Computer issues!

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welshdragon
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Computer issues!

Post by welshdragon »

How's everybody doing?

I've got a new(ish) Desktop PC (one of the better things to come from my previous 4 years Down South!).

Anyway, I'm noticing that the computer BSOD's or crashes when I play resource intensive games. I'm ruling out the graphics card and HDD, as the drive is new and the graphics card had no issues in another machine. It's also a clean install of Windows 10.

Using BlueScreenView, I've found these errors coming up in the "address in stack" field :
[+] Spoiler

Code: Select all

hal.dll+395cf/ntoskrnl.exe+25c22d	
ntoskrnl.exe+246fd2
ntoskrnl.exe+50c94
Specs are as follows:
[+] Spoiler
Processor: AMD FX-4100 Quad Core
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-M68MT-S2
RAM: Team-Elite 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3 PC3-10700 (667 Mhz)
Hard Disk: Hitachi 150GB HDD
Graphics: GTS250
PSU: 500W
Any ideas? If anybody wants the .dmp files PM me.
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Re: Computer issues!

Post by Redirect Left »

ntoskrnl.exe is the main kernel of Windows. The error is basically telling us what we already knew, Windows has crashed at a kernel level.
hal.dll is another core component, its the hardware abstraction level, it essentially sits between hardware & windows.

Whatever it is, it is crashing, then it is being masked by Windows errors. It'd be useful to know the error code produced, such as WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR.

Go through every single driver that machine has, even ones you didn't know it had, and make sure they're up to date. Especially for any components that have been replaced recently, and of course the usual graphics driver update if you're playing intensive games.
If no help,
Make sure the GPU is actually suitable for the 'resource intensive game' you're playing. A GTS250 is incredibly weak compared to <any modern one>.
Make sure your power supply unit has enough wattage throughput to power your GPU and all other components when all components are running at theoretical max. If it runs out of juice, GPUs can start acting very funky. Remember the '500W' rating is just the universal amount, it won't put out all that 500W on the GPU usage rails. It'll have a sticker on the side of it specifying exactly where the volts and watts go.
Make sure the power supply is actually outputting what it claims to be, and isn't on its way out.
Memtest the RAM and ensure that is a pass (this'll take a while, and will need a floppy, USB flash (if your motherboard can boot from USB, it should if its anywhere near modern) or other media that can be bootable, install memtest64+ to it, restart the PC and boot from the media you installed it on, it'll start itself up. Run it through a few passes
aand then,
Ensure your motherboard has the most recent BIOS update, it often improves the firmware to drive CPUs, especially those released after the motherboard was.
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welshdragon
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Re: Computer issues!

Post by welshdragon »

Redirect Left wrote:ntoskrnl.exe is the main kernel of Windows. The error is basically telling us what we already knew, Windows has crashed at a kernel level.
hal.dll is another core component, its the hardware abstraction level, it essentially sits between hardware & windows.

Whatever it is, it is crashing, then it is being masked by Windows errors. It'd be useful to know the error code produced, such as WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR.

Go through every single driver that machine has, even ones you didn't know it had, and make sure they're up to date. Especially for any components that have been replaced recently, and of course the usual graphics driver update if you're playing intensive games.
If no help,
Make sure the GPU is actually suitable for the 'resource intensive game' you're playing. A GTS250 is incredibly weak compared to <any modern one>.
Make sure your power supply unit has enough wattage throughput to power your GPU and all other components when all components are running at theoretical max. If it runs out of juice, GPUs can start acting very funky. Remember the '500W' rating is just the universal amount, it won't put out all that 500W on the GPU usage rails. It'll have a sticker on the side of it specifying exactly where the volts and watts go.
Make sure the power supply is actually outputting what it claims to be, and isn't on its way out.
Memtest the RAM and ensure that is a pass (this'll take a while, and will need a floppy, USB flash (if your motherboard can boot from USB, it should if its anywhere near modern) or other media that can be bootable, install memtest64+ to it, restart the PC and boot from the media you installed it on, it'll start itself up. Run it through a few passes
aand then,
Ensure your motherboard has the most recent BIOS update, it often improves the firmware to drive CPUs, especially those released after the motherboard was.
The GPU is manufactured by Palit, It can handle CIM2 with no FPS drops :D

Of the four BSOD's I've had, I've seen two WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR BSOD's and the others have been IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL ones. A couple of times the system just stops, no BSOD, just reboots, hence why I'm suspecting foul play with the PSU.

I'll update the drivers now and see if that helps with stability, I'll have to get a USB stick later and install MEMTEST, I did a SFC scan with no errors and the same happened with CHKDISK,
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Re: Computer issues!

Post by Redirect Left »

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL is usually a hardware fault, or something has interrupted a windows service, usually a rogue anti virus or similar.
WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR is a hardware fault

Together, that'd point towards a hardware fault. When this has happened to me, its usually been a RAM fault. Definitely still worth checking out that the PSU isn't struggling to give the GPU all the power it needs for an intense full load of it.
Make sure your Windows is fully updated, it is incredibly infrequent, but some updates can cause a few issues, especially with older hardware, its usually corrected in the next update. If you have a new install, i'm not sure how far along the updates you'll be.
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Re: Computer issues!

Post by welshdragon »

I've updated all the relevant drivers, and then just had a BSOD talking on TeamSpeak with friends and browsing the Internet. I think it's definitely a RAM issue


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Re: Computer issues!

Post by Redirect Left »

Yeah, i'd definitely get memtest64 running on it. Let it run through a few cycles, if there is a fault, it usually shows up within the first 5-10 minutes.
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Re: Computer issues!

Post by welshdragon »

Redirect Left wrote:Yeah, i'd definitely get memtest64 running on it. Let it run through a few cycles, if there is a fault, it usually shows up within the first 5-10 minutes.
Done that, No errors.

So far I've discounted:
RAM
Hard Disk (it's almost brand new)
GPU

I'm now dreading the issue being a Motherboard or PSU issue, and as I can't myself see if there's any thermal paste on places that should have it and other visual tell-tale signs, I'll have to call in a favour.
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Re: Computer issues!

Post by SkeedR »

Press the [Windows key] and [Pause/Break key] together, this will bring up the System item from Control Panel.
Click on "Advanced System Settings"
Click on "Settings" under "Startup and Recovery"
Untick "Automatically Retstart" under "System Failure"
Ok both dialogues.

Now when the machine next BSODs, write down the 0x number and post it here. That should be more useful to determine what's wrong.
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Re: Computer issues!

Post by welshdragon »

Image

Here you go, the latest BSOD as of now


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Re: Computer issues!

Post by Redirect Left »

Seeing as the RAM checked out, my next suspicion would be the CPU, or the voltages it is receieving, which would be a PSU or motherboard fault. It's also possible the CPU itself is dying, although its incredibly rare a CPU dies in my experience.
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Re: Computer issues!

Post by Benny »

I would recommend using a bootable tool to test for defective memory. Since Memtest64 is a user-run application in Windows it won't be able to touch memory reserved by other processes. It will only be able to access a portion of the memory pool. I use memtest86 and usually leave it running overnight whenever I'm testing for defective memory. https://www.memtest86.com/

Brand new hardware can also be faulty btw so don't rule anything out.
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Re: Computer issues!

Post by SkeedR »

Is your PC plugged into a surge-protector or other such power shaping device? Can you try it plugged straight into a wall outlet?
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