[RyanT1000]

Hello,

Yesterday I thought my Toshiba Satellite A215-S4747 laptop (Vista operating system) flat-lined for good. It has been blanking out and going to a blue screen indicating that the recent memory was being dumped, but yesterday was most definitely different. Usually it would go straight to a start up repair diagnostic that would "attempt" to determine the cause for the shutdown, but when it did this yesterday, it indicated that nothing was 'wrong,' and that I should contact the system admin or technical help for assistance... then just shutdown. Every time I attempted to get it up and going, I would only get as far as a Windows start up display... and then it would jump straight to a blue screen and freeze.

I eventually got it up and going by using the system restore via 'other options menu' after the start up diagnostic failed to find a problem, but I am still worried about the blue screens and memory dumps. I think the start up problem I encountered last night (which almost gave me a heart attack because I thought my laptop was effectively dead) was due to the fact I inadvertently shut down the laptop while I was using the system restore application before it was 'complete.' The whole reason I was using the system restore to begin with was due to a memory dump/blue screen I had encountered a hour before. The info on the blue screen and the start up repair diagnostic kept saying that I should remove any new software or hardware recently added to my laptop, and contact technical assistance. Well, I have not added any new software or hardware of late; the only thing I have done is update programs that have long since been installed on my laptop (i.e. Symantec Antivirus, Windows updates, etc.).

I have noticed that every time I do go through this torture, I have noticed that my Symantec Antivirus updates are being 'dumped,' if that is an appropriate term. Every time this happens I only have the most recent update for February 1, 2010 - even though I've updated it consistently over the past month. The only other abnormal event that occurred was with regard to the Microsoft Licensing - it had a pop up box indicating that it had stop working yesterday. I am not sure if that was the catalyst for my problem, but that is the only other event I can recall happening prior to my 1st memory dump/blue screen yesterday afternoon prior to my system restore attempt and 2nd blue screen last night.

I would really appreciate any help or advice anyone could give me about this problem I have. I have a 'gut' feeling this will happen again. Thanks!

-Ryan

[Advertisements]

Download BlueScreenView
No installation required.
Double click on BlueScreenView.exe file to run the program.
When scanning is done, go Edit>Select All.
Go File>Save Selected Items, and save the report as BSOD.txt.
Open BSOD.txt in Notepad, copy all content, and paste it into your next reply.

[Broni]

Download BlueScreenView
No installation required.
Double click on BlueScreenView.exe file to run the program.
When scanning is done, go Edit>Select All.
Go File>Save Selected Items, and save the report as BSOD.txt.
Open BSOD.txt in Notepad, copy all content, and paste it into your next reply.

[RyanT1000]

Hello Broni,

I am sorry about the delay in responding. I ran the Blue Screen View application several times, and I never was able to get any results to display. I am not sure if this is relevant, but I did run the CCleaner program on my computer after the 2nd blue screen event I wrote about earlier... I believe ~450 megabytes were removed when I ran it, if that matters at all. I ran CCleaner because my laptop seemed to be slow after I was able get it up and running following the 2nd blue screen crash. I also ran a memory diagnostic, and it indicated that there were detectable errors or issues. Is there something else I should do?

-Ryan

[Broni]

What memory diagnostic program did you run?
If it detected errors, that surely can be your issue.

[RyanT1000]

I am sorry, I meant to say there were NO detectable errors. I used the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool. I remember running this same diagnostic a few months ago, and at the time, the diagnostic also asserted that there were no detectable memory issues.

-Ryan

[Broni]

I ran the Blue Screen View application several times, and I never was able to get any results to display

Make sure, your settings are correct...

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel (Start>Control Panel in Vista).
2. Double-click System.
3. Click (Advanced system settings link in Vista, then --->)the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
4. Make sure, there is a checkmark in Write an event to the system log.
5. In the Write debugging information list, click Small memory dump (64k).

[RyanT1000]

Hello Broni,

I checked the settings, and it was set in a "Kernel memory dump" setting - I changed the setting to the 64k small memory dump as you specified. I regret to say that my laptop crashed again - and it was after my laptop restarted when I was prompted to restart it due to "important" Windows updates that needed to be installed. My laptop shutdown and then restarted, however I only got the Windows startup indicator before it jumped to a blue screen.

As before, I manually hit the power button to restart it, and it went through the typical startup repair... then after a few minutes it prompted me to engage the system restore. After this, the startup repair indicated that the laptop needed to be restarted, which I did... however it was extremely slow like it was in my original post. It took me roughly 4-5 minutes just to get to the admin sign on, and then it took another 2-3 minutes to get to the desktop. Once I got to the desktop and got done with the typical admin prompts for various .exe programs, I got a prompt saying that Windows had recovered from and unexpected 'crash,' and it would search for solutions,etc.

Unlike before, I ran the CCleaner analysis as opposed to the 'cleaner' to see what files were available for deletion. I also posted that info as well... I am not sure if it's helpful, but I thought it wouldn't hurt. I had to reinstall the BlueScreenView program following this most recent crash, however this time, I was able to get some results...

==================================================
Dump File : Mini031910-01.dmp
Crash Time : 3/19/2010 4:50:10 AM
Bug Check String : UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP
Bug Check Code : 0x1000007f
Parameter 1 : 0x00000008
Parameter 2 : 0x80156000
Parameter 3 : 0x00000000
Parameter 4 : 0x00000000
Caused By Driver : Ntfs.sys
Caused By Address : Ntfs.sys+123d9
File Description : NT File System Driver
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.0.6000.16386 (vista_rtm.061101-2205)
Processor : 32-bit
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\minidump\Mini031910-01.dmp
Processors Count : 2
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 6002
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : Mini031510-01.dmp
Crash Time : 3/15/2010 10:06:00 AM
Bug Check String : UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP
Bug Check Code : 0x0000007f
Parameter 1 : 0x00000008
Parameter 2 : 0x803d3130
Parameter 3 : 0x00000000
Parameter 4 : 0x00000000
Caused By Driver : amdk8.sys
Caused By Address : amdk8.sys+2c0b
File Description : Processor Device Driver
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.0.6000.16386 (vista_rtm.061101-2205)
Processor : 32-bit
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\minidump\Mini031510-01.dmp
Processors Count : 2
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 6002
==================================================


CCleaner results...

ANALYSIS COMPLETE - (36.936 secs)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
299.8 MB to be removed. (Approximate size)
Secure file deletion enabled - Gutmann (35 passes)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Details of files to be deleted (Note: No files have been deleted yet)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internet Explorer - Temporary Internet Files 182 KB 58 files
Internet Explorer - Cookies 1 KB 3 files
Internet Explorer - History 32 KB 1 files
Internet Explorer - Index.dat files 0 KB 3 files
Windows Explorer - Recent Documents 1 KB 2 files
System - Empty Recycle Bin 56,887 KB 43 files
System - Temporary Files 1,524 KB 18 files
System - Memory Dumps 173,458 KB 3 files
System - Windows Log Files 1 KB 2 files
Google Chrome - Internet Cache 0 KB 0 files
Google Chrome - Internet History 1,540 KB 2 files
Applications - MS Office Picture Manager 1 KB 1 files
Applications - Office 2007 2 KB 3 files
Multimedia - Adobe Flash Player 5 KB 22 files
Utilities - Symantec AntiVirus 72,657 KB 10 files
Utilities - Windows Defender 703 KB 111 files


Thanks!

-Ryan

[Broni]

It's hard to diagnose the issue from two dump files, but at least we got something.
Let's make sure, your system files are OK.
If any new BSODs occurs, keep posting new logs from BSV.

Go Start>Run ("Start Search" in Vista/7), type in:
sfc /scannow
Click OK (hold CTRL, and SHIFT, hit Enter in Vista/7).
Have Windows CD/DVD handy (with Vista/7, most likely, you won't need it).
If System File Checker (sfc) will find any errors, it may ask you for the CD/DVD (rarely in Vista/7 case).

[RyanT1000]

I ran System File Checker (sfc), and it took about 5-8 minutes to complete. Once it got to 100%, a short 'statement' was posted under the scan - however it was so quick I couldn't even read it before it automatically exited. From what I gathered, no errors were detected.

-Ryan

[Broni]

Any more BSODs?

[RyanT1000]

None so far. I haven't restarted or shutdown my laptop since the last crash - all I have done is put it in 'hibernate' mode when I am not using it. I did notice that my Windows update was in progress earlier, and that I need to restart it to install some updates now. I am not sure what'll happen next though. I am starting to wonder if the issue is the Window's updates. To be honest, I am at a lost. Do you think this could be a malware problem? I'll restart my laptop to install these updates, and I'll let you know what happens next.

Thanks

-Ryan

[Broni]

Do you think this could be a malware problem?

That's always a possibility. Let's see how it goes...

[RyanT1000]

Hello again,

Well, I installed the updates this morning. I restarted the laptop, and at first, a blank, black screen popped up and did a quick 0/1325-1325/1325 run through with various file names. It eventually got to the admin log on relatively quickly compared to the last few days, and I got to the desktop in short order. Needless to say, I am surprised it didn't crash this time. I am not sure what the issue is, and whether it will be a persistent issue for me. I'll run a Symantec update to get back to the current updates rather than the current Feb. 1, 2010 I currently have... again.

Once I get that done, I'll run a full scan to see what it can find, but I don't think Symantec will find again since I have not gotten an alerts before. If I get another blue screen crash anytime soon, I'll run the Blue Screen View program, and I'll post it again. Thank you so much for your help Broni!

-Ryan

[Broni]

So far, so good

[RyanT1000]

Hello Broni,

I am afraid to say that my laptop 'crashed' again, and this time it was when I restarted it after Symantec froze. I was running an update, which it successfully completed, but once it got to the 'installing' phase, it froze. I ran the Task Manager, and tried to "end task," but it failed to close the program. After waiting for a while, I chose to restart the laptop, and it went straight to a blue screen shortly after booting up. I checked Symantec once I logged on, and its last recorded update was from February 1, 2010... just like before. I ran the Blue Screen View program once I got online, and I've pasted the information below. Thank you again for your help.

-Ryan

==================================================
Dump File : Mini033010-01.dmp
Crash Time : 3/30/2010 5:01:23 PM
Bug Check String : UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP
Bug Check Code : 0x1000007f
Parameter 1 : 0x00000008
Parameter 2 : 0x80156000
Parameter 3 : 0x00000000
Parameter 4 : 0x00000000
Caused By Driver : Ntfs.sys
Caused By Address : Ntfs.sys+123d9
File Description : NT File System Driver
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.0.6000.16386 (vista_rtm.061101-2205)
Processor : 32-bit
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\minidump\Mini033010-01.dmp
Processors Count : 2
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 6002
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : Mini031910-01.dmp
Crash Time : 3/19/2010 4:50:10 AM
Bug Check String : UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP
Bug Check Code : 0x1000007f
Parameter 1 : 0x00000008
Parameter 2 : 0x80156000
Parameter 3 : 0x00000000
Parameter 4 : 0x00000000
Caused By Driver : Ntfs.sys
Caused By Address : Ntfs.sys+123d9
File Description : NT File System Driver
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.0.6000.16386 (vista_rtm.061101-2205)
Processor : 32-bit
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\minidump\Mini031910-01.dmp
Processors Count : 2
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 6002
==================================================

==================================================
Dump File : Mini031510-01.dmp
Crash Time : 3/15/2010 10:06:00 AM
Bug Check String : UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP
Bug Check Code : 0x0000007f
Parameter 1 : 0x00000008
Parameter 2 : 0x803d3130
Parameter 3 : 0x00000000
Parameter 4 : 0x00000000
Caused By Driver : amdk8.sys
Caused By Address : amdk8.sys+2c0b
File Description : Processor Device Driver
Product Name : Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company : Microsoft Corporation
File Version : 6.0.6000.16386 (vista_rtm.061101-2205)
Processor : 32-bit
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\minidump\Mini031510-01.dmp
Processors Count : 2
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 6002
==================================================