Windows 7 BSOD

[Doom4life]

I'm trying to troubleshoot my girlfriend's laptop. She has a Sony Vaio CW series purchased last July. It has an Intel Core i5 520M with an nVidia 310 graphics chipset. It's also running a non-factory install of Windows 7 Home Premium.

I've had BSOD from a couple of different drivers. I have managed to fix the BSOD from the

iaStor.sys and athrx.sys by updating/reinstalling the driver.

However, I have a consitant crash with the following message:
A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage
to your computer.

The problem seems to be caused by the following file: ntoskrnl.exe

PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

This BSOD has happened on May 10, April 21, January 30 (DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE) and October 9 (INTERNAL_POWER_ERROR)

I`m also noticing the laptop frequently runs hotter than it normally does when when she first got it. It doesn`t have an intake for cooling but it does have a fan for exhaust. It used to be lukewarm air coming out of it but I find it sometimes runs pretty warm. It also will randomly get hot and then the Windows 7 will display a message saying the graphics chipset froze and had to be restarted. At this point the exhaust air feels like how it should be. I just checked and I am running the latest graphics drivers

Are these issues something I can fix or does it look like I have to send it in for warranty.

 

[Dangman]

Clean out that laptop? I.e use a compressed air cansitor to get rid of all the dust in that laptop?

 

[Doom4life]

The laptop was purchased in July of 2010 and is still in pristine condition. My girlfriend is really anal about not allowing dust to be around the laptop, which was evident in her old five year old laptop that barely had any dust in it when I last cleaned it. I would imagine after only a year (and the fact it doesn't draw in air) it should still be relatively clean.

 

[Dangman]

Just noticed that it's a Sony laptop so I say just send it in for warranty.

I should note that out of all the laptops I've ever worked on, Sony Vaio laptops, regardless of the age or model, have been a PITA when it comes to DIY repair.

However, try the following first if you really don't want to send it in for repair just yet:
[Testing the RAM]
Download Memtest86+ v4.00 or whatever the latest version is, unzip it, burn the ISO file to a CD, and then boot from it, just like you would do with the XP/Vista install CD. Let Memtest+ run for at least three hours on each stick of RAM separately as well as test the RAM all together. Go for a full 24 hours if you want to be completely sure that the RAM is not a problem. If you start seeing errors, than your RAM is defective or you have incorrect settings for the RAM.

[Testing the Hard Drive]
Download the CD image of Hitachi Drive Fitness Test, burn the ISO file to a CD, and then boot from it, just like you would do with the XP/Vista install CD. Test the hard drive and see if any problems are found. DFT will run on most manufacturers' hard drives. Alternatively, you can use Seagate's SeaTools for DOS to test a Seagate or Maxtor drive. For a Western Digital drive, you could use Data Lifeguard Tools for DOS to test a Western Digital drive.

[Testing the CPU]
Use Prime 95, OCCT, Orthos or Intel Burn Tool to stress test the CPU.

[Testing the GPU]
Use Furmark, OCCT, or ATI Tool to stress test the GPU. If you see any artifacts, the GPU could be overheating, too overclocked, or faulty.

[Testing the RAM]
Download Memtest86+ v4.00 or whatever the latest version is, unzip it, burn the ISO file to a CD, and then boot from it, just like you would do with the XP/Vista install CD. Let Memtest+ run for at least three hours on each stick of RAM separately as well as test the RAM all together. Go for a full 24 hours if you want to be completely sure that the RAM is not a problem. If you start seeing errors, than your RAM is defective or you have incorrect settings for the RAM.

 

[scaarbelly]

My guess is ram issues, however, if it is under warranty, RMA it.

 

[Doom4life]

I've got no problems warrantying it (saves me from the hassle) but I've never done it before and was curious on something.

Does the hard drive need to be sent in with the laptop? I'd prefer not too for obvious reasons such as it getting damaged or lost. If I had to, I'd just put in the factory hard drive (since I upgraded the hard drive as soon as we got it).

 

[Dangman]

Does the hard drive need to be sent in with the laptop? I'd prefer not too for obvious reasons such as it getting damaged or lost. If I had to, I'd just put in the factory hard drive (since I upgraded the hard drive as soon as we got it).

Yes IIRC.

 

[Old Hippie]

I would imagine after only a year (and the fact it doesn't draw in air) it should still be relatively clean.

It has to draw fresh air from outside the case to cool the components or do you think the exhaust fan is recirculating hot air?

Laptops' fans/cooling pathways/and cpu heatsinks will get full of dust unless you're working in a "clean" environment.

It used to be lukewarm air coming out of it but I find it sometimes runs pretty warm. It also will randomly get hot and then the Windows 7 will display a message saying the graphics chipset froze and had to be restarted. At this point the exhaust air feels like how it should be.

That's pretty much the exact scenario for a cooling system that needs cleaned.

Maybe you could install one of those temperature monitoring programs?

Good Luck!

 

[Doom4life]

I'll try spraying it with some compressed air. Any other tips on cleaning it? I'm going to install a temperature monitoring program and run all the tests that were mentioned in this thread before I send it to Sony.

Just got a new BSOD upon waking it from sleep:

The problem seems to be caused by the following file: nvlddmkm.sys

PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA