Windows 7 Random BSOD after start-up

[WojtekK1902]

Hello,
I am writing with the problem of recurring BSOD, which happens randomly, almost always after the computer's start-up (ca. 2-5 mins). Important is the fact, that very often is not BSOD - computer also tends to freeze or it restarts without any BSOD (and this is worse case, because no dump file is created).
I submitted my problem some time ago (in this thread: http://windowsforum.com/threads/bsod-random-bsods-and-hangs-at-startup.92606/). Following the advices, I bought a new PSU. About month ago, I also formatted my disk completely (more precisely, I zeroed it). There had been no faults for few weeks, but now the problem has returned...
Of course I am attaching the zip file with logs W7F Diagnostic Tool, screens from CPU-Z and HTML file from PassMark RAMMon.
Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[kemical]

I said 'could be' at fault. I'm not definitely sure but in that regard I looked back over your previous posts and noticed you didn't update me on what happened here:

The actual process which caused the above came from an Nvidia driver namely:
NvStreamKms.sys.
Apparently this driver has been known to cause issues and it might be worth you reading this link:
https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/573811/nvidia-streamer-service-may-be-freezing-your-pc/

Try following the advice given in that thread and disabling the streaming driver.

 

[WojtekK1902]

Sorry, I had to miss this one. Of course, I'll check this, but as I said previously, I'm afraid it's a hardware problem since my issues occur even before Windows start, e.g. there is no signal to monitor and when I run computer, it runs infinitely...

 

[kemical]

Try reseating your GPU and then check all your connections especially the monitor cable. Does your monitor require a firmware update? Sometimes they can and if you post the make and model I'll have a look.

 

[WojtekK1902]

Hi,
I stopped the nvstreamsvc service, as it was advised in the forum you gave link to. It was quite good advice, because my HDD works better now. Nevertheless, it didn't help with the main problem - computer restarted again, and again it was Kernel-Power critical error.
Regarding my monitor, it is HP 2159m. Honestly I don't know if drivers are necessary...

 

[kemical]

Try the drivers found here:
Link Removed

There can be a number of reasons for a system to suddenly reboot and this Microsoft support page lists the most likely suspects (check Scenario 3):
Link Removed

If you do go on to test the RAM use Memtest86 as Windows memory checker just isn't as good:
http://www.memtest.org/

 

[WojtekK1902]

Thank you, I'll install these drivers, I'm not sure the monitor is the reason, but it's worth trying.
Today I had another BSOD, I'm sending dump file in an attachment.

 

[kemical]

*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************

Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.

BugCheck 18, {0, fffffa8003998760, 2, fffffa8003998767}

Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt! ?? ::FNODOBFM::`string'+48de1 )

Followup: MachineOwner

Try running this command in a admin command prompt:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Press enter and await results.

 

[WojtekK1902]

Hi,
I got error 87: "The restorehealth option is not recognized in this context."
Meanwhile, I got another BSOD (dump file is attached) and then, while computer was restarting, it hanged and while another restart, there was again no signal to monitor...

 

[kemical]

*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************

Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.

BugCheck 18, {0, fffffa8003998760, 2, fffffa8003998767}

Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt! ?? ::FNODOBFM::`string'+48de1 )

Followup: MachineOwner

I had another look through your dump file as the above Bugcheck is mainly caused by a driver not responding correctly. Normally you can find out which driver is causing the issue but as luck would have it the dump file can't read the offending driver. Seems I missed a known troublemaker:

ASACPI.sys Mon Mar 28 03:30:36 2005: Asus ATK0110 ACPI Utility (a known BSOD maker in Win7 and Win8 especially 2005 version). Please either remove or update: Link Removed

 

[WojtekK1902]

Hi, thank you, I'll try to update this driver. Meanwhile, this morning I had another 3 BSODs... All dumps are in attachment.

 

[kemical]

*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************

Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.

BugCheck 1A, {8886, fffffa800117ce70, fffffa8001168500, 500}

Probably caused by : memory_corruption ( nt!MiUnlinkPageFromLockedList+19c )

Followup: MachineOwner

Hi,
one of your dump files mentioned this driver as a possible cause:
athrx.sys Mon Oct 05 17:33:57 2009: Atheros network adapter driver

I noticed this driver in your very first dump file but because of the year I mistakenly thought it was a driver provided by windows. Also when checking your motherboard support page I see your system uses Realtek network drivers which you have updated to the latest driver. If your no longer using the above driver then please uninstall via add and remove programs. Don't forget to update the driver i mentioned in my post yesterday.
If after making the above changes you still get the bsod then you need to test your RAM.
Windows does have it's own memory testing app but it can often miss errors and the best app for the job is Memtest86. The latest version of which can be found here:
http://www.memtest.org/

To run Memtest86 you need to either burn a copy of it to disk or use a USB stick. If you look down the page you'll eventually find the latest version and it's associated downloads. If your burning to disk choose the pre-compiled iso zip. If your using a USB method then the corresponding download is the auto installer for a USB stick.
Once you have Memtest86 on the media you selected you'll then need to enter your bios and change the boot order so that the machine will boot from either the disk or stick you have Memtest86 on.
Try and run the test overnight (12hrs min) if possible unless it becomes clear that there is a issue. If there is a problem with the RAM you'll see the errors pop up in red so you can't miss them.

 

[WojtekK1902]

Hi,
You provided an anylisis of one dump files - what the other say?
But can I remove Atheros network adapter driver safely? Won't it cause that I will have problems with Internet connections?

Regarding RAM test - but I have already made test with Memtest86! You have already adviced me to do this test and I've written on Wednesday that there were no errors:

Hi, I made RAM tests, I've run them for over 13 hours. There were no errors. What could I do now?

 

[kemical]

Apologies I forgot about your memtest86 result and i perhaps wasn't very clear about your Atheros driver

If it's still needed then I advise you update it.

What is it actually for?

Your motherboard has a Realtek Network chip which is usually the default device. Is this something you've added yourself?

You sent three dump files. One blamed the kernel another blamed Atheros and of course you can see the other dump file above.

Any change on the Ascacpi.sys driver?

 

[WojtekK1902]

Hi,
Honestly, I have no idea what is Atheros driver for... It is installed from the beginning, since I installed Windows.
Regarding Realtek Network chip - I also have no idea what it is for... I think it came preinstalled... Where did you find this one?

You wrote that one dump file blamed kernel - I think it is not the first one - do you have any idea about the reasons of this issue? What could be wrong with kernel?

By now, I am unable to make any modifications with Ascacpi.sys driver since I had to leave the place where this computer is for 3 days. I'll try to update it on Friday.

Thank you for your help.

 

[kemical]

Hi,
regarding the kernel, it could be that whatever is causing the crash is also affecting the kernel or that some corruption has crept in but we checked that when you ran the system file scanner.
I'll see if i can find you a download for the Ascacpi.sys driver as that is well known (2005 version which you have) for causing bsod. There is a 2009 version under the utility section of your motherboard support page:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5QLEM/HelpDesk_Download/

As for your motherboards Network capabilities, that is handled by:
PCIe Gigabit LAN controller featuring AI NET2
ref:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5QLEM/specifications/

I've checked your specs and nowhere does it mention anything about Atheros. Have you used anything else audio wise like headsets or similar?

 

[WojtekK1902]

Thank you. And what about "DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth" command you told me to execute?

 

[kemical]

That command mainly works with windows 8 and sometimes for 7 but as to why it fails sometimes I'm unsure.

 

[WojtekK1902]

Hi,
I have updated Ascacpi.sys but it didn't help. Again and again - BSODs, restarts, freezes... It's getting worse and worse. As I mentioned previously, I would rather focus on hardware issue as my problems occur even before OS starts - sometimes computer freezes 2 seconds after I push the power button.
Regarding Atheros driver - I think it could be the second network card - I forgot that I had to install it because I have wireless network and basic configuration didn't provide wireless connections.
You can find another dump files in attachment - what do they say?

 

[kemical]

*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************

Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.

BugCheck 3B, {c0000005, fffff88004522831, fffff880098cebc0, 0}

*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for SYMEVENT64x86.SYS
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for SYMEVENT64x86.SYS
Probably caused by : SYMEVENT64x86.SYS ( SYMEVENT64x86+1c831 )

Followup: MachineOwner

Hey,
the other dump file is a bugcheck 50 the faulting driver couldn't be read and the probable cause was memory corruption.
Bug check 0x50 usually occurs after the installation of faulty hardware or in the event of failure of installed hardware (usually related to defective RAM, be it main memory, L2 RAM cache, or video RAM).
Another common cause is the installation of a faulty system service.
Antivirus software can also trigger this error, as can a corrupted NTFS volume.
The dump file above is caused by reading corrupt data which in turn can be caused by system service, device driver and memory. It's also blaming Norton AV as a probable cause and as I've mentioned in the past this should be removed from your system if only to discount it from the issue.

Some of the things I ask you to do may seem pointless but with troubleshooting every avenue has to be explored if only to discount them.
If the machine is freezing almost straight away then obviously something isn't sitting right within the machine. Have you checked that all connections and cables are sound?

Did you try running the machine on one stick of RAM as suggested earlier?

athrx.sys Mon Oct 05 17:33:57 2009: Atheros network adapter driver please update this driver:
Link Removed
If you have trouble finding the driver post the model number of your card and I'll have a look.

Personally I'd remove Norton and then update the above driver. Use MSE or a Anti-virus app of your choice to replace Norton and remember to use the removal tool.
If the bsod continues then run the machine on one stick of RAM use that for 24hrs or until it blue screens in which case change it. You may find that one stick bsod's whilst the other doesn't.
I know you've check your HDD with a chkdsk but sometimes the SMART data will tell you a lot more on how healthy your drive is. If you download Speedfan, an app for modulating fan speeds, install it and you'll find along the top a Tab called SMART. click that and then choose your drive from the drop down menu. This will show you the drives smart values (you might need to enable this in the bios.. Smart monitoring). You'll also see a link for an in depth online analysis.. Try it as it's worth it.
Speedfan:
http://www.almico.com/speedfan450.exe

 

[WojtekK1902]

Hi,
Thank you for all the information.
OK, so I removed Norton AV with removal tool you gave me link to. I have also updated Atheros drivers. Now I'll wait if there are some other issues.
Before I made above operations, I had another BSODs etc. - you can find dump files in attachment.