Windows 7 Possible ntkrnl Problem??

dmcmillen

Extraordinary Member
64-bit Windows 7, Home Premium sp1, AMD FX-8350 on an ASUS Sabertooth 990FX/Gen3 R2.0

Not sure whether I have a problem or not. I have been getting some bsod's while using Sysinternals Process Explorer. My question is not about the bsod's. I have another thread going on that and am in the process of running Driver Verifier to identify the exact culprit. However, the dump files show ntkrnlmp.exe as the final thing that causes the bug check.

My question is about the system configuration:

I do NOT have ntkrnlmp.exe on my machine. I do have:

c:\windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
c:\windows\syswow64\ntoskrnl.exe & ntkrnlpa.exe

My understanding is that

ntoskrnl.exe 1 cpu
ntkrnlpa.exe 1 cpu PAE (Physical Address Extension)
ntkrnlmp.exe n cpus SMP multiple cpus, Symmetrical Multi-Processing
ntkrnlpamp.exe n cpus SMP, PAE

Machine seems to be running just fine. Core Temp show activity on all processors.

Are these the correct files for this system. Maybe I'm just having a problem with the terminology.

Thanks - David
 
I would suggest zipping your dump file and posting it so that others may analyze it for you.
 
Hi David,
ntkrnlmp.exe relates to the kernel of the operating system and to understand why it's being flagged we need to see your dump files which are created at time of the bsod. These dump files are found in a windows folder marked 'minidump'. If you cannot find a minidump folder or that it's empty then chances are your machine isn't configured to produce dump files.
Type sysdm.cpl in the run box and click ok.
Look across the top of the system properties box for 'Advanced' and click that.
Look for 'Startup and Recovery' near the bottom and click 'settings'.
Near the bottom you'll see a drop down menu under the heading 'write debugging information'.
In the drop down menu choose ' small memory dump (256KB)'
Under 'small dump directory' make sure it says %SystemRoot%\Minidump.
Click ok and your good to go.

You'll have to wait until you have another bsod event before a dump file will be created but in any case read this thread:
https://windowsforum.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help-with-a-bsod-problem.38837/


Oh and I also moved your thread to the correct section.
 
Kemical, thanks for the response!
Please note I am NOT asking for help with the bsods at this time. I have already looked at the dmp files with the debugger and am running Driver Verifier to determine the underlying cause. The bsod's were just what led me to this question.

I am ONLY asking about the configuration on my machine (given my hw above):
My system has:
c:\windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
c:\windows\syswow64\ntoskrnl.exe & ntkrnlpa.exe

and that I understand that:
ntoskrnl.exe 1 cpu
ntkrnlpa.exe 1 cpu PAE (Physical Address Extension)
ntkrnlmp.exe n cpus SMP multiple cpus, Symmetrical Multi-Processing
ntkrnlpamp.exe n cpus SMP, PAE

Are these the correct files/configuration for this system?

Thanks -- David
 
All I know David is the ntoskrnl.exe relates to the system kernel. This may help you further:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntoskrnl.exe


I'm not entirely sure why you've convinced yourself that your system doesn't contain Ntoskrnl.exe as it's part of every system and you may be getting it confused with something else or a red herring of sorts. Usually it's flagged up when a driver or a system process becomes corrupt.
 
Hey Kemical. It's ntkrnlmp.exe that is not on my system.

My system has:
AMD FX-8350 (8 cores/8 threads) on ASUS Sabertooth 990FX/Gen3 R2.0
c:\windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
c:\windows\syswow64\ntoskrnl.exe & ntkrnlpa.exe


There is probably no problem at all since my old Intel i7-960 (4 cores/8 threads) system was set up the same way when Windows 7 was installed fresh. May just be a terminology problem. For purposes of the ntkrnl files (ntoskrnl.exe, ntkrnlpa.exe, ntkrnlmp.exe and ntkrnlpamp.exe) is the AMD FX-8350 considered a single CPU or multiple CPU's?

Thanks - David
 
ntoskrnl.exe (Short for Windows NToperating systemkernel,) also known as kernel image, provides the kernel and executive layers of the Windows NT kernel space, and is responsible for various system services such as hardware virtualization, process and memory management, thus making it a fundamental part of the system. It contains the cache manager, the executive, the kernel, the security reference monitor, the memory manager, and the scheduler.[1]

Your FX chip will be seen in the same way as the Intel chip as a single cpu.

If you uploaded a dump file we might be able to point you in the right direction or at least help with the issue your having.
 
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