Stop 0x000000F4

fooligan

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Nov 24, 2012
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After downloading a recent round of Windows updates (some of which failed to download) I restarted my computer to finish the install and got this BSOD:

STOP 0x000000F4 (0x0000000000000003, 0xFFFFFA807759040, 0xFFFFFA8007759278, 0xFFFF8001BB30C90)

Startup Recovery says that it can't fix the issue automatically.
System Restore says that I have no saved restore points (though I have set them up.
Won't start up in Safe Mode.
Started once in Safe Mode with DOS, but shut off almost immediately thereafter.

I cannot get the computer to boot at all. It starts the process, goes through the loading screen and then goes to the BSOD. Nothing I've tried seems to make the slightest bit of diffference. The only option (that I know of) that I haven't tried is System Recovery because supposedly my external hard drive isn't NTFS format (and it needs to be).

3 year-old HP Pavilion dv4, first BSOD.

Please help
 

System recovery from the Windows Disk.
This tells you how to access the System Recovery Options and/or with a Vista Disk
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/326b756b-1601-435e-99d0-1585439470351033.mspx
 

fooligan

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Nov 24, 2012
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10,510


I'm trying to avoid doing a system restore if at all possible. That's more of a last resort sort of thing.
 

fooligan

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Nov 24, 2012
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by "swapping the ram sticks" do you mean replace them with other ram sticks or just swap their position?
 
An F4 stop is hardware related.

Download Memtest86 ( http://www.memtest86.com/ ), burn to CD, boot, and run at least 3 complete cycles on each stick of RAM individually in each slot, then in pairs, alternating slots between tests (gonna take a while).

If memory checks out then disconnect everything from the motherboard except power and the boot hard drive. Try booting with the hard drive connected to each SATA port on the board.
 

TenPc

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Jul 11, 2012
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Just swap out the original ram, it might not be the problem but it is always a good check to do. Check each one separately.

It could be that the hdd has some bad sectors and the downloads couldn't be written to those areas, the recent installs could have caused the hdd to become unstable.

Remove any external usb devices like external hdd, phone, mp3 player, and even the printer, leave the usb ports empty apart from keyboard and mouse.

Sometimes an innovative fan-dangled mouse can also cause these problems, get a regular mouse if you got one, same with the keyboard (you might be using a Z-Board).

Edit - Sorry, this is a laptop? I was think more likely a desktop PC.