"driver_irql_not_less_equal" screen

I have purchased a new computer w/Vista Home Version x64 and get the occasional "blue screen of death" as described in the subj line. I looked at the HOTFIX site but can only find the fix for x32. Can anyone show me where the x64 HOTFIX is? Thanks!

What hotfix are you looking at?

Zip up the minidump files located at C:\Windows\Minidump (it may be hidden) and upload them with your next post. If you're unable to locate them, post back and we'll see what we can find.

Thanks. Should this be happening on a new computer with less than 12 hours on it though? i see the files but can't get them to paste in this message...how can i attach them?

What will these files show you? Working on another computer to send them...much slower than this one.
Thanks.

Recently some Dell's came with a free BSOD. It was an issue with the Creative WebCam driver. An update fixes it easily.

Driver IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL than refers to a driver that's (most likely) doing something it shouldn't. Here's a link to a brief description of the error message: Troubleshooting Windows STOP Messages

Analyzing the memory dump file will let us check to see if the driver is identified. If it's not directly identified, then it may give us some clues as to what's going on (so we can make a guess as to what's failing). If we still can't locate it, we can use other tools (such as Driver Verifier) to attempt to force the system to give up the name of the guilty driver (works most of the time).

Unfortunately, the memory dump (as we use it) is only a snapshot at a point in time (where the system started to crash). My favorite example is with 2 drivers called A and B. If driver A stores something in memory at a location belonging to driver B, nothing will happen as long as driver B isn't accessing that memory location. Once driver B does try to access that memory, it's not going to find what it expected to find (since driver A overwrote it). Then it gets confused and crashes. But since driver A had already stopped what it was doing, there's no evidence of it in the crash.

Here's a link with some sample memory dump files (and how we generate the analysis) that may clear up some questions: Diagnosing Bsod's (originally posted 02Oct08) - Vox

Should it happen with a system with 12 hours on it? Probably not - but nothing's ever perfect. And computer manufacturer's build there systems with the minimum necessary to give you a satisfactory product - so sometimes things will slip through the cracks. And that's why there's computer repair technicians.

Good luck!

You can't paste the files in. You must upload them - and you can't upload a .dmp file, so you've gotta zip them up (which makes them smaller also).

usasma said:

Unfortunately, the memory dump (as we use it) is only a snapshot at a point in time (where the system started to crash). My favorite example is with 2 drivers called A and B. If driver A stores something in memory at a location belonging to driver B, nothing will happen as long as driver B isn't accessing that memory location. Once driver B does try to access that memory, it's not going to find what it expected to find (since driver A overwrote it). Then it gets confused and crashes. But since driver A had already stopped what it was doing, there's no evidence of it in the crash.

Click to expand...

I take my metaphorical hat off to you sir.

More significantly, I also repped that post