0x0000009c stop error bugcheck

[Guest]

I am getting random blue-screens reporting a stop error of
0x0000009c. The only footprints I can find are the minidumps
and the entries in the event-viewer for the saved dumps. I have
not found any information to determine the root cause for these
faults, but I suspect an aging hard-disk may be involved. I have
searched the Knowledge Base and these newsgroups without
finding anything useful for diagnosing this problem. I read the
following article in the Knowledge Base, but found it lacking any
information that I didn't already have:
"Understanding and troubleshooting the 'Stop 0x0000009C' screen"

There is no correlation between the faults and any activity, temperature,
or time-of-day. The 1st, 3rd, and 4th parameters of the bugcheck are
always the same. The 2nd parameter varies. Here is an example from
the latest "savedump" event entry:

Event Type: Information
Event Source: Save Dump
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1001
Date: 7/11/2006
Time: 2:00:13 PM
User: N/A
Computer: PRIVATE-RTC6B1U
Description:
The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck. The bugcheck was: 0x0000009c
(0x00000000, 0x00480e40, 0xcc0000ff, 0x20040189). Microsoft Windows 2000
[v15.2195]. A dump was saved in: E:\WINNT\Minidump\Mini071106-02.dmp.

These faults have been gradually increasing in frequency and are now at
a point where I get 10 or more per day. If you know how to figure out what
to replace, please let me know.

Thanks in advance,
David Tierce

 

[Jim Howes]

I am getting random blue-screens reporting a stop error of
0x0000009c.

9C stop messages are caused by machine checks.

Machine checks are forced non-maskable interrupts generated by hardware, and are
almost always caused by flaky hardware, hardware being pushed beyond it's
limits, or hardware that is not being properly cooled.

Check that your CPU fan, chipset fan, and graphics fan(if any) are actually
running, and that heatsinks have not worked loose, or filled up with dust or cat
hair[1].

Check system memory with memtest86.

Check that you are not overclocking your processor. While overclocking seems to
be increasingly popular, I have met people who think they can get a 2GHz CPU
clocked at 3.5GHz with a stock cooler, and then complain that the 'software
can't take it!' when they get MC exceptions.. :-(

These faults have been gradually increasing in frequency and are now at
a point where I get 10 or more per day. If you know how to figure out what
to replace, please let me know.

Slowly increasing frequency sounds more likely to be a cooling problem than
flaky memory, but memtest86 will show any memory faults.

Check also that all cards and memory are properly seated in their respective slots.

Another possibility could be capacitor problems. While I had hoped that this
was behind us now, bad caps are still showing up in the supply chain (and, of
course, your board may be fairly old). Examine all of the capacitors on your
motherboard for damage (either electrolyte leaks at the base, or 'popping'
(pressure inside causing the top to bend outwards or crack). More info at
www.badcaps.net.

If you are not happy handling electronics, get someone else to examine it for
you, as components are easily damaged by static electricity if not properly handled.

Jim

 

[Guest]

Other threads concerning a 9c machine_check did not contain useful
information about diagnosing the problem. Neither did the reply above. The
general concensus seems to be to replace hardware until the problem goes away.

So far, I have replaced the following items with new parts:
1) Memory (a faster variety)
2) Oldest disk drive
3) CPU Fan & Heatsink
4) Case Fan
5) Power supply

The problem remains. I was hoping for a specific diagnosis before I got down
to the motherboard or junking the whole computer in favor of a new one. My
frustration level is running quite high!

Does anyone have an interpretation of the datawords accompanying the 9c
machine_check that might give an indication as to what hardware is actually
causing the problem???

 

[Guest]

I forgot to mention...

There is a heatsink, but no chipset fan. I have cleaned the heatsink and
refreshed the heatsink compound.

I have also replaced the Video card.

 

[Bob I]

It appears to be determined by the specific hardware involved, and may
be discovered by a processor specific utility provided by Intel.

STOP: 0x0000009C (0x00000004, 0x00000000, 0xb2000000, 0x00020151
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=329284&sd=RMVP

 

[Guest]

Thanks for trying.

Your reply, while sounding meaningful, did not help. I followed the link you
provided and found the same articles I have already read. There was no
reference to an Intel utility that I could see. If such a utility existed and
promised to diagnose at least some significant percentage of the causes for a
9c machine_check, I would gladly get it and run it. Does such a thing really
exist??

According to all of the articles I have read, the problem could be anything.
The only real diagnostic suggestion I have seen so far was to examine the
capacitors for leakage or deformation (I saw none). All other suggestions
seem to boil down to a progressive replacement of hardware until the problem
disappears.

Are there any other suggestions, pointers, or helpful links?