What is up with all my BSOD Stop Errors when booting up?

[PW]

The only change All I have done is add a new video card a week ago. I
haven't had a problem since doing that until today. I have been
getting this BSODs when booting up my PC off and on since I purchased
my PC over a year ago. This morning, I set a record. having to press
the reset button 6 times before Windows finally booted up.

They consist of Machine Check Exceptions (once this morning), Page
Faults in Non-Paged Area (3 in a row), then "A problem has been
detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your
computer. An attempt was made to write to read only memory". Then one
more Machine Check Exception. I have seen all of those plenty of
times. I usually log them and jot down the codes.

Any ideas?

Is it possible to set these to be ignored so Windows will boot up?

Shall I continue ignoring them (I press the reset button and choose
the option to start Windows normally - never "last known
configuration")?

Thanks,

-paul

 

[GHalleck]

The only change All I have done is add a new video card a week ago. I
haven't had a problem since doing that until today. I have been
getting this BSODs when booting up my PC off and on since I purchased
my PC over a year ago. This morning, I set a record. having to press
the reset button 6 times before Windows finally booted up.

They consist of Machine Check Exceptions (once this morning), Page
Faults in Non-Paged Area (3 in a row), then "A problem has been
detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your
computer. An attempt was made to write to read only memory". Then one
more Machine Check Exception. I have seen all of those plenty of
times. I usually log them and jot down the codes.

Any ideas?

Is it possible to set these to be ignored so Windows will boot up?

Shall I continue ignoring them (I press the reset button and choose
the option to start Windows normally - never "last known
configuration")?

Thanks,

-paul

Let's rule out the new video card as the cause of the problem. Replace
it with the original video card. If the Machine Check error disappears,
then one needs to trouble-shoot why the new video card is causing the
problem. For instance, does it use the same drivers as the original one
or did new drivers have to be installed. How different are these and
might it need a "repair" of Windows XP, which is hardware-dependent. Or
is or has the new video card become defective? Report back.

 

[PW]

Let's rule out the new video card as the cause of the problem. Replace
it with the original video card. If the Machine Check error disappears,
then one needs to trouble-shoot why the new video card is causing the
problem. For instance, does it use the same drivers as the original one
or did new drivers have to be installed. How different are these and
might it need a "repair" of Windows XP, which is hardware-dependent. Or
is or has the new video card become defective? Report back.

I received these errors when the original eVGA 6800GT card was
installed. Same drivers. I left the Nvidia 91.47 drivers installed
and just swapped the cards. Replacing parts in computers makes me a
nervous wreck (especially since it's the source of my income! And I
can't be without for even a 1/2 a day), so I'd rather not have to play
the old-new video card game if possible.

Thanks!

-pw

I forgot to post my specs:

Windows XP SP2
New video card = NVidia eVGA 7950GT PCI-Express
Old video card = NVidia eVGA 6800GT PCI-Express
Mobo = ASUS A8N Deluxe
CPU = Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 3800+
RAM - 1GB (Two 512 sticks of PC3200 Patriot)

 

[RalfG]

The BSOD error will often tell you what file/process caused the error. From
the file name(s) you could determine where the problem originates. Could be
a driver, could be a virus, etc.etc.. You're just looking for grief trying
to bypass the errors.

 

[PW]

The BSOD error will often tell you what file/process caused the error. From
the file name(s) you could determine where the problem originates. Could be
a driver, could be a virus, etc.etc.. You're just looking for grief trying
to bypass the errors.

They were all generic errors. No detail except the stop codes. Last
night, XP booted up and launched IE and went to a MS website. The
error page tolde me "Problem caused by Device Driver". Everything is
fine in the Device Manager.

When I installed my new video card, I left the 91.47 NVidia drivers
installed since I was going from one NVidia card to another. I always
uninstall then reinstall them. I think I will try reinstalling them.

Any way, this morning Windows almost booted up (took forever) then a
black screen appeared. After 5 minutes, I got impatient and hit the
reset button. When my system tried to restart, I received a "Disk
Boot Failure" over and over again. So, I took it into town to my
local Radio Shack and it booted up there without a hitch! I brought
it home, plugged just my USB Keyboard, USB Mouse and Ethernet cable
and it booted up (very quickly) into Windows. Voila!

I have always had USB trouble with ASUS motherboards including this
one. I wonder if one of the other USB devices was causing Windows
fits.

Of course, I will most likely be back to having trouble tonight or
tomorrow morning

-pw

 

[Ron Martell]

They were all generic errors. No detail except the stop codes. Last
night, XP booted up and launched IE and went to a MS website. The
error page tolde me "Problem caused by Device Driver". Everything is
fine in the Device Manager.

The STOP codes include 4 parameters, and often one of these parameters
is the memory address where the error originated (each STOP code
assigns different meanings to the parameters). Especially if your
error originates with a device driver it is often possible to identify
the specific device driver involved.

Post the STOP message information, including all 4 parameters for
each, back here and I will see what I can glean from it.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[PW]

The STOP codes include 4 parameters, and often one of these parameters
is the memory address where the error originated (each STOP code
assigns different meanings to the parameters). Especially if your
error originates with a device driver it is often possible to identify
the specific device driver involved.

Post the STOP message information, including all 4 parameters for
each, back here and I will see what I can glean from it.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada

Hi Ron,

In order yesterday AM (I may have gotten a couple wrong - sometimes
the zeros look like Qs in the BSOD,...and I can't quite read my
handwriting as I was scribbling fast. Too many zeros in places,
perhaps.):

Machine Check Exception 0x0000009c (0x00000004, 0x805D5f0, 0xB2000000,
0x00070FQF)

Page Fault in Non-Paged Area 0x00000050 (0xF7A3C6DE, 0x00000000,
0xF459D004, 0x00000000)

I got that two more times but didn't bother to write down the stop
codes. However, here's a Page Fault from three weeks ago (before
swapping graphics cards): 0x00000050, (0xB4BA79F4, 0x00000001,
0xF44DEF1A, 0x00000000).

Third one:

"A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent
damage to your computer. An attempt was made to write to read only
memory" 0X000000BE ( 0xF60CCF02, 0x09885121, 0xF79FB608, 0x000000B)

Then another Machine Check Exception: 0x00000009C (0x000000004,
0x8054D5F0, 0x42000000, ox00070F0F)

Finally XP booted up and I was able to login.

The guy ran some utility (in DOS) to check my memory this morning and
it checked out okay. That is when I brought it to town because of the
Disk Boot Failure, Insert System Disk and press Enter (probably caused
by me being too impatient waiting for XP to boot up). Any way, like I
said it booted right up for him and for me when I got home. Only KB
and Mouse are plugged into USB ports now.

Thanks,

-paul

 

[Ron Martell]

Hi Ron,

In order yesterday AM (I may have gotten a couple wrong - sometimes
the zeros look like Qs in the BSOD,...and I can't quite read my
handwriting as I was scribbling fast. Too many zeros in places,
perhaps.):

Machine Check Exception 0x0000009c (0x00000004, 0x805D5f0, 0xB2000000,
0x00070FQF)

Page Fault in Non-Paged Area 0x00000050 (0xF7A3C6DE, 0x00000000,
0xF459D004, 0x00000000)

I got that two more times but didn't bother to write down the stop
codes. However, here's a Page Fault from three weeks ago (before
swapping graphics cards): 0x00000050, (0xB4BA79F4, 0x00000001,
0xF44DEF1A, 0x00000000).

Third one:

"A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent
damage to your computer. An attempt was made to write to read only
memory" 0X000000BE ( 0xF60CCF02, 0x09885121, 0xF79FB608, 0x000000B)

Then another Machine Check Exception: 0x00000009C (0x000000004,
0x8054D5F0, 0x42000000, ox00070F0F)

Finally XP booted up and I was able to login.

The guy ran some utility (in DOS) to check my memory this morning and
it checked out okay. That is when I brought it to town because of the
Disk Boot Failure, Insert System Disk and press Enter (probably caused
by me being too impatient waiting for XP to boot up). Any way, like I
said it booted right up for him and for me when I got home. Only KB
and Mouse are plugged into USB ports now.

Okay. A MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION is a hardware issue. Here is what
MVP Jim Eshelman says about this error on his website at
http://www.aumha.org/win5/kbestop.htm

"This is a hardware issue: an unrecoverable hardware error has
occurred. The parameters have different meanings depending on what
type of CPU you have but, while diagnostic, rarely lead to a clear
solution. Most commonly it results from overheating, from failed
hardware (RAM, CPU, hardware bus, power supply, etc.), or from pushing
hardware beyond its capabilities (e.g., overclocking a CPU)."

Because your errors occur when the machine is started cold and tend to
go away after the machine has been running for a while I suspect that
the cause is something akin to a "cold solder" connection where the
connection between two hardware components (could be internal inside a
chip) fails when the machine is cold but once power has been applied
for a while the component warms up a bit, expands because of that
warming, and the faulty connection now works. But identifying the
actual culprit is going to involve a lot of trial and error.

Your STOP 0x00000050: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA errors could also be
a hardware issue. Here is what Jim says about this one:
Requested data was not in memory. An invalid system memory address was
referenced. Defective memory (including main memory, L2 RAM cache,
video RAM) or incompatible software (including remote control and
antivirus software) might cause this Stop message, as may other
hardware problems (e.g., incorrect SCSI termination or a flawed PCI
card).

I would revisit the memory test scenario again. If your tech tested
it while you were waiting it was probably not a thorough enough test.
I prefer to run a multiple pass error test by leaving the machine
running it overnight. Try downloading one of the following free
memory test utilities and use the disk that it creates to boot your
computer and test the memory. Try to make sure the computer is cold
when you start the test and leave the test running for at least 6 to 8
hours.
DocMemory http://www.simmtester.com
Windows Memory Diagnostic http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp
Memtest86: http://www.memtest.org

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[PW]

Okay. A MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION is a hardware issue. Here is what
MVP Jim Eshelman says about this error on his website at
http://www.aumha.org/win5/kbestop.htm

"This is a hardware issue: an unrecoverable hardware error has
occurred. The parameters have different meanings depending on what
type of CPU you have but, while diagnostic, rarely lead to a clear
solution. Most commonly it results from overheating, from failed
hardware (RAM, CPU, hardware bus, power supply, etc.), or from pushing
hardware beyond its capabilities (e.g., overclocking a CPU)."

Because your errors occur when the machine is started cold and tend to
go away after the machine has been running for a while I suspect that
the cause is something akin to a "cold solder" connection where the
connection between two hardware components (could be internal inside a
chip) fails when the machine is cold but once power has been applied
for a while the component warms up a bit, expands because of that
warming, and the faulty connection now works. But identifying the
actual culprit is going to involve a lot of trial and error.

Your STOP 0x00000050: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA errors could also be
a hardware issue. Here is what Jim says about this one:
Requested data was not in memory. An invalid system memory address was
referenced. Defective memory (including main memory, L2 RAM cache,
video RAM) or incompatible software (including remote control and
antivirus software) might cause this Stop message, as may other
hardware problems (e.g., incorrect SCSI termination or a flawed PCI
card).

I would revisit the memory test scenario again. If your tech tested
it while you were waiting it was probably not a thorough enough test.
I prefer to run a multiple pass error test by leaving the machine
running it overnight. Try downloading one of the following free
memory test utilities and use the disk that it creates to boot your
computer and test the memory. Try to make sure the computer is cold
when you start the test and leave the test running for at least 6 to 8
hours.
DocMemory http://www.simmtester.com
Windows Memory Diagnostic http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp
Memtest86: http://www.memtest.org

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada

Thanks for getting back to me Ron! Oh boy, sounds like a PITA.

Since I got all of those errors, I received only one BSOD while
booting up (or whenever) and it was this AM but Windows quickly
rebooted this time instead of me being able to read it.

Darn it. I just voided my warranty by replacing the video card. Oh
well.

Thanks again!!!

-paul

 

[PW]

Your STOP 0x00000050: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA errors could also be
a hardware issue. Here is what Jim says about this one:
Requested data was not in memory. An invalid system memory address was
referenced. Defective memory (including main memory, L2 RAM cache,
video RAM) or incompatible software (including remote control and
antivirus software) might cause this Stop message, as may other
hardware problems (e.g., incorrect SCSI termination or a flawed PCI
card).

You know, the first thing I did when things got back to "normal" was
to uninstall BitDefender (Antivirus/Spyware software). That POS has
caused numerous BSODs in the past that I can prove via IE coming up
and heading to an MS website and telling me that BitDefender caused my
problem. I contacted them and they had me do something to ignore
seeing BSODs (perhaps caused by their program). I can not remember
what they had me do. Perhaps I jotted it down and I will have to look
for it.

BitDefender locked up my PC for a while before I uninstalled it. CPU
was at 100% because it was doing an update to it's definitions and I
had a lot of other programs running. As soon as it was done, my CPU %
was down to minimal. The darn updates from it were running about 6
times a day!

I wish the fix was as simple as that. Maybe it was.

Thanks again,

-paulwl

 

[PW]

Okay. A MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION is a hardware issue. Here is what
MVP Jim Eshelman says about this error on his website at
http://www.aumha.org/win5/kbestop.htm

"This is a hardware issue: an unrecoverable hardware error has
occurred. The parameters have different meanings depending on what
type of CPU you have but, while diagnostic, rarely lead to a clear
solution. Most commonly it results from overheating, from failed
hardware (RAM, CPU, hardware bus, power supply, etc.), or from pushing
hardware beyond its capabilities (e.g., overclocking a CPU)."

Because your errors occur when the machine is started cold and tend to
go away after the machine has been running for a while I suspect that
the cause is something akin to a "cold solder" connection where the
connection between two hardware components (could be internal inside a
chip) fails when the machine is cold but once power has been applied
for a while the component warms up a bit, expands because of that
warming, and the faulty connection now works. But identifying the
actual culprit is going to involve a lot of trial and error.

Your STOP 0x00000050: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA errors could also be
a hardware issue. Here is what Jim says about this one:
Requested data was not in memory. An invalid system memory address was
referenced. Defective memory (including main memory, L2 RAM cache,
video RAM) or incompatible software (including remote control and
antivirus software) might cause this Stop message, as may other
hardware problems (e.g., incorrect SCSI termination or a flawed PCI
card).

I would revisit the memory test scenario again. If your tech tested
it while you were waiting it was probably not a thorough enough test.
I prefer to run a multiple pass error test by leaving the machine
running it overnight. Try downloading one of the following free
memory test utilities and use the disk that it creates to boot your
computer and test the memory. Try to make sure the computer is cold
when you start the test and leave the test running for at least 6 to 8
hours.
DocMemory http://www.simmtester.com
Windows Memory Diagnostic http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp
Memtest86: http://www.memtest.org

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada

Just a heads up. I have been getting "Network Cable Unplugged"
notifications in the taskbar. It finally dawned on me that they
happen each time I turn off a halogen light that is next to my monitor
and that the lamp was plugged into the UPS that my PC, etc... was
plugged into! I moved it to it's own power strip and the problem was
solved! Now I am wondering if this is what was causing the Stop
Errors/BSOD when booting up my PC! I haven't had any trouble since.

-pw

 

[Ron Martell]

Just a heads up. I have been getting "Network Cable Unplugged"
notifications in the taskbar. It finally dawned on me that they
happen each time I turn off a halogen light that is next to my monitor
and that the lamp was plugged into the UPS that my PC, etc... was
plugged into! I moved it to it's own power strip and the problem was
solved! Now I am wondering if this is what was causing the Stop
Errors/BSOD when booting up my PC! I haven't had any trouble since.

-pw

A low voltage "brown out" situation can cause error problems, and
sometimes the voltage drop does not have to enough to cause the UPS to
kick it.

With a UPS you should only connect the absolute minimum number of
items to it - e.g. just the monitor and the computer. Lights of any
kind are a bad idea for a UPS as are printers of any kind, and laser
printers are an absolute no-no.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[PW]

A low voltage "brown out" situation can cause error problems, and
sometimes the voltage drop does not have to enough to cause the UPS to
kick it.

With a UPS you should only connect the absolute minimum number of
items to it - e.g. just the monitor and the computer. Lights of any
kind are a bad idea for a UPS as are printers of any kind, and laser
printers are an absolute no-no.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada

Thanks Ron. You mean I shouldn't plug a vacuum cleaner into the UPS?
<BG>. I totally forgot that I had that lamp plugged in to the UPS. I
will do like you said and only keep the minimum plugged into it.

I bet I was also turning on the lamp while my PC was booting up.

Glad you kept an eye on this thread.

-paul

 

[w_tom]

On Fri, 02 Mar 2007 11:38:24 -0800, Ron Martell
Thanks Ron. You mean I shouldn't plug a vacuum cleaner into the UPS?
<BG>. I totally forgot that I had that lamp plugged in to the UPS. I
will do like you said and only keep the minimum plugged into it.

I bet I was also turning on the lamp while my PC was booting up.

Functions that are supposed to be in a power supply should make that
lamp created noise completely irrelevant. For example, operate an AM
(medium wave) radio adjacent to the computer while listening to a
distant station (50 miles or more). That radio should suffer no
interference. If noise, then essential functions necessary to make
lamp 'noise' irrelevant is probably missing.