Question My PC reboots after opening the web browser.

[JonathanBlack]

My PC has:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 945
GPU: Sapphire HD 7790
RAM: 8GB
Drives: Western Digital 500GB SATA 3 HDD and a Kingston 240GB SSD.

I am still on Windows XP Professional x64 Service Pack 2 and thus I use the 360 Chrome Browser 13.0.2310.0, Chromium version 86 for navigating the internet. Naturally, I installed the Windows on the SSD. Everything worked out perfectly like this until I recently bought a new ASUS DRW-24D5MT DVD writer because my previous one was not reading the discs anymore. That previous one was an LG on IDE and this new one is on SATA.

After installing new DVD writer, about 1 times out of 5, when I double-click the 360 Chrome Browser my PC freezes for about 1 second, then it shows me a blue screen saying all sorts of stuff, like "a newly installed hardware of software might have caused this" and I have to reset/restart my PC, otherwise it doesn't respond to any commands. I am not 100% sure if the newly-installed ASUS DVD has caused this, it would have been quite abnormal for this to b ethe explanation, but I see no other explanation because I NEVER had this problem before! And I bought the Kingston SSD approx 1 year ago, and so far it worked perfectly.

Another weird issue which also occured lately was the fact that yesterday I noticed all my programs running slower than usual, for example it took about 3 or 4 seconds for Total Commander to start after double-clicking it, normally it responds immediately, in less than a second, and after opening the Task Manager (Alt+Ctrl+Del) I saw that only 3 cores were present instead of 4! My AMD is Quad Core, it ALWAYS showed all the 4 cores. So I opened CPU-Z and it also showed me only 3 cores and 3 threads. I got worried, went into the BIOS, messed around with the CPU settings, and now everything seems OK, I mean both the task Manager and CPU-Z show me all 4 cores, same says AIDA64, and the speed of my PC responding to my commands is back to normal.

What is wrong with the browser? What causes it to show me that blue screen? I have been using this browser for more than a year (if I remember correctly) and it NEVER did anything like this! Neither before, nor after buying the SSD. This problem started happening only after removing the old and malfunctioning LG DVD writer (which was on IDE) and replacing it with this new ASUS DVD on SATA. Is that the problem? If yes, what can be done? If not, then what can I do?

 

[MJS WARLORD]

Their are many reasons why your having problems....

1. your still using windows xp and by its very nature it is too old and slow to cope with todays tech , compare it to cars , if you bought a new car and replaced to engine with one from a scrap yard it would work but be almost useless.

2. The dvd is new tech and your pc is old tech , test the dvd on somebody else's newer pc and also look in device manager to see ig you have a yellow triangle next to dvd.

3. Their are many reasons why your pc is slow , its xp , its old tech , and you could have things installed that you are not aware of , look in add/remove for software items you dont recognise and look in start up menu to see what is running from boot up , i only have sound card and av in my start up menu.

4, The browser .... it is old tech so it cant run properly on websites using newer browsers , when surfing you will probably have seen some messages to say your browser is either not compatible with the site or a message to say you need to update it..... the harware error points to ssd or dvd , again , new tech in an old pc .... the motherboard is not good enough.

Their are a few things you could try , download and run malwarebytes , that said it might not run on xp , if it does and if it finds anything do repeat scans until it finds nothing , this is because infections are put into many segments and not all get deleted or found on first pass.

Are you aware that you are putting yourself and other at risk by using xp , you really do need to stop using xp and get a more modern pc.

 

[JonathanBlack]

Their are many reasons why your having problems....

1. your still using windows xp and by its very nature it is too old and slow to cope with todays tech , compare it to cars , if you bought a new car and replaced to engine with one from a scrap yard it would work but be almost useless.

2. The dvd is new tech and your pc is old tech , test the dvd on somebody else's newer pc and also look in device manager to see ig you have a yellow triangle next to dvd.

3. Their are many reasons why your pc is slow , its xp , its old tech , and you could have things installed that you are not aware of , look in add/remove for software items you dont recognise and look in start up menu to see what is running from boot up , i only have sound card and av in my start up menu.

4, The browser .... it is old tech so it cant run properly on websites using newer browsers , when surfing you will probably have seen some messages to say your browser is either not compatible with the site or a message to say you need to update it..... the harware error points to ssd or dvd , again , new tech in an old pc .... the motherboard is not good enough.

Their are a few things you could try , download and run malwarebytes , that said it might not run on xp , if it does and if it finds anything do repeat scans until it finds nothing , this is because infections are put into many segments and not all get deleted or found on first pass.

Are you aware that you are putting yourself and other at risk by using xp , you really do need to stop using xp and get a more modern pc.

I have been using SATA 3 HDDs for more than 10 years and they never caused me any problems. So it's definitely not an incompatibility problem between SSD/SATA and Win XP. Stop blaming the WinXP, I used Win7 and 8 and 8.1 and 10 and they were all CRAP compared to XP. I will not, repeat: WILL NOT change my operating system on my machine, I would rather buy myself a laptop for browsing the web if that is really and truly the last resort.

In Device manager everything is OK, have a look, it doesn't have any conflicts with the DVD. I would show you a photo, but I cannot insert it here properly without uploading it somewhere, and I'm not gonna start uploading random pics on random websites just to prove a point. It's all fine in Device Manager when it comes to the DVD, there is nothing yellow there, it says "This device is working properly".

The browser is not old at all, this version of 360 Chrome Browser was released either last year or in 2023. So it is much newer than even Windows 10, and since it didn't cause any problems before, why did it start doing that now? By the way, I even reinstalled the XP about 5 days ago, so everything is in order.

Let me ask this: was I supposed to install this browser in the "normal" Program Files folder or in the (x86) version of the Program Files? I don't remember in which of those I installed it in the past, so maybe THAT was in fact the problem. What do you think?

PS: I repeat - stop bugging me about the XP 64-bit SP2, because changing it on this PC just ain't gonna happen.

 

[COLGeek]

Please maintain civility towards others. Thank you.

 

[COLGeek]

Given the age of this system, it would seem that a hardware failure has occurred and will likely continue to degrade.

Does temporarily removing the optical drive change the behavior?

The browser this may be coincidental to the underlying problem.

 

[JonathanBlack]

Given the age of this system, it would seem that a hardware failure has occurred and will likely continue to degrade.

Does temporarily removing the optical drive change the behavior?

The browser this may be coincidental to the underlying problem.

Yeah, I'm afraid that one of my CPU's cores might started to malfunction, or else why did I have the problem with only 3 cores being shown? Indeed, that problem is gone now, I see all 4 cores in task Manager and the speed is good, but could this core problem also occur in the future? I have not overclocked my CPU, not at all, I don't do that by default, in fact it's usually running at 41 or 42 degrees Celsius, as shown by Core Temp. And after I play a few games, it only gets to 50 or 51 max. Is that too much? It's pretty cold outside now, and in my room the temp is 20 degrees Celsius at best, so I don't believe my CPU could have overheated.

I did not remove the optical drive so far, I mean the new ASUS I recently bought. Should I try to disconnect it and see if the problem (blue screen) persists?

 

[COLGeek]

Yes, disconnect to see if it changes the behavior.

Regarding the intermittent CPU core count, that is likely to continue/worsen if either the CPU is failing or some motherboard component is degrading. The age of this rig is not your friend and likely something you have to live with until complete failure or you replace the CPU/motherboard.

If the intent is to retain the vintage configuration, you should be able to find parts on eBay. Migrating an old XP x64 OS may be a challenge. Just something to be aware of in the future.

 

[JonathanBlack]

Yes, disconnect to see if it changes the behavior.

Regarding the intermittent CPU core count, that is likely to continue/worsen if either the CPU is failing or some motherboard component is degrading. The age of this rig is not your friend and likely something you have to live with until complete failure or you replace the CPU/motherboard.

If the intent is to retain the vintage configuration, you should be able to find parts on eBay. Migrating an old XP x64 OS may be a challenge. Just something to be aware of in the future.

Before disconnecting my ASUS DVD, I tried switching between AHCI and IDE in BIOS. I read that AHCI is better for newer hardware, so I went in BIOS and changed the IDE to AHCI, but then the desktop wouldn't appear anymore, it kept restarting and telling me stuff like "Windows did not start successfully, a recent hardware change could have caused this" and then it showed me options like "Safe Mode", "Start Windows Normally" and "Most recent settings that worked", something like that. I chose first "Start Windows Normally" and it restarted again, then I chose "Most recent Settings" and it restarted again, so I switched back to IDE in BIOS, in SATA Configuration.

If my CPU is dying, I will wait until it dies properly, so to speak, because right now it is working fine. When it dies completely, it's very easy for me to buy another second-hand PC which is even more powerful than my current one, because there are enough people here in my town who sell them at very good prices. I could buy one today if I really wanted, that's very easy for me. I don't need to go to Ebay, the cost of transporting them to my country would probably be bigger than the components themselves. So buying a newer PC isn't at all my problem, but I Do Want To Retain my Windows XP, because I have been using it for a very long time, since 2004 or 2005, that means 20 years already, and since I tried all the other Windows out there after XP (with the exception of Vista and 11) and I was quite displeased with them (to say The Least!), I really wanna stay on XP, particularly on this x64 Service Pack 2 version, because I love it too much.

What else can I do in BIOS, switch to RAID? Because switching to AHCI caused my desktop not to appear anymore. What should I do now?

EDIT: I took a screenshot with my phone of what the blue screen was saying, and copied it (almost word-by-word) in a text document, I will paste it here, hope this helps:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

to your computer.

disk.sys

PAGE_DEFAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

If this is the first time you've seen this Stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed. If this is a new installation, ask your hardware or software manufacturer for any windows updates you might need.

If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use Safe Mode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to select Advanced Startup options, and the select Safe Mode.

Technical information:

*** STOP: 0x000000000050 (lots of numbers here, cannot copy them all)

*** disk.sys - Address (lots of numbers and letters) base at (lots of numbers and letters again)


Beginning dump of physical memory

Physical memory dump complete.
Contact your system administrator or technical support group for futher assistance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And after I reset/restart my PC after this blue screen, on desktop it always tells me "The system has recovered from a serious error."

 

[COLGeek]

XP required some tweaking to change from IDE to AHCI. Did you perform any of those steps prior to changing in the BIOS setting?

For example: https://winraid.level1techs.com/t/how-to-switch-from-ide-to-ahci-mode-while-running-xp/31901

I do not recommend trying the RAID route.

 

[JonathanBlack]

XP required some tweaking to change from IDE to AHCI. Did you perform any of those steps prior to changing in the BIOS setting?

For example: https://winraid.level1techs.com/t/how-to-switch-from-ide-to-ahci-mode-while-running-xp/31901

I do not recommend trying the RAID route.

No, I did not perform any of those steps. I haven't seen them before, and reading/browsing through them makes me think they are kinda complicated....

Are you absolutely sure it's the DVD's fault? Because , like I said before, I also use the MyPal browser, which is more CPU-demanding than 360 Chrome (this one is less CPU-hungry, but more of a memory-eater) and I never had such problems with this browser (MyPal). The problem is that youtube and many other sites don't properly or at all on MyPal, so I use it rather rarely, for various small stuff that 360 Chrome doesn't do. For example, 360 Chrome doesn't let me copy-paste a photo in an email (using Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V) while MyPal does this correctly and without problems. So I use both these browsers because there are things which one cannot do while the other one can, you know?

 

[COLGeek]

No, I am not 100% certain this is a browser issue. Have you tried Firefox?

The core count situation you mentioned earlier is an indication of a hardware issue. You also added a new device. Trying to isolate the problem is the goal here.

Been many years since I used XP. As I recall, you started system in IDE mode and then modified the registry. Then upon restart you accessed the BIOS and changed to AHCI. Save. Restart into Windows. That is the basic process as I remember it.

Not difficult, but necessary if you are changing modes.

 

[JonathanBlack]

Firefox doesn't work for XP for a long time, that's why MyPal has been created. Just like Google Chrome doesn't work for XP since I don't remember when, the last version which worked was 49, if memory serves me right, that's why a group of developers created 360 Chrome, aka 360 Extreme Explorer.

I'm gonna probably have to change my PC, in this way I solve both the CPU core issue - which is no longer an issue, but might occur in the future, and also the DVD problem. With a new PC, which will also run XP x64 properly, I guess I won't have any of these problems anymore, am I right?

Otherwise, I suspect I'm left with no choice but to always keep the 360 Chrome browser open, not close it and restart it several times during the day, because that's the only way to prevent the blue screen plus the reboot from happening.......

 

[Dr3ams]

About 20 years ago, I had a similar issue. When opening the browser, the PC would freeze or crash completely. I swapped out some of the hardware and I discovered it was the GPU. After installing a different one the problem went away.

 

[JonathanBlack]

About 20 years ago, I had a similar issue. When opening the browser, the PC would freeze or crash completely. I swapped out some of the hardware and I discovered it was the GPU. After installing a different one the problem went away.

The GPU?? Damn! And I thought my problem was weird....!
Are you 100% sure it was the GPU? If yes, why? I mean how could a GPU create such problems, since it should not interfere with the proper functioning of the browser....... should it.....??

I'm not saying I don't believe you, I'm just saying... man, these computers are even more messed-up and weird and problematic than we poor users initially might have thought them to be.

 

[COLGeek]

Firefox doesn't work for XP for a long time, that's why MyPal has been created. Just like Google Chrome doesn't work for XP since I don't remember when, the last version which worked was 49, if memory serves me right, that's why a group of developers created 360 Chrome, aka 360 Extreme Explorer.

I'm gonna probably have to change my PC, in this way I solve both the CPU core issue - which is no longer an issue, but might occur in the future, and also the DVD problem. With a new PC, which will also run XP x64 properly, I guess I won't have any of these problems anymore, am I right?

Otherwise, I suspect I'm left with no choice but to always keep the 360 Chrome browser open, not close it and restart it several times during the day, because that's the only way to prevent the blue screen plus the reboot from happening.......

Really?

Firefox 48.0 System Requirements

www.mozilla.org

 

[JonathanBlack]

Really?

Firefox 48.0 System Requirements

www.mozilla.org

Yes, of course. I tried at least 5 times in the past to install the official version(s) and it always told me something like "the procedure could not be located in the DLL library" or some other EYP (enjoy your program) message like that. Funny, right?


Like many other software out there, it may not be filled with adware/malware, but it is filled with lies. I must have downloaded more than 30 programs throughout the years which all claimed that worked under XP (no matter if 32 or 64-bit) and when trying to install them they found all the excuses possible not to work/function.

 

[COLGeek]

Yes, of course. I tried at least 5 times in the past to install the official version(s) and it always told me something like "the procedure could not be located in the DLL library" or some other EYP (enjoy your program) message like that. Like many other software out there, it may not be filled with adware/malware, but it is filled with lies. I must have downloaded more than 30 programs throughout the years which all claimed that worked under XP (no matter if 32 or 64-bit) and when trying to install them they found all the excuses possible not to work/function.

Okay. I was just going on their listed requirements.

Have you disconnected the optical drive yet?

 

[Dr3ams]

The GPU?? Damn! And I thought my problem was weird....!
Are you 100% sure it was the GPU? If yes, why? I mean how could a GPU create such problems, since it should not interfere with the proper functioning of the browser....... should it.....??

I'm not saying I don't believe you, I'm just saying... man, these computers are even more messed-up and weird and problematic than we poor users initially might have thought them to be.

It is weird. Not sure why the GPU was causing this and not sure why this happened mostly when opening the browser. I had swapped out the RAM and the PSU first, but the freeze still happened. I removed the GPU and installed it in my son's PC and after a few minutes the system froze. Maybe someone here can explain why a GPU would cause this to happen.

 

[JonathanBlack]

Okay. I was just going on their listed requirements.

Have you disconnected the optical drive yet?

Since I usually avoid going into hardware issues on my own, I didn't disconnect the DVD yet, but instead I did something else. I googled "PAGE_DEFAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA" and it said there could be a problem with the memory allocation. But I set the paging file to 8189 MB, which is more than enough, I think, isn't it? So, since I didn't know what else to do, I started thinking that maybe I was on the wrong track the whole time, maybe it is what it actually seems: a problem with the browser, not with the DVD. I mean, not only it's pretty illogical for a DVD writer - which is a hardware piece - to create such software issues, it's also the fact that MyPal works perfectly! So eventually I got the inspiration of going to the Compatibility tab of the 360 Chrome browser and set the compatibility to Windows XP, I didn't know what else to do/try. And since then - about 30 minutes ago - I closed and restarted at least 20 times the browser and no more blue screen or similar errors occured!

Is it poosible that THIS was the actual problem, guys? What the heck...??
I really hope so!!

What do you think?

 

[COLGeek]

Just keep an eye on it for now.

It is certainly possible you saw some coincidental symptoms earlier. The DVD thing was just to rule it out.

When you change something and then experience an issue, ruling out that change is a normal thing to do.

 

[JonathanBlack]

Just keep an eye on it for now.

It is certainly possible you saw some coincidental symptoms earlier. The DVD thing was just to rule it out.

When you change something and then experience an issue, ruling out that change is a normal thing to do.

I got happy way too fast yesterday, as soon as I changed a Winamp skin, the problem reappeared. Actually, it wasn't even a Winamp skin, but just the color of the skin: I use the skin called "Drone" and I changed from the theme called "Game: Post Nuclear RPG2" to "Contributed: Maggi - 05". And then, immediately after that, I double-clicked the 360 Chrome browser and the restart was imminent, this time without the blue screen.

It gets from weird to funny, in a way. I guess one could say that.

Anyway, I had enough of this technological circus and today I opened my PC and pulled out the SATA cable from the DVD. I left the other one (the power/electricity one) in, though. And now, after more than 30 tries with and without any Winamp skin/color theme, this problem (blue screen, sudden restart, etc) didn't appear anymore. This new DVD definitely seems to have some sort of conflict with this browser, but I swear on all possible gods (existent or non-existent) that I have no idea why. And HOW could that happen? Why a piece of hardware which is supposed to be completely unrelated to a certain software dictates/influences its behavior?

Speaking of Winamp and its skins, it makes me other nasty stuff, too. Certain color themes from this Drone skin cause certain maps in Unreal Tournament to lag. Like the game isn't producing enough fps (frames per second). And this happens ONLY with certain color themes. Not with all of them! I switched the "problematic" theme to another one, then I restarted the game with the same settings, same map, same everything, and no more lag occured. This is...... I don't even know how to call it/consider it already.......

 

[COLGeek]

I would suggest you tweak the registry as previously mentioned and change your system from IDE to AHCI mode. That may help with the apparent DVD compatibility issue.

Why do you want to keep this relic of an OS (Win XP x64)? Vintage gaming and applications?