- Mar 30, 2013
- 2
- 0
- 10,510
Hi all,
I have a problem I've been struggling with since February, and I am at wit's end.
My computer - a new build I assembled in February - is experiencing random crashes. The nature of the crash is a sudden black screen followed by a complete system freeze. No BSoD is displayed at this time, and I have experienced occasional difficulties in getting it to create a .dmp file. The system is a clean reformat and reinstall.
I have ruled out the GPU as the source of the problem, but not much else. I will provide a detailed explanation of my troubleshooting in a spoiler further down, but here are the basics:
PC specs:
Event log:
BlueScreenView:
SystemLook:
Detailed information:
Hardware and software installation went perfectly. Drivers installed and updated fine, and everything is in the green. The system runs smoothly right up until the crash, including games, where I get the good frame rate and graphical quality you would expect from this rig.
The problem is a sudden black screen followed seconds later by a system freeze, forcing a hard reset. It always happens during gaming, across all tested (modern) games so far, and usually within five minutes or so, although I have been able to play for ~25 minutes as well. During the black screen, there is still background audio, and I have been able to briefly communicate with people in Ventrilo, until the entire system freezes a few seconds later.
Recently, it also crashed during browsing, under no heavy load. The crash was the same, but it created a proper .dmp log which I have finally been able to look at. At the time of this crash, the GPU had been removed (thought to be the problem behind the crashes) and sent back to the retailer, so I have ostensibly ruled out the GPU as the fault of the crash.
Detailed account of troubleshooting (long):
I am absolutely at wit's end at this point. I have no idea what the problem is, and it's not something I have ever experienced before. If anyone with any knowledge about this could be of assistance, then you have no idea just how appreciative I would be. It's been over a month of daily frustration attempting to troubleshoot a problem that happens at random.
I'm willing to do any amount of exhaustive tests you ask me to do. Just assume that I'm an idiot who hasn't thoroughly completed every step of the process I've outlined in this thread. I also know very little of diagnosing BSoDs. I would swear all the way to the bank that I'm good enough with computers not to be a PEBKAC, but this problem is kicking my ass.
I have a problem I've been struggling with since February, and I am at wit's end.
My computer - a new build I assembled in February - is experiencing random crashes. The nature of the crash is a sudden black screen followed by a complete system freeze. No BSoD is displayed at this time, and I have experienced occasional difficulties in getting it to create a .dmp file. The system is a clean reformat and reinstall.
I have ruled out the GPU as the source of the problem, but not much else. I will provide a detailed explanation of my troubleshooting in a spoiler further down, but here are the basics:
- ■All temperatures (CPU, GPU) remain low and stable - overheating is not the cause
■The crash happens across multiple games (so far every game I've tried, including NS2, CS:GO, TF2)
■The timing is random. Some times it crashes after 2 minutes, some times after 40 (but usually earlier)
■Crashes usually happen during gaming, and once (so far) while browsing
■Black screen makes it impossible to read any BSoD, and I've had problems getting it to make a .dmp file
■I have reformatted five times so far; clean install solved nothing
PC specs:
- ■Mainboard: MSI Z77A-GD55 (MS-7751), Socket-1155
■- Chipset: Intel Ivy Bridge
■- Southbridge: Intel Z77
■CPU: Intel Core i5 3570K Ivy Bridge - 3.4GHz
■- Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
■RAM: Crucial DDR3 1333MHz 8GB KIT, CL9
■GPU: PowerColor HD 7870 2GB GDDR5
- Note: Crash happens with or without GPU
■HDD: Western Digital® Desktop Black 2TB
■PSU: Chieftec Super Series 650W PSU
■- ATX 12V V2.3 80+
■Windows 7 64-bit Ultimate
Event log:
Log Name: System
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
Date: 31.03.2013 03:10:11
Event ID: 41
Task Category: (63)
Level: Critical
Keywords: (2)
User: SYSTEM
Computer: Felysian-172
Description:
The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power" Guid="{331C3B3A-2005-44C2-AC5E-77220C37D6B4}" />
<EventID>41</EventID>
<Version>2</Version>
<Level>1</Level>
<Task>63</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x8000000000000002</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-31T01:10:11.838023400Z" />
<EventRecordID>7472</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="4" ThreadID="8" />
<Channel>System</Channel>
<Computer>Felysian-172</Computer>
<Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data Name="BugcheckCode">268435582</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter1">0xffffffffc0000005</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter2">0xfffff800030d4ea0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter3">0xfffff880031cadc8</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter4">0xfffff880031ca620</Data>
<Data Name="SleepInProgress">false</Data>
<Data Name="PowerButtonTimestamp">0</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
Date: 31.03.2013 03:10:11
Event ID: 41
Task Category: (63)
Level: Critical
Keywords: (2)
User: SYSTEM
Computer: Felysian-172
Description:
The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power" Guid="{331C3B3A-2005-44C2-AC5E-77220C37D6B4}" />
<EventID>41</EventID>
<Version>2</Version>
<Level>1</Level>
<Task>63</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x8000000000000002</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-31T01:10:11.838023400Z" />
<EventRecordID>7472</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="4" ThreadID="8" />
<Channel>System</Channel>
<Computer>Felysian-172</Computer>
<Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data Name="BugcheckCode">268435582</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter1">0xffffffffc0000005</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter2">0xfffff800030d4ea0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter3">0xfffff880031cadc8</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter4">0xfffff880031ca620</Data>
<Data Name="SleepInProgress">false</Data>
<Data Name="PowerButtonTimestamp">0</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>
BlueScreenView:
==================================================
Dump File : 033113-31200-01.dmp
Crash Time : 31.03.2013 03:10:13
Bug Check String : SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
Bug Check Code : 0x1000007e
Parameter 1 : ffffffff`c0000005
Parameter 2 : fffff800`030d4ea0
Parameter 3 : fffff880`031cadc8
Parameter 4 : fffff880`031ca620
Caused By Driver : fvevol.sys
Caused By Address : fvevol.sys+2808
File Description :
Product Name :
Company :
File Version :
Processor : x64
Crash Address : ntoskrnl.exe+7eea0
Stack Address 1 :
Stack Address 2 :
Stack Address 3 :
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\033113-31200-01.dmp
Processors Count : 4
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7601
Dump File Size : 272 336
==================================================
Dump File : 033113-31200-01.dmp
Crash Time : 31.03.2013 03:10:13
Bug Check String : SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
Bug Check Code : 0x1000007e
Parameter 1 : ffffffff`c0000005
Parameter 2 : fffff800`030d4ea0
Parameter 3 : fffff880`031cadc8
Parameter 4 : fffff880`031ca620
Caused By Driver : fvevol.sys
Caused By Address : fvevol.sys+2808
File Description :
Product Name :
Company :
File Version :
Processor : x64
Crash Address : ntoskrnl.exe+7eea0
Stack Address 1 :
Stack Address 2 :
Stack Address 3 :
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\033113-31200-01.dmp
Processors Count : 4
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7601
Dump File Size : 272 336
==================================================
SystemLook:
SystemLook 30.07.11 by jpshortstuff
Log created at 08:33 on 31/03/2013 by Cane
Administrator - Elevation successful
========== filefind ==========
Searching for "fvevol.sys"
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\fvevol.sys --a---- 223248 bytes [07:10 06/03/2013] [13:28 20/11/2010] 1F7B25B858FA27015169FE95E54108ED
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-s..tartup-filterdriver_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_none_8a796922f99eb444\fvevol.sys --a---- 223448 bytes [23:22 13/07/2009] [01:43 14/07/2009] B8B2A6E1558F8F5DE5CE431C5B2C7B09
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-s..tartup-filterdriver_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16429_none_8abe4bb8f96a6f21\fvevol.sys --a---- 223448 bytes [06:15 06/03/2013] [06:20 26/09/2009] AE87BA80D0EC3B57126ED2CDC15B24ED
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-s..tartup-filterdriver_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.20536_none_8b3a17ba1292ded7\fvevol.sys --a---- 223448 bytes [06:15 06/03/2013] [06:40 26/09/2009] 71E51A121E8E06A751C374FB19E917BB
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-s..tartup-filterdriver_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17514_none_8caa7ceaf68d37de\fvevol.sys --a---- 223248 bytes [07:10 06/03/2013] [13:28 20/11/2010] 1F7B25B858FA27015169FE95E54108ED
-= EOF =-
Log created at 08:33 on 31/03/2013 by Cane
Administrator - Elevation successful
========== filefind ==========
Searching for "fvevol.sys"
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\fvevol.sys --a---- 223248 bytes [07:10 06/03/2013] [13:28 20/11/2010] 1F7B25B858FA27015169FE95E54108ED
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-s..tartup-filterdriver_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_none_8a796922f99eb444\fvevol.sys --a---- 223448 bytes [23:22 13/07/2009] [01:43 14/07/2009] B8B2A6E1558F8F5DE5CE431C5B2C7B09
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-s..tartup-filterdriver_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16429_none_8abe4bb8f96a6f21\fvevol.sys --a---- 223448 bytes [06:15 06/03/2013] [06:20 26/09/2009] AE87BA80D0EC3B57126ED2CDC15B24ED
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-s..tartup-filterdriver_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.20536_none_8b3a17ba1292ded7\fvevol.sys --a---- 223448 bytes [06:15 06/03/2013] [06:40 26/09/2009] 71E51A121E8E06A751C374FB19E917BB
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-s..tartup-filterdriver_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17514_none_8caa7ceaf68d37de\fvevol.sys --a---- 223248 bytes [07:10 06/03/2013] [13:28 20/11/2010] 1F7B25B858FA27015169FE95E54108ED
-= EOF =-
Detailed information:
Hardware and software installation went perfectly. Drivers installed and updated fine, and everything is in the green. The system runs smoothly right up until the crash, including games, where I get the good frame rate and graphical quality you would expect from this rig.
The problem is a sudden black screen followed seconds later by a system freeze, forcing a hard reset. It always happens during gaming, across all tested (modern) games so far, and usually within five minutes or so, although I have been able to play for ~25 minutes as well. During the black screen, there is still background audio, and I have been able to briefly communicate with people in Ventrilo, until the entire system freezes a few seconds later.
Recently, it also crashed during browsing, under no heavy load. The crash was the same, but it created a proper .dmp log which I have finally been able to look at. At the time of this crash, the GPU had been removed (thought to be the problem behind the crashes) and sent back to the retailer, so I have ostensibly ruled out the GPU as the fault of the crash.
Detailed account of troubleshooting (long):
At first, all I had was the event log, as the computer was not creating .dmp files. Doing a Google search showed multiple forum threads around the internet from people with the same problem. The answer was usually along the lines of "EventID 41 Task 63" as well as the 0x80...2 keyword probably indicating a driver issue, or possibly faulty hardware. This gave me little to go on and I could find no solutions, so I started troubleshooting.
1. UPDATE EVERYTHING
1a. Installed updated versions of all third-party drivers, such as GPU, Audio, etc.
1b. Massive Windows Update installation
1c. Uninstalling/disabling of all non-critical drivers
2. CPU STRESS TEST
2a. Ran prime95 (CPU stress test) for several hours. Temperatures remained stable, and CPU-Z showed no signs of problems. No crash.
2b. Ran it again during a weak overclock of 4.2GHz. Still the CPU remained at ~57*, and no sign of crashing
2c. I have tried to play both with and without overclock (including activating/deactivating Intel Turbo and OC Genie II) with no difference
3. GPU STRESS TEST
3a. Ran different GPU benchmark/stress test (Furmark, Heaven Benchmark, etc.) without fault. GPU temperatures never exceeded 70 degrees, and the fan remained stable at ~53% speeds
3b. I played games both with and without AMD OverDrive (a conservative overclock from ATI, available from the ATI Catalyst Control Center) with no difference
4. RAM TEST
4a. Ran memtest86+ overnight, finishing ~37 passes with no errors
Other details:
- I have updated important third party drivers
- I have systematically deactivated non-vital drivers (to rule out possible driver issues) with no difference
- The problem usually happens during gaming. I once played a 9-hour long video overnight with no problems (although as previously mentioned, it recently did crash while browsing)
- I have both upgraded and downgraded GPU drivers (older version, beta version) with no difference
- I have reformatted five times with slight differences in setup; no difference
- Removed the audio interface, an external USB hard drive for use in music production. No difference (and it worked fine on my previous rig anyway)
I have NOT:
- Tried with a 32-bit installation of Windows 7
- Disconnected/disabled the LAN drivers during gaming
- Tried a PSU with a higher than 650W
- Tried a different HD
At this point I was in touch with the retailer, who suggested a new PSU. I did, although I believed a 650W PSU would be sufficient. I was unable to quickly get a hold of a higher (750+W) PSU, so I tried another 650W; no difference.
Retailer and a local PC repair shop suggested I buy new RAM, so I upgraded from my previous 4GB to 8GB. Crashes persist, and I am on my fifth reformat at this point.
Finally (this is something like three weeks later) I was able to try using another GPU. I borrowed an old NVidia GeForce GTX 470 from a friend, installed the drivers, and played a game for a couple of hours with no crashes. At this point I was sure it was my GPU, and had it sent back to the retailer (where it remains). However, today my computer crashed once again, and I do not even have a GPU installed; I am using the onboard VGA adapter. The crash was the same as before, but this time it did create a .dmp file, which I have included in this post.
I immediately started researching the crash on Google, yet all I found were similarly related problems that (once again) provided no solution. I ran Driver Verifier on all third-party drivers (as well as the .sys files indicated on the .dmp file) and the computer rebooted just fine.
The driver itself (fvevol.sys) is part of Windows (it's the BitLocker Drive Encryption Driver). Not only does it seem unlikely that it should be causing this problem (more likely the problem happened while it happened to be running?), but I have in any case found no way to update the driver. I also don't use BitLocker on any of my hard drives so it's not actively doing anything.
I cannot find any culprit for this problem and it's driving me up the wall.
1. UPDATE EVERYTHING
1a. Installed updated versions of all third-party drivers, such as GPU, Audio, etc.
1b. Massive Windows Update installation
1c. Uninstalling/disabling of all non-critical drivers
2. CPU STRESS TEST
2a. Ran prime95 (CPU stress test) for several hours. Temperatures remained stable, and CPU-Z showed no signs of problems. No crash.
2b. Ran it again during a weak overclock of 4.2GHz. Still the CPU remained at ~57*, and no sign of crashing
2c. I have tried to play both with and without overclock (including activating/deactivating Intel Turbo and OC Genie II) with no difference
3. GPU STRESS TEST
3a. Ran different GPU benchmark/stress test (Furmark, Heaven Benchmark, etc.) without fault. GPU temperatures never exceeded 70 degrees, and the fan remained stable at ~53% speeds
3b. I played games both with and without AMD OverDrive (a conservative overclock from ATI, available from the ATI Catalyst Control Center) with no difference
4. RAM TEST
4a. Ran memtest86+ overnight, finishing ~37 passes with no errors
Other details:
- I have updated important third party drivers
- I have systematically deactivated non-vital drivers (to rule out possible driver issues) with no difference
- The problem usually happens during gaming. I once played a 9-hour long video overnight with no problems (although as previously mentioned, it recently did crash while browsing)
- I have both upgraded and downgraded GPU drivers (older version, beta version) with no difference
- I have reformatted five times with slight differences in setup; no difference
- Removed the audio interface, an external USB hard drive for use in music production. No difference (and it worked fine on my previous rig anyway)
I have NOT:
- Tried with a 32-bit installation of Windows 7
- Disconnected/disabled the LAN drivers during gaming
- Tried a PSU with a higher than 650W
- Tried a different HD
At this point I was in touch with the retailer, who suggested a new PSU. I did, although I believed a 650W PSU would be sufficient. I was unable to quickly get a hold of a higher (750+W) PSU, so I tried another 650W; no difference.
Retailer and a local PC repair shop suggested I buy new RAM, so I upgraded from my previous 4GB to 8GB. Crashes persist, and I am on my fifth reformat at this point.
Finally (this is something like three weeks later) I was able to try using another GPU. I borrowed an old NVidia GeForce GTX 470 from a friend, installed the drivers, and played a game for a couple of hours with no crashes. At this point I was sure it was my GPU, and had it sent back to the retailer (where it remains). However, today my computer crashed once again, and I do not even have a GPU installed; I am using the onboard VGA adapter. The crash was the same as before, but this time it did create a .dmp file, which I have included in this post.
I immediately started researching the crash on Google, yet all I found were similarly related problems that (once again) provided no solution. I ran Driver Verifier on all third-party drivers (as well as the .sys files indicated on the .dmp file) and the computer rebooted just fine.
The driver itself (fvevol.sys) is part of Windows (it's the BitLocker Drive Encryption Driver). Not only does it seem unlikely that it should be causing this problem (more likely the problem happened while it happened to be running?), but I have in any case found no way to update the driver. I also don't use BitLocker on any of my hard drives so it's not actively doing anything.
I cannot find any culprit for this problem and it's driving me up the wall.
I am absolutely at wit's end at this point. I have no idea what the problem is, and it's not something I have ever experienced before. If anyone with any knowledge about this could be of assistance, then you have no idea just how appreciative I would be. It's been over a month of daily frustration attempting to troubleshoot a problem that happens at random.
I'm willing to do any amount of exhaustive tests you ask me to do. Just assume that I'm an idiot who hasn't thoroughly completed every step of the process I've outlined in this thread. I also know very little of diagnosing BSoDs. I would swear all the way to the bank that I'm good enough with computers not to be a PEBKAC, but this problem is kicking my ass.
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