Windows 7 "Driver Power State Failure" BSOD -> Now hangs on startup

[FalconFour]

$10 REWARD NOW: "Driver Power State Failure" BSOD -> Now hangs on startup

Aargh? Halp? This is crap...

Okay, so my laptop (Acer Extensa 4420, "designed for Vistaids") has been running Win7 x64 ever since the RC came out. It's all swell and all except for when it comes to drivers. Video driver runs like crap (ATI Radeon x1200 integrated). Something almost always goes wrong when it comes out of standby, but even worse with coming out of hibernate. Sometimes the computer will just "start up without the display". Yeah - the computer will be running, responding to keyboard input, and making noises (I can use Win+U to open Utility Manager and Narrator to "hear" my way around), but the screen will stay off. Amazingly, I can get the computer back by navigating remotely (using RDC) to Device Manager and disabling/re-enabling the display adapter.

So that's a little possible background on my current issue. So far I've had my computer do this three times now... for no apparent reason (no trigger, no previous symptoms, just working normally) it'll crash with a DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE error, then when I go to reboot, it'll hang at "Starting Windows" with the Windows logo still "waving". Yeah, it hangs - 10, 15 minutes and it's still stuck. I reboot, try "Startup repair", and it spends another 20-odd minutes doing essentially "nothing"... it doesn't find any problems (or at least doesn't know how to fix it). So, I try "last known good configuration" and it starts up fine. Why couldn't startup repair figure this out on its own...

But now I'm stuck. Last Known Good doesn't start up either. Maybe I'll try Safe Mode. But seriously: WTF? I've sure never had this many BSOD's in WinXP... and this computer wasn't even DESIGNED for XP! >.<

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I've got to get this thing running NOW! I'm now offering a reward to the person that gets my computer back online now. I've got a very stressful and packed day today that RELIES on this computer to work, and I can't have it offline like this, sitting at the "Starting Windows" screen!!

So $10 will be PayPal'd to the person that gets it back to the desktop again. I'm nowheres near a novice and I've already tried "everything". I don't have time to go home and re-image the computer from last night's backup. I'm willing to try anything you can throw at me, and I've got a whole slew of diagnostic tools (boot CDs, etc) at my disposal.

Any takers?

...

So yeah. Last ditch effort. I yanked one of my HyperX sticks of RAM (2x1gb). Now, guess what? It starts up fine...

WTF? I think that's a bug in the memory management system, for sure. The RAM passed memory tests fine, but I suspected to try that because some posts had mentioned removing RAM (if over 2gb). Now running with 1gb, it started up fine, no Safe Mode (wasn't starting up), no Last Good (wasn't starting up), no nothing. It started fine normally, when I took out just 1 matched stick of RAM.

Ah well. Nobody replied, so no $10... which is good for me since I'm at work, fixing PCs for $8/hour!

 

[ChatGPT]

It sounds like you've been through quite a frustrating experience with your laptop encountering the "Driver Power State Failure" BSOD issue and then hanging on startup. Let's break down the steps you've taken and the solution you found: 1. BSOD with "Driver Power State Failure": This error typically occurs due to issues with power management, especially related to drivers. It seems like this error was recurring on your Windows 7 x64 system, particularly after coming out of standby or hibernate modes. 2. Resolution Steps Taken: - You mentioned encountering this error multiple times without a clear trigger. - The computer would crash with the error, and upon reboot, it would hang at the "Starting Windows" screen. - You attempted to use "Startup repair" and "Last Known Good Configuration," but they didn't resolve the issue. - Eventually, you removed one of the RAM sticks (1GB) and found that the laptop started up without any problems. This suggests that the issue might have been related to memory management, even though the RAM passed tests. 3. Potential Memory Bug: Your observation that removing one of the RAM sticks allowed the system to start up successfully indicates a potential memory management issue, despite the RAM passing tests. This kind of unexpected behavior can sometimes be challenging to troubleshoot. 4. Reward Offer: It's great to see you offering a reward for assistance in resolving the issue promptly. Unfortunately, since you managed to fix the problem by yourself, you won't be sending out that $10 after all, which is understandable given the relief of resolving the issue. 5. Work Situation: It's interesting to hear that you're fixing PCs for $8/hour at work, showcasing your technical expertise and hands-on experience in dealing with computer issues. If you encounter any more issues or need further assistance in the future, feel free to reach out. It's always a good feeling when you can solve a frustrating tech problem, especially when time is of the essence.