series of BSODs caused by new RAM after a month of use

[adgalati]

So I recently had a series of various BSODs happen to me, the first time in years since I've seen one (didn't actually realize it was a BSOD at first because i've never had one since windows 7 and they look so different now). There were about 5 different error messages, and they all occurred randomly throughout the day. At first there was no BSOD but the display suddenly went black with the pc still running so I had to do a hard shut down. After this, the pc would run smoothly for no more than an hour before the errors, but most of the time it was minutes. I had assumed at first it was a driver or some update that windows installed in the background, since I hadn't installed anything recently. So after a while I thought, well the last piece of hardware I installed in the pc was ram, but that was over a month ago. Sure enough I ran the windows memory diagnostic tool and it reported an error. So i put the old ram back in (which is about 5 years old) and haven't had an incident in over 24 hours.

What I'm confused about is, why did this suddenly happen a month after the ram is installed with everything running smoothly prior? The old ram is a mixture of 2 different brands (2gb and 4gb) that originally came with an alienware pc I had bought (5 years ago). The new ones are Ballistix (4 and 4 gb). Now these supposedly have a lifetime warranty for defects but I feel like a defect would have been apparent right after installing them. So my main question is, is there anything else I could change in the BIOS screen or something to make the new ram work properly? or could there have possibly been something else that could have gone wrong with the physical sticks themselves after a month? (I did check all the obvious specs for compatibility with the mobo before purchasing)

 

[Colif]

what type of pc is this? custom or brand name? If custom, what are its specs?

Can you download and run this program: http://www.resplendence.com/whocrashed
it checks error logs and creates a summary of each error

Please copy paste the summary in here

can you have win 10 create minidumps and upload them to a cloud server and share links here
(minidump config tutorial)

Have you updated your bios at all?

Run a program like Driver Booster and see if you need any new drivers. Careful letting it update network drivers as it can freeze pc - I would just use it to see their names and go to the creators web site and get them there. So if one is intel, get them off intel and install yourself

 

[adgalati]

believe it or not, downloading whocrashed has triggered another seemingly unrelated malady. once firefox finished the download, the pc slowed down to near freezing status. tried to get to the task manager but no luck, had to do another forced shut down. before the shut down, an application error came up onto a black screen; plugin-container.exe the exception breakpoint, a breakpoint has been reached....

upon restart, my wallpaper is black and task manager has 97% mem usage and 100% disk utilization, with a about 20+ instances of Java Web start launchers under the processes list. it has been like this for half an hour and i cant acces anything.

this is a custom pc with an asus mini itx with intel i5 cpu, gtx 970 gpu. i apologize for not including as much detail, i am now using a barely functioning laptop with most of the keys broken so i have to type with onscreen keyboard

 

[adgalati]

what type of pc is this? custom or brand name? If custom, what are its specs?

Can you download and run this program: http://www.resplendence.com/whocrashed
it checks error logs and creates a summary of each error

Please copy paste the summary in here

can you have win 10 create minidumps and upload them to a cloud server and share links here
(minidump config tutorial)

Have you updated your bios at all?

Run a program like Driver Booster and see if you need any new drivers. Careful letting it update network drivers as it can freeze pc - I would just use it to see their names and go to the creators web site and get them there. So if one is intel, get them off intel and install yourself

Ok I managed to run whocrashed after the previous incident:

Windows version: Windows 10 , 10.0, build: 10586
Windows dir: C:\WINDOWS
Hardware: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC., P8Z77-I DELUXE/WD
CPU: GenuineIntel Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3450 CPU @ 3.10GHz Intel586, level: 6
4 logical processors, active mask: 15
RAM: 6384418816 bytes total




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crash Dump Analysis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crash dump directory: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump

Crash dumps are enabled on your computer.

On Wed 4/27/2016 11:33:03 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\042716-56453-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntkrnlmp.exe (nt!KeBugCheckEx+0x0)
Bugcheck code: 0x139 (0x3, 0xFFFFD001912B9820, 0xFFFFD001912B9778, 0x0)
Error: KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE
Bug check description: The kernel has detected the corruption of a critical data structure.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.



On Wed 4/27/2016 11:33:03 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\memory.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntkrnlmp.exe (nt!KeBugCheckEx+0x0)
Bugcheck code: 0x139 (0x3, 0xFFFFD001912B9820, 0xFFFFD001912B9778, 0x0)
Error: KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE
Bug check description: The kernel has detected the corruption of a critical data structure.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.


Also it should be noted that at one point during the BSOD madness, i did a restore where windows reverts back to a previous day's state so that may have gotten rid of previous errors that whocrashed would have otherwise seen.

 

[Colif]

that breakpoint error is firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1047038 - this relates to gpu so possible gpu drivers are one cause

system restore would have done that, if you upload the logs it still might help us with that one crash (whocrashed repeats first thing for some reason)

at some stage you may want to grab the new ram and run this on it and see if it is cause: http://www.memtest86.com/ (just the free version) and ram isn't only thing that can cause corrupt memory, it can also be power or motherboard

what is your power supply btw?

You got the latest bios? its 2 years old but better than nothing: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/P8Z77I_DELUXEWD/HelpDesk_Download/

driver booster would have newer drivers than what is on the Asus site.

scary, this is my old mobo and it has just as much support as your does still: https://www.asus.com/au/Motherboards/P5N32E_SLI/HelpDesk_Download/ its 10 years old.

 

[adgalati]

Thank you for the quick reply!

I did run driver booster and i let it do its thing. There were a lot of "extremely old" drivers, but now everything is up to date. However i still keep getting hung up when opening firefox. The pc has been trying to shut down for 20 minutes from it. I guess next time i get it back and running i will NOT open firefox and try the other things you suggested.

The psu is a corsair CX430M. I used an online tool for calculating power needs and it seemed i still had plenty of watts to spare with all my hardware.

 

[Colif]

it may not be cause but its a tier 4 psu on here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Built down to a low price. Not exactly the most stable units ever created. Very basic safety circuitry or even thin gauge wiring used. Not for gaming rigs or overclocking systems of any kind. Avoid unless your budget dictates your choice.

there is more to buying a psu than its wattage, but your rig doesn't really need a t1 or t2 PSU but its just something to think about. It may not have the power to run your gpu and the ram at same time. Advertised power may be misleading, though it had fairly good reviews on launch so i might be wrong. If it starts making noises, replace it. A GTX 970 didn't exist at time it was made, i bet it doesn't like that (even though gtx 970 doesn't use much power), you may need a t3 PSU with a higher efficiency rating as bronze lets plenty of power leak away.

that java thing is just odd

try uninstalling and reinstalling firefox and make the gpu change as soon as its installed

 

[adgalati]

Here's a link to a file that was in the minidump folder.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4AkpCRawJq0cHZJN2t3WjB3Tm8

Also, I'm pretty sure I did download the latest bios when I installed the motherboard which was about a year ago, so that should be fine.

 

[adgalati]

it may not be cause but its a tier 4 psu on here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Built down to a low price. Not exactly the most stable units ever created. Very basic safety circuitry or even thin gauge wiring used. Not for gaming rigs or overclocking systems of any kind. Avoid unless your budget dictates your choice.

there is more to buying a psu than its wattage, but your rig doesn't really need a t1 or t2 PSU but its just something to think about. It may not have the power to run your gpu and the ram at same time. Advertised power may be misleading, though it had fairly good reviews on launch so i might be wrong. If it starts making noises, replace it.

that java thing is just odd

try uninstalling and reinstalling firefox and make the gpu change as soon as its installed

Yeah I guess I'm a little ignorant of a lot of hardware details when it comes to building a pc (foolishness I know). But what do you mean by "make the gpu change"?

 

[Colif]

this

You can try to disable hardware acceleration in Firefox.

Tools > Options > Advanced > General > Browsing: "Use hardware acceleration when available"

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1047038

 

[Colif]

You shouldn't need that though, i think main problem is power supply isn't giving you enough to keep parts alive. A bad PSU can also kill other things, so i would buy a better one. It can be a 430 or 500, you don't need much power, just consistent power. Consult that chart for a good model to buy.

Corsair make good PSU, just not the CX model.RM & CS are better, RMI even better again but you don't need that high

You might also think about resetting windows 10 and get a fresh copy of windows on there once PSU is fixed. Best way to avoid driver related BSOD

 

[adgalati]

You shouldn't need that though, i think main problem is power supply isn't giving you enough to keep parts alive. A bad PSU can also kill other things, so i would buy a better one. It can be a 430 or 500, you don't need much power, just consistent power. Consult that chart for a good model to buy.

You might also think about resetting windows 10 and get a fresh copy of windows on there once PSU is fixed. Best way to avoid driver related BSOD

Ok, I will definitely look into that. I was thinking about reinstalling windows too but was also gonna get a solid state drive to do it on first.

So since I haven't gotten any actual BSODs since reverting back to the old ram, do you think the PSU couldn't handle the upgraded ram? Just trying to get a clear idea of what might have been the problem that was causing the BSODs.

 

[Colif]

power is one area you don't save money buying a cheap one, as it can turn around and kill all the parts you spent money on. Better to spend more and get a good one and keep rest of parts alive longer. They all die eventually, better ones just last longer and don't kill other parts along way. Your PSU cost $25 at launch, the rest of your parts deserve better

Don't get an SSD until you replace PSU as its just one more thing for it to kill.

bad power can cause all sorts of errors, as it effects everything in pc.

 

[adgalati]

Yes, I will certainly do that first. I'm also going to reinstall the new ram again soon to see if all those driver updates maybe fixed the problem with that.

 

[Colif]

sure, if it updated chipset drivers (anything from intel) then it may work fine now. I updated 13 drivers last week, I am no saint... i had noticed my pc took 1 minute to boot yet it had an ssd. After updates, back to 20 seconds. New drivers can make big changes

 

[adgalati]

Well it wasn't the drivers! BSOD before I even got to the login screen. I'm truly baffled as to why this is suddenly happening after a month of flawless performance with that ram.

On Fri 4/29/2016 9:27:15 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\042916-25265-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntkrnlmp.exe (nt!KeBugCheckEx+0x0)
Bugcheck code: 0xC000021A (0xFFFFC000E73B5130, 0xFFFFFFFFC0000005, 0x7FFCFC9221D0, 0x56E8B3ECC0)
Error: STATUS_SYSTEM_PROCESS_TERMINATED
Bug check description: This means that an error has occurred in a crucial user-mode subsystem.
There is a possibility this problem was caused by a virus or other malware.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.

 

[Colif]

Cause

This error occurs when a user-mode subsystem, such as WinLogon or the Client Server Run-Time Subsystem (CSRSS), has been fatally compromised and security can no longer be guaranteed. In response, the operating system switches to kernel mode. Microsoft Windows cannot run without WinLogon or CSRSS. Therefore, this is one of the few cases where the failure of a user-mode service can shut down the system.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff560177%28v=vs.85%29.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396

you can't even logon now, time for a reinstall..

this pc just doesn't want to play nice.

starting to wonder if you have a virus

 

[adgalati]

Cause

This error occurs when a user-mode subsystem, such as WinLogon or the Client Server Run-Time Subsystem (CSRSS), has been fatally compromised and security can no longer be guaranteed. In response, the operating system switches to kernel mode. Microsoft Windows cannot run without WinLogon or CSRSS. Therefore, this is one of the few cases where the failure of a user-mode service can shut down the system.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff560177%28v=vs.85%29.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396

you can't even logon now, time for a reinstall..

this pc just doesn't want to play nice.

starting to wonder if you have a virus

Except that was only with the new ram. I switched it back out again and bam back to normal, I'm on the pc right now, no problems. Why would ram cause that error, i don't understand.

 

[Colif]

run memcheck on ram, if its faulty, return it and claim that guarantee of theirs. get new sticks and test them out

 

[Colif]

is the ram on the compatibility chart for motherboard? perhaps ram just not right specs for motherboard.

Download the chart and check it out: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/P8Z77I_DELUXEWD/HelpDesk_QVL/

 

[adgalati]

i did run the windows memory diagnostic tool app and it did indeed say there was an error with it, i said that in the first post actually lol So would I just send the error log to customer support and see if i can get a replacement?

 

[adgalati]

Hmm I never checked that chart I just read from the motherboard box what it was compatible with, apparently that list says it only supports 1 and 2 gb sticks?? I've been using these for a month and now it decides it's not compatible!

 

[Colif]

i should mention they don't test every stick combo so its likely they only did the small ones at the time.

 

[Colif]

Max ram is 16gb so i expect you are fine

2 x DIMM, Max. 16GB, DDR3 2400(O.C.)/2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1800(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory

 

[Colif]

So does pc work now, the only problem was ram or is there anything else? Did you fix firefox?