[SOLVED] BSOD on 2-year-old Dell Studio 1558 Laptop

Sorry, slipped my mind that we already did the system file check and found minor issues but nothing of real concern.

1) and 2) are the most important. Also, if you follow the blue screen instructions after the next crash, that would help immensely.
 
Forgive me, but it feels like we are not making any progress here. Machine has been affected by BSODs for six months or so now. Is there value to wiping the hard drive and reinstalling Windows 7? Is that a viable path? If so, what is the safest way to pursue this? We have recent backups.

Dell balks at providing any support because the hardware checks have all been clean.
 
Yes, a clean install is always a viable troubleshooting step, and it is often a very good one. I usually leave that as one of the last steps since most users are hesitant to do a clean install. If you are not hesitant, then that is a great plan of attack. :)

One step to take prior to doing a clean install: Make sure you create your DELL recovery discs prior to doing a hard disk format and re-install.

Create Recovery Discs may also be helpful in the task.

You should also Backup your system and user files to make sure you have all your important data from the system.
 
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I was opposed to reinstalling Windows 7.... a couple months ago. Since then we have spent a lot of time testing, deinstalling, updating drivers, etc. We have been able to perform Windows backup successfully, which hadn't been the case earlier in the summer. Now, because of the current backups, I am not afraid of losing info. Because of the frequent, persistent BSODs, we got a new laptop for the student to use at school this year. Now, I am looking for the quickest and most effective way to make this a functioning, reliable computer to be used by others in the family.

--We have the recovery disks which we created upon first getting the laptop from Dell in August 2010. Should we use them, or create new ones now?
--What instructions do you suggest for re-installing the OS?
--Should that be done from the recovery disks, or is it better to use an authentic MicroSoft Windows 7 OS disc we have on hand?
--What drivers do we install and where do we get them? This weekend's work on the driver for the Intel WiFi chip is a good example: there we got the latest not from Dell and not from Microsoft, but from Intel.
 
If you already have recovery discs, there is no need to create new ones. We can proceed knowing that you have those available.


I would suggest clean installing Windows rather than restoring from the recovery discs. This ensures that you have the most basic installation and less problems can occur. To clean install, start with Clean re-installing Windows 7 and scroll down to Using the Custom installation option and formatting the hard disk.

Once you have installed Windows, check for any missing drivers in Device Manager. They will be listed with a warning or error icon, or they may be listed as generic devices, unknown devices, or other devices. Determine which drivers are missing and download those drivers from the Dell support site and nowhere else. If you need help at this step, provide us with your msinfo32.nfo file:
Start Menu -> Type msinfo32 into the Search programs and files box -> When it opens, go to File, Save -> Save as msinfo32.nfo and save in a place you will remember -> Let it finish the process of gathering and saving the system info -> Right click the .nfo file, click send to compressed (zipped) folder -> Upload the .zip file here.​

While some drivers may have updates via the device manufacturer, those may not be the best drivers for your system. Pre-manufactured systems often have different power schemes than user built systems. The drivers provided by the PC manufacturer (in your case Dell) are usually the best drivers available to work with that power scheme. Occasionally, this is not the case, but you should always start with the PC manufacturer's drivers first before proceeding to the device manufacturer's driver update site.

Some helpful links for updating drivers or finding missing drivers:
  1. Get help with Device Manager Errors in Windows Vista or Windows 7
  2. Update a driver for hardware that isn't working properly in Windows 7
  3. What to do when a device isn't installed properly in Windows 7
  4. Tips for fixing common driver problems in Windows 7
Use Windows Update only as a last resort for finding drivers or driver updates. It is always best to get the drivers from the PC Manufacturer first or ask us for help second.


Warning

Make sure you can read the Windows key for your system. It should be located on an OEM sticker on the case of the PC.

I would also suggest gathering all other installation keys prior to doing a clean install.

 
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During Windows 7 Install, it prompts for Partition to change. I chose
Disk 0 Partition 3: OS
Was that correct? I did not choose Format -- should I have chosen Format?
 
Format would have been a cleaner, fresher installation with less possible issues.

Installing on the partition is going to leave you with a Windows.OLD folder with your old Windows installation files. It is essentially a backup of your previous installation with programs and user files included.
 
Windows Error Recovery
Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause.
Launch Startup Repair (recommended)
Start Windows Normally

Startup Repair simply returns me to the same screen. I chose Start Windows Normally, pressed F12, loaded from Win 7 DVD.
Any advice?
 
Looks like I get a do-over on the install. Should I do anything with these two partitions?
Disk 0 Partition 1 OEM (Reserved)
Disk 0 Partition 2: Recovery
 
Blue Screen:
A problem has been detected and windws has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.
MEMORY_MANAGEMENT
...
Technical information:
XXX stop: 0x0000001A (0x00000000000008886, 0xfffffa8003705240, 0xfffffa9003710670, 0x0000000000000500)
 
For the blue screen: if that is happening during installation it means one of three things.
  1. You have defective RAM or other hardware that uses the RAM, i.e. the CPU, motherboard, or display card.
  2. Your hard disk has file system errors or bad sectors.
  3. You have hardware in your system that Windows is having difficulty with generic drivers for installation. This is very rare, and I suspect the problem is one of the first two scenarios over this possibility especially given that the system once had Windows installed and working. Also, if this were the case, a Google search of your model would show many others with the same issue.

Nothing can be done for 1. other than to send the system back for Dell to fix it.

For 2. Run a disk check through the command prompt in the Windows installation environment. Once the Windows installation media has loaded, press Shift + F10 and type
Code: 
chkdsk c: /f
chkdsk d: /f
chkdsk e: /f
etc. until you receive the message that the volume could not be opened for direct access.

For any drives that do not give the message:
Windows has checked the file system and found no problems​
run disk check again as above.

In other words, if it says:
Windows has made corrections to the file system​
after running the disk check, run the disk check again.


Once the hard disk is found to have no problems, begin the clean install. You can leave partition 1 and 2 intact. Format partition 3 and install. That should create the System Reserved partition and the OS partition.
 
Thank you. Well, jcgriff2 said these BSODs seemed hardware related.
I tried Shift F10 but did not get a window in which to enter the chkdsk commands.
Windows 7 completed the installation. Thanks for the instructions and links, by the way. For the record, I got two Blue Screens attempting Windows 7 Install. On the third attempt (when I was trying to enter Shift + F10), the installation completed. I was able to format that partition.

I am running CHKDSK now. I suppose I can run Windows memory tests. I have not installed any drivers on the laptop, nor have I connected it to the Internet. I can call Dell again, armed with the BSOD info upon Windows 7 install. How's this sound to you? Do you advise differently?
 
I think calling Dell is a good step. I am always concerned when blue screens happen during a fresh install. If you continue to have problems after the formatting and fresh install, and the disk check comes up clean, it's a safe bet this is hardware related.
 
CHKDSK came up clean. Will let you know how things go with Dell. They have not been responsive because the CHKDSK and Diagnostic Tests have all been passes.
 
Hopefully Dell will listen to reason now that you've had issues during installation. Best wishes to you!
 
No response yet from Dell to my emails.
Ran Windows Diagnostic tests. Got our first error on running these tests:
Mp Memory Ver. 0491
Wide Pace March Test
Testing 9F16C00h bytes with 04h CUP(s)
MEMORY COMPARE ERROR
 
No response to email communication / electronic message.
I telephoned Dell Support. Described the months-long history of BSOD, the repeated occurrence of BSOD upon clean install of Windows 7 from MS OS DVD, and of Wide Pace March Test MEMORY COMPARE ERROR. They wanted to send parts to a technician for in-home repair (had poor experience with this previously with a different system, resulting in 3 in-home visits and having to ship back a computer over the span of 7 weeks). I insisted they take it back to fix. Dell agreed. Waiting for box to ship laptop back to Dell.
 
Dell returned laptop saying the following were replaced/repaired:
1. Hard Drive
2. Windows Software ("as part of OS install process we Installed the OS and drivers for full system functionality")
Experienced first BSOD since laptop's return and it can be found here: http://sdrv.ms/NQK62O, "100612-35084-01.dmp".

I'm surprised by HD replacement b/c I thought the Wide Pace March Test memory error and BSOD during clean install indicated probs with RAM and/or motherboard. What suggestions do you have for tests I can perform?
 

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