Vista Ultimate x64 BSOD

I just put this system together and I am getting some BSODs but can't figure out what's causing them. The BSODs are either IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL or PAGE_FAULT_IN_NON_PAGED_AREA.

Here are the components:

GA-EX58-UD3R Motherboard
Intel i7 920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz (LGA 1366)
3x2GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 Tri-Channel 1333MHz PC3-10666 RAM Kit
EVGA Nvidia GTX 260 896MB Video Card
Raidmax 730W PSU
Creative Audigy2 ZS Sound Card
Maxtor 160GB Hard Drive
Windows Ultimate x64

I'm almost positive the power supply, hard drive, sound card, and video card are working as they were pulled from a working machine. I've also ran Memtest on the RAM and it didn't return any errors.

I have checked and my drivers are all verified and up to date. I have attached some of the minidumps so you can review. Anyone have any idea what could be causing the issue?

Thanks in advanced!

Hello Takumi,
Welcome to Vista Forums!

Some bad news though, and this is directly from this link:

Most commonly it is the CPU overheating. A close second would be bad RAM. The first thing I would do if you have this issue is to run the machine till it gives you that error, then immediately reboot it, go into the BIOS and check the CPU temperature. 3/5 times it will be way too hot. Go to the store, buy a fancy new heatsink with a ball bearing fan (don't need it binding like a bushing fan will eventually do), pick up some thermal grease while you're at it, and install. Your problem will likely go away.
If not, get some memory that you know is good, and test that out in the system for a while. Be sure to pull out all memory that is currently in the system, or this test will do nothing. If it stabilizes after that, then replace the memory permanently, shoot the old like a clay pigeon and have a nice day.
Sometimes though, especially with the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error, even that is not enough. This is where you get hardcore with the troubleshooting. In the BIOS, load Fail-Safe defaults, disable the onboard modem, sound, and LAN (where applicable). Take out all the cards, with the exception of video, and run the machine for a while. If the machine stays stable, then start adding/re-enabling the devices one by one. Keep in mind that modern motherboards share IRQ's across PCI slots, so try not to put a sound card and a modem right next to each other. They don't seem to think that's funny every once and a while. Anyway, do this one by one until you start crashing again. Whatever you put in last is the culprit.
Also, many newer motherboards' northbridges are actively cooled. Almost always by a bushing fan. Bushing fans tend to bind after a while. Since this chip controls the data stream between the RAM, video, and CPU, I'd say it's pretty important. If it's overheating bad things are bound to happen.

Sorry to head about this bud and let us know if you need any more help,
Ben

Hello Neverhavemoney,

Thanks for the warm welcome and the link.

I have checked the BIOS when the BSOD appears and depending on what I'm doing, I've seen temperatures ranging from 50C to 80C. I understand that is a bit warm but seeing how to maximum temperature for this CPU is 100C, I think it is OK for now.

As for memory, I don't actually have another set of DDR3 I could test on this system unfortunately. However, I did run Memest on these sticks and it didn't return any errors. Do you think I should go buy another set to test this?

Finally, I had already tried using the Fail Safe settings and disabling the components I don't need in the BIOS. The only card I installed in the motherboard is my video card since the motherboard doesn't have any onboard video. However, the BSOD still appears. Another interesting note is that it's not always the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL BSOD, sometimes I would also get PAGE_FAULT_IN_NON_PAGED_AREA.

Any other suggestions other than buying replacement RAM?

Thanks!

The dumps show definite OS corruption - source = unknown. Take a look at the drivers from one of the dumps - they should be in English - not "unknown", numeric addresses and certainly not characters that appear to be Asian.

I would suggest that you re-install the OS.

Regards. . .

Griff

.

Takumi said:

I have checked the BIOS when the BSOD appears and depending on what I'm doing, I've seen temperatures ranging from 50C to 80C. I understand that is a bit warm but seeing how to maximum temperature for this CPU is 100C, I think it is OK for now.

Click to expand...

Your right Takumi,
It would be fine for now, but the odds are this may have been happening for a while. The thermal paste that is on the CPU could have melted off, or just disolved if under 80C for too long or for a long period of time. Your also right about the CPU being able to reach 100C, but that is a max before it burns out. If it is too high for too long, it could be damaging. I would suggest you try and reinstall your OS, drivers, and chipsets for your computer.
If this doesnt fix it, you may need to do some work on the CPU, thermal paste/thermal grease(pretty much the same thing, just depends on your computer), and heatsinks/fans.

Also, if your tower is in ANY type of enclosure, i would strongly suggest you move it into a wide open area. This way you can get maximum air flow to the hardware. Also, make sure the dust inside the tower is blow out frequently.

Let us know about the OS,
Ben

Hi all,

I have done installs on two separate hard drives and tried using XP and Vista. I even tried a known working version of Vista Ultimate x64 that I'm running on another machine. Also, all of the drivers installed are verified so I'm not sure why they are messed up.

I was originally using the stock heatsink with the stock thermal pad. However, I purchased a Xigamatek heatsink and put in some Arctic Silver 5 and now the maximum temperature I see is around 60C. The case is below my desk so it's wide open and everything seems to be very cool. I have a 120mm fan in front and another on the side sucking in air, and a 120mm fan in the back for exhaust.

Thanks for the suggestions. I hope you all enjoy the holidays! Do you have any other ideas?

You could have installled the heatsink improperly. No offense (I don't want you to feel that I am insulting you) but it could be unbalanced or the thermal paste could be worn off. Maybe a quick check would be helpful.

Let us know,
Ben

Takumi said:

Hi all,

I have done installs on two separate hard drives and tried using XP and Vista. I even tried a known working version of Vista Ultimate x64 that I'm running on another machine. Also, all of the drivers installed are verified so I'm not sure why they are messed up.

I was originally using the stock heatsink with the stock thermal pad. However, I purchased a Xigamatek heatsink and put in some Arctic Silver 5 and now the maximum temperature I see is around 60C. The case is below my desk so it's wide open and everything seems to be very cool. I have a 120mm fan in front and another on the side sucking in air, and a 120mm fan in the back for exhaust.

Thanks for the suggestions. I hope you all enjoy the holidays! Do you have any other ideas?

Click to expand...