Odd Infrequent Error
LazarusXero
Illinois Icrontian
Hey all,
QCH and myself recently upgraded my computer with a new SSD, GPU, Power Supply, and OS (Win 7) and I've started getting an infrequent, but annoying error.
Every once in a while my system would freeze in the middle of whatever it is doing. No mouse input, no key input (Caps Lock, Num Lock), nothing. Each time I would have to hold the power-on switch to reboot. Coinciding with this, and this would happen only sometimes, would be a bootup error. The error screen on bootup would say this:
File: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
Status: 0xc000000f
Info: Windows failed to load because the system registry file is missing or corrupt.
It would ask for me to insert the OS disc. However, the interesting thing is that if I were to just hit <Esc> and have the system reboot, it would often start up with no problem.
As I said, it's annoying, but as of yet not insurmountable.
Your thoughts?
QCH and myself recently upgraded my computer with a new SSD, GPU, Power Supply, and OS (Win 7) and I've started getting an infrequent, but annoying error.
Every once in a while my system would freeze in the middle of whatever it is doing. No mouse input, no key input (Caps Lock, Num Lock), nothing. Each time I would have to hold the power-on switch to reboot. Coinciding with this, and this would happen only sometimes, would be a bootup error. The error screen on bootup would say this:
File: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
Status: 0xc000000f
Info: Windows failed to load because the system registry file is missing or corrupt.
It would ask for me to insert the OS disc. However, the interesting thing is that if I were to just hit <Esc> and have the system reboot, it would often start up with no problem.
As I said, it's annoying, but as of yet not insurmountable.
Your thoughts?
0
Comments
Ding.
Your system is not overheating, nor is it memory, nor is it blah blah blah.
What you are seeing is a disk error. SSD firmware may need updated, or the SSD may be defective. The lockup is occurring due to the disk dropping off the SATA or not waking up, the corruption is due to a registry update being held in disk cache and not being written out. The trigger is a disk write or read that doesn't happen, or an unhandled error on the SATA controller. This is a known issue on a number of SSDs, often resolved with firmware updates. It may also be a bad SATA cable.
Ran into it on my Vertex 2 with a bad SATA cable.
I got a Vertex 3 now. Sounds promising though. I'll try to pick up a new SATA cable at the store tonight and replace what I have. I'm sure hoping it's not the drive itself. In regards to the firmware update, how can I find the version I have now versus the latest on the 'net?
Thanks!
Unfortunately, several of the errors were found after I went to my computer in the morning (so it happened at night). I didn't have any active programs at the time so it was pretty idle.
The only issue that I can think of is we used Arctic Silver Matrix Thixotropic Premium Thermal Compound and I've never used. I've always used the Arctic Silver 5 so I might have done it incorrectly???
It's not heat. It's the drive going to sleep. Guaranteed. It's a known issue with a number of SSDs where they keep data in cache while going to sleep, then never wake up again. (Bad enough on one set that they had to be recalled.)
Firmware update is the only fix. Use the firmware utility from OCZ to check current version and apply updates on a Vertex 3.
Lazarus, can you give me system details?
Multiple SSDs have been recalled. Some noisier than others. The ones I refer to, kept data in cache and did not flush on sleep. There is another model that was recalled due to a SATA bug where it didn't wake up properly - something OCZ apparently managed to duplicate (despite using a totally different controller.)
The solution is firmware update. It's right there in your own release notes. There's also a stack of known outstanding issues with hotplug, UEFI stability, so on and so forth. Firmware release notes calling out the exact described issue? That's where I'd start.
You might as well just go after this issue by covering all bases:
- Switch IRRT to AHCI (if you have it in IRRT)
- Update BIOS/UEFI
- Update SSD firmware
- Fresh install of Windows
- Latest disk controller software
If none of that fixes it, then I guess rma the drive but I'd wait on what Ryder has to say first. I'm also weary of usb based Windows installs, but I am sure that is just me being old and fearing change.
Here is a list of information I could drudge up from my system:
Motherboard: M2N68-LA
BOIS Version: Phoenix Tech. 5.13 (from what I see, it's up to date)
SSD Firmware: 2.08 (latest version looks to be 2.15)
SATA Mode: I couldn't see an AHCI mode in BIOS. My setting is SATA+1-2(?).
OS: Win 7-32bit installed on the SSD
Disk controller software: I don't know how to check this or which disk controller I'm looking for.
In reviewing the OCZ site, it does not recommend installing a firmware update on the SSD when the OS is installed on the SSD. As such, I'm kinda stuck. How would you all recommend I proceed in updating the SSD firmware?
If I would have to reinstall the OS on another HD, then clear the SSD, then install firmware, then transfer the OS back to the SSD, I'll need a little help with this (step-by-step process) as I'm a lot rusty.
Thanks for the help.
LX
What I would do:
1) Backup data or shift it to your drive you'll use for storage
2) Use another computer if possible to do the drive update, rather than wasting time for windows install just to update firmware on drive
3) Install Windows fresh to new drive
4) Make some changes (like make temp folder and steam installs default to another drive) and move whatever data you want on the new drive back over.
In the middle of searching for information yesterday, on a reboot my computer stopped recognizing the SSD with Windows on it. As such, I didn't have an OS so I installed Win7 on my other drive (the HDD). Once I got it up and running, my computer "found" the SSD again. So now when I boot up, I get a choice of booting one of two versions of Windows 7 (one from the SSD and one from the HDD).
I do receive an error though sometimes when I reboot that says,
File: \windows\system32\winload.exe
Status: 0xC0000428
Info: Windows cannot verify the digital signature for this file.
This is the second boot error I've gotten since my 'upgrade'. I'm wondering if I should just wipe the SSD and do a fresh install of windows 7 (then afterwards, wipe my HDD as well to remove the other Win7 install).
Any tips?
Oh, on a side note, since I had a second version of Win7 running on a separate drive, I decided to try to update the firmware on the SSD. No luck. When I boot into the HDD and run the OCZ toolkit, it can't find my drive. Funny thing is that my device manager finds it fine. I have attached a pic with the screenshot of the OCZ toolkit and my SSD showing up in the device manager .:shakehead
I have frequently checked "My Computer" and interestingly, the SSD doesn't always appear (the drive is not listed at all). Then, an hour or so later, it's there.
Thanks to everyone above, and while many of the suggestions didn't work, I did actually learn a lot more about hardware in general... "and knowing is half the battle"