 2011. This problem first occured in BF3 multiplayer sometime in early 2012,
and has gradually been happening more frequently. Web searches found many individuals with this error, but the solutions are all over the map, and I've tried just about everything that I've found.

I think I've narrowed the problem down to the motherboard, but I just can't find a clear answer or solution. Maybe it's the raid array? I really thought replacing the GPU would solve my trouble here
and I was...NOT happy when it happened again with the new 670 that I scored for $250 after amazon gift cards. I typically get kicked/disconnected during online game play when this happens and I'm ready to be done with it. I was hoping to fix the issue without needing to buy new hardware, but I don't see any other way at this point.

My patience runs thin. Please help!
 
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First Run SMART on your drives.
Second try disconnecting any external HDD and see how that goes.
If still no go disconnect all but the primary HDD and see if that helps.

I've been having issues with HDD recently and they have been giving my a lot of slowdown or stuttering issues with my system.
 
BurntToast said:
First Run SMART on your drives.
Second try disconnecting any external HDD and see how that goes.
If still no go disconnect all but the primary HDD and see if that helps.

I've been having issues with HDD recently and they have been giving my a lot of slowdown or stuttering issues with my system.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the suggestions! I have run SMART and everything checked out, zero errors. I did have an external USB 3.0 HDD hooked up and I disconnected it. I encountered the same error again after a mix of running games and web videos.

I haven't yet tried testing with a single hard drive out of raid yet. I'll need to update my data backup before deleting the raid and testing further. I'll let you know.

Anyone else encounter this problem and find a resolution that I haven't tried yet? The MSI forums basically laughed at me for overclocking the CPU for 2 years and said that that was obviously my problem haha. Certainly could be, but I've never heard of CPU failures that didn't have BSODs as a symptom before the system just doesn't boot anymore.
 
The first thing that occurs to me is that most of the stuff you're doing when it happens is network access. How exactly are you connecting to the internet? Are you using an Ethernet cable connected to a router, or do you have a wireless connection by USB or PCI/PCI-E?

If you are connected by Ethernet, completely remove your current LAN drivers and get the latest drivers for your LAN, which is a RealTek 8111E. The current official MSI LAN drivers were released last week so there probably isn't anything significantly newer on the RealTek site.

If you already did that, what antivirus software are you using, and have you tried using a different one instead? I trust you are not running more than one at a time. Edit: by that, I mean double-check your Programs & Features list to make sure something like McAfee hasn't inveigled its way on during a Flash or Java update.
 
Last edited:
evilsofa said:
The first thing that occurs to me is that most of the stuff you're doing when it happens is network access. How exactly are you connecting to the internet? Are you using an Ethernet cable connected to a router, or do you have a wireless connection by USB or PCI/PCI-E?

If you are connected by Ethernet, completely remove your current LAN drivers and get the latest drivers for your LAN, which is a RealTek 8111E. The current official MSI LAN drivers were released last week so there probably isn't anything significantly newer on the RealTek site.

If you already did that, what antivirus software are you using, and have you tried using a different one instead? I trust you are not running more than one at a time. Edit: by that, I mean double-check your Programs & Features list to make sure something like McAfee hasn't inveigled its way on during a Flash or Java update.
Click to expand...

I use a DLink Wireless N PCIe adaptor. I haven't tried connecting through another method, though I have updated the drivers. I think this may be part of the problem though. I did try the adaptor in a different PCIe slot. I have an identical adaptor in a Vista box downstairs but all of the hardware is completely different. No issues on that machine. I think you could be on to something here. I will test this as well.

For antivirus, I'm using Avast, and I should have mentioned that I did run Windows pretty much bone stock without Antivirus for a day to test and it still occured.

Thank you for the reply!
 
Was the 314 Nvidia drivers what you were originally using before the update or after an update? Have you tried rolling back the drivers using some older ones?

I had a similar experience with my GTX 260 where the 258.96 drivers work fine and maybe even a few after that (haven't tested), but anything near the 300 series just completely does the exact same thing as yours. It drags my entire system down and runs like a sloth who just shot up 10mg of heroin. I found reverting to much older (stable) drivers was the only thing that worked. One of the reasons to this day why I will not touch newer graphics drivers if the current ones work fine, a lesson I learned again.

It may or may not be that, but given the error report it looks like your options are limited. Browsers use browser accelerated everything now, since then any problem with my GPU directly affects just about 90% of what I use my PC for. I know what you're going through and it sucks, I found my solution to work maybe through trial and error it can work for you, however with the GeForce 6xx series cards your options are far more limited with driver choices.
 
Liger88 said:
Was the 314 Nvidia drivers what you were originally using before the update or after an update? Have you tried rolling back the drivers using some older ones?

I had a similar experience with my GTX 260 where the 258.96 drivers work fine and maybe even a few after that (haven't tested), but anything near the 300 series just completely does the exact same thing as yours. It drags my entire system down and runs like a sloth who just shot up 10mg of heroin. I found reverting to much older (stable) drivers was the only thing that worked. One of the reasons to this day why I will not touch newer graphics drivers if the current ones work fine, a lesson I learned again.

It may or may not be that, but given the error report it looks like your options are limited. Browsers use browser accelerated everything now, since then any problem with my GPU directly affects just about 90% of what I use my PC for. I know what you're going through and it sucks, I found my solution to work maybe through trial and error it can work for you, however with the GeForce 6xx series cards your options are far more limited with driver choices.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Liger88!

I haven't actually tried the drivers that came on the disk from EVGA. I will add that to my list of solutions to try!

Edited for grammar ;)
 
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I updated the drivers for my DLink PCIe 802.11n card, and disabled onboard ethernet. My system hasn't frozen since! I'm hopeful that this problem is now gone for good. Thanks for being a great PC hardware community with great suggestions!
 
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