Windows 7 Random BSOD - difficult to debug as will not create dump files

[Andrew Kirkby]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can assist with a Random BSOD issue I am having - The last BSOD seen was at around 10:00 this morning (may have been earlier as the machine was found with a blue screen...), the problem I have at the moment is that the PC is not creating dump files - I have checked the settings (screen shot included) but it still won't create them.

I have uploaded the output of the utilities as per the 'BSOD Assistance' posting - please let me know if I need to provide any further information at this stage,

Any assistance gratefully received,

Andy

 

[usasma]

Only 117 updates since SP1 - most systems have 130 to 140. Please visit Windows Update and get ALL available updates

We've seen a number of BSOD issues with SSD's. Here's the information that I've compiled so far:

There's not a whole bunch available to test SSD's. The "easiest" test is to remove the SSD, install a platter-based hard drive, install Windows and test for stability that way.

Here's some suggestions:
- Update the SSD's firmware to the latest available version (VERY IMPORTANT!!!)
- Update the motherboard controllers drivers to the latest available version from the controller manufacturer (NOT the mobo manufacturer unless you can't find any on the controller manufacturer's website)
- Slow the memory (RAM) down to the next slower speed (I've only seen one person who claimed that this worked for them).
- Use any manufacturer's utilities that you may have. If you don't have any, then try this free one (I haven't used it myself): Crystal Dew World
- Update chipset and storage controller drivers to the latest available from the manufacturer of the device (not the manufacturer of the motherboard). Be sure to update ALL controllers on the motherboard!
....NOTE: Recently (Nov 2011) we had BSOD issues with the Marvell 91xx controller and an SSD. You may have to switch controllers also.
- Replace the SSD with a platter based hard drive and see if that stops the BSOD's. If it does, then it's likely that there's a problem with the SSD OR an incompatibility with your system.
It's my opinion that SSD's aren't reliable enough (with current hardware) to be used on a system that needs to work reliably. Until I see reliability I will not recommend, nor will I use, SSD's for critical applications.
06 Dec 2011 - This post tends to confirm issues with certain SSD chipsets and certain controllers - [SOLVED] cant find the cause of BSOD F4 - Tech Support Forum
29 May 2012 - The frequency of BSOD's with SSD's seems to have been decreasing over the last several months. It may be approaching time to re-evaluate my stand on their suitability for use in production systems.

There are problems with these 2 devices:

USB Mass Storage Device USB\VID_0D49&PID_3210\604010115644 This device cannot start.

Realtek RTL8169/8110 Family PCI Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20) PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8169&SUBSYS_816910EC&REV_10\4&15C5C28F&0&3020 This device is disabled.

The first device is a Maxtor drive and it should be recognized by your system (but isn't). Please unplug it and leave it unplugged while we're testing. See if your problems go away when it's unplugged. You may also want to connect it to another system to see if it causes problems there.

Is the Realtek Ethernet card deliberately disabled? If so, why?

Daemon Tools (and Alcohol % software) are known to cause BSOD's on some Win7 systems (mostly due to the sptd.sys driver, although I have seen dtsoftbus01.sys blamed on several occasions).

Please un-install the program, then use the following free tool to ensure that the troublesome sptd.sys driver is removed from your system (pick the 32 or 64 bit system depending on your system's configuration): [DEL] Link Removed [/DEL] Link broken as of 21 Jul 2012
New link (15 Aug 2012): Link Removed (pick the appropriate version for your system and select "Un-install" when you run it).
Alternate link: Disc-Tools.com
Manual procedure here: Registry and SPTD problems | DAEMON Pro Help

Older versions of Acronis can also cause BSOD's - please un-install the Acronis to see if that helps.

Other than that, there aren't any serious issues noted in your Event Viewer logs after mid-November of this year. Repeated BSOD's without any signs in the reports is usually a sign of a hardware problem.

You can start with these free diagnostics: Link Removed

Good luck!