Blue screen death - laptop crashes

Hello-

Hoping I can find help/answers here...

My HP Pavilion zd701us Notebook has recently started crashing. I get a Blue Screen and it reboots with the following Error Code:

BCCCode: 1000000a BCP1: 00000016 BCP2: 0000001C BCP3: 0000000
BCP4: 804E5DF1 OSVer: 5_1_2600 SP: 2_0 Product: 768_1

I am hopeful by this and supplying some basic sys info, someone may be able to tell me if it is believed to be OS/HD failure related, or Hardware related.

On the above model HP 17" notebook I am running XP-Home Edition, Version 2002, with SP2. Intel Pentium 4 CPU 2.66GHz 512 MB RAM.

Of note: I have experienced this (somewhat) before quite a while ago relating to overheating I have high degree of certainty. Once I obtained a stand to get it up of table and let it breathe, I've since had no more occurrences...till now. Still I don't believe the is at root.

I have also had a HD failure in past but it did not behave this way. Fortunately was able to clone to a new drive when it began making noises warning me it was headed for failure. I can't rule this out as cause, but I'm uncertain overall the source of the crashes being hardware or software...?

Any suggestions?

Many thanks for any feedback!
Fishead

 

Fishead,

I've had experience with the UK 15" and 17" versions of this laptop. One major problem with these laptops is that after 2-4 years, the thermal compound inbetween the processor and the heat sink seems to just dry up. It just turns into white dust!

Are you confident with opening the laptop up and having a look inside?

 

Yes, I can likely find my way in there. As stated have replaced HD prior, so long as I can get a good view of the area of interest. I was just readying to peek in there and get the HD number in case I need to get a new one...

But to be clear, first what is it I am looking for? Your description tells me where. Second, I take it the CPU may be overheating is what you are suggesting?

No doubt these things tend to run on warm side. Not 100% but leaning toward HD may be suspect. Anything to be made of the error code that may point at least in direction of culprit?

Thanks for feedback!

 

After looking around, it looks like the error code suggests a video card driver. If you click start, then run, then type in 'dxdiag' and click enter. This will bring up the Direct X Diagnostic tool. Click the display tab and check what graphics card is installed in your machine. Go to the graphics card manufacturers website and download and install the latest drivers and see how you get on. Otherwise apart from checking the thermal compound on the processor, i'm not sure I can help out!

If the video driver doesn't solve it, just give me a shout back on thread so i can walk you through disassembling your laptop and changing the thermal compound

 

Will do, thanks Michenko

 

Hello again-

Well I opened up all the under hatches, and couldn't spy a clear shot at either the CPU, or the video card without cracking into the case further.

In light of previous close-calls I've had (and similar overheating "blue-screen" symptoms) and looming possible danger of loosing everything on my HD as warning signs (and sounds) grew signaling imminent failure. Been there done that before, so I went and got another HD and cloned it over to be on safe side with my data.

For a day or two, this seemed as though it might have done the trick, but argh, the blue-screen death has returned, again intermittent and randomly.

Can anyone suggest, or discern from the above error code where the root cause of this may be. Or suggest if I might attempt of see worth to attach one or both of the dump files this error produces...maybe be able to pinpoint if it is related to my RAM or Graphics Card...or....?

I did visit my graphics cards mfgr. as Michenko advised, but my driver was same as most recent offered.

Any suggestions for an online or free d/l to stress test my memory, and recommendations (link to instructions here or otherwise) how to best work through this process?

Many thanks in advance for any further feedback...

Cheers,
Fishead

 

Suggestions....anyone?

Thank You!

Fishead

 

You never mentioned if you replaced the thermal compound.

Testing memory: http://majorgeeks.com/Memtest86_d4226.html

 

Sorry, probably did not word too clearly.
Answer is no, I opened the under hatches and was unable to access a clear view or access to the CPU to determine the state of the compound.
Don't feel 100% comfortable cracking the case entirely open, but suppose I can if there is no other way. This notebook is a few years out of warranty coverage at this point, a 2003 model.

Is there any other way to diagnose this without doing so? Meanwhile I am attempting to rule out the other possibilities of memory, video card (memory).

Does anyone see anything within this Error Code that indicates what may be causing the Error? Michenko mentioned belief the video-card may be involved...does anyone else concur?

BCCode : 1000000a BCP1 : 00000016 BCP2 : 0000001C BCP3 : 00000000
BCP4 : 804E5DF1 OSVer : 5_1_2600 SP : 2_0 Product : 768_1

 

The voice of experience in post #2 said

You do not want to run a computer without thermal compound. The CPU will overheat. One of two things will happen: the computer will shut down whenever it gets too hot or the CPU will cook to death and you will need to replace it.

Notebooks have onboard video chips - if the chip is going, you can't fix it.
But if the CPU is overheating, maybe it affects the vid chip too.