Windows 7 nvstor64 error type 3 is causing my PC to hang repeatedly

[houldsworth1]

Bottom line up front - my PC is having repeated nvstor64 type 3 errors which cause it to hang and the only way to restart it is to hold the power button in until it shuts down. Help!

Sorry if this is the wrong forum - I'm not sure where to post this since I really don't know what the problem is.

Full details here:
Early July my PC started acting odd. Freezing, running slowly etc.
- I ran a virus scan from windows - nothing
- I ran another virus scan from a Linux CD which found a couple of things but nothing terrible and, after cleaning, the PC was no better.

Chkdsk revealed some lost clusters. I repaired those and ran sfc /scannow to repair the OS, which it did.
A day or so later, still acting odd, I ran another chkdsk and...more lost clusters. A disk check utility in Ubuntu reported that the drive was failing so I bought a new drive, cloned the old drive onto it (it was still working) and...nothing!

• I read a thread that said it could be the sata cable, which didn't make much sense but I replaced it anyway and...still nothing!
• Another thread suggested updating the disk drivers. When I try to do that it tells me I already have the latest driver installed. Should I uninstall and reinstall anyway?
• Finally another thread said to update the bios...but I have no idea how to do that or whether it's worth the effort.

the nvstor64 errors started on July 4th, about a week before I messed with anything. No idea why they would just start appearing like that but I am still getting the nvstor64 errors about every few minutes and I'm about ready to put a sledgehammer through it.

Please help!

PC is an Acer running Window 7 64 Home Premium, 4gb Ram, Barracuda 1TB drive

 

[Saltgrass]

Do you still have the old drive, or an image of that install? If so, you might think about wiping the new drive and installing fresh to see if something was on the old install causing the problem.

Seagate has a diagnostic utility you can run to check their drives. The new one should check out fine, but the old one might be a problem.

Info about your board might help us look for drivers, but you have an Nvidia chipset? You are using the Nvidia storage drivers?

There is always a chance the SATA controller is having a problem. Or even a memory situation.

What anti-virus utilities did you run? Many of us here like Malwarebytes to use and just run scans, not full time.

 

[houldsworth1]

Thanks for the response. I do still have the original drive, and I have also created a Windows 7 installation disc in case I end up going that route.
I'll check out the Seagate utility. Thanks for the tip.
Yes, I have an Nvidia chipset and it is using the Nvidia storage drivers.

The anti virus I used was from AVG. They have a nice little 'rescue disc' that enables you to boot from a CD or USB drive. The link to that is here: AVG | Rescue CD | PC Rescue and Repair Toolkit

I have heard good things about Malwarebytes though so I should check that out one day.

Thanks!

 

[houldsworth1]

Here's the update to this so far.
- I downloaded and installed the Seagate diagnostic utility. It found the drive but when I ran it against that drive...the PC hung and had to be forced to reboot.
- I wiped the drive and reinstalled Windows from scratch. After reinstalling I no longer get constant nvstor64 event type 3 messages. Instead I get constant atapi event type 11 messages.
- I tried adding the jumper to slow down the speed of the drive in case my motherboard wasn't compatible. No change.
- I tried reseating all of the connectors. No change.

At this point I am assuming that the controller is NFG and I have ordered an internal sata card with the hope that I can plug the drive into that and all will be well. It should be here in a few days and I will post an update after that.