Blue Screens on Windows 7 Startup - new build

[eaclou]

So i'm starting a new thread to consolidate and make it easier to understand the problem, as the old thread is getting a little more cumbersome. if you want to take a look, it's here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274569-31-build-bsod-crashes-diagnose#t2021391

I've been getting Blue Screens since I built my new machine a few weeks ago. Here are the relevant facts:

i7 860 Lynnfield CPU
Asus P7P55D
Sapphire Radeon 5770
Corsair 750HX 750W modular PSU
WD Caviar Black 1TB (intended system drive)
WD Caviar Green 1TB (intended backup drive)
Lian Li PC-7F case
Windows 7 Professional x64 OEM

-The Blue Screens Always happen at the exact same point in startup - right at the end of the windows 7 loading screen, where it should transition from the windows logo to the cursor.
-The machine will flash a blue screen and auto-restart. When it restarts, it will offer to run Windows recovery mode. It will crash at the end of loading this recovery mode and display a blue screen, but when i restart it loads the recovery mode without a problem.
-The message i've seen the most often is "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL", but i've also seen "SYSTEM_OPERATION_FAILURE".
-I am consistently able to fix the problem by running the Windows 7 recovery mode and either loading a recovery point or running the auto-repair utility. Once it is done running, upon restart, it will load Windows without a hitch.
-I have never had an issue with stability or any crashes once the system makes it into the Windows desktop, and i've had it running overnight multiple times.

-I have run the Western Digital Disk diagnostic utility on both Hard Drives, using the 'extended' test, and have come back with no errors.
-I have run memTest86+ for 14 hours, and encountered a single error.
-I flashed the BIOS of the motherboard to the latest version.
-I have installed Windows multiple times on both hard drives, and have had the same error with both (although for more than a week i had no problems with the 'Green" drive.
-The crashes seem to happen after letting the computer sit for a long period of time, like overnight, for example. I very rarely have trouble restarting multiple times immediately after running the Windows 7 repair utility, but it will crash the next day after no changes to the system.
-I installed a fresh copy of Windows on the Caviar Black drive and only installed the Windows updates, refraining from installing ANY 3rd person drivers, and it crashed after letting it sit overnight.

I'm pretty much stumped at this point. Some of the issues are really confusing me; especially that it seems to crash after letting the computer sit for awhile, and that it only crashes during windows startup. I'm running out of things to test.

What would you all recommend as far as further tests, or likely causes? I'm having trouble believing it's hardware at this point because it never has trouble once i'm booted up into Windows, and the startup repair utility is able to fix the issue consistently (albeit temporarily). However, a clean install of Windows with nothing installed except the windows updates suffered the same issue. I'm no expert with computer troubleshooting, but this seems like a tricky one to diagnose.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The answer to your problem was already addressed in your previous thread. You have RAM issues. Like was mentioned before, properly functioning RAM will get NO errors in Memtest86+. BSOD's are most often caused by RAM problems. The fact that you're getting an error in Memtest86+ just supports this theory. What is the hang-up? RMA your RAM and see if you still have problems with your new RAM. It most likely crashes at the same point during startup because it hits the bad RAM sector every time.

 

[eaclou]

If it is RAM, then why does it only crash at that one point in startup? I've played 3+ hours of World in Conflict, ran prime95 for an hour, and run various other programs within Windows without a problem. Also, how does Windows repair utility fix the problem if it is purely a software fix, and you mentioned that it isn't able to mark a sector of RAM bad and avoid it?

I'll try running with single sticks at a time, but i am fundamentally confused how such a general issue such as faulty RAM would cause such a specific, consistent, and isolated problem, and have ZERO other issues.

Exactly what changes does the windows repair utility make that would fix (temporarily) a RAM issue? I was under the assumption that the repair utility only affected system files.

I'm not ignoring your RAM theory or pretending that i know better, but it really makes no sense to me that RAM would cause this particular problem. I'm also skeptical that good non-ecc ram will have ZERO issues. Otherwise, what would the point of having ECC RAM? I've been in this world long enough to know that nothing is flawless. maybe you or someone can explain?

Thank you

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Your problem probably doesn't present itself during normal use because the system isn't hitting that bad sector. Even if it does use that bad sector, the error returned may or may not cause the system to crash, depending on the application that receives the error. The symptoms you describe just scream RAM to me.

I'm telling you, properly functioning RAM will not return ANY errors in Memtest86+. I started a Memtest86+ run and then had to go out of town over a weekend. When I returned it still had not found a single error.

Feel free to keep bashing your head against the wall. I can just say in my experience your problems are RAM related.

Here's an article that may or may not be of interest to you:

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/blue_screen_survival_guide?page=0,0

 

[branflakes71]

I agree that it is most likely a RAM issue. I'm a desktop support tech and those symptoms are usually RAM related. The RAM error causes an error within Windows at start-up that the Repair mode temporarialy fixes. But, since you hit that bad section of RAM again, the error will keep returning.

Agreed that you should never get errors on the Memtest. Heck, I've had known bad ram give no errors on Memtest.

I'd RMA that RAM and try new sticks.

 

[daship]

Ram for sure.