[SOLVED] Referred here by Tom's Hardware Forums: BSOD Mystery!

Vir Gnarus said:
Yes, avoid PSUs that come with cases. I recommend starting with the CPU first, then PSU, then mobo.
Click to expand...

I have no idea what VG means by this, and I imagine you don't either.

I'll clarify a little on PSUs though: stick with brands such as XFX, SeaSonic and Corsair TX.

I think you should get all the replacement parts at the same time, since that'll save time and you'll get a smooth transition into hopefully a stable computer in the event that there are more than one devices at fault.
 
Cayden said:
Vir Gnarus said:
Yes, avoid PSUs that come with cases. I recommend starting with the CPU first, then PSU, then mobo.
Click to expand...

I have no idea what VG means by this, and I imagine you don't either.

I'll clarify a little on PSUs though: stick with brands such as XFX, SeaSonic and Corsair TX.

I think you should get all the replacement parts at the same time, since that'll save time and you'll get a smooth transition into hopefully a stable computer in the event that there are more than one devices at fault.
Click to expand...

Okay, now I'm hearing two different things. Any other opinions?
 
themagpieswarble said:
Okay, now I'm hearing two different things. Any other opinions?
Click to expand...

This is my understanding of this, perhaps others will explain theirs or agree...

At this point it appears to me that the logs point towards an inconclusive hardware error. Which sadly are very hard to test/diagnose without known good parts to swap around.

If I was in a similar situation I would see if I knew anyone who was willing to lend some parts or bring their computer over to try mixing things around to see if we could isolate one specific thing.

If the parts are still covered by amazon I would get a replacement starting with the CPU. I have had wonderful experiences with amazon in the past and know their return policy is fantastic!

If I am understanding VG correctly the logs keep pointing to random errors with the CPU, from a hardware perspective this could either be the chip itself or the socket on the motherboard or one of the interlining connections.
It might also be worth trying to boot a linux OS from a flashdrive and run prime95 from that installation to see if you can get it to halt/crash again. It won't BSOD like it would in windows but assuming it is a hardware failure it should still crash and give you a similar screen to the one before.
To explain a bit more on the PSU subject. The power supplies that come with cases are usually very poor quality which can cause problems like supplying insufficient variable voltage to your components causing errors like this or shortening their lifespan. It is a well known fact that some manufactures use very high quality parts in their power supplies and you will see this with some of the units listed above. Personally the power supply is not my first suspect but I don't know how/didn't read the logs and am only looking at this from a hardware perspective.
 
Last edited:
Yes, the CPU is most likely suspect here. All the problems appear to occur within the CPU's processing of instructions, and is failing to perform the instructions given to it in a proper manner (that or its L0 instruction cache keeps getting garbled). As for the chassis PSU's, it's best in the future to evade purchasing a chassis that comes with a PSU, for the same reason Laxer mentioned, that they're low quality and tend to bust.
 
Vir Gnarus said:
Yes, the CPU is most likely suspect here. All the problems appear to occur within the CPU's processing of instructions, and is failing to perform the instructions given to it in a proper manner (that or its L0 instruction cache keeps getting garbled). As for the chassis PSU's, it's best in the future to evade purchasing a chassis that comes with a PSU, for the same reason Laxer mentioned, that they're low quality and tend to bust.
Click to expand...

Oh, now I know what he meant. He was talking case = computer case. I didn't get that part. Yeah, VG is right, if you buy a computer (regardless of the company you buy it from) or a case and it is pre-installed with a PSU, chances are almost guaranteed that it won't be a decent PSU.
 
Update.. a few months later.

I've been slowly exchanging out parts from Amazon. Testing it, when it fails, returning it to Amazon and only losing the cost of $6 return shipping in the process.

I've purchased a new SSD (64GB Corsair drive), a new Motherboard, and a new stick of RAM. All still gave me a ntfs.sys BSOD when about 1-5% into installing Windows 7 on a newly formatted SSD.

I haven't tried a Power Supply or new CPU yet. CPU will be next on the list.. I'm really hoping this is it. I've never put so much work into a damn system. Getting a used Mac Mini for a HTPC next time. Sheesh.
 
Check for Corsair SSD firmware upgrade -

Solid State Drives

Does Corsair provide firmware updates for SSDs?

You will find download links and firmware update instructions posted in our forum. Not all drives will have a firmware update and in most cases your drive should have the latest firmware available at the time of production.
Click to expand...
http://www.corsair.com/en/support/faq/solid-state-drives/#answer1

See if Corsair SSD Toolbox is helpful - http://www.corsair.com/us/blog/the-corsair-ssd-toolbox/
 
jcgriff2 said:
Check for Corsair SSD firmware upgrade -

Solid State Drives

Does Corsair provide firmware updates for SSDs?

You will find download links and firmware update instructions posted in our forum. Not all drives will have a firmware update and in most cases your drive should have the latest firmware available at the time of production.
Click to expand...
Corsair

See if Corsair SSD Toolbox is helpful - Blog - The Corsair SSD Toolbox
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, since I can't install Windows 7 on this computer, I can't run this SSD Toolbox utility to check the drive (and upgrade its firmware.) Also, I don't have any other computer with an SSD hookup that I could test it on there instead.

I'm doubting that two SSDs in a row have been causing this BSOD. I ordered a new AMD APU off Newegg yesterday and it should arrive in a few days. I'll let you all know how that goes.
 
SSD hookup? SSDs are just typical SATA drives, so there's nothing particularly special for them.

We'll see how the APU goes. If it does fix things up, then that confirms my original suspicions of it being the CPU.
 
But the laptops will most likely also use SATA, so that shouldn't stop you. I'm pretty sure the SSD you're using is 2.5", so it should fit just fine in the laptop.
 
Vir Gnarus said:
But the laptops will most likely also use SATA, so that shouldn't stop you. I'm pretty sure the SSD you're using is 2.5", so it should fit just fine in the laptop.
Click to expand...


Yeah.. I'm just not really in the mood to take apart a laptop. Kind of tired of dissembling/reassembling my PC. I'm just going to assume that the two SSDs I've tried are fine.
 
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I found the culprit. It was...


THE CPU!!


I could hardly believe myself as the Windows 7 installation finally got past the 2-5% completion mark and kept going and going. After 3-4 months of troubleshooting this damn thing, I've finally figured out the issue. It had to be the last part I replaced too, didn't it?

Everything's up and running again perfectly. Thanks to everyone for their help and congrats to you who were calling the CPU being the issue early on. You win!
 

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

Back
Top