Repeated BSOD Shut-Downs

Hey MajorGeeks!
Thank you for reviewing my recent problem.

I run Windows 7 and primarily use FireFox as my Internet browser.

For nearly a week, my Desktop PC has suffered multiple BSOD shut-downs. Initially, I presumed it could be a malware issue, and requested assistance there: BSOD Shut-Down Twice Since New AV Install

It was determined that no malware is present, but that a leftover corrupted AV could be the cause. I have completely removed that corrupted AV and am now only running Panda AV. Tonight, while running a media program, the BSOD once again occurred and shutdown the system.

I copied the information regarding the last few shutdowns:

Please let me know if these reports can give any insight to what is causing these repeated disruptions, and what steps must next be taken to isolate and rectify this sudden and troublesome issue. Thank you.

 

Code:

BCCode: 50

Usually a faulty stick of memory/RAM.

See: http://www.memtest.org/#downiso

Direct download link: http://www.memtest.org/download/4.20/memtest86+-4.20.iso.zip

Burn the bootable CD and then boot from the CD to test.

 

Hey thisisu,
Thank you so much for the prompt reply!

I want to give a quick update, then I have a question, and then I can run that test.

After this happened tonight, it occurred to me that I had not downloaded an important Windows update: Windows 7 SP 1. I tried twice downloading and installing it and both times the installation failed. I was directed to this page Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) installation error: 0x800F0A12, and after running bcdedit in Command Prompt, I received the error message:

Microsoft says that this error can occur if the system partition isn't being mounted, or made accessible to Windows during startup. So I followed their instructions to rectify this in Command Prompt, but that solution didn't work.

Could this likewise be due to faulty RAM, as you indicated?

My other question is: Can I run the memtest from a USB flash drive or is a bootable CD the only way? I can do it either way, it's just that I have easier access to a flash drive at present.

 

You'll find a link for a USB key here
http://www.memtest.org/#downiso (new and obsolete versions)

 

Thank you, plodr!

I decided to use a new CD-RW when I learned that using the USB drive could potentially erase all existing content on it.

I have run into an operations problem. The disc is not booting, and Windows is automatically starting up. I checked in BIOS and the CD-ROM is primary, so I don't believe that is the cause.

I then ran the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool. After completing two passes, the PC restarted and reported no errors found.

I am attaching a screenshot of the CD-RW. Please advise if this appears correct.

 

More problems to report:

After another crash tonight, Windows is still booting up but is not displaying web pages correctly (MajorGeeks has a white background). I tried System Restore, but while the restore points are there, two attempts to use it have failed. It cites error 0x80070005 and suggests disabling the AV. I tried doing so and that attempt failed also.

I have attached a screenshot which shows the failure message.

I have still been unable to run memtest off the CD-ROM.

While I can still turn this over-priced 14 month old HP p6654y junk-heap on (it's HD failed after five months), I'm going to back-up a few files.

Please let me know any ideas you have, and thank you for your time to assist me with this.

 

This is because you burned it as a Data disc, not as an Image.

See : Using ImageBurn to Burn an ISO image
Thanks to dr.m for creating the above tutorial.

 

Hey, thanks for pointing this out! I thought I did something wrong. As soon as I finish my back-up procedure, I'll erase and re-write the CD-RW.

I'm going to add the System Restore error image I forgot to attach to my last post.

 

This one sounds like a corrupt registry problem, and it matches what the System Restore screenshot mentions. Typically it's trying to access the 5 hive/snapshot files (DEFAULT SAM SECURITY SOFTWARE SYSTEM) of whichever date you are trying to revert to.

 

Perhaps this is correct. If so, what is the next step? I have CCleaner installed which has a registry cleaner. I just ran a scan only and it found a bunch of issues, but I took no action to remove them.

Right now, I can log in and operate normally, but Windows is displaying as if it is in a hybrid Safe-Normal mode. You can see what I'm referring to by looking at the Start menu are in that screenshot. And, of course, it could crash again anytime.

I successfully ran the Memtest+ for over eight hours with eight complete passes. No errors were found. I took a picture of the monitor before I concluded the test. I did not know how to save/generate a log.

 

The PC continues to display as if it is in a hybrid Safe-Normal mode. There have been no additional crashes during the past day.

Checking on the MajorGeeks site, I downloaded Wize Registry Cleaner. Upon running a complete scan, it found nearly 1,000 entries it recommended be cleaned. Would performing this operation be safe and remove any existing registry corruption?

I have attached the picture I took of the Memtest+ scan before stopping it. After eight hours and eight passes, no errors were found.

 

NO!!! Registry cleaners do more harm than good.
About the only registry cleaner I trust is CCleaner slim. A bad registry cleaner, as in too aggressive, can make a computer unbootable. Run away from registry cleaners because you will probably compound your problems.

 

The only option left is appearing to be a complete OS reinstall.

The attached image shows the way Windows is displaying. Also, there was another crash last night.

Is there any other test I could run to determine what is going on?

I think I've done everything right: Active updated AV, active firewall, spyware scanners... I just don't understand what has happened

 

If it were my computer, I'd try to restore to a point in time before the problems.

When you want to remove any security program, try AppRemover. It finds everything on your computer and lets you select what you want to remove. http://www.appremover.com/
Programs it removes: http://www.appremover.com/supported-applications
I used it on my XP and Win & computers to remove AntiVir and replace it with MS Security Essentials. None of the computers seems to have a problem.

If after restoring, you still get BSOD, you might have a hardware problem.

 

I fixed the problem yesterday afternoon. Last night, I ran the computer for over eight hours without incident.

I don't think anyone will believe what it turned out to be!

 

Well don't keep us in anticipation!! :-D

 

As I was looking at the awkward Windows display seen in the last screenshot, I recalled reading how the Aero theme has been reported to draw more resources than standard themes. I also noticed some performance drag several months ago and considered changing themes, but didn't follow through.

With little to lose, I decided to change the theme. What's the worst that could happen? The PC was already crashing regularly with an awkward appearance. So I changed the theme to Classic... and everything appeared normal. Then I changed it back to Aero, and that theme was likewise normal. I finally changed it back to Classic which still appeared normal, and have left it there since. Then I ran the PC with a few applications open for over eight hours. There was no unusual activity or any crashes.

Consider how this problem started: Originally I thought this to be a malware issue and posted in that forum. At that time, I stated the following:

Now according to the MajorGeeks description about Panda Cloud Antivirus, it is "the first free cloud-based antivirus thin-client. It consists of a lightweight antivirus agent that is connected in real-time to PandaLabs' online Collective Intelligence servers to protect faster against the newest malware variants while barely impacting PC performance."

I still do not know exactly why the PC started crashing, nor do I know why the theme displayed incorrectly after nearly a week of repeated crashes. What I do know is that the crashes began just after I installed Panda AV. That being said, everything has been fine since I changed the themes.

My opinion is that Panda AV, being a cloud-based platform, may have some incompatibilities with the Windows Aero themes. Anti-Virus starts post login upon startup of the OS, and this is when the appearance would change.

Based on all of the scans and tests that were performed, everything should have been working fine. Perhaps this potential compatibility issue should be looked into by both Panda and Windows. I do notice that overall performance is slightly improved now that I am using a Classic theme.

I was speechless after seeing that a very simple theme change restored the appearance back to normal, and astonished when the PC successfully passed my test last night. Of course, I am also quite pleased

Again, I thank all of you who offered very good suggestions as to what could be wrong and how to properly test during each instance.