BSOD / lockups several times a week -- details inside -- Windows 7

WilliamLogan

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May 26, 2010
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BSOD Does not happen during a specific event. It's seemingly random, and can happen on the desktop watching a video, or in the middle of a game intense on cpu requirements.
[cpp]The errors I see from this BSOD: I can't post any dumps because I just reformatted as a last resort.
-IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
-DXGMMS1.SYS
-A message about an attempt was made to access read only memory or..something..
-It's a different error msg each time
There were a couple more, but I can't remember what they were. I'll post when I remember. [/cpp]


I'm not sure where to post this, but I'm pretty sure it's either my mobo or my memory, so i'll post it here. Here's the story, i'll make it short. I was gaming on windows xp for ages. I bought a computer back in 2005 (maybe it was 2006..) whenever the 7900 gtx came out. Was using a 7900 gtx and an e8400 stock for a few years after that. I made a gigantic upgrade from 7900 to an ati 4890 this last christmas -- still, I have no issues, never had a BSOD in my life. On my birthday in January, I upgraded to Windows 7 home premium 64 bit, of course I bought 4gb of new 1066 mhz ram to go with it.

This is when the BSOD started. With windows 7 and the new ram. How could W7 cause a BSOD? I'm most certain it's my memory, only started after I bought it.

Here is the steps I've taken:
-Flashed and updated my BIOS to F6, newest version -- First time doing this, and it worked okay.
-Updated motherboard drivers -- Never done this until now, but BSOD still occurs periodically.
-Switched to 10.4a ATI gpu drivers -- It fixes the loading time in Bad Company 2 for me.
-Swapped the dual channel ram to different slots -- yellow to red, you can see I'm desperate.
-Checked to make sure nothing is overheating. I have hardware monitor on my second monitor while I'm gaming, nothing goes above 70c -- My 4890 goes to about 75-79 during Starcraft 2 though.
-Changed HPET in bios to 64-bit. It was on 32 bit for some reason.
-Cleaned all of the dust out. lol

I have no idea how to do a memory test, do I have to burn it to a cd -_- my burner is so messed up I don't think it'll work. Bringing my computer into the local computer hardware store for them to do some diagnostics for me to see what's wrong is out of the question (they are actually very good, nothing but goodness comes from their magical hands) I do all my work from my computer in addition to gaming, and I can't go without my PC for more than a day, unless I want to get fired. I'm going on vacation in August but I can't wait that long. 1. I don't want my computer to crash from this waiting that long. 2. it's driving my crazy.

My computer is virus free. It's scanned daily with Malwarebytes and Avast! internet security. Posting DXDiag bellow this message. Should I just go buy new memory? Is there a good chance this will fix my issues? The DXGMMS1 BSOD Is a directx crash from a little research, could my 4890 be crap? Sorry for a long message, this is a complicated issue lol.

Thank you. :bounce:
------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 5/26/2010, 08:18:21
Machine name: LOGAN-PC
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_gdr.100226-1909)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
System Model: EP35-DS3L
BIOS: Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8400 @ 2.66GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 4094MB RAM
Page File: 1633MB used, 6554MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.01.7600.16385 64bit Unicode

------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
Display Tab 1: The file atiu9p64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,atiu9pag,aticfx32,aticfx32,atiumd64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atiumdag,atidxx32,atidxx32,atiumdva,atiumd6a.cap,atitmm64.dll is not digitally signed, which means that it has not been tested by Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL). You may be able to get a WHQL logo'd driver from the hardware manufacturer.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 2: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.

--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI display adapter (0x9460)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_9460&SUBSYS_E115174B&REV_00
Display Memory: 2808 MB
Dedicated Memory: 1017 MB
Shared Memory: 1791 MB
Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Model: ACER X233H
Monitor Id: ACR00A8
Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (60.000Hz)
Output Type: DVI
Driver Name: atiu9p64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,atiu9pag,aticfx32,aticfx32,atiumd64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atiumdag,atidxx32,atidxx32,atiumdva,atiumd6a.cap,atitmm64.dll
Driver File Version: 8.14.0001.6105 (English)
Driver Version: 8.723.5.0
DDI Version: 10.1
Driver Model: WDDM 1.1
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 4/19/2010 23:22:18, 28160 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: No
WHQL Date Stamp: None
Device Identifier: {D7B71EE2-D720-11CF-2263-14C1A1C2C535}
Vendor ID: 0x1002
Device ID: 0x9460
SubSys ID: 0xE115174B
Revision ID: 0x0000
Driver Strong Name: oem12.inf:ATI.Mfg.NTamd64.6.1:ati2mtag_RV7X:8.723.5.0:pci\ven_1002&dev_9460
Rank Of Driver: 00E62001
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C
Deinterlace Caps: {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(YV12,0x32315659) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{3C5323C1-6FB7-44F5-9081-056BF2EE449D}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{552C0DAD-CCBC-420B-83C8-74943CF9F1A6}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC1,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC2,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC3,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC4,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(S340,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(S342,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
D3D9 Overlay: Not Supported
DXVA-HD: Not Supported
DDraw Status: Enabled
D3D Status: Enabled
AGP Status: Enabled

-------------
Sound Devices
-------------
Description: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0888&SUBSYS_1458A002&REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Type: WDM
Driver Name: RTKVHD64.sys
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.6101 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
Date and Size: 4/30/2010 17:06:04, 2359200 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
HW Accel Level: Basic
Cap Flags: 0xF1F
Min/Max Sample Rate: 100, 200000
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 1, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No

Description: Realtek Digital Output (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0888&SUBSYS_1458A002&REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Type: WDM
Driver Name: RTKVHD64.sys
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.6101 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
Date and Size: 4/30/2010 17:06:04, 2359200 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
HW Accel Level: Basic
Cap Flags: 0xF1F
Min/Max Sample Rate: 100, 200000
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 1, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No

---------------------
Sound Capture Devices
---------------------
Description: Realtek Digital Input (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Default Sound Capture: Yes
Default Voice Capture: Yes
Driver Name: RTKVHD64.sys
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.6101 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Date and Size: 4/30/2010 17:06:04, 2359200 bytes
Cap Flags: 0x1
Format Flags: 0xFFFFF

-------------------
DirectInput Devices
-------------------
Device Name: Mouse
Attached: 1
Controller ID: n/a
Vendor/Product ID: n/a
FF Driver: n/a

Device Name: Keyboard
Attached: 1
Controller ID: n/a
Vendor/Product ID: n/a
FF Driver: n/a

Device Name: Razer Gaming Device
Attached: 1
Controller ID: 0x0
Vendor/Product ID: 0xBEEF, 0x0EED
FF Driver: n/a

Device Name: Gaming Keyboard
Attached: 1
Controller ID: 0x0
Vendor/Product ID: 0x046D, 0xC221
FF Driver: n/a

Device Name: Gaming Keyboard
Attached: 1
Controller ID: 0x0
Vendor/Product ID: 0x046D, 0xC221
FF Driver: n/a

Device Name: G11 Keyboard
Attached: 1
Controller ID: 0x0
Vendor/Product ID: 0x046D, 0xC225
FF Driver: n/a

Poll w/ Interrupt: No

-----------
USB Devices
-----------
+ USB Root Hub
| Vendor/Product ID: 0x8086, 0x2936
| Matching Device ID: usb\root_hub
| Service: usbhub
| Driver: usbhub.sys, 7/13/2009 20:07:09, 343040 bytes
| Driver: usbd.sys, 7/13/2009 20:06:23, 7936 bytes
 
Sounds like a memory issue. Try booting with one stick only, then the other. You should run Memtest86+ but yes you need to boot from it so either have it on floppy or cd/dvd. Possibly it can work from USB too but I don't know how.

Another option is to download Prime95 and run Blend tests. It generally has errors fairly fast if there's issues with memory.
 

WilliamLogan

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May 26, 2010
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Thank you f or the reply wolfram23.

I ran it for 30 minutes via usb (thank the gods they had a usb one), and already found 4 errors, I took a picture:

t7oftc.jpg


I take it this is bad.

The question is, can I fix it somehow?

Should I go buy new ram tonight on my way home from work?
 
I'd say try to RMA the RAM. You might be able to fix it by raising the timings or voltages but it shouldn't have issues at stock so I'd say it's probably a bad set. No point wasting the money. You should look for 1333mhz RAM at the least, as that is often the default to run with a 133mhz base clock and shouldn't really cost any more.
 

WilliamLogan

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dont i have to mail my bad pieces in to RMA. I can't go without my pc for that long and I dont have spare ram =\ I dont have an issue spending money.


Thanks for your help wolf. I appreciate it greatly.
 
Well I suppose it depends where and when you got them. Many retailers will allow you to return defective products. I just got a free brand new motherboard after the one I purchased died after only a month. But if you got it online or the retailer warranty is up then yea you probably have to mail it to the manufacturer. If that's the case maybe check if you can get a straight up refund instead of replacement so that you can just go buy some RAM now and maybe get refunded later.
And you're quite welcome for the help :)
 
What exact 4GB 1066 RAM kit did you get? If you give me the model number I can look up the rated timings and voltage specs. The RAM may not be faulty. Many motherboards don't supply RAM with enough voltage using auto settings which leads to instability. I've seen many unstable systems fixed by manually setting the RAM speed, timings, and voltage values in the BIOS.
 

WilliamLogan

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well i already got more ram xx

I was using Corsair Dominator 2x2 GB DDR2 1066 MHz

I am now using Kingston HyperX 2x2 GB DDR2 1066 MHz

Guess you can look up the voltage stuff just in case, and i'll check to make sure it wont happen again. If this fixes it i can just have 8gb, lol

ps: I gained 5 fps in crysis with this new ram.. i dunno why
 


Well it could be, but generally for 1066mhz it shouldn't. You usually will see it running slower with RAM rated higher than 1333mhz because the 1600mhz RAM is technically an overclock, but 1333mhz is at the stock bclk. You should at least verify tho by entering the BIOS. Look around for the memory speed and memory timings and just check them you don't need to make any changes but it's good to be certain. If you really feel like you don't want to do that, you can try getting Everest which tells you all the info on your memory (and every other piece of hardware too).
You can also use CPU-Z to check what it's running at. It's free.
 
@Wolfram23 - You're getting his DDR2 RAM confused with DDR3 RAM. There is no such thing as DDR2 1600 RAM. It's also very common for a motherboard to run DDR2 1066 RAM at a lower speed until you manually set the speed, timings, and voltage to the correct values in the BIOS. Motherboards have to do this for all RAM rated over the standard voltage. If they didn't do that then any RAM that needed more than 1.8v wouldn't work correctly out of the box. The standard voltage for DDR2 RAM is 1.8v. Kingston HyperX RAM isn't a good choice. Most of those kits require 2.2v - 2.3v.

@OP - You still haven't given me enough information to look up the RAM specs. Newegg lists two 2x2GB Kingston HyperX DDR2 1066 RAM kits.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=1052315794&Description=kingston%20hyperx%201066%20ddr2&name=4GB%20%282%20x%202GB%29

Both of them require ridiculous amounts of voltage (either 2.2v or 2.3v depending on which kit you got). For future reference, it's always best to get RAM that runs at or close to the standard voltage. This CAS 4 DDR2 800 kit runs at 1.8v - 1.9v. CAS 4 DDR2 800 RAM is just as fast as CAS 5 DDR2 1066 RAM BTW.

G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-4GBPI-B $114.99
 

WilliamLogan

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CPU Z

DRAM Frequency 400 mhz?... its running less than half the speed it should lol. I'm scared to fiddle with anything in BIOS. I have no idea what im doing, although im dissapointed it's not running as advertised, my games still run great.


If anyone can explain to me what to do, and I'm confident i wont bollocks something up, I'll do it.

thanks for all your help dudes.


@ Shortstuff_mt

it's the second one on the link you showed me. It's not the big ones, the smaller ones. All i have to do is up the voltage to 2.3 in bios? :heink: Apparently this ram is only stable at 800
 
CPU-Z always lists RAM speed like that. DDR stands for "Double Data Rate". You double the speed that CPU-Z shows. So the RAM is doing exactly what I said it would do until you manually set the RAM speed, timings, and voltage to their rated values in the BIOS. The motherboard is running it at DDR2 800 speed for compatibility reasons since it requires so much voltage to run at its rated specs.

You still haven't given the exact model number of either of your RAM kits, so I can't give you specifics on what values to set yet.


No, you also need to set the speed to 1066MHz and the timings to 5-5-5-15.

Google "Intel SpeedStep" to see why your CPU speed is lower than you think it should be.
 

WilliamLogan

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Ah. yeah, I realize now that the cpu is lowering for power reduction. Loaded up a game and it jumped back to x8 multiplier.

I'm pretty scared to go into the bios. I think I'm happy with it at 800 instead of 1066, even if that means it was falsely advertised.
 
@shotstuff_mt yea you're right I'm thinking DDR3 woops ><

Looks like you guys have it all figured out now, but WilliamLogan, don't be afraid of the BIOS. You can go in there and not change anything or you can go ahead and fiddle and totally mess up the settings, and then easily revert back to default. The only thing to be worried of is if you go and make the voltages really high as that can cause hardware damage, but a tiny bit of research (read the intel specs) will inform you on what's acceptable. I'd say get in there and try getting the RAM up to speed.
 
DDR2's highest official spec is 800MHz, hence why 1066 RAM doesn't automatically set up for that speed. Typically, 1066MHz RAM simply requires a small voltage boost (2.1/2.2V) over the 1.8V standard.

Generally, all the memory settings are lined up together, so it should be hard to really mess anything up. If you think you did, just exit and don't save the new settings.