Computer keeps Blue Screening, can't figure out why

Anonymous
2012-05-21T04:18:47+00:00

I just finished building my own gaming PC the other day. And yesterday my computer BSODed while playing Just Cause 2, and today it did again while playing the same game. The Event Viewer says it's an Error 41 (Kernel-Power). I really have no idea what to do. All my drivers are up to date, my power supply is defiantly big enough, and all my hardware is more then enough to handle anything I'm doing. What should I do?

EDIT: I should clarify that I know it's not a problem with overheating as well. My video card (Radeon 6950) has stayed under 60(c) the whole time, as well as my processor (AMD8150 8 core) staying under 40(c).

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Gaming

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Anonymous
2012-05-21T18:10:02+00:00

Just FYI - sometimes lower level drivers (such as AMD Overdrive or Gigabyte EasyTune) can cause systems to act as if there is a hardware problem.  So, we're still not certain if this is hardware or software - so please continue to run the diagnostics suggested previously.

AMD OverDrive (AODDriver2.sys) is either a stand-alone application, or a component of the AMD VISION Engine Control Center.  This driver is known to cause BSOD's on some Win7 systems.  If doesn't appear to be installed on your system, then it may be a part of the Gigabyte EasyTune6 program (another one that's known to cause BSOD's on Win7 systems).

*******

Please uninstall all AMD/ATI video stuff from Control Panel...Programs...Uninstall a program

Then, download and install a fresh copy of the ATI drivers from http://www.ati.com (in the upper right corner of the page)

  • Select the "Custom" installation option and don't let it install AMD OverDrive or the VISION Engine Control Center (if present)

Then use the ATI uninstall manager to uninstall the Catalyst Control Center (CCC).  This is a separate issue and isn't required for the AMD OverDrive removal.

If the device (AODDriver or AODDriver4.01) remains a problem in perfmon /report, open Device Manager, select the "View" item.

Then select "Show hidden devices" and scroll down to the Non-Plug and Play Drivers section.

Locate the AODDriver entry, right click on it and select "Uninstall".  Reboot for changes to take affect.

*******

Sometimes the driver remains and continues to cause BSOD's.  If this is the case for you, post back and we'll give further instructions for safely removing it.

If overclocking, please stop. Remove the overclock and return the system to stock/standard values while we're troubleshooting. Once the system is stable again, feel free to resume the overclocking.

Also, please uninstall the Gigabyte Easy Saver - mobo power utility driver and the Gigabyte EasyTune6 program (it may contain the AMD Overdrive program).  Both are known to cause BSOD's on some Win7 systems.

I am suspicious of the Applecharger program also, but have no firm evidence for it.  Please just keep an eye on it for now.

If that doesn't stop the BSOD's, please run Driver Verifier according to these directions:  http;//www.carrona.org/verifier.html

*****************************************************************************

BSOD BUGCHECK SUMMARY

Loading Dump File [C:\Users\FUBAR\jcgriff2_\dbug\_Kernel__\051912-22464-01.dmp]

Built by: 7600.16988.amd64fre.win7_gdr.120401-1505

Debug session time: Sat May 19 16:39:43.993 2012 (UTC - 4:00)

System Uptime: 0 days 0:31:58.600

BugCheck A, {6, 2, 0, fffff80003095a93}

*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for win32k.sys

*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for win32k.sys

Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt!KiTimerWaitTest+e3 )

DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  VISTA_DRIVER_FAULT

BUGCHECK_STR:  0xA

PROCESS_NAME:  System

FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_0xA_nt!KiTimerWaitTest+e3

Bugcheck code 0000000A

Arguments 0000000000000006 0000000000000002 0000000000000000 fffff80003095a93

BiosVersion = F7

BiosReleaseDate = 10/13/2011

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``

Loading Dump File [C:\Users\FUBAR\jcgriff2_\dbug\_Kernel__\052012-25287-01.dmp]

Built by: 7601.17803.amd64fre.win7sp1_gdr.120330-1504

Debug session time: Mon May 21 00:00:30.836 2012 (UTC - 4:00)

System Uptime: 0 days 0:29:47.101

BugCheck 101, {19, 0, fffff8800316d180, 7}

*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for win32k.sys

*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for win32k.sys

Probably caused by : Unknown_Image ( ANALYSIS_INCONCLUSIVE )

BUGCHECK_STR:  CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT_8_PROC

DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  VISTA_DRIVER_FAULT

PROCESS_NAME:  System

FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT_8_PROC_ANALYSIS_INCONCLUSIVE

Bugcheck code 00000101

Arguments 0000000000000019 0000000000000000 fffff8800316d180 0000000000000007

BiosVersion = F7

BiosReleaseDate = 10/13/2011

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-05-23T09:35:16+00:00

    There has recently been a "rash" of the STOP 0x101 errors in online forums.

    In most cases there hasn't been any broken hardware found - so we suspect that it's the 3rd party software/drivers that are causing this.

    My personal theory is that it's a combination of 3rd party programs that are putting out errors.  But we don't know what the combination is. 

    Our recommendations for compatibility and low-level driver issues usually revolve around 1) our experience with which programs cause problems and 2) the age of the drivers.  I suspect that we just get lucky fixing stuff and stumble upon the "fix" when using the above methods.

    The key here is to ensure that the problem doesn't surface with the plain "vanilla" Windows installation (without any 3rd party stuff installed).  So the longer you can run it "plain", then more likely it is that you've fixed the problem by reinstalling Windows (and removing all of the 3rd party stuff).

    If you haven't run the hardware diagnostics yet, please do so now.  Otherwise it's just a waiting game.  Waiting to see if the plain Windows installation crashes and then waiting to see if it crashes after you install the 3rd party stuff.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-05-23T01:00:22+00:00

    UPDATE: Windows is re-installed and I'm currently working through getting all the updates installed (very time consuming and lots of restarting).

    The only thing I've done is update the BIOS, install drivers for audio, ethernet, and video (I avoided the ones that you mentioned earlier), and transfer files such as pictures, documents, and videos. I haven't installed any software as a precaution to avoid things that might interfere with the whole point of the re-installation, which was to get a clean copy of Windows to test.

    Once all the updates are finished, are there any tests/diagnostics you want me to run on it?

    Also, at this point is a hardware problem something you'd feel safe ruling out? Or do you feel it is still a possibility?

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-05-22T21:12:26+00:00

    Not likely as the PSU converts the power to "acceptable" levels.

    It's probably possible, but would require multiple failures of the power delivery system - and each one would have to be related to delivering too little power.  But that's just not very likely to happen.  It's more likely that insufficient power will stop your monitor from working and you won't be able to see anything.

    For convenience sake, there are 3 reasons for BSOD's (in this order):

    • 3rd party drivers/software
    • Hardware problems (described in the next paragraph)
    • Windows problems

    The most likely cause for this is a hardware problem.  Hardware problems include:

    • broken hardware
    • overclocking
    • compatibility issues
    • low-level driver problems
    • malware

    First we ensure that you're not overclocking

    Then we rule out 3rd party drivers that are causing compatibility issues or low-level driver problems (during this we also ensure that Windows is fully updated)

    Later on we rule out malware during the hardware diagnostics

    The hardware diagnostics test some of the hardware - but not all.

    The only other thing left to test then is Windows - and there just aren't that many tools to "fix" Windows (startup repair, system restore, sfc.exe, windows update, repair install, and a wipe and clean install of Windows).

    Here's my webpages about how we do BSOD analysis:

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  4. Anonymous
    2012-05-22T17:07:28+00:00

    I just got to thinking, can BSODs be caused by insufficient power being supplied to my computer? The wiring in my house is old, and most of our outlets are two pronged. Right now my computer is plugged into a power strip (along with my monitor and speakers) and the power strip is plugged into the wall via a cheater plug.

    Is there a possibility that the issue lies in the power and the problems with my drivers were just a coincidence?

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