[crmealey]

I've been looking around for some answers to my current computer trouble for some time, and the more I try to do to fix the computer, the more I learn that the computer can't do. For that reason I'm coming here a little sheepishly, because the answer may just be that computer is old and failing, but I hope not.

The computer is my wife's Toshiba Satellite M45 laptop. About 10 days ago the screen started behaving strangely. In seemingly random areas around the screen, the image was distorted by a few smallish rectangles scattered across the screen. I didn't have the answer, but I thought I might need to reinstall the display driver. Later on that day the screen gave up completely, and all we could see was colorful "snow" on the screen. We restarted the computer and the snow went away. My wife worked on the computer a bit more, and then she got her first BSOD. I can't find the code for that time, but Microsoft's support site recommended I uninstall the display adapter and then reinstall the adapter along with the current driver. I did so, and I expected that the screen issues and BSOD were related and all would be well.

It wasn't.

Since that time I've intermittently been getting various BSOD errors and the colorful "snow". I still haven't been able to identify a pattern to the problem. The stop codes have been the following:

0X0000007E (0XC0000005, 0XF74BF363, 0XF7AD9C28, 0XF7AD9924)
Ntfs.sys - Address F74BF363 base at F74BD000, datestamp 48025be5

0x0000000A (0XFF000000, 0X00000002, 0X00000001,...couldn't get the rest before the screen just went black)

0X0000008E (0X80000004, 0X806F46D1, 0XA76AA774, 0X00000000)

There have been other variations too, but those are the ones I was around for to write down.

As I mentioned, I've uninstalled and reinstalled the display adapter along with its current driver. The next step I've been trying to run a memory test (based on information found in another thread in this forum - see http://www.geekstogo...8E-t186873.html), but something appears to be wrong with the CD/DVD burner/reader. I can't get the ISO to burn to a readable disk. I've tested the drive, and it is reading CDs but doesn't appear to be writing them (I actually used my last and only CD-R tonight, so I'm going to have to test that more after I can pick some more up). Same for DVD's, reading but not writing. It has been able to write both in the past. I don't know when the write ability failed. I can't imagine that is related to the previously mentioned BSOD's and display malfunctions, but it's definitely making things a little difficult. Anyway, that just means that I haven't been able to create the Memory Test disk, and I'd really like to avoid having to buy the disk, but I understand I may to break down. I admit I was just hoping to figure this out in a couple days. I also don't have the ability to boot from a USB key.

Has anybody run into this scenario before. I've seen similar scenarios before, but this situation just became so multifaceted that I'm really having trouble figuring out where to start, and I was hoping somebody could kind of walk me through.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers.

Christian

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Do you have access to another computer you can use to burn the disk?

[Spyderturbo007]

Do you have access to another computer you can use to burn the disk?

[crmealey]

I believe so. I'm going to pick up more CD-R today. Is the memory test really my only next step? Are there other tests I can run to diagnose?

Also got another BSOD error last night:
0X00000050 (0XFF000000, 0X00000000, 0XBF3D47C1, 0X00000000)
igxpdx32.DLL - address BF3D47C1 base at BF1CC000, datestamp 45a92607

Is it strange that these stop codes I'm getting all seem to have such different solutions?

Cheers

Christian

Edited by crmealey, 02 February 2010 - 09:48 AM.

[Spyderturbo007]

Every time I've run into a machine with random, inconsistent BSODs, its turned out to be a bad stick of RAM. The first couple of times I came across this problem, I ran around chasing my tail for hours trying to fix each individual BSOD, just to get another one 5 minutes later.

Personally, it's the first place I would look.

Edited by Spyderturbo007, 02 February 2010 - 11:07 AM.

[crmealey]

Thanks. I'll try burning the memtest boot disc again. If that still doesn't work, then I'll try swapping out the memory. Will let you know what happens.

[Spyderturbo007]

Ok, we'll be here.

[crmealey]

OK, so I picked up the CD-R and burned a bootable copy of Memtest86. I changed my boot order and tried to boot from the Memtest disc. No luck. I got the following error:

PXE-E61 - Media test failure, check cable.

I looked up the error, and I found notes about it being related to either a non-bootable disc being in the drive, there being some errors in the BIOS settings, or there being a drive connection failure.

So, this is kind of taking me backward before I can go forward, but I think it's worth addressing the drive error if I can. I'd rather not just go out and buy new memory unless there really isn't a more realistic way to test the memory.

Anyway, I first thought there was something wrong with the Memtest disc, but I just ran it in my own computer, and it booted up perfectly. Also, other than the boot order, the BIOS settings were already at defaults. Is there something else in the BIOS that might be in error? After that, I've never opened up a laptop before (to check the drive connection), so I'm just a little hesitant to do so without looking for some insight first.

Any thoughts on what to do with this drive? What's really strange to me about the drive is that it will play a DVD or a music cd, and it will load software discs. Now I'm just going to say that the drive doesn't appear to be able to write to CD or DVD.

Could the other errors be related to the drive issue?

Cheers

Christian

[Spyderturbo007]

Can you give me your exact boot order in the BIOS? The PXE Error is related to the machine attempting a network boot and being unable to locate the OS image.

Does the BIOS see both the HDD and the CD/DVD ROM Drive?

Edited by Spyderturbo007, 03 February 2010 - 07:55 AM.

[Janis]

My apologies for stepping in but my Dell laptop problems seem to be in the same neighborhood. I did run memtest, checked the hard drive, etc with no problems found. Uninstalled adapter and reinstalled. Not a fix. My question goes to memtest for this problem. Is is possible for memtest to find no problems but still have an errant module? I don't have access to a replacement module for testing and would hate to buy one if the laptop really needs to be discarded.

[crmealey]

Sorry for the delay. Finally home from work. Here's the boot orders that I have tried:

FDD > CD-ROM > LAN > HDD
CD-ROM > LAN > FDD > HDD
CD-ROM > LAN > HDD > FDD

Below is a list copied from Toshiba's support site of all the possible boot orders. However, the boot order that it lists as default in the text below has never been an option. It only allows the options 1-6 listed below. Again, not sure why they list the "FDD > CD-ROM > HDD > LAN (Default)" below, because I can't get that order to happen.



Change the Boot Priority to FDD > CD-ROM > HDD > LAN (Default), or to boot from the LAN, leave LAN as the highest boot priority, but verify that the network connection is good, and that a LAN boot server is available.

Boot Priority options include:

1. FDD > HDD > CD-ROM > LAN

2. HDD > FDD > CD-ROM > LAN

3. FDD > CD-ROM > LAN > HDD

4. HDD > CD-ROM > LAN > FDD

5. CD-ROM > LAN > FDD > HDD

6. CD-ROM > LAN > HDD > FDD


Another note that might be interesting, I found a bootable restore disc, and I was able to get the computer to boot from that disc. I didn't do any of the restore functions, I just wanted to see if it would boot. I still could not get the Memtest disc (that booted on my other laptop) to boot. Go figure.

I'm a little lost, but I did finally open up the laptop, and there are two sticks of ram in there, so I've pulled one out, and we'll see if I can get the system stable with just one of them. Not sure if that was the right thing to do at this point, but it seemed like a logical step.

Cheers

Christian

[Spyderturbo007]

I'm a little lost, but I did finally open up the laptop, and there are two sticks of ram in there, so I've pulled one out, and we'll see if I can get the system stable with just one of them. Not sure if that was the right thing to do at this point, but it seemed like a logical step.

Cheers

Christian

Nope, that will be just perfect. If you have the same problem with one stick removed, then swap them out and see if the problem continues.

[crmealey]

OK, so thank you again for all of your information and help to this point. It's been a few weeks, because I've been very busy with a couple other projects, but I'm back with questions.

I removed one stick of RAM and the computer worked great (slower, but great). No BSOD. I then put in the other stick of RAM and the computer behaved just as well as with the other stick. No BSOD. Crap. I then tested each of the sticks in the other RAM slot (2 slots in the notebook), and the computer still worked great. Go figure. In let the computer run for at least 3 days in each of those configurations.

I then put both sticks back in at the same time, and the computer went BSOD in a matter 15 minutes. I have no idea where to go from here. Well, I know I could go out and buy a couple new sticks of RAM and try the computer that way, but I really don't have that money to blow. Any more ideas? I'm sure the memory test might help, but I still can't get the Boot disk to work.

Thanks again.

Christian

[Jr0x]

Is the both stick of RAM, the same model/brand?

[crmealey]

Yes. They are both Samsung.

Thanks.

Christian

[Jr0x]

Are you still unable to boot using memtest?

What software did you use to burn?

Make sure that Boot priority is CDROM.