Blue Screen of Death - Windows 7

Discussion in 'Software' started by thedon01, Feb 27, 2013.

  1. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    i have a desktop with windows 7 pro 64bit (new build as of last summer)
    32gb ram
    Intel i7 3820 3.6ghz
    ASUS Rampage Iv Extreme
    256GB SSD
    (3) Internal 1TB HDD
    (1) External 2TB HDD
    (1) External 500GB HDD

    I've noticed 3 blue screen crashes over the last 5 days. They've happened when im browsing the internet and playing a video through windows media player.

    I'm new to blue screen crash diagnosis and downloaded Blue screen viewer from major geeks. After running the program im not sure what to do with the results or if i even need to post said results.

    Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
     
  2. _nullptr

    _nullptr Major Geeky Geek Geek

    Copy/Paste the last 3 dumps from the Windows\Minidump directory to your Documents directory. Zip the dumps (from the Documents directory) and attach to your next post.

    HOW TO: Attach Items To Your Post
     
  3. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    had a 4th a little while ago so it's attached as well.
     

    Attached Files:

  4. _nullptr

    _nullptr Major Geeky Geek Geek

    The first thing I'd do is test your RAM with Memtest86+. You need to burn the Memtest iso as an image file to a CD, or download the Auto-installer for USB Key and install it to a spare USB thumb drive.

    Open the PC when it's powered off and remove all but one of your RAM modules.
    Boot the PC from the created Memtest CD/USB and let it run for at least 5 passes. If Memtest shows any errors, power off and try the same module in a different slot.
    Repeat for all RAM modules.

    Good luck :)
     
  5. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

    All 4 crashes look like they have the same cause:
    There's a WDC driver that pre-dates W7 in all 4 dumps:
    wdcsam64.sys Wed Apr 16 09:39:08 2008 (4805BB2C) Western Digital SCSI Arcitecture Model (SAM) WDM driver 2008 driver version has known BSOD issues in Win7
    http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=wdcsam64.sys update or uninstall it.

    In one dump, there's a 2007 driver, libusb0.sys, that looks like it's from http://sourceforge.net/projects/libusb-win32/files/ - update or uninstall it.

    WinDbg does not flag a faulting driver, nor give any explicit details on the crash subtypes (41790 and 5003), if updating/uninstalling the above 2 drivers does not cure it, we'll move on to other 3rd party drivers and memory testing.

    Did you change or add any software or hardware in the week or so before the crashes started?
     
  6. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    1. i updated the firmware on my wireless router (Linksys EA3500)

    2. i updated my Video Card's drivers (Nvidia Geforce GTX 580)

    3. I also had a windows update as of yesterday (prior to coming to this forum)

    all have been updated within the last 2 weeks. Everything else has remained the same.

    No additional hardware has been added.

    How do i find said drivers you spoke about to update or uninstall?
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2013
  7. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    i noticed that all my storage drives, internal and external have a 2006 driver installed.

    Start > My Computer > properties > device manager > disk drives > 6 different drives > choose disk drive > properties > driver

    (1) 256GB Crucial SSD = Boot drive (ATA M4-CT256M4SSD1 SCSI Disk Device)

    (3) Internal WD 1TB Black HDD (ATA WDC WD1002FAEX-0 SCSI Disk Device) + (2 - WDC WD1002FAEX-00Z3A0 ATA Device)

    (1) External WD 500gb HDD (WD5000AAKS Externa USB Device)

    (1) External WD My Book 1TB HDD (WD My Book 1140 USB Device)

    I've tried having Windows check for driver updates and it comes back with the drivers already being up to date, which i don't believe is the case.
     
  8. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

    Microsoft do not make drivers, they only store enough to get most systems working at a base level; you need to visit the support sites of the individual components to update them.

    Give the details of the 2006 driver you see listed for your drives please, I don't see it in the dumps.

    The motherboard drivers can be downloaded from http://www.asus.com/Motherboard/RAMPAGE_IV_EXTREME/#support_Download_30 click on the + next to Chipset, try the Version 9.3.0.1026.

    The 'bad' 2008 WDC driver I pointed out should be for one/all of the external drives, look for your models here: http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?level1=1&lang=en

    I don't know what the old libusb0.sys driver relates to, only that it's also USB-related: http://sourceforge.net/projects/libusb-win32/files/

    Check that you have the latest firmware installed for your M4 SSD: http://www.crucial.com/support/firmware.aspx
     
  9. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    Driver version 6.1.7600.16385

    Seems to be for each storage device dated 6/21/2006. i can provide screen shots if need be
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2013
  10. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    referring to the old libusb0.sys driver, how do i find out what it is?

    the only usb attached components are
    1 external dvd drive by liteon,
    1 logitech wireless keyboard and mouse
    1 turtle beach headset
    1 external 500gb HDD
    1 External 2TB HDD

    When deciding to update the External WD 2TB HDD My Book Essential i'm looking for the SES driver or the firmware, or both?
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2013
  11. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    in reference to the 500GB external WD HDD the model number is WD5000C032

    http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?modelno=WD5000C032&x=0&y=0

    Maybe I'm missing something, but i don't find a driver for windows 7 64bit. It says in the description that " This device driver is not needed and should not be installed if you are using Windows ME, 2000, or XP".

    I'm going to assume the same is applied to windows 7 & 8, am i correct? If so, then do i disregard trying to upgrade said driver?
     
  12. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

    You're referring to disk.sys and partmgr.sys, they're standard internal Windows drivers; we need to look at 3rd party drivers, esp. those for USB devices/drives.

    So, if your external drive doesn't require 3rd party drivers, uninstall the WDC driver from Device Manager - it's a known bad driver on W7 = it causes BSODs.
     
  13. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    okay, to be honest i'm confused. You've given me a bunch of directions, but where do i start first? Right now i'm backing up the information stored on the 2 External HDDs (WD 2TB and WD 500GB). I'd like to handle those two areas first, but if you want me to go another route please advise.
     
  14. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

    The choice is yours, I'd disconnect the ext. drives and deal with the System stability issues first.
     
  15. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    which are?
     
  16. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

    See Posts #4, #5 and later on how to proceed.
     
  17. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    Got it, going to follow post #5 first.

    Now how do i find,
    Western Digital SCSI Arcitecture Model (SAM) WDM driver

    libusb0.sys
     
  18. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    I shut down the pc > disconnected both external drives > turned back on > went to device manager > Disk Drives > and only the internals are present.

    Since only the internals are present i don't have an option under disk drives to remove the known bad driver you spoke about.

    What's the next step?
     
  19. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

    You will need to track them down in Device Manager, View > Show hidden devices > Non-Plug and Play Drivers and uninstall one at a time from there; a reboot will be needed immediately after removing each one (and a BSOD may happen anyway)!

    They may be installed somewhere other than Non-Plug and Play, I really don't know.

    I also do not know what names Device Manager calls them. If you find and uninstall them, check again after each removal/reboot, Windows may reinstall them - I know, it happens ... If they're under Non-Plug and Play, hit the Drivers tab and change the startup to disabled, reboot and they should not load again.
     
  20. brownizs

    brownizs MajorGeek

    Not to jump in kind of late. I had problems with trying to figure out why my windows 8 install on my Netbook was throwing up Blue screens's, and got pointed to use WhoCrashed, which can be downloaded from http://www.majorgeeks.com/WhoCrashed_Free_Home_Edition_d7442.html I found that it makes it easier for reading the minidumps, than trying to do it through the Dumpchck utility for Windows kits.

    Those that may not be familiar in how to read the dump files, may want to be pointed to download the WhoCrashed utility, so that they can then upload the output, vs. sending the whole dump file, since those can get very large in size, depending on how bad the bsod is.
     
  21. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    they were not in "non-plug and play drivers"
     
  22. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    i also found where the libusb0 file came from and it's in reference to a program called "jungle flasher". the problem is i need said file for the program, but the program is not always in use.
     
  23. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    would you like me to do this?
     
  24. brownizs

    brownizs MajorGeek

    No, just making a suggestion, for others that may come across this thread, but you could use it also to see the dump file in a easier to use format.

    I found out with my problem, it was the RealTek network driver for the Ethernet Nic, which has been a problem since believe or not XP.
     
  25. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    Here's what i've done so far:

    1. Found the libsub0 file which is part of a program called jungle flasher. The file was inside a folder on my desktop. i moved the folder to a different hdd not named C. The program is not in constant use

    2. Updated FW for Western Digital 2TB My Book Essential External HDD.

    3. Searched for known bad driver (Western Digital SCSI Arcitecture Model (SAM) WDM driver) in device manager with hidden folders viewable and could not locate.

    4. Successfully checked on my SSD's FW, which is up-to-date.

    5. Attempted to download and unzip ASUS MB drivers but files were corrupt and or missing. Tried 2 additional times without any success.

    6. Found that the 2nd external WD 500GB HDD
    http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?modelno=WD5000C032&x=0&y=0

    Can i use Slimdriver or another program to update MB drivers, if so what are they recommendations or suggestions?

    I haven't had a BSOD so far, but have had a couple Mozilla Firefox crashes. What are the next steps to find Western Digital SCSI Arcitecture Model (SAM) WDM driver?
     
  26. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

  27. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    once located, what do i do?
     
  28. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

    Work out how to uninstall them, the names as listed in Device Manager should be given by MSInfo32, probably by DriverView as well.
     
  29. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    i guess thats where i get confused, because i don't know how to uninstall them
     
  30. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    1. i used driver view to find the WD SCSI driver in question.

    2. Went to Device Manager and located it > Uninstalled it

    3. Restarted computer

    4. Tried to load Firefox and it crashed before it opened

    5. Tried to load IE and it would continue to crash

    6. Attempted to do a system restore and it BSOD during the restore

    7. Disconnected both External HDDs

    8. Installed a fresh Firefox copy, transferred saved favorites, updated all addons.

    9. Firefox and IE work fine

    10. Connected 500GB WD external HDD.

    11. Used Driver View a 2nd time and did not notice
    Western Digital SCSI Arcitecture Model (SAM) WDM driver.

    So in summary:
    1. New Firefox install with updated addons
    2. Updated Anti virus
    3. Scanned PC with SAS, MBAM, Avast, ESET, and CCleaner = negative
    4. Updated FW on 2TB WD External HDD
    5. SSD Boot drive has updated FW
    6. Removed (hopefully) Western Digital SCSI Arcitecture Model (SAM) WDM driver
    7. Have not reconnected 2TB WD External HDD
    8. Was not successful in updated Chipset on MB from ASUS Website

    What's next?
     
  31. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    I did notice that when i connect the 2nd External HDD (2TB WD HDD) and run driver view the questionable WD SCSI Architecture Model (SAM) driver (also called Pass Thru driver) appears again. So it seems that this HDD is what contains the questionable driver and at least we know which HDD uses the driver.

    Remind you this is the HDD i successfully updated the firmware on. Did updating the FW also update the driver? If not and the driver still needs to be removed/updated, how can i keep this from occurring every time it's connected?
     
  32. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

  33. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    Driver View:

    Service Name = WDC_SAM
    Service Display Name = WD SCSI Pass Thru Driver
    Driver Name = wdcsam64.sys

    Device Manager:

    WD Drive Management devices > WD SES Device > Driver > Driver details > C:\Windows\system32\DRIVERS\wdcsam64.sys

    File Version 1.0.7.2

    This drive is a couple years old so i don't remember if it came with an actual disk for the Smartware/SES. As it pertains to this computer i have not installed anything, just plug and play, except for the firmware updated i already spoke of.

    When navigating to the HDD there is a folder called "WD Start Up Files" with:

    WD Quick formatter application
    WD Smartware application
    WD Smartware folder with windows installers for WD SES Driver setup (x64) and (x86) and WD Smartware Setup for (x64) and (x86)
     
  34. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

    So it looks like you need to update the SES drivers: http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/search/1/a_id/5419

    Smartware/SES are all auto-installed on first connection of the drive, as far as I can tell. They can also cause problems should anything go wrong, including loss of (or great difficulty recovering) data.
     
  35. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    so what should i do with the drive then, outside of updating the driver of course? It seems that a person who owns this kind of drive is stuck.
     
  36. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

    Just update the drivers and continue to use it, unless/until something else goes wrong, it will be fine.

    My guess is that your 2TB drive was 'old stock' - Vista vintage - that's why you had the 'bad' old driver.

    My take is that USB drives should be connected only when actually needed - backing up/restoring data; for permanent connection, I'd go with a network attached drive solution. If your data is valuable, you need at least 2x backups, 1 of which should be securely stored off-site. Cloud storage should be considered as well, as should the 'old fashioned' CD/DVDs.
     
  37. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    ill get on it tonight and update you
     
  38. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    it's been updated, and haven't had any BSOD. I have noticed a handful of Firefox crashes though
     
  39. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    today when i returned home i noticed another bsod. guess i spoke too soon. the bug check string was BAD Pool Header. Not sure what that implies.

    The dump file is attached. any help would be appreciated
     

    Attached Files:

  40. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    I'm working on checking the ram modules in memtest. will report the results of eaxh module asap
     
  41. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

    The 2008 wdcsam64.sys is still loading, did you update to the latest SES drivers?

    The dump points to a device driver, please carefully follow the instructions and enable Driver Verifier. Let it run for 24-48 hours, if you get a verified BSOD (0xC4) before then, upload it and turn off DV.

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977178 may help, if this issue happens on resume from standby or hibernate.

    You could uninstall the Vclone/Elby virtual drive software, it may be running interference.
     
  42. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    yes i updated, i will follow your instructions as soon as i finish the memtest. fyi i found some errors on one of ram modules. i will follow up asap
     
  43. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    i've checked 7/8 ram modules. i allowed all but one to go through 5 passes, approx 3 hours each. 1 of the modules went through 12 passes because i let it run over night.

    so far 7/8 modules pass without any errors. 1 module failed.

    i didn't allow said module to run longer than just a few minutes. in under 5 minutes the module had 68654 errors in dimm slot 1 on my mb. i moved the ram module into dimm slot 3 (2nd red slot from left) and in under 5 minutes it came back with 36352 errors. I've contacted Corsair for a replacement, but since it's the weekend i don't expect to hear anything back until Monday.

    i have one module left to test and will be doing that in a few minutes. I will post the results in the morning.

    After the results i will perform the instructions given yesterday.
     
  44. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    i finished checking each ram module.

    All tests were run in dimm slot 1

    Module 1 = 3 passes no errors

    Module 2 = failed (approx 69000 errors in first 5 minutes of the test) dimm slot 1 and 3

    Module 3-8 = 5 passes no errors

    shall i proceed with satrow's last instructions?
     
  45. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

  46. _nullptr

    _nullptr Major Geeky Geek Geek

    Are you currently running the PC with just the 7 RAM modules that tested without errors?
    If so, how is the computer running now? Any crashes?

    I'll leave that for satrow to advise.
     
  47. thedon01

    thedon01 Corporal

    yes and so far i haven't seen a bsod.
     

MajorGeeks.Com Menu

Downloads All In One Tweaks \ Android \ Anti-Malware \ Anti-Virus \ Appearance \ Backup \ Browsers \ CD\DVD\Blu-Ray \ Covert Ops \ Drive Utilities \ Drivers \ Graphics \ Internet Tools \ Multimedia \ Networking \ Office Tools \ PC Games \ System Tools \ Mac/Apple/Ipad Downloads

Other News: Top Downloads \ News (Tech) \ Off Base (Other Websites News) \ Way Off Base (Offbeat Stories and Pics)

Social: Facebook \ YouTube \ Twitter \ Tumblr \ Pintrest \ RSS Feeds