Help Needed: Blue Screen of Death (Vanity)

1 Oct 2002 | tictoc

[tictoc]

Can a Freeper techie help me out?

My main work PC is on the blink, crashed one day while surfing the net.

I've tried to completely reinstall Windows 2000 in a freshly reformatted system partition. Installation seemed to go well while the screen was blue with white lettering (formating system partition, installing Windows 2000 files from the CD-ROM). Then it changes to a turquoise background. A few times I made it almost all the way through the hardware recognition procedure which follows: but never until completion.

Every time it ends in a Blue Screen of Death but each time with a different error message:

"IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL"

"UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP"

"NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM"

"DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL"

"KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED"

"A device driver has damaged the system memory administration pool"

... and sometimes memory addresses (different each time) and a file name (sometimes ntkrnl or atapi.sys) are indicated.

I've tried everything I know: created four HD floppy disks using MAKEBOOT to boot from drive A:, used the various repair and checking options during initial installation (they work fine), started Windows 2000 in Secure Mode, VGA mode, Debug Mode etc.

It always ends more or less at the same point.

Could this be a faulty RAM chip that only makes itself noticed when "higher memory areas" are accessed? However, during bootup sequence the computer tests the RAM (128 MB) and says "OK".

I've gone into BIOS and disabled all caching and shadowing options, and changed system timings to the slowest values. Nothing seems to help.

Any ideas?

[RedBloodedAmerican]

you can go fat on win2k, but ntfs is more secure.

[js1138]

during bootup sequence the computer tests the RAM (128 MB) and says "OK".

I've seldom seen the boot test find a faulty RAM card. There's a downloadable utility called "TuffTest" that'll wring out the memory.

The last time I had this many errors on boot, it was the hard disk, which had to be low-level formatted. You have to get the disk repair utility from the manufacturer's web site. There's no such thing as a generic low-level format utility.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/downloads/maxblast_plus_ii.htm

[JSpears]

Sounds to me like a hardware problem.....

This can be frustrating...but...

1) Remove as many devices installed in your ISA and PCI slots that are not absolutely needed..ie...one usually only needs a video card....no modem card, no sound card, etc.

2) Perform an install.....if the install is successful, then you have isolated the hardware problem to inteface cards...

3) If the install in 2) was unsuccessful, then there is a
hardware problem not associated with the interface cards...
one can assume that the video card is ok since you can see the install GUIs...

[ResistorSister]

NTFS is preferred.

[FourtySeven]

Mark for home use....I always get good tech things on threads like this...

[Ranxerox]

Try this web site for NT/2000 tips and troubleshooting. Scroll down and look under the "Installation" link. There are some subtle issues which could point you in the right direction, without reformatting your drive.

http://www.ntfaq.com

[absalom01]

I'm afraid that PokeyJoe is right in his advice to you. The error messages are (distressingly familiar and) telling you that the install program does not like your disk controllers and drivers. I don't know enough about the guts of the w2k install program and ntfs, but for some reason it seems that a mere re-format does not remove all traces of the previous install. (This little gem first showed up, to my knowledge, in WinME, and has been added as a part of the Redmond feature set for all time.)

Fixes: 1. try the utility mentioned by PokeyJoe
2. use fdisk or cfdisk supplied on most Linux install disks (no, you don't have to install Linux to ouse it.)
3. If you want to save the data on your other partintions, go to Fry's spend 80 bucks and buy a new disk (or salvage an old disk from a dead box, and "clean it" as above.) Install your OS on the new (or cleaned drive). To keep windows from trying to boot to your old partition, you can:
a) put it on a separate "channel" (ie, ide1 vs ide0) and set your bios accordingly or;
b) jumper the old drive to the "slave" setting and leave it on the current channel.

You can then mount your old partitions and get access to the data.

Repeat once a year.

Or, you can install Linux now, and save yourself the trouble next year ;-)

[Hot Tabasco]

This has happened to me a few times. I would suggest you do what I did. Not knowing an "alt" from an "Esc", I simply went out and bought a new computer each time. I now have a closet full of used computers and a maxed out credit card. Hope nothing happens to thsssssssssssssss....FSSSSSST!!!!......

[brianl703]

If you motherboard allows you to change it, make sure that the CPU voltage is correct. Too low will make it work, but not reliably.

[ResistorSister]

How much hard disk space did you assign to your newly formatted partition?

[AppyPappy]

He needs to work on his computer, not toy around with it ;o)

Using Windows sure helped that need.

[mass55th]

I have a question to ask. Why is it that whenever there is need for tech support on FR, it's always for a PC? I've yet to see a request for help from a Mac user. Whenever there's articles posted about Macs vs. PC's, you end up getting a lengthy thread where both sides take pot shots at each other. I know there's plenty of Mac users out there, but for some reason, the only ones who seem to have problems with their computers and always ask for help are the PC users. Any comments?

[sheltonmac]

"Look out for incomming Mac rants!"

Okay, I guess I'll oblige you. ;-) I have never heard of this happening to a Mac owner. Yes, I'm sure it does happen, but not to anyone I know. The same goes for the Linux owners I've talked to. Windows is merely the product of marketing genius, not the result of technological genius. Sorry, tic, I know this doesn't help your situation, but I have to deal with Windows at work and can't wait to get home to my Mac. It's a kind of therapy. I certainly empathize with your situation and hope you find a solution.

[ShadowAce]

the only ones who seem to have problems with their computers and always ask for help are the PC users.

It's not PC users--it's Windows users. Slight difference, but important.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

If Windows users outnumber Mac users 9 to 1....

[general_re]

"Install Linux." "Buy a Mac." Everyone's so full of useful advice, aren't they? ;)

[webstersII]

For what it's worth, the trouble started when I was on Yahoo! Games playing Internet chess. Maybe my opponent somehow reached into my machine via the Java applet to crash it and damage it beyond repair. (I know, I'm paranoid and should seek help.)

Not possible with Java applets. The security on applets is set so that the applet can't write to your hard disk, except under certain conditions (and that's only with the latest version of Java 2). Security is an issue with Direct X but not with Java.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

http://www.hackvan.com/pub/exploder/

[general_re]

You probably mean "ActiveX", not "DirectX" - I don't know that anyone's found security holes in DirectX yet ;)