[2kinetic2]

I've recently been suffering BSOD with stop error 09E "Machine Check Exception". It occurs fairly randomly but more often when running intensive applications. I have read that this error is usually hardware related, which must be the case here because I have installed a new harddrive and new windows installation and this did not remove the error.

I don't believe the cause is the memory modules themselves as I have tried with several different ones and it still occurs. I have however noticed that sometimes after a crash and reboot the system does not report how much memory there is on startup, I don't know if this has any significance.

I would suspect the problem could be the motherboard or the power supply (only 300w) but I'm really not sure, so any thoughts or help would be much appreciated.

An everest report of my system specs is attached.

Many Thanks

Attached Files

•  Report.htm   30.16KB   12 downloads

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Everything I can find points to some type of hardware issue, but it's not very specific. The best method is probably going to be the "process of elimination" method. Disconnect one piece of hardware at a time and see if it will boot. If you don't identify the issue that way, then there is a strong possibility that it is a mobo issue. Maybe someone else will come along later with more specific advice.

Good luck.

Quick question: have you done any overclocking?

This is what Microsoft has to say on the subject:

"A machine check exception occurs when Windows XP and your hardware platform cannot recover from a hardware error so that the system can continue to run successfully and reliably. More specific diagnosis of machine check exceptions is difficult, and there is no general solution. Contact your hardware manufacturer or a computer hardware technician for help with troubleshooting this issue.

Machine check exceptions are frequently caused by one of the following conditions: • You are running the processor or mainboard beyond its specifications. For example, you are overclocking the processor or bus. We recommend that you run your hardware at the manufacturer-rated speeds.
• Noisy power, overstressed power strips, outmatched power supplies and failing power supplies can destabilize your computer. Make sure that you have a stable, reliable power supply to your computer.
• Extreme thermal conditions caused by the failure of cooling devices such as fans may damage your computer. Make sure that your cooling devices are all working.
• You have damaged memory or memory that is not the correct type for your computer. If you recently changed the memory configuration, revert to the previous configuration to determine what is wrong. Make sure that you are using the correct memory for your computer. "

Edited by kidnova, 25 August 2006 - 10:41 AM.

[kidnova]

Everything I can find points to some type of hardware issue, but it's not very specific. The best method is probably going to be the "process of elimination" method. Disconnect one piece of hardware at a time and see if it will boot. If you don't identify the issue that way, then there is a strong possibility that it is a mobo issue. Maybe someone else will come along later with more specific advice.

Good luck.

Quick question: have you done any overclocking?

This is what Microsoft has to say on the subject:

"A machine check exception occurs when Windows XP and your hardware platform cannot recover from a hardware error so that the system can continue to run successfully and reliably. More specific diagnosis of machine check exceptions is difficult, and there is no general solution. Contact your hardware manufacturer or a computer hardware technician for help with troubleshooting this issue.

Machine check exceptions are frequently caused by one of the following conditions: • You are running the processor or mainboard beyond its specifications. For example, you are overclocking the processor or bus. We recommend that you run your hardware at the manufacturer-rated speeds.
• Noisy power, overstressed power strips, outmatched power supplies and failing power supplies can destabilize your computer. Make sure that you have a stable, reliable power supply to your computer.
• Extreme thermal conditions caused by the failure of cooling devices such as fans may damage your computer. Make sure that your cooling devices are all working.
• You have damaged memory or memory that is not the correct type for your computer. If you recently changed the memory configuration, revert to the previous configuration to determine what is wrong. Make sure that you are using the correct memory for your computer. "

Edited by kidnova, 25 August 2006 - 10:41 AM.

[2kinetic2]

Thanks for the reply.

No I haven't done any overclocking, and in fact the problem still occurs if I underclock the processor.

[kidnova]

If you're sure that it isn't a memory issue, then it looks like the most likely problem is your PSU. If you have access to another PSU then you might try hooking that up and giving it a shot.