Superpiccolo

Of recent, I have been having multiple reboots/BSODS per day when using games and (relativley) intensive applications. In games like Star Wars Battlefront 2, Star Wars Republic Commando , Star Wars Jedi Knight Jedi Academy and while waiting for a map to load in DODS and in applications like Azureus. It also during a "Cleanup Scan" in "RegCleaner".

I am at my wits end here this has been gradually getting worse and more frequent and I have no clue as to what caused this. I don't think it has to do with anything hardware related (I.E. overheat, memory, HDD or anything of that nature). I have a feeling it is sofware related in some way. I am very very tempted to formatt again (I just formatted about a month ago) because I can't continue like this.

I can browse the net with no probs. I can even stream and watch movs with no worries.
I have tried many things such as rolling back my video drivers, installing different audio drivers, uninstalling other games and apps suspected of causing the probs. Nothing seems to do any good at all.

Specs:
Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro (Latest chipset and audio drivers)
AMD XP 2800+ (2079MHz)
1 GIG Ram (2 x 512MB)
2 x 80 Gig SATA HDD
ATI 9800 XT (Latest Cat 6.3)
Windows XP SP2 (Have all latest updates)

After my last reboot (I opened up AZ and it just reboot). I recieved these two webpages after I reported the error to MS:


Error caused by a device driver

Thank you for sending an error report to Microsoft.

[color=#6487dc]Error report summary[/color]

[color=#6487dc]Information about this error[/color]

You received this message because a device driver installed on your computer caused the Windows operating system to stop unexpectedly. This type of error is referred to as a "stop error." A stop error requires you to restart your computer.

[color=#6487dc]Next steps[/color]

We have analyzed your error report and at this time are unable to determine the exact cause of the error. However, Microsoft will continue to analyze this error report to try to determine the specific cause of the error. If we are able to find the cause and correct it, and you encounter the same problem, you will receive an updated response that includes instructions for resolving the problem.

Additional Technical Information

</p>

• How to Troubleshoot Hardware and Software Driver Problems in Windows XP (Q322205)

And:





Error caused by a video device driver

Thank you for sending an error report to Microsoft.

[color=#6487dc]Error report summary[/color]












[color=#6487dc]Action for you to take[/color]

We have analyzed your error report and there are two solutions for this problem for you to choose between.

[color=blue] + Solution 1: Install the most current driver for your video card[color=blue][/color] [/color]

• Go to the Microsoft Update website to see if there are any updated drivers for your video card. A driver is software that enables hardware or devices (such as a printer, mouse, or keyboard) to work with your computer. Every device needs a driver in order for it to work. If there are any drivers listed, you should install them.
• If there are no updated drivers at Microsoft Update, and you know the manufacturer of the video card, contact the card manufacturer's product support service for assistance.
• If there are no updated drivers at Microsoft Update, you don't know the name of the manufacturer of the video card, and you need more help diagnosing and resolving this problem, contact your computer manufacturer's product support service.

[color=blue] + Solution 2: Manually decrease Hardware Acceleration for your video adapter[/color]

This procedure prevents the display driver from programming the hardware incorrectly, but you may lose some display functionality and performance. Although you can increase the hardware acceleration settings higher than None to regain functionality and performance, these settings increase the chance that the issue will occur again. For maximum stability, leave hardware acceleration turned off.

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Display.
2. Click the Settings tab, and then click Advanced.
3. Click the Troubleshoot tab, move the Hardware Acceleration slider to None, and then clear the Enable Write Combining check box.
4. Click OK, and then click OK.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Note: This procedure prevents the display driver from programming the hardware incorrectly, but you may lose some display functionality and performance. Although you can increase the hardware acceleration settings higher than None to regain functionality and performance, these settings increase the chance that the issue will occur again. For maximum stability, leave hardware acceleration off.

Additional Technical Information

• Error Message: STOP 0x000000EA THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER (Q293078)

This is the first time I have ever had two messages after a reboot/BSOD. This is also the second time I have recieved this specifc report about a "Display Driver", normally it just says a generic "Device Driver" error.



EDIT: Aah. Did it again. I had Winamp open and I opend AZ. It didnt reboot so I then closed AZ and BAM. No BSOD and no MS Error reoprt message on lgin either.



EDIT2: *Sigh* Once more it did it during SWBF2. Again not even any BSOD. On login I got 2 MS error messages that both goto the webpage that talks about "Device Driver".
I have tried reinstalling the 6.3 drivers but that did nothing.




EDIT3: Again. This time I had open Winamp, Mozilla Firefox (my browser, I just opened a site called http://www.abovetopsecret.com/ at the time) and a Java based internet MMOPRG called Runescape. I had been using Winamp Runescape and Firefox for about an hour or so with no worries, I then went to the site mentioned and BAM. I did get a BSOD this time, but it didnt have anything specific on it. And I got one MS error message that took me to the "Device Driver" page again.....



EDIT4: This time after a reccuring error that I have been having in Star Wars Empire At War. The error is (I think) unrelated to this problem as a lot of others have been having it also. On login I got the "Display Driver" Error page. At the moment I am also experiencing strange behaviour from the machine. It seems to be behaving as if I didn't have a display driver installed (I.E. choppy window movement and page loading in browser)


What I am now going to do is clean the inside of my case and then im going to roll back my drivers to the first 5x Cat series.



EDIT5: I cleaned out the inside of my PC but instead of installed 5X series I reinstalled the 6.3 only I disabled CCC OVERDRIVE (I've always used it). I managed to get 1 full match of SWBF2 in (usually it cuts out quite soon 2-5 mins in). However I tried to do the scan thing with RegCleaner (Cleanup Scan) but it still reboot with a generic BSOD. The MS error reoprt on login was also generic "Device Driver". I will continue to test with this setup.



EDIT6: Urh. Again it happend. This time I managed to get AZ to run. It was oing fine for a long time I then opened up WA to listen to some music and then I opened up RegCleaner and Bam. This is getting harder to figure out. Again no BSOD just the usual Device driver MSG



EDIT7: This is becoming quite tiresome. Once more while AZ and WA were open I was just browsing my pc and it went off again with no BSOD. On login was the same old rubbish.
I'd love to know that if this is a problem with the display driver how is it that it reboot when just running theses apps?



EDIT8: And so the story goes on. AZ no bsod. BUT the message was the specifc "Display Driver" one. How can it have anything to do with the display driver when im not doing anything graphically intesive. Someone please tell me that.



EDIT9: AZ, reboot, no bsod ,Display Driver.

__________________
"If ignorance is bliss...then knock the smile off my face!!!" - Rage Against The Machine - Zach De La Rocha

Cube623

Sound horrible trust me BSODs are no fun

By the way don't always go by what Microsoft Crash Analayse Says i've had it say to me that a BSOD was due to my gfx card when i know full well it wasn't.

1. When i had my old hp computer my pc at one time would always BSOD in nearly every game i played (incluiding UT, GP4, RBR, The Sims 2 etc). And 2 weeks later my cpu fan failed. Once i replaced that the BSODs never happened again. So check your fans if one isn't working right or check if your pc is too hot. Even though you say you don't think its that but thats my past experience with BSODs.

2. Are you sure its not a virus or spyware that causing this? My sis pc had simular symptoms and she had a bundle of viruses and spyware and once i cleared them they went away

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Superpiccolo

It could be overheating but unlikely as after I cleaned out the PC I turned the Portable AC that I have in this room on, so it was quite cool. The temps are as follows from Everest:

MB: 41 Deg C
CPU: 64 Deg C
GPU: 63 Deg C
HDD1: 43 Deg C
HDD2: 41 Deg C

I don't know a lot about temps but im pretty sure those aren't overheating temps.
Also the ways this problem started was too sudden and out the blue to be something like that. If it was temps it was be more gradual process.

__________________
"If ignorance is bliss...then knock the smile off my face!!!" - Rage Against The Machine - Zach De La Rocha

OldBuzzard

As in, you opened it up and dusted it out?

If so, you might want to go in and re-seat the RAM, all the cards, cables, and power connectors.

Not to long ago I fought a problem that at times looked like it as the vid card (which I replaced with no good resuts), the AGP buss on the mobo, the power supply, RAM and just about everything else in the system

It turned out that it was a stick of RAM that had been 'disturbed' just enough that it was giving all sorts of weird errors. Re-seating it cured everything.

Maybe this won't help, but it can't hurt either.

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When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

Superpiccolo

Hmm. Ill check that out. But the problem started out of the blue, I hadn't opened up the pc or touched anything inside.

I managed to get about an hour of EAW in before it shat itself again. Again with no BSOD and again with the "Display Driver" MS report mesag.

EDIT: I just resat both sticks into the orange holes (they were in the purple ones). Wait and see now I supose.

EDIT2: I supose thats ruled out then. I ran AZ WA and Mozilla Firefox to try and speed things up to see if it would reboot and...it did (No bsod, with the "Display Dirver" Msg). Enough of this BS for one day i'm gona get some bloody sleep. Mabye when I wake up all will be well (Pfft yea right.... )

__________________
"If ignorance is bliss...then knock the smile off my face!!!" - Rage Against The Machine - Zach De La Rocha

Yousaif

What power supply are you running at the moment? Could be the one you have in there is showing some wear.

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Yousaif


Isaiah 1:23

Superpiccolo

Its pretty new actually (less than 6 months old). It's a 400 W one. My old one was 350 W.

EDIT: The power readings I am getting from Everest are:

CPU Core: 1.68V
+3.3 V: 3.28V
+5 V: 5.06V
+12 V: 12.03V
DIMM: 2.61V

Now I have no idea if that is good or bad so...

EDIT2: Well the fun rolls on...now today I can't even get to the menu screen of SWEAW. I opene it up the title screen appeard, then BAM! Gone. No BSOD just the MS "Device Driver" bull.

There has to be some explanation for all this nonsense. Is there some way to determine if this is a warning of the PC being on it last legs or something..?

EDIT3: Ok I just spent the last good while viewing some more streaming movies just to be sure that they are unaffected. I didn't get any problems at all. Then I wipped out a DVD with some media on it. I tried to view and AVI on there and it didn't play properly (this happens trying to play video from discs) so I copied to my desktop. Copied it, double clikced it to open it and BAM!
Nothing new about the reboot, No BSOD same Deivice Driver stuff MS Er Msg.
This is painful, I feel like I am walking on egg shells. Where can this problem be coming from!?

EDIT4: Ok something really very strange just happend. I just opened up that online Java based MMORPG I mentioned earlier (called "Runescape") and everything went really really choppy (like what you experience in a very high end game on a loq end machine). After I closed it, the problem went away. I tried it with other apps open (WA, MozFir) and without. And it did it regardless. This happend when I tested it also, but not to this extent (it never happend before yesterday either).
This is quite frightening, does this mean there is an issue with the CPU...? I also checked the CPU temps at the time and they were in the 60s (Deg C).

Also is there some app I can use to check the health of the CPU..or something?

And to answer a question by Cube623 I am all but certain that it isn't a Spy/Adware/Virus problem. I have many apps in place for prevention and cure. I did scans just recently as a result of this occurance and found little more than the usual cookies (which were deleted).

EDIT5: I just tried to install some HD diagnostic tools I dloaded from my HD manufactureres website and it did it again. Reboot, no bsod, "Device Driver" MS ER MSG.

EDIT6: For the first time the computer actually locked up (image on screen cursor unresponsive). I had to reboot manually. This has not happend ever. I was browsing with Firefox and had Everest open and it (out of the blue) just locked up. This is a bad sign I think.

And one thing I failed to mention in the begining is that on the MOBO there is a fan that does not work. I think it is the fan FOR the MOBO (its a small gold cased fan, about half the size of the CPU fan with "AGP 8X" on it). It hasn't worked for a long while now. I can't remeber why it stopped working, but I remeber reading somewhere that it isn't THAT drastic. Is that true? And is it related to this problem?

__________________
"If ignorance is bliss...then knock the smile off my face!!!" - Rage Against The Machine - Zach De La Rocha