Been having trouble with the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL BSOD for many months now

At the first sign of heat issues with the CPU or GPU if you have a heatsink on the GPU that requires paste. There is no set interval, I have had some machines in which I've never had to do it. I built one in the early 2000 and got in a hurry applying the paste, applied it too thick and sloppy and had to take it apart an redo.

An investment in better cooling for the CPU is never a bad investment.
 
@xrobwx71 Hi Rob, it's been a while. How have you been doing?

Since I last posted, I've had the new Corsair AIO installed and things have been pretty smooth sailing so far. Up until just now, I've had a total of two BSODs, neither of which were gaming-related.

One was on March 15, which is already over a month since the Kernel Trap I reported previously.
WhoCrashed reported that it was due to the "Intel(R) Gigabit Adapter NDIS 6.x driver", and I've already found a driver update for that and installed it, so I didn't bother coming back here to report it.

But just now, I had a IRQL BSOD for "intelppm.sys" again. It's not my first time in the rodeo with that driver; it's probably my 20th or something like that, which typically occurs monthly.
WhoCrashed couldn't give any meaningful info, but BlueScreenView stated that it was due to "Processor Device Driver - intelppm.sys" or "Kernel Cryptography, Next Generation - cng.sys".

Now, I've never encountered a BSOD with the latter driver stated before, so this could be a random occurrence.
Still, I've attached the minidump in case you have some time to take a quick look at it. I'd just like to know whether there's anything I could do about it, or if it really was random and can be ignored.

Again, I wasn't playing any games in either instance, and I have been constantly monitoring my temperatures regularly, so there is no issue on that front.

Thank you very much again!
 

Attachments

@xrobwx71 Hi, thanks for the input. The Intel Driver & Support Assistant gave me two results in available drivers:

1. Intel® Graphics - Windows® 10 DCH Drivers
2. Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) User Interface and Driver for Intel® 7th Gen and Later Platform
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I never use the embedded graphics (I have my monitor hooked up to my GPU), and Rapid Storage Technology is unnecessary for me as I don't use RAID, so I don't have it installed in the first place.
They're both highly unlikely to be the culprit for the BSOD...

In any case, I attempted to update Intel Graphics anyway, to no avail. I simply get a pop-up saying that my PC "doesn't meet the minimum requirements." Not really sure what that's about.
I'm not going to install RST, since it's apparently optional and intended for RAID users, according to many sources on the Internet. Better not to mess with something unnecessary, after all!
 
@xrobwx71 Hi Rob, long time no talk! Things have certainly stabilized since I purchased and installed the new CPU cooler, and I sincerely thank you for that advice.

Now, as you can probably guess, I'm back again because of another BSOD I experienced just now. I have attached the minidump.
The error this time was "KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED" and the suspected driver (by Blue Screen View) is "hal.dll".
This is the first BSOD I experience since I last reported in so I'm just shrugging it off as a one-off, but a quick peek into it whenever you have time would be very much appreciated.

For context, I did have an intensive game running in the background while working on other things, so it may be overheating related once again.
This game has caused rare CPU temperature spikes up to 90°C before, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was instability causing the CPU to throw an exception.
It's a new game that is quite demanding on hardware, so if your analysis seems inconclusive again, it is probably that.

I will continue to leave the game running to see if it BSODs again, to isolate the issue. Hopefully it's just a one-off. Thank you very much!
 

Attachments

Open an elevated command prompt: Click start, type cmd, then hit CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER

In the prompt that opens type winver and hit enter.

Let me know what version you have. From the dump, it looks like 1903 and if so, you need to update to 1909.

@jcgriff2
 
@xrobwx71 Yes, it appears that I am still on 1903. I will try that the next time I get a BSOD then, since I still need the PC to work on right now.

@xilolee Oh, I must apologize. The dates looked similar so I probably sent an old one by mistake. The one from today should be attached now.
 

Attachments

Run chkdsk for each one of your drives.
From an elevated command prompt (right-click on windows start, click "command prompt (admin)"), launch the following command (copy/paste it in the command propmpt black windowand press enter):
Code: 
chkdsk C: /scan /perf
This one is just for your C: system drive.
Do the same for the other drives.

On my system, the command completes in less than 2 minutes, for all drives:
Read More:


If everything is ok (Windows has scanned the file system and found no problems.), try to update your BIOS to the latest version: there were four new BIOSs(es?) in the meanwhile and in almost each description ASUS wrote "Improved system stability".

Given that "ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3" is a utility that should help to recover BIOS corruption during the updating process, be prepared:
Read More:

I'd avoid the "EZ update" method, i.e. I'd avoid to update the BIOS in windows.
Download the bios using an ethernet/cabled connection: I'd avoid to download it using a wireless connection (if possible).
DO NOT SHUTDOWN or RESET the system while updating the BIOS.
After the bios update, and after a system reboot, ensure to "load optimized defaults" for your bios, then save the settings.
 
Last edited:
Hi @xrobwx71 and @xilolee, it's me again. I'm back because I got another BSOD (KMODE) out of nowhere (even after updating to Build 1909), and I wasn't playing any game in particular; just working. I've attached the minidump.

As for the chkdsk, I've done it on every single one of my drives, as asked. It didn't take long since the majority of my storage drives are SSDs. The only problem that was found was on my D: drive, and I've noted the findings below. It was reported to have been repaired though.
Stage 2: Examining file name linkage ...
46368 reparse records processed.
559038 index entries processed.
Index verification completed.
1 unindexed files scanned.
Found lost file "\Windows\System32\WDI\{533a67eb-9fb5-473d-b884-958cf4b9c4a3}\{9ad2c7ba-337d-4afb-9fbd-b715655f0ae7} <0x23,0x14569>"; requesting reconnection to index "$I30" of directory "\Windows\System32\WDI\{533a67eb-9fb5-473d-b884-958cf4b9c4a3} <0xd,0x1e2c4>"
... repaired online.
0 unindexed files recovered to lost and found.
46368 reparse records processed.

I typically avoid updating my BIOS because it bricks every time I do so (although I've learned how to work around it), but since I'm apparently several versions behind, I will give it a try now. I will report back the next time I get a BSOD.
 

Attachments

@xrobwx71 @xilolee I agree, BIOS updates have an inherent risk to them. My motherboard (which isn't old; it's an ASUS Z390) seems to always brick whenever it tries to update the BIOS, but I have found a workaround for it, so it's no longer an issue. Just an inconvenience.

In any case, I am back again because I experienced another BSOD. The BIOS has already been updated as requested. This time I wasn't playing any games, so it's definitely not a temperature issue. I've attached the minidump for your analysis. The error was IRQL again. WhoCrashed gives this error log, but it doesn't seem all that helpful:
On Sun 5/24/2020 6:49:58 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP
This was probably caused by the following module: intelppm.sys (intelppm+0x4332)
Bugcheck code: 0xA (0xFFFF8202223189F0, 0xFF, 0x0, 0xFFFFF80110B35709)
Error: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\intelppm.sys
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: Processor Device Driver
Bug check description: This indicates that Microsoft Windows or a kernel-mode driver accessed paged memory at DISPATCH_LEVEL or above. This is a software bug.
This bug check belongs to the crash dump test that you have performed with WhoCrashed or other software. It means that a crash dump file was properly written out.
The crash took place in a Microsoft module. Your system configuration may be incorrect. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver on your system that cannot be identified at this time.

I've noticed that I've been getting a lot of BSODs this month, even though it's only happened once a month or so since last year.
The primary changes to the system that I've made over the last month or so would be updating Windows to Build 1909 and also updating my Nvidia GPU driver.

When I updated W10 to Build 1909, I noticed that overall system temperatures reduced by around 5C average, which means I'm less likely to BSOD due to overheating. This is definitely a plus.
I recall that updating my GPU driver last year stabilized my PC quite a bit and reduced a lot of BSODs, particularly IRQL. Thus, I have suspicions that it may be this new GPU driver. That driver was 431.60, and lacked DirectX 12 support.

Sadly, there hasn't been a new stable driver from Nvidia in quite some time, so I've been sitting on the last known stable driver (442.74; it came out in mid-March and most users agree that it has the least amount of issues; many people have already reverted back to it because the last few drivers have been terrible).
I will update my GPU driver as soon as a new stable one comes out, but for the time being, if you could kindly check and see whether the minidump seems to point towards any other issue, that would be much appreciated! Thank you :)
 

Attachments

Welcome back!

I am on 445.87 and play some graphic intensive games and have experienced no issues. I've been utilizing Nvidia graphics since the early 2000's, on many different systems and I cannot remember the last time I've seen issues with said Nvidia drivers.

That being said, the sheer number of computers and diffrent configurations, those variables alone are astronomical and there are bound to be problems reported.

We will wait for @xilolee to weigh in on the dump file. I don't see Nvidia indicated in the dump.

Thanks for updating the BIOS, I know it can be scary.
 
Last edited:
Download --> View attachment driverview.zip.
Unzip/decompress it on your desktop (scilicet, you should see the driverview folder on the desktop).
You have to use this (and not yours, if you already have it) because I set its columns in a certain manner.
Run the following command from a command prompt (normal or elevated, it doesn't matter):
Code: 
"%userprofile%\desktop\driverview\driverview" /stabular "%userprofile%\desktop\driverlist.txt"
Zip/compress the resulting file driverlist.txt, that you should find on your desktop, and upload it here.
 
Last edited:
@xrobwx71 Hi, thank you for your insight. I agree; GPU drivers are a hit-or-miss, and just because some people may experience issues with one version, not everyone will. Do you recommend that I should still update the GPU driver anyway just to test, or should I wait for further analysis first? Again, I wasn't playing any games when the BSOD occurred.

@xilolee Thank you for your reply! I have done what you requested and attached the resulting text file.

On a side note, I had another BSOD just now, with an error I've never seen before in my life: INTERRUPT_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
WhoCrashed states that it's uncommon, so it might just be some outlier. (I wasn't playing any games in this case either.)
However, this does feel like too much of a coincidence considering that I've been getting a lot of BSODs this month, so it may still be worth noting. I've attached the minidump.
WhoCrashed Log

On Mon 5/25/2020 3:23:57 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP
This was probably caused by the following module: intelppm.sys (intelppm+0x4332)
Bugcheck code: 0x3D (0xFFFFB88B4D88F2A8, 0xFFFF8C800BDF3930, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: INTERRUPT_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\intelppm.sys
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: Processor Device Driver
Bug check description: This bug check appears very infrequently.
The crash took place in a Microsoft module. Your system configuration may be incorrect. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver on your system that cannot be identified at this time.

Thank you both very much!
 

Attachments

Last edited:
Download and run the meupdatetool: https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/14Utilities/MEUpdateTool_12.0.64.1551_T.zip

Download and install the new chipset - Intel Management Engine Interface: https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/...Cons_CNL_TP_W10_64_V19521401470_20200330R.zip

Then go in bios settings, press F5 (it should "Loads optimized default settings"), press F7 (advanced mode), advanced menu, CPU Configuration, CPU Power Management Configuration, CPU C-States: set it disabled.
Press F10 (save the settings and exit).
 
Last edited:
Hi @xilolee, thank you for your reply.

I tried to run the ME Update Tool in the first link that you gave me, but I eventually get a warning message that says "Please check MEI driver is installed."
However, it turns out that I simply needed to install the IMEI chipset you linked afterwards first. So after doing so, I was able to go back and launch the ME Update Tool to install it.
The C-States have been disabled in the BIOS.

If you don't mind my asking, what exactly does the IMEI and the ME Update Tool do? I tried Googling for it, but the information seems a bit hazy to me.
If you could explain, that would be great.
 
stormflora said:
If you don't mind my asking, what exactly does the IMEI and the ME Update Tool do? I tried Googling for it, but the information seems a bit hazy to me.
If you could explain, that would be great.
Click to expand...

It updates the firmware for the intel management engine.

Intel Management Engine, Explained: The Tiny Computer Inside Your CPU

The ME Update tool (package for your motherboard) contains these files and folders:
Read More:
 

Has Sysnative Forums helped you? Please consider donating to help us support the site!

Back
Top