Vista - Hardware error?

Hello,

I am new to the forum, glad I stumbled upon it while trying to fix some BSOD that I have been dealing with for the past month.

I have been dealing with a rash of errors on my machine. Here are the specs:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Black Edition processor
8GB RAM
500 GB Harddrive
Windows Vista Home Premium 64 Bit
XFX 750A SLI Ready Mobo

After trying to fix it using the XFX support, I gave up and reformatted. I installed a very basic set of programs and then let the computer run. It crashed again after about 10 minutes. Same error I have been having: Driver_irql_not_less_or_equal.

Isnt there a place where the error information is recorded? If so, I have tried to get at it to read the error file but cannot open it to find out exactly what file is causing the problem.

Can someone assist?

Thanks for the help!

-DC

Please try to update the display driver for your computer

1. Click on start and type Device Manager (devmgmt.msc) and hit Enter.
2. Click on the + sign left to the display driver
3. Right click on the device name and select Update Driver.
4. Select the option called “Browse my computer for driver software”.
1. Select the option “Let me pick a driver from the list”.
2. Select the compatible driver from the list and click “Next”.
OR (If it doesn’t work)
1. Click on browse and navigate the location to “C:\windows\winsxs”.
2. Click on next.
5. Wait for the installation to complete.
6. Restart the computer to take effect the changes.


If this doesn't fix the issue please try to update your BIOS driver of your computer it will fix your issue.
Download the BIOS driver for your comuter and install it directly to your computer.

Hello and thanks for the advice. I have updated both as well as every other possible driver, to no avail.

Here is the info from the most recent error/BSOD:

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.0.6001.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033

Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: a
BCP1: FFFF80600171BB79
BCP2: 000000000000000D
BCP3: 0000000000000000
BCP4: FFFFF80001E6A340
OS Version: 6_0_6001
Service Pack: 1_0
Product: 768_1

What else do you think it could be? I am at wits end.

Hi DC, Welcome to the Forum,

This Problem is normally caused by bad or buggy drivers, could also sometimes be caused by Hardware.

You need to check all your drivers, it would also probably be a good idea to test your RAM as well and make sure that your BIOS is up to date

Go to C:\ Windows minidump copy the files, zip them up and post them here, some of the experts here can read them and give you more specific help

I hope this helps

Pooch

Pooch, I appreciate your advice and assistance.

Here are the files that were in the minidump folder. I reformatted the other day and there are a total of 4 that have occured so far.

I am no expert, but I think that the fault seems to lie with the processor, are you or have you been overclocking? try disabling coolnquiet, make sure the processor is not overheating,
You could also check your PSU make sure it is providing enough power.
You might find this program usefull to read temps and voltages; SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer

Pooch

Ps. I have asked someone to read the minidumps

Seconded. This is unfortunately almost certainly a hardware problem. In fact, any time that a freshly-installed OS bluescreens before any updates at all, one can be confident that there's something fundamentally wrong with the underlying machine.

The crash at "Apr 22 01:50:03.283 2009 (GMT+10)" is the one which most obviously corresponds to a hardware fault:

Child-SP RetAddr Call Site
fffffa60`0171b878 fffff800`01e703ee nt!KeBugCheckEx
fffffa60`0171b880 fffff800`01e6f2cb nt!KiBugCheckDispatch+0x6e
fffffa60`0171b9c0 fffff800`01e6a340 nt!KiPageFault+0x20b
fffffa60`0171bb50 fffffa60`00ba0062 nt!KiSecondaryClockInterrupt+0x1a0
fffffa60`0171bce8 fffffa60`00b9f0d9 amdk8!C1Halt+0x2
fffffa60`0171bcf0 fffff800`01e8bac8 amdk8!C1Idle+0x9
fffffa60`0171bd20 fffff800`01e7ae31 nt!PoIdle+0x148
fffffa60`0171bd80 fffff800`020495c0 nt!KiIdleLoop+0x21
fffffa60`0171bdb0 00000000`fffffa60 nt!zzz_AsmCodeRange_End+0x4
fffffa60`005efd00 00000000`00000000 0xfffffa60

Reading from the bottom upwards (the function calls at the top of the stack are newer, time-wise), the processor was just about to enter a lower-power state - due to relative idleness, when a hardware interrupt occurred and caused an attempted read into an invalid region of memory, most likely because the field containing the address to be read was itself corrupted.

It's theoretically possible for something like this to occur due to a bad driver, but the odds are so remote that it's, IMHO, not worth pursuing that angle, especially given it happens after a fresh (re)install.

Hmmm, interesting. The XFX mobo has a built in overclocking feature, it seems to overclock as a default. I think this is the case because the 5400+ black edition processor I have is rated for 2.8 Ghz, and according to my system stats it is running at 3.21 Ghz.

In checking my temps, my processor temp always seems to run at 45C, which should be fine. I have a massive Arctic Cooling 64 Freezer Pro cooler on the chip, plus front and rear 1600 RPM, 120MM cooling fans. System temp is something like 23C.

I dont think the PSU is suspect, as its rated for 750W, and I have a relatively simple setup.

What steps do you fellows think I should follow next in trying to determine the exact issue?

Thanks again for all the help, by the way!

I installed speedfan as instructed, here is some info:

Vcore: 1.38v
+12V: 11.67v
Avcc: 3.38v

All fan speeds are 100%.

GPU:46C
System:22C
CPU:41C
AUX:48C
Core:6C

This is with just the IE window open and running the Speedfan app.

When an individual chooses to overclock hardware which they have purchased, that's their right. Personally, I think overclocking is misguided, but it's well within the law for someone to do whatever they want to their property, including putting an axe through it should such a thing strike their fancy. However, when a system builder overclocks and then misrepresents the hardware specifications of the computers they're selling, that's illegal. If I'd bought hardware based on advertising material which claimed a 3.21GHz processor, only to find an overclocked 2.8GHz unit, I'd personally be pretty POed.

That unscrupulous practice started the day someone found they could sell an XT clone with an 8088 normally clocked at 4.77MHz as a 6MHz "turbo" unit by replacing the crystal on the moterboard with a faster one for $0.99 from Tandy. In the early 90s, dodgy system assemblers were routinely being found "lapping" their processors to shave off the text on the housing, so that it could be sold as a faster unit (when overclocked of course).

I don't know your circumstances, but if you feel you were somehow duped into buying an overclocked computer, I'd suggest complaining in the strongest terms. There's no telling what other corners were cut in putting together that machine.

One way or the other, the overclocked configuration should be wound back to "within specs" operation. I don't think it's a good use of your time to continue to seek other answers while the machine remains overclocked.