Vista - READY-RECKONER : Windows Vista 'Stop Errors' or The BSOD's.

So many threads here on BSOD, that I felt like posting a generalised
ready-reckoner from my site. This is only an Extract. :-)

"Although the BSOD has largely been thrown onto the software slag heap, in
Vista, crashes haven't been totally banished. When windows encounters a
condition that compromises safe system operation (i.e. a “bug�), the system
halts. this condition is called a bug check. It is also commonly referred to
as a system crash, a kernel error, a system fault, or a Stop error. When
Windows encounters such a serious error that forces it to stop running, it
displays a BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH or just 'lovingly' called BSOD !

The exact text of a Stop error varies, according to what caused the error.
But the format is standardized and is made up of 3 parts:

PART 1.
Symbolic error name: This is the Stop Error message that is given to the OS
and corresponds to the Stop Error number that appears.
PART 2.
Troubleshooting recommendations: This text applies to all Stop Errors of
that particular type.
PART 3.
Error number and parameters: Its the bugcheck information. The text
following the word STOP includes the error number, in hexadecimal notation,
and up to four parameters that are typical of this error type.

Usually when a BSOD occurs, it stays for a second before the PC immediately
restarts. This way we are unable to read what is written. To get around it,
one has to disable the auto pc-restart option from the StartUp & System
Recovery settings. Knowing the error code, can help identify the
problem/solution.

Disable UAC. Control Panel > System And Maintenance > System > Advanced
System Settings > Advanced tab > Under Startup And Recovery > Click Settings
> Clear the Automatically Restart check box > click OK. Enable UAC.

You can download The Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD) Primer from here It opens
as a pdf file in your browser. Click on 'save a copy' to save it.

You can also get your BSOD auto-analysed at the Microsoft® Online Crash
Analysis at http://oca.microsoft.com/en/Welcome.aspx If you experience a
Blue Screen crash event, or Stop error, while using Microsoft Windows, you
can upload the error report to this site for analysis. Microsoft will
actively analyzes all error reports and prioritizes them based on the number
of customers affected by the Stop error covered in the error report and try
to determine the cause of the Stop error you have submit.

TROUBLE-SHOOTING WINDOWS VISTA STOP ERRORS / BSOD's
-First & Foremost, see if a System Restore or Last Known Good Configuration
helps to resolve this issue.
-Else, then run your ant-virus and anti-spyware and your PC Junk/Registry
Cleaner. After this, Run the Windows Check Disk Utility.
-Then try to identify if you've made any software or hardware change or
modification.
-In most cases, software is the victim and not the cause of BSOD's. So don’t
rule out hardware problems. It could be damaged hard disks, defective
physical RAM, overheated CPU chips or anything else !
-Check if you can see a driver name in the error details. If you can, then
simply disabling, removing, or rolling back that driver to an earlier version
can help solve that problem. Network interface cards, disk controllers and
Video Adapters are the culprits, most often.
-Check your memory. Use Vista's Memory Diagnostic Tool. Go to Control Panel
and type "memory" in the Search box. Under Administrative Tools, click
Diagnose Your Computer’s Memory Problems. In the Windows Memory Diagnostics
Tool, shown here, select one of the options.
-Check your system BIOS carefully Is an update available from the
manufacturer of the system or motherboard? Check the BIOS documentation
carefully; resetting all BIOS options to their defaults can sometimes resolve
an issue caused by overtweaking.
-Check if you are you low on system resources? Sometimes a critical shortage
of Disk Space or RAM can cause BSOD's.
-Check if system file has been damaged? Work in Safe Mode, as only the core
drivers and services are activated. If your system starts in Safe Mode but
not normally, you very likely have a problem driver. Try running Device
Manager in Safe Mode and uninstalling the most likely suspect. Or run System
Restore in Safe Mode. "

Say you get an error STOP 0x00000050 or PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA search
for it and see it the results are of help.

I have, from various sources, also compiled, in the following fashion, the
15 most common BSODs and possible directions in which one can work :

STOP 0x00000050 or PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
A hardware driver or system service requested data that was not in memory.
The cause may be defective physical memory or incompatible
software,especially remote control and antivirus programs. If the error
occurs immediately after installing a device driver or application, try to
use Safe Mode to remove the driver or uninstall the program. For more
information, see KB894278 & KB183169.

Source : http://www.winvistaclub.com/t3.html
--
http://www.WinVistaClub.com
Microsoft MVP 2007 Awardee.