Bluescreen Bluescreen Bluescreen Bluescreen Bluescreen

EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
edited March 2006 in Hardware
Well, I'm having fun with this PC so far. Windows doesn't like installing, Windows doesn't like starting, Windows doesn't like running.

Windows seems to randomly bluescreen when I am using the machine, either without an error at all (useful, just the "An error has occured and your machine has been shut down to prevent damage" well, gee wiz, thanks, telling me WHAT AND WHY would be nice) or if I am playing Horizons (although it has done it one or two times with this error outside of the game, it's more frequent in it) "KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR". So the machine is pretty much unusable at the moment as it just keeps bluescreening constantly.

Before anyone asks, it did it on a semi-fresh install and it does it on this new install. I've run Memtest for half a day and got zero errors, drive check comes back with no issues or problems and I am using the latest drivers for everything (6.70 nForce, 81.98 GeForce, latest Audigy).

Machine is:
Windows XP SP2
Athlon64 X2 3800+ (2x 2000Mhz, 2x 512k cache)
Asus A8N-E (nForce4 Ultra)
512MB Kingston and 512MB TwinMoss (both 400Mhz)
nVidia GeForce 7800GT
Maxtor 6Y160M0 160GB SATA drive (single partition, non-RAID, slot 1)
Sound Blaster Audigy

Does anyone know what the hell could be causing this because I swear I'm about to lose it and I've had no time lately to do anything I need to do because this POS wont work and I can't start anything because chances are it will suddenly just bluescreen.
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Comments

  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    One line I didn't notice in the bluescreen that lacks AN_ERROR_MESSAGE is that it says "A process or thread critical to the computer has shutdown or terminated unexpectedly" now I don't know if that message is standard as before this POS I didn't used to see bluescreens, but I thought it was worth ammending.
  • TheSmJTheSmJ
    edited February 2006
    If it's not the RAM then it must be either the PSU or the mobo. What brand PSU are you using?
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    Sounds like a BIOS setting or settings is not being liked very much....

    Are you using bios defaults or have you tweaked this and that ?
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Default Bios settings (and tried changing a few just incase). PSU is a brand new Antec Truepower ATX2.01 450w.

    Christs sake, can't any of my PCs just work >.<

    Next time I'm just going to buy a Dell or something.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    If it's not the RAM then it must be either the PSU or the mobo. What brand PSU are you using?
    PSU would have been my first troubleshooting step. Your PSU should be good, given the brand and model. Have monitored voltage output?

    Memory would have been second step. You've checked that too I see. BIOS too. Hmmm. Let us know what voltage monitoring reports. Maybe your PSU is not up to normal Antec quality.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Well that time I managed to start the PC, clicked Mozilla to see if there had been any more posts on here and... bluescreen.

    It doesn't give me an error message OR what was/caused the termination, it just says "An error has occured. A thread or process critical to the system was shut down or terminated unexpectedly" and thats it. ARGH.

    How exactly can I monitor voltages other than just sitting there watching them?

    Also it worked perfectly under Linux, no issues at all, but Windows... not a chance.
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    Enverex wrote:
    Also it worked perfectly under Linux, no issues at all, but Windows... not a chance.


    Isn't that typical :rolleyes:

    I'm still thinking windows isn't liking a hardware setting somewhere...I mean you did say you've installed XP a few times with the same result during the install and after the install right ?
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    To be honest I think it's something to do with the Harddrive. That was the issue I had with the Windows boot CD not even starting and that is what the bluescreens that did ever give me errors refered to. I've also heard a few things about compatability issues with this motherboard and Maxtor drives (of which I have).

    Arg, I don't have a spare drive and I can't afford another one.

    I uninstalled the SATA driver and now it is using some sort of Windows default one. It didn't bluescreen this time but it semi froze. Sound has continued and when I hit CAD it bought up my desktop colour and the cursor works, but it seems like it's under 1000% load... or just not reading from the HD...
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    What BIOS version is on your A8N ?
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    If the A8N has issues with the hardrive you'd likely have trouble with linux as well...but here's a thought...are you able to change the mode of the drive in the bios from auto to large ?
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Yes, but the drive is already identified (on the screen after the BIOS POST) as LBA.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Ok, changed it to large and it wouldn't boot anymore, just sat at the screen you get after post.
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    Hmm...interesting :scratch:

    I'd really like to know what version of bios your using...my experience with that board led me to feel that bios 1006 had some issues.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    I was on 1008 when I got the board and upgraded to 1010... hmm, maybe that is when the problems started. I'm going to downgrade.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Argh. The windows flash utility wont let you downgrade and it says you have to use the DOS program. ffs, I don't have a floppy drive. Someone needs to shoot these people.
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    You could always use a bootable cd....
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    The flash program that you download off the site is a Windows exe that will only write its image to a floppy disk.

    Time to move out of 1990...
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Readouts after stressing it a little and playing Deus Ex for a few minutes. One issue though, Deus Ex was running at about 400% speed... *sighs*

    [PHP]+
    +
    |Total number of readouts: 540 CPU Speed: 2015 MHz |
    |Running from: 02/02/2006 19:56:34 until: 02/02/2006 20:26:17 |
    +
    +
    +
    +
    +
    +
    |Sensor | Current | Low | High | Average |
    +
    +
    +
    +
    +
    +
    |Case | 32° C | 31° C | 32° C | 31° C |
    |CPU | 34° C | 34° C | 42° C | 36° C |
    |Sensor 3 | 30° C | 29° C | 38° C | 31° C |
    |Core 0 | 1.36 V | 1.31 V | 1.41 V | 1.37 V |
    |Core 1 | 0.00 V | 0.00 V | 0.00 V | 0.00 V |
    |+3.3 | 3.31 V | 3.28 V | 3.33 V | 3.31 V |
    |+5.00 | 4.85 V | 4.85 V | 4.88 V | 4.85 V |
    |+12.00 | 12.56 V | 12.36 V | 12.56 V | 12.52 V |
    |-12.00 | 0.00 V | 0.00 V | 0.00 V | 0.00 V |
    |-5.00 | 0.00 V | 0.00 V | 0.00 V | 0.00 V |
    |Fan 1 | 3276 RPM | 3214 RPM | 3308 RPM | 3266 RPM |
    |Fan 2 | 0 RPM | 0 RPM | 0 RPM | 0 RPM |
    |Fan 3 | 6026 RPM | 6026 RPM | 6250 RPM | 6126 RPM |
    +
    +
    +
    +
    +
    +

    [/PHP]
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    I left MBM running and recording at a 5 second interval to record what happens just as it crashes, but the log after if crashed was just a load of whitespace. Not much use.
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    Yea, you can't save logs when Windows is turning blue...

    As for a bootable CD....you just burn what you need on it, forget about the windows executable version that wants to make a floppy :thumbsdow

    Since I'm just sitting here pickin my *** for the afternoon I made you an ISO of a bootable cd with the proper flash program and a couple bios bin files (1008 and the latest Asus beta) If you want to burn it and use it you can download it here.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Windows didn't actually bluescreen that time, it just slowly froze up (first desktop, then other programs, then the active program).
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    I should of mentioned this earlier: whenever I'm working up a new overclock or retrying an overclock with a new component, I know that the motherboard/DRAM/or video card has become voltage starved when the computer either restarts or the screen freezes. Have you experimented with boosting voltages in the BIOS? You could try bumping up CPU, DRAM, and video voltage and see if the problems disappear. Then back off voltages one component at a time until you replicate the problem. That would indicate which component needed more power.
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    One of my guys mentioned that you might wanna try the AMD 64 X2 drivers for windows XP located here as well.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Already tried them, no change.

    I have a feeling it may have been my Audigy, I've taken it out and it seems ok at the moment, going to give it a while more...
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    For reference sake what slot was your Audigy in ?
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Tried in the first and third PCI slots. I've taken the Audigy out and I'm using onboard. A few hours and no lockups/bluescreens. I think it's almost safe to say it was the Audigy...
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    If that's the case - flash back to 1999 and 2000. Back then Creative sound cards and Via chipsets for AMD systems were often creating havoc when deployed with each other.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Heh, and here was me saying I didn't want a Creative card for my next sound card because of all the driver issues and such and now it's even occuring with my dated Creative card. Grr. No Creative for me in the future.
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    Stranger things have been known to happen...first nForce 4 and Audigy issue I've heard of :scratch:
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Creative's drivers have long history of doing their own thing. By yeah, I haven't heard of lately until now.
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