Question Frequent BSODs and freezes! I'm going CRAZY!

[Talloak]

I'm having daily freezes and crashes and blue screens of death! I'm going CRAZY! I've googled the messages I get:
IRQL not less than or equal
WHEA uncorrectable blah blah
There was one about a kernal?
attemped execute of no execute memory

The solutions I've read all say either a driver or hardware. On the device manager, there are no devices with a ! on them, PLUS ive gone through each item and they all say they have the latest drivers.

I know it's a hardware issue. Guides say "Find the hardware at fault" but HOW? None of them tell me how to find which specific hardware is causing this nightmare.

Here is my minidump folder along with computer specs and dxdiag:

Minidump – Google Drive

drive.google.com

 

[Talloak]

So, what now? Is it looking like my CPU? With my income, i can maybe replace -one- part, which is why i need to narrow it down... I wish i had a smoothly functioning computer...

 

[Chicano]

• When the PC turns off randomly; Have you looked for possible records in the event viewer, about what may happen when the equipment is turned off? search in: This PC \ right cick - Manage \ System Tools \ Event Viewer.... just keep track of the exact time the event happens, and search the logs by it.


• There could also be logged errors in the dumpfile which are usually caused by drivers... C:\Windows\Minidump\
These type of shutdown are registered and blue screened with error codes so in case blue screens are not displayed, the Even Viewer would be more likely to provide related information.


• So, if nothing turns out to be logged, it would mean a power issue is more likely to have caused the shutdowns.


• The possible hardware involved, may be caused by device drivers and my guess is insufficient voltage could cause device failure, which can cause freezes and turnoffs.


• If the PSU should be the cause, the described symptoms may give you a clue.


The Signs & Symptoms of a Computer Not Receiving Enough Power

The Signs & Symptoms of a Computer Not Receiving Enough Power

Computers that are not receiving enough power can have subtle symptoms like graphical downgrades to obvious extreme symptoms like being unable to turn on. If a computer isn't receiving enough power, the cause likely stems from the device's power supply being unable to provide enough power to the...

smallbusiness.chron.com

 

[zx128k]

So I decided to stop the never-ending Prime95 test by test>stop, and my core temps dropped a lot. However, seconds after I stopped the test, got a BSOD... IRQL not less than or equal.

Unstable system, you just failed prime 95 which prime 95 test were you running? Small, bend or large ffts for example. How long did the test run?

 

[ubuysa]

Unstable system, you just failed prime 95 which prime 95 test were you running? Small, bend or large ffts for example. How long did the test run?

My question also. You need to run all three Prime95 tests.

Upload the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL dump though and we'll take a look.

 

[zx128k]

My question also. You need to run all three Prime95 tests.

Upload the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL dump though and we'll take a look.

Normally small ffts hit the cores/cache and large the RAM mostly. If he ran blend then we need to know the fft it failed on. Also sometimes the cpu is stable at maximum frequency but not at the lower clocks. SO full load the cpu is fine but as soon as it idles. So the problems begin. Disable c-states and/or run at high performance power plan.

 

[Talloak]

I stopped the test, a blended test, manually, as it was running for quite a long time and showed no sign of finishing. Perhaps my fault, but a progress bar or something would have been nice...

This morning i turned on my computer and waited for everything to load, then decided to watch some youtube... and do nothing else... over coffee. 15 minutes in, freeze, bluescreen of death, IRQL not less than or equal.

WTF I'm THIS close to bricking this piece of junk. I can't fix it if I don't know what's causing it.

Got this in the event viewer. 124 is one i get a lot.
The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck. The bugcheck was: 0x00000124 (0x0000000000000000, 0xffffbd064137b028, 0x00000000be000000, 0x0000000000200135). A dump was saved in: C:\Windows\Minidump\052023-10234-01.dmp. Report Id: fc9d9f8d-eb71-4358-982b-92a9248b063e.

Google Drive: Sign-in

Access Google Drive with a Google account (for personal use) or Google Workspace account (for business use).

drive.google.com

Latest dump file from that BSOD.

Also, c-states? Is that on the Prime95 tester? Also yes i was still able to browse and stuff while it was running last time, even when the core monitor was listing cpu at 100% usage.

 

[Bob.B]

I stopped the test, a blended test, manually, as it was running for quite a long time and showed no sign of finishing. Perhaps my fault, but a progress bar or something would have been nice...

This morning i turned on my computer and waited for everything to load, then decided to watch some youtube... and do nothing else... over coffee. 15 minutes in, freeze, bluescreen of death, IRQL not less than or equal.

WTF I'm THIS close to bricking this piece of junk. I can't fix it if I don't know what's causing it.

Got this in the event viewer. 124 is one i get a lot.
The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck. The bugcheck was: 0x00000124 (0x0000000000000000, 0xffffbd064137b028, 0x00000000be000000, 0x0000000000200135). A dump was saved in: C:\Windows\Minidump\052023-10234-01.dmp. Report Id: fc9d9f8d-eb71-4358-982b-92a9248b063e.

Google Drive: Sign-in

Access Google Drive with a Google account (for personal use) or Google Workspace account (for business use).

drive.google.com

Latest dump file from that BSOD.

Also, c-states? Is that on the Prime95 tester? Also yes i was still able to browse and stuff while it was running last time, even when the core monitor was listing cpu at 100% usage.

Just to get it out of the mix remove the gpu and connect to the igp.
See if it makes a diff.

 

[Talloak]

I feel like a stupid layman... IGP?

 

[Bob.B]

I feel like a stupid layman... IGP?

Integrated graphics processor it's the video portion of the cpu.

 

[zx128k]

What are CPU "C-states" and how to disable them if needed?
The 6700k has the Intel HD Graphics 530 iGPU.

Please run HWiNFO64 we need to see the voltages area the most.

Example

Pasteboard - Uploaded Image

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pasteboard.co

If you run prime 95 small ffts, what happens? Are temps normal, do you get any BSOD or errors? Under Advanced, make sure "Round off checking" is ticked. This test takes 2 hours. The test loops, note the first test number, when you reach that fft again you are done. Anything wrong, error, bsod or bad temps or voltages then stop.

Basically I don't believe your CPU is stable. If stock then there could be a hardware fault. Thats my current guess from your first post. Also the fact your system BSOD screen when you close Prime95. This also is an issue you get overclocking and means the system is unstable. Maybe a bump in LLC will help but we will see.

One thing I would also do is reset the BIOS to defaults to get rid of any overclocks in the bios. A bad overclock or an overclock that has degraded could be a cause. Also a bad PSU can be an option, we just dont know at this point. This should help with that task.

Hopefully nothing dies because the system is old and there is something wrong here. Likely hardware related.

 

[ubuysa]

Also, c-states? Is that on the Prime95 tester? e.

C-States are the various power states that each processor in the CPU can be switched to in order to conserve power and reduce heat output. If a processor enters the idle wait for example, it's C-State will be changed to reduce the power it consumes.

Sometimes one or two processors in a CPU don't behave themselves properly when at lower power states, hence the suggestion to diable C-States. The easiest way to do that in Windows is to set the power profile to HIGH PERFOMANCE - in that mode no power saving is done.

Running (even for a time) with the HIGH PERFORMANCE power profile will indicate whether the CPU has a problem at low power C-States.

 

[Talloak]

I reset my BIOS to defaults.

So, I ran Prime95 again, with 'round off checking' ticked, on the 'full' test. over 5 hours go by and it was still runing, so i looked in its menus to see if it was done or if i could get a report or something. I then decided to open up Core Temp. The test was still running... and the second I opened up Core Temp... my entire computer froze solid. I had to cold reboot.

What now? Tomorrow I will take a closer look at the power supply numbers, as well as detach the nvidia gpu and see if that makes a difference... bye bye gaming...

 

[zx128k]

That shounldn't happen on a stable system. There shouldn't be any freezes. What prime 95 test were you running?

 

[Talloak]

Okay so this morning, i opened my case back up again. blew it all out as best I could again, then disconnected my GPU card. Then I tried to reconnect my monitor to the integrated video only to discover I had no means to do so. No analog port (i forget what that's called, old style monitor ports) and no HDMI. So, having no alternative, I blew out my PCI port then reseated my video card.

Also, I managed to get a good look at the side of my PSU as requested. It's a Corsair CX650M.

The Prime95 I last ran was a Large FFTs with 'round off checking' ticked

 

[zx128k]

Try small ffts and see if it reboots or freezes.

 

[Talloak]

Most of today, it worked well and was behaving, then i was using discord and... bam, BSOD again. I downloaded WinDbg and used that to look at the dump file. WHEA uncorrectible error.

Error code 124 (again)

and it points to GuinineIntel.sys

process name 'discord.exe'

So does that mean the issue is Discord, and my CPU?

 

[zx128k]

In the past with overclocking error code 124 would imply vcore too low. Example The error would occur with any random program. This type of issue is targeted by prime 95 small ffts test.

If you are getting BSOD, you could get driver corruption as well. Bad drivers also cause BSOD.

 

[Talloak]

The problem with that, and why this is so aggravating, is that it does not -tell- me which driver it is. What device is doing this? I'm not overclocking. I'll do the small ffts test, and hope it doesn't run in an endless loop again.

 

[zx128k]

You dont have to overclock for the cpu to degrade or for the power to be bad. We are confirming hardware is fine. It stop us from chasing software issues forever. Small ffts doesnt take long for one cycle, a few hours.

 

[Talloak]

My computer has been behaving lately... knock on wood... but I'll be observing it for a while and let you guys know. I'll do a small ffs test soon and let you guys know.

 

[Talloak]

Go figure. Not long after I posted my last reply, i got another BSOD.

"Kmode exception not handled"

The BSOD screen did say that what caused it was something called "dxgmms2.sys"

Event viewer showed nothing but that Windows was not properly shut down.

The ONLY thing I was doing when this BSOD occurred was watching Youtube.

I'll be running that test tomorrow... so sick of these crashes...

 

[zx128k]

A common cause of the kmode exception error is outdated network drivers.

The dxgmms2. sys is a system file that helps render graphics, especially during gaming sessions on your PC. So, the most obvious reason for the dxgmms2 sys error is the malfunctioning of the Graphics driver.

Reinstall your graphics driver. Wipe the old one with DDU and then install.

This is also a system file so run sfc /scannow from admin cmd.

 

[Talloak]

052323-10468-01.dmp

drive.google.com

My latest dump file. The computer also froze shortly before this post, with no BSOD.

I tried the sfc /scannow as admin and it found nothing. Also, what is DDU?

 

[zx128k]

052323-10468-01.dmp

drive.google.com

My latest dump file. The computer also froze shortly before this post, with no BSOD.

I tried the sfc /scannow as admin and it found nothing. Also, what is DDU?

DDU

Note the freezes and BSOD are likely signs of your PC being unstable. I would guess its your cpu. Even so use DDU and reinstall the GPU dirver or updrate it. Check the drivers documentation for known issues. Sometime a game will BSOD due to a driver issue.

Turn off GPU hardware acceleration in your web browser and see if that helps with youtube.

If this was my PC I would run prime 95 small ffts before moving onto software or GPU issues. The problem is that the GPU driver will BOSD like crazy if you cant pass small ffts, even when watching videos on youtube.

The simple way to rule out the GPU is to use your igpu which is the Intel HD Graphics 530.

 

[ubuysa]

This latest dump points very clearly at either the graphics driver (nvlddmkm.sys) or at the graphics card. This is from the stack trace...

0: kd> knL
 # Child-SP          RetAddr               Call Site
00 fffff800`1a22b158 fffff800`166f91ae     nt!KeBugCheckEx
01 fffff800`1a22b160 fffff800`1660638f     nt!HvlpVtlCallExceptionHandler+0x22
02 fffff800`1a22b1a0 fffff800`164e58c7     nt!RtlpExecuteHandlerForException+0xf
03 fffff800`1a22b1d0 fffff800`164e7896     nt!RtlDispatchException+0x297
04 fffff800`1a22b8f0 fffff800`165fcdb2     nt!KiDispatchException+0x186
05 fffff800`1a22bfb0 fffff800`165fcd80     nt!KxExceptionDispatchOnExceptionStack+0x12
06 fffff800`1a21d178 fffff800`1660fe65     nt!KiExceptionDispatchOnExceptionStackContinue
07 fffff800`1a21d180 fffff800`1660b45a     nt!KiExceptionDispatch+0x125
08 fffff800`1a21d360 fffff800`41d6c52e     nt!KiGeneralProtectionFault+0x31a
09 fffff800`1a21d4f0 fffff800`41d58acc     dxgmms2!VidSchiProcessCompletedQueuePacketInternal+0x136be
0a fffff800`1a21d690 fffff800`41d55af5     dxgmms2!VidSchiProcessDpcCompletedPacket+0x70c
0b fffff800`1a21d7f0 fffff800`2f49d5d2     dxgmms2!VidSchDdiNotifyDpc+0x225
0c fffff800`1a21d8a0 fffff800`41f157c1     dxgkrnl!DxgNotifyDpcCB+0x92
0d fffff800`1a21d950 ffffd502`a17b2030     nvlddmkm+0x657c1
0e fffff800`1a21d958 00000000`00000000     0xffffd502`a17b2030

We've pretty much cleared your CPU I would think, with the Prime95 tests. If you've run all three tests then that will likely clear your RAM too. The above BSOD should then focus attention on the graphics card/driver. I suggest you now download and run Furmark, this will stress test your graphics card.

It's worth testing Furmark on the two immediately previous versions of the driver as well. Use DDU to remove the old graphics driver before you install a new one.