BSOD's on Startup -- Seemingly Random.

[SylarZero]

My computer crashes sometimes when I startup. Debugger seems to say it's ntoskrnl.exe. I've tried elsewhere. Updated drivers. Updated to service pack 2.0. Not sure what could be causing it. I hope someone is able to help.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've zipped my minidumps from when the crashes first started.

They are pretty sporadic. So I have no idea what could be causing them.

 

[usasma]

5 memory dumps - from 18 May to 18 Jun 2010 (approx 1 month)
4 different STOP errors, with 3 different causes blamed

One of the dump files is blamed (in BlueScreenView) on your Symantec/Norton protection program (symtdi.sys) - so I'd start with that:

Anti-Virus Removal:
Please do the following:
- download a free antivirus for testing purposes: Free AntiVirus
- uninstall the Norton from your system (you can reinstall it, if so desired, when we're done troubleshooting)
- remove any remnants of Norton using this free tool: Download and run the Norton Removal Tool
- IMMEDIATELY install and update the free antivirus
- check to see if this fixes the BSOD's

Beyond that we'll have to look for hardware issues. Please run these free, bootable diagnostics:

H/W Diagnostics:
Please start by running these bootable hardware diagnostics:
Memory Diagnostics (read the details at the link)
HD Diagnostic (read the details at the link)

Also, please run one of these free, independent online malware scans to ensure that your current protection hasn't been compromised: Malware (read the details at the link)

If those tests pass, then try these free stress tests:

Try this free video stress test: FurMark: Graphics Card Stability and Stress Test, OpenGL Benchmark and GPU Temperature | oZone3D.Net

FurMark Setup:
- If you have more than one GPU, select Multi-GPU during setup
- In the Run mode box, select "Stability Test" and "Log GPU Temperature"
Click "Go" to start the test
- Run the test until the GPU temperature maxes out - or until you start having problems (whichever comes first).
- Click "Quit" to exit

Try this free stress test: Free Software - GIMPS

Prime95 Setup:
- extract the contents of the zip file to a location of your choice
- double click on the executable file
- select "Just stress testing"
- select the "Blend" test. If you've already run MemTest overnight you may want to run the "Small FFTs" test instead.
- "Number of torture test threads to run" should equal the number of CPU's times 2 (if you're using hyperthreading).
The easiest way to figure this out is to go to Task Manager...Performance tab - and see the number of boxes under CPU Usage History
Then run the test for 6 to 24 hours - or until you get errors (whichever comes first).
This won't necessarily crash the system - but check the output in the test window for errors.
The Test selection box and the stress.txt file describes what components that the program stresses.

Also, please remove or update these older drivers that were loaded at the time of the crash. Don't use Windows Update or the Update drivers function of Device Manager.
Please use the following instructions to locate the most currently available drivers to replace the one's that you uninstall OR remove:

How To Find Drivers:
- I have listed links to most of the drivers in the code box below. Please use the links there to see what info I've found about those drivers.
- search Google for the name of the driver
- compare the Google results with what's installed on your system to figure out which device/program it belongs to
- visit the web site of the manufacturer of the hardware/program to get the latest drivers (DON'T use Windows Update or the Update driver function of Device Manager).
- if there are difficulties in locating them, post back with questions and someone will try and help you locate the appropriate program.

- - The most common drivers are listed on this page: Driver Reference
- - Driver manufacturer links are on this page: http://www.carrona.org/drvrdown.html

Here's the older drivers. Please pay particular attention to any dated 2008 or earlier (look here for the drivers: Driver Reference ):

PS2.sys      Thu Sep 07 18:49:03 2006
CAXHWBS3.sys Tue Feb 12 17:50:12 2008
CAX_CNXT.sys Tue Feb 12 17:48:08 2008
CAX_DP.sys   Tue Feb 12 17:47:03 2008
nvmfdx64.sys Tue Jan 29 14:38:48 2008
nvlddmkm.sys Thu May 22 19:17:52 2008
RTKVHD64.sys Thu Jul 03 04:56:41 2008
SYMEVENT64x86.SYS Mon Aug 04 19:31:51 2008
SRTSPX64.SYS Tue Jan 22 00:17:58 2008
IDSvia64.sys Wed Sep 03 16:46:05 2008
eeCtrl64.sys Thu Aug 28 13:06:00 2008
nvmfdx64.sys Fri Aug 01 14:38:28 2008

BSOD BUGCHECK SUMMARY

[FONT=lucida console]
Built by: 6001.18427.amd64fre.vistasp1_gdr.100218-0019
Debug session time: Sat May 29 10:13:44.841 2010 (UTC - 4:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:11.512
BugCheck 50, {fffffa60038a0c7e, 8, fffffa60038a0c7e, 0}
Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt!KiPageFault+119 )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x50
PROCESS_NAME:  System
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
Built by: 6001.18427.amd64fre.vistasp1_gdr.100218-0019
Debug session time: Sat May 29 15:28:23.993 2010 (UTC - 4:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:23.665
BugCheck D1, {5c0502623188, 6, 8, 5c0502623188}
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for nvlddmkm.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for nvlddmkm.sys
Probably caused by : nvlddmkm.sys ( nvlddmkm+4d2b5 )
PROCESS_NAME:  svchost.exe
BUGCHECK_STR:  0xD1
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
Built by: 6001.18427.amd64fre.vistasp1_gdr.100218-0019
Debug session time: Wed Jun  2 12:45:34.101 2010 (UTC - 4:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:28.802
BugCheck 3B, {c0000005, fffff800022b00ab, fffffa6006ef31f0, 0}
Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt!NtMapViewOfSection+30c )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x3B
PROCESS_NAME:  svchost.exe
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
Built by: 6002.18209.amd64fre.vistasp2_gdr.100218-0019
Debug session time: Fri Jun 18 23:31:54.709 2010 (UTC - 4:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:25.381
BugCheck 1A, {41287, fffffffff, 0, 0}
Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt! ?? ::FNODOBFM::`string'+2d6ac )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x1a_41287
PROCESS_NAME:  svchost.exe
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
Built by: 6001.18427.amd64fre.vistasp1_gdr.100218-0019
Debug session time: Tue May 18 11:36:39.112 2010 (UTC - 4:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:36.813
BugCheck 50, {fffff8000352c230, 8, fffff8000352c230, 2}
Probably caused by : msrpc.sys ( msrpc!LRPC_CASSOCIATION::AlpcSendWaitReceivePort+45 )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x50
PROCESS_NAME:  hpsysdrv.exe
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
  
  
 
[/FONT]

 

[SylarZero]

I think removing Norton fixed the problem. But now I may have a new problem, or the old problem is still persisting.

It's still doing it on startup. But it seems to be a new error that cites ntsokrnl.exe and crashdmp.sys.

I really appreciate the help. Once i get my computer started up-- it works fine. It's just on startup that I get the problem. I hope Norton has been completely removed from my system. It can be a real pest (When I tried removing it with the tool, it blue screened every time. I couldn't remove it until I started in safe mode.)

MSconfig is telling me I still have some stuff from Norton. Like CCapp and Norton Download Manager. So I don't know if that could be it or not.

And I'm not sure how to download and install drivers. Is it complicated?

 

[usasma]

Try running the Norton Removal Tool in Safe Mode (I can't recall if it works there or not).

The most complicated part about drivers is finding the proper ones.
Then they're simple to update:
- remove the old one's
- install the new one's
If there's a particular one that's giving you problems - just post back and we'll see what we can locate.


Please zip up and upload any further BSOD's (any since 17 Jun)

 

[SylarZero]

Here's my latest BSOD. If it matters - I ran chkdsk, and it said that The file system structure on the disk is corrupt and unusable. Please run the chkdsk utility on the volume C:. Afterwards. Now fsutil dirty query c: says C is dirty. Could that be causing the blue screens?

 

[usasma]

I don't think that the dirty bit would cause the BSOD. But it does indicate that there's a problem with your hard drive, and that could be causing the BSOD.

Try the H/W Diagnostics that I asked you to run in Post #2 - in particular the HDD Diagnostic: HD Diagnostic (read the details at the link)

The latest BSOD is a STOP 0x1A: MEMORY_MANAGEMENT error (more info here: BSOD Index ) This can be caused by a lot of things - including a failing hard drive.

BSOD BUGCHECK SUMMARY

[font=lucida console]
Built by: 6002.18209.amd64fre.vistasp2_gdr.100218-0019
Debug session time: Mon Jul  5 09:43:20.275 2010 (UTC - 4:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:24.976
BugCheck 1A, {41287, fffffffff, 0, 0}
Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt! ?? ::FNODOBFM::`string'+2d6ac )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x1a_41287
PROCESS_NAME:  WerFault.exe
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
  
  
 
[/font]

 

[SylarZero]

I ran a diagnostic from HP, and it said everything was fine. I also ran the Diagnostic on my pc that came with it, and it too said everything was fine.

I have gotten two more Blue Screens, different things each time. I'll note that my external modem's ethernet light went out just before the blue screen. Not sure if that has anything to do with it or not.

If I shut down for a little while, usually when I boot back up it's fine. It's when I shut down for the night, and startup the next morning that it usually crashes. Although it wasn't always occurring every day until now.

Could it be something hooked up to the computer? Like the keyboard, mouse, or modem? I doubt it, but I'd really like to get this problem fixed. It's just really weird that I keep getting all kind of different errors. And it's always on startup. Once I startup, everything is fine (at least so far it has been). Event Viewer doesn't even list any errors that occur.

 

[usasma]

Please make sure you've run all the diagnostics and stress tests from post #2. Let us know the results please.

BSOD BUGCHECK SUMMARY

[font=lucida console]
Built by: 6002.18209.amd64fre.vistasp2_gdr.100218-0019
Debug session time: Wed Jul  7 09:30:24.279 2010 (UTC - 4:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:20.950
BugCheck 3B, {c0000005, fffff800024ea1ca, fffffa6001cb6e00, 0}
Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt!RtlpNewSecurityObject+3ca )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x3B
PROCESS_NAME:  services.exe
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
Built by: 6002.18209.amd64fre.vistasp2_gdr.100218-0019
Debug session time: Tue Jul  6 09:00:15.109 2010 (UTC - 4:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:19.780
BugCheck 19, {22, 0, 0, 0}
Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt! ?? ::FNODOBFM::`string'+3106 )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x19_22
PROCESS_NAME:  svchost.exe
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
  
  
 
[/font]

 

[SylarZero]

Everything passes in Hardware Diagnostics. Haven't done the stress test yet. Also ran Memory Diagnostics, which reports no problems after 7 passes.

Latest BSOD uploaded.

Really wish this were an easier problem to resolve... I've been considering just putting the computer to sleep at night to avoid having to startup.

Also, here's a list of software I have, wondering if any of it may be causing the problem (those installed around the time the problem started)

Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable
Malwarebytes Anti Malware
Viewpoint Media Player
Aim 7
Download Updater (AOL)
Hijackthis
NVIDIA Drivers
DH Driver Cleaner Sweeper Professional Edition
Driver Sweeper 2.1.0
HP Advisor (this program won't start...)
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable x86 9.0.30729.17
HP Update
Lightscribe System Software
sp41121
sp44626
Debugging Tools for Windows
Move Media Player

Norton Downloader is still listed among my startup items, though I have it disabled. Same for ccapp. Not sure if it could still be a conflict with Norton or not.

Also, I just now did a firmware update sp40966 for my driver. Not sure if not installing that would have affected anything or not.

 

[usasma]

Did you do this?:

- remove any remnants of Norton using this free tool: Download and run the Norton Removal Tool

Then follow these instructions:

Using Driver Verifier is an iffy proposition. Most times it'll crash and it'll tell you what the driver is. But sometimes it'll crash and won't tell you the driver. Other times it'll crash before you can log in to Windows. If you can't get to Safe Mode, then you'll have to resort to offline editing of the registry to disable Driver Verifier.

So, I'd suggest that you first backup your stuff and then make sure you've got access to another computer so you can contact us if problems arise. Then make a System Restore point (so you can restore the system using the Vista/Win7 Startup Repair feature).

Then, here's the procedure:
- Go to Start and type in "verifier" (without the quotes) and press Enter
- Select "Create custom settings (for code developers)" and click "Next"
- Select "Select individual settings from a full list" and click "Next"
- Select everything EXCEPT FOR "Low Resource Simulation" and click "Next"
NOTE: You can use Low Resource Simulation if you'd like. From my limited experimentation it makes the BSOD's come faster.
- Select "Select driver names from a list" and click "Next"
Then select all drivers NOT provided by Microsoft and click "Next"
- Select "Finish" on the next page.

Reboot the system and wait for it to crash to the Blue Screen. Continue to use your system normally, and if you know what causes the crash, do that repeatedly. The objective here is to get the system to crash because Driver Verifier is stressing the drivers out. If it doesn't crash for you, then let it run for at least 36 hours of continuous operation (an estimate on my part).

Reboot into Windows (after the crash) and turn off Driver Verifier by going back in and selecting "Delete existing settings" on the first page, then locate and zip up the memory dump file and upload it with your next post.

If you can't get into Windows because it crashes too soon, try it in Safe Mode.
If you can't get into Safe Mode, try using System Restore from your installation DVD to set the system back to the previous restore point that you created.

If that doesn't work, post back and we'll have to see about fixing the registry entry off-line:

Delete these registry keys (works in XP, Vista, Win7):
        HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\VerifyDrivers
        HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\VerifyDriverLevel

More info on this at this link: Using Driver Verifier to identify issues with Windows drivers for advanced users

BSOD BUGCHECK SUMMARY

[font=lucida console]
Built by: 6002.18209.amd64fre.vistasp2_gdr.100218-0019
Debug session time: Fri Jul  9 09:12:44.945 2010 (UTC - 4:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:24.616
BugCheck A, {28, c, 1, fffff800022bf879}
Probably caused by : ntkrnlmp.exe ( nt! ?? ::FNODOBFM::`string'+1829 )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0xA
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
  
  
 
[/font]

http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039

 

[SylarZero]

I thought an update would be good.

I replaced my motherboard, and am no longer -- at least so far -- getting the Blue Screen of Death. I think it was hardware related, though I'm not sure exactly what. Thanks for all of your help.