# Stop: 0x0000004E, 0x0000007E, C0000221



## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Hi, I am having a problem with stop errors. Last night I was having a problem with norton, so I had a technician from symantec remote connect and "fix" the problem, which he did. However, after he made a few changes to the registry, he restarted. Blam the first BOD I've seen on this PC. I did a hard restart, and got another BOD. Stupidly, I didn't write down the specific error numbers. After 2 hard resets, windows starts normally. I complained to the tech that there was a problem, but he said everything was fine. Naturally...

I left my PC on overnight last night, and when I woke up, I had a BOD. Didn't write this one down either. I rebooted, and got a Stop: 0x0000004E, PFN_LIST_Corrupt. I also have the specific parameters if needed. I rebooted again, and got a Stop:0x0000007E, (I ended up getting this twice rebooting into normal windows, and once into safe mode for a total of 3x). Also mixed in with these reboots was a Stop:C0000221 Unknown Hard Error; \systemroot\system32\ntdll.dll

After rebooting the 5 times I turned the PC off and went to my laptop for troubleshooting information. After about 15 minutes I powered the PC back up and no problems. I have not been able to replicate this problem since, but I know it's just lurking somewhere in the circuitry, just waiting for me to drop my guard.

This PC was built about 3 months ago. I have a Silverstone Strider ST1000, 1000W PSU. Maximus Formula motherboard, with stock bios. Radeon HD 3870x2, QX9650 "Yorkfield" (Intel 4x3.0GHz),4x1Gb Crucial Ballistix, Creative SB Fata1ity Pro.

Windows XP Home is up to date


I have run a chkdsk /r and the disk was clean. Also have ran memtest v3.3 (couldn't get the 4.1 version to boot), on all 4 sticks of ram, individually, and while it took forever, I had no errors. Also had no errors running memtest on all 4 sticks at once. I also ran a registry cleaner, but am unconvinced of its effect in this situation.

Thank you for any and all help, I am at a loss as to how to proceed.


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## tecknomage (Jan 24, 2008)

Have you read *Microsoft's How to Troubleshoot a "STOP: 0x0000004E PFN_LIST_CORRUPT" Error Message*?


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Yes, I've read that article, but it applies to windows 2000, and I have XP. Should I follow the steps anyways?


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

Hi Physics !

Stop: 0x0000004E, PFN_LIST_Corrupt seems to point to some hardware or drivers problem :
How to Troubleshoot a "STOP: 0x0000004E PFN_LIST_CORRUPT" Error Message
(Windows XP is basically a Windows 2000 based OS)

Stop:C0000221 Unknown Hard Error seems to confirm the drivers problem :
"STOP: C0000221 unknown hard error" or "STOP: C0000221 STATUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MISMATCH" error message occurs

Make sure all your drivers are up to date and you have installed all the latest critical updates from Windows update.

Enter the BIOS at startup and look for a hardware monitor or pc health status screen. Please report your temps, fan speeds and voltages (+3.3, +5 and +12V) from there.

Enter the device manager (start => run => devmgmt.msc), go to view => show hidden devices. Report if there are any flagged devices in the list.

Check the event viewer for errors happening at the time of the crashes : start => run => event viewer. Double-click the error and click on the third button on the right to copy the info in the memory then right-click => paste it here.

If nothing obvious appears there we'll see if the driver verifier utility tells us more.

Do you have an XP SP2 install CD?


Btw, Windows XP 32bit can't address 4GB of memory effectively. Don't know if that's what could cause the problem but you may find more informations in the links at the bottom. Here's the information I gathered some time ago :

The max memory a 32bits OS can address is 4GB. In that max addressable memory you have to include all the memory addresses reserved by your devices and components (network, sound card, video card, controllers, ...) , which is why a system with 4GB of ram will only report round 3.2GB in XP's system informations. If you add 1GB of video ram on top of that, that leaves the OS with less than 2.5GB of remaining addressable memory to use. Any RAM installed on top of that is thus wasted.

Add the fact XP will want to address more memory than what is actually used by your devices and applications so that it doesn't have to remap the available memory each time an application wants more or releases some and you have the reason why anything above 2GB of physical memory is very likely to be wasted with XP. It simply can't address it correctly.

XP 32bit will share the available memory between the OS and the applications, capping at 2GB for each. You can use the /3GB switch to allow the applications to use up to 3GB but in your case using that switch could theoratically leave the kernel with no available RAM at all (though I suppose there are some protections to prevent that). The only apps I know of that are able to actually use more than 2GB are professional apps but you have to leave some memory for the kernel.

Now if your hardware is fully 64bit compatible then there's a /PAE switch that can be enabled to allow the memory for the devices to be addressed above the 4GB limit so that it leaves the 4GB address space for the actual physical memory. But this can cause stability issues and will require that you tweak some settings in the BIOS. I don't know much about that feature so I can't help you with that. Read the 3d and 4th link below about that feature. 

Links :
Memory limits for Windows releases

RAM, Virtual Memory, Pagefile and all that stuff


> (quoted from the link above)
> Some commonly reported architectural limits in Windows include:
> 
> 1. 2 GB of shared virtual address space for the system
> ...


A description of the 4 GB RAM Tuning feature and the Physical Address Extension switch

This link has more explanations about the PAE switch which should apply to any 32bit OS :
The system memory that is reported in the System Information dialog box in Windows Vista is less than you expect if 4 GB of RAM is installed

Memory Support and Windows Operating Systems

more info about the /3GB and /PAE switches


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Within device manager, there were 3 devices flagged. All 3 were under non-plug and play drivers. One was a ps2 keyboard, I uninstalled the device, I don't use a ps2 keyboard. The other 2 are parport and serial. 

What drivers do I need to update besides my video card? I know that those are up to date. Windows is up to date. When I post this, I will check the bios. 

In the event viewer, I have found an error roughly around the time I think the overnight BOD happened. It is:


> DCOM got error "The service database is locked. " attempting to start the service netman with arguments "" in order to run the server:
> {BA126AE5-2166-11D1-B1D0-00805FC1270E}


and then:


> DCOM got error "The service database is locked. " attempting to start the service winmgmt with arguments "" in order to run the server:
> {8BC3F05E-D86B-11D0-A075-00C04FB68820}


However, looking back through the event viewer, I see this error popping up quite a bit, and not just when this problem occurred.

I know about the memory thing, I will be going to vista with this machine someday. I haven't really had any problems with performance. 

I do have my XP SP2 cd.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

From Bios:
Temps:
CPU:35C
MB:33C
NB:38.5C
SB:36C

Voltages:
Vcore:1.2V
CPU PLL:1.584V
N Bridge: 1.424V
DRAM:1.968V
FSB Termination:1.168V
S Bridge: 1.056V
DDR2 Controller Ref: 0.976V
SB 1.5V: 1.520V
3.3V:3.168V
12V:12.152V

I guess I could mention as well that I am using a IDE controller card for my cd and dvd drives. Maximus Formula only comes with one parallel ide controller which sucks if you have ide hard drives.

Also, please forgive any of my ignorance, my knowledge of computer troubleshooting is not very great.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

The 3.3V line is low, according to the ATX specs the +3.3, +5 and +12V lines have to remain in a +/- 5% range of their nominal value. At 3.168V your 3.3V line is nearly out of specs. Watch that value as it may mean that your power supply is not sufficient for your rig. When you used Extreme-outervision's PSU calculator, make sure you set capacitor aging to 30% (you'll want to keep that pwer supply for more than one or two years I suppose). Also add another 30% to the final result to take the average efficiency into account (usually around 70-75% for a good quality PSU on a 110V input current).

You've already tested the memory and the hard drive so no problem there. Try to keep away from registry cleaners, they can do more harm than good.

The DCOM errors in the event viewer are network related, you can usually ignore them.

The parport and serial devices are older printer and mouse ports that are non-existent on your motherboard. You can ignore those errors as well.

You'll find all the drivers for your motherboard on Asus' website : http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us&model=Maximus Formula
Check that you're using the latest ones for the chipset, audio and lan (if the drivers' files on the motherboard CD are older than the updates on Asus website then you're probably using older versions).

Check your BIOS revision and read the release notes of the subsequent BIOS updates to see if you could benefit from flashing the BIOS.

If the error happens again, see if booting the computer with only 2GB of memory or 1 video card installed helps. Refer to the motherboard manual to know which memory slots need to be used for a dual-channel configuration.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

If I update bios drivers, can I update to the newest one right away or do I need to do them sequentially? My bios is 0602, so it is a little old, and there is a memory compatibility fix in one of the updates. 

My chipset, audio and lan drivers are all the newest ones available. 

What do you recommend for the PSU? Should I try to get warranty work done on it? Should I buy another PSU?

The PSU calculator gave me a needed 980W, but some of the stuff in there I was guessing. Adding 30% to 980W gives me ~1275W! Do I really need this much?!? 

It seems I am just in a holding pattern, hoping that the problem doesn't happen again.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

Unless the release notes tell differently you can install the newest BIOS right away.

I entered your specs in the calculator (added 2 hard drives, one DVD drive, one CD/DVD burner, one floppy drive, 2 USB devices and 3 fans) and all I got was 600W which makes 780W if you take a 75% efficiency into account. If your specs are very different from what I guessed (for instance if you use a watercooling set) then tell us more about them. See the posting system specs link in my sig.

From what I've read your power supply is a good one. The 3.3V line is a bit weak but it's not out of specs yet (it's not under 3.135V). If there's some Asus pc probe or similar monitoring software on the motherboard's CD you can install it to monitor your voltages within Windows. The BIOS and a monitoring software made for that particular motherboard are the only programs that will give you accurate values about your temps and voltages. If you ever experience hard resets out of the blue without any error message then you may want to try another power supply. No need to get warranty work done on it unless the vendor is willing to test it for free.

For now, update the BIOS (make sure not to turn the computer off while the BIOS is being updated) and see if the problem happens again. Also check that all the cards are seated properly and that there's no loose cable.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

I haven't had another problem until today. During my troubleshooting I did update my bios to the most recent. 

Spent today struggling with some 0x00000050, 0x0000000A, 0x000000EA, 0x0000008E

The 8E points to dxg.sys in the dump file. One of the 50's pointed to hidclass.sys. The EA pointed to ati2dvag.dll, so I updated my ATI drivers. These are the random ones. 

I tried using verifier.exe but don't really know what's going on. When it ran, I got a stop error for ati2dvag, and I updated drivers at that point. Ran verifier again, and no stop error. Now, I'm just getting these random ones. 

I've also had reference to symevent.sys, ati2cqag.dll, and utoskrnl.exe.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

Still points to driver issues.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pr...serv/reskit/prork/prhd_exe_duol.mspx?mfr=true
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894278
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/329293

We don't know exactly what Norton or CCleaner did to the system so I'm beginning to think that a clean reinstall, without Norton, may be the fastest solution :4-dontkno You can try a repair installation first if you wish, make sure you uninstall IE7 if you have it and use an XP SP2 CD if your computer is updated with SP2.

If you wish to reinstall from scratch then create an XP SP3 install CD to save you the hassle of installing those updates afterwards. Backup your data, install XP, turn XP's integrated firewall on, install the latest drivers from Asus and Ati (preferably while in safe mode) and install a free antivirus like AVG or Antivir.


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## tabraiz_imtiaz (Dec 17, 2005)

Folks..try Memory


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

@ tabraiz_imtiaz : Already done. Please don't answer 2 months old threads.


Physics said:


> Also have ran memtest v3.3 (couldn't get the 4.1 version to boot), on all 4 sticks of ram, individually, and while it took forever, I had no errors. Also had no errors running memtest on all 4 sticks at once.


@ Physics : if you're still among us, I just noticed that the versions you cited (3.3 and 4.1) don't match memtest86+'s real versions (as of now the latest version is 2.01). Make sure you used this website and not a counterfeit one.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

So, after awhile I traced part of my problem to a bad hard drive. Got rid of that, and other than a persistent event 4226 (TCPIP) everything was running smoothly. I have been running scans with panda security, and other than some tracking cookies that don't seem to want to leave, no problems. Same with spybot s&d. Norton is worthless, and when my subscription is done it's gone anyways. 

Anyways, did a scan last night, when I woke up, had a stop 0x50 for ntfs.sys (dump file also mentioned win32k.sys). I rebooted, immediately got a stop 0x8e at the welcome screen. It pointed to rdbss.sys in the dump file. I rebooted, and windows started up and said something about the registry had to be updated by a log. I had some corruption on my windows disk, did a chkdsk to repair. 

At that point, I thought maybe everything was okay, but system was rather unstable. Had crashes on a few different games, to the point that I had to reboot. Was doing some repairs to wow file system using their repair tool, and another stop 0x50 for ntfs.sys popped up. 



Regarding memtest:

I have tried to get it to boot many, many times. I did the: Download - Pre-Compiled Bootable Binary (.zip) for ** Memtest86+ V2.01 (21/02/2008) ** at http://www.memtest.org/#downiso. Using winzip, I unzipped the iso to my desktop, and using isorecorder, burned the iso to cd. I then reboot, changing my boot settings so that my cd drive is at the top of the list. This will get the windows cd to boot, but NOT memtest. It just sits there at a blank screen, with flashing _ in the top left corner. It will hang there for a bit, and then boot to windows.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

Hello again Physics ! Thanks for reporting back.

Please zip and attach the .dmp files that you'll find in the c:\windows\minidump folder (click on post reply or go advanced to see the manage attachments button).

win32k.sys is the kernel driver that manages Windows' graphical user interface. It will often appear in the error reports but is never the real cause of the problem. The ntfs.sys error and the fact that Windows had to restore a registry hive seem to indicate errors on the hard drive or in the file system. Run chkdsk c: /R again.

Can you provide a list with your complete system specs ? See the link in my sig and add all additional pci cards, fans and other hardware parts that take their power from the PSU to the list. I'll ask an hardware tech to take a look so having all your hardware listed in one place would be nice. Btw you can show your system specs next to your posts if you enter them in your user cp : http://www.techsupportforum.com/profile.php?do=editoptions

Follow these instructions to create the memtest CD. Try the memtest CD on another computer, if it boots fine the problem could be with your CD drive being hooked on a PCI controller card.

If you can afford to a fresh install would allow to rule out software issues (remember what I said in post #11 about the registry cleaner and norton).

Also make sure you've install all the latest updates from Windows udpate (you should have SP3 installed).


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Okay, I saved my specs in my profile, hopefully that worked right. I have attached my dump files. I should also point out that I have a Saitek usb keyboard, an x52 pro flight control system, a usb headset, and a logitech g7 mouse hooked up too. There are at least 3 fans in the case. 

At this point, I would LIKE to not reinstall windows, as I have some programs I no longer have cd's to (dogs got to them). However, if it is necessary, so be it. 

Memtest booted onto my laptop.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

I just ran chkdsk /r on my windows disk, and no problems. I had run it between the 0x8e and the second 0x50 and cleaned up a lot of junk. Don't remember the details, but a lot of errors had been fixed. Then I had that next 0x50 pointing to ntfs.sys again. 

I would also like to add that I've had a few more 0x50's, 0x8e's and 0x24's since last night. Most were earlier today when I was not home. Funny story, I actually busted my wife being on my PC when she knows not to. The computer was supposed to be off, yet there were stop errors in the event viewer at that time. She even tried to lie and say she didn't turn the computer on. :grin: Too funny, when I finally convinced her she was busted! 

So, I don't have the details of these further stop errors, because they didn't create dumps either. Apparently, there were no error msgs associated with these further stops either. 

The memtest boot thing is weird, my windows disk boots into the setup if I tell it to, I don't know why another bootdisk wouldn't. Do you think it matters if I'm going through a controller card? I guess I will have to try unhooking hd's and hook up cd drive to the mobo.

ETA: windows is up to date.
Also ETA: hooking up the cd drive to the mobo got memtest to boot, running it now, 1 stick at a time. 

Thanks again for your help btw. ray:


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Okay, so an interesting observation. I bought this ram: [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148069&Tpk=BL2KIT12864AA1065"]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148069&Tpk=BL2KIT12864AA1065[/URL]
and if you look in the specs, it says a few things, like DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500), and 5-5-5-15 for timing. Keep in mind, I have absolutely no clue on this stuff, I just happened to notice a discrepancy, in that memtest settings says my ram is at 400MHz ddr801 and 5-5-5-18 for timing. 

Am I supposed to manually set up my ram when I install it? I didn't do anything, I just plugged it in when I built my PC, no configuration at all.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Okay memtest was fine, ran it on all 4 sticks separately, and then all 4 at once, no errors.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

About your RAM, high performances sticks often set their SPD to run at a lower speed by default, this is because higher speeds need higher voltages and some motherboards default to 1.8V. A DDR1066 stick can probably run at 800Mhz with 1.8V but may need 2.0V to run at 1066Mhz. You'll need to up the DRAM voltage and adjust the frequency and timings manually in the BIOS. It's also possible that memtest got the timings wrong. Check what cpu-z says under Windows. What's the exact model of your Crucial memory sticks ? All should be explained on the manufacturer's website. Make sure you don't change the wrong voltage setting in the BIOS.

The 4 last BSOD's could be caused by some memory issue. Try running your computer with only 2 sticks of memory (2GB of RAM) at the manufacturer's recommended timings and see if it still crashes. Please keep only 2 sticks in dual channel for the rest of the troubleshooting process (you shouldn't notice any difference between 2 and 4GB of RAM on XP 32bit anyway). 4 memory sticks may cause stability issues on some systems. It may also require that you increase the voltage a little more than for 1 or 2 sticks. I wouldn't go higher than 2.1V unless the memory manufacturer says otherwise. Remember this for when your computer won't crash anymore, keep only 2 sticks for now.

I'd also remove your PCI controller card for now (don't forget to uninstall the driver/bundled software). See if you have some friend who could lend you a SATA DVD drive if you really need to access CD's and DVD's.

Your last 0x50 and 0x24 BSOD's related to ntfs.sys could have been caused by the computer not being shutdown properly, in which case it's a consequence of the other crashes. Run chkdsk /R on both your hard drives.

Test your hard drives with the manufacturer's diagnostic utility. Look on the sticker that's on the drives to find their brand and model then create the bootable CD with the related HDD diagnostic utility (choose the DOS bootable version). Boot the computer on it and run the long/extended test on each drive.

This solution (using a knoppix CD to set chkdsk to run at sartup) worked for another user who had 0x50 and 0x24 errors related to ntfs.sys, but if you're able to boot into windows and run chkdsk c: /R there it shouldn't do anything different. Make sure you've run the HDD manufacturer's diagnostic utility on your drives first.

Could you report your temps and voltages again from the BIOS ? I'd like you to run speedfan to monitor your voltages within Windows. Click on configure, tick the logged box for each voltage in the Voltages tab. Add your fans and cpu temps if you want then go to the log tab and tick enabled. Keep speedfan running in the background (you can minimize it in the system tray) until you experience a new crash. You'll find the SFLog.csv file in the program files\speedfan folder, zip it and attach it to your next post.


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## bdesmondMVP (May 19, 2008)

I'd start with removing Norton - like most third party antivirus programs, it doesn't have a great track record.

If that doesn't work, driver verifier is a good next step. 

Fire up driver verifier by going start>run>verifier.exe


1. Create Custom Settings
2. Select individual settings from list
3. Check Special Pool, Pool Tracking, Force IRQL Checking
4. Select drivers from a list
5. Click the provider heading to sort
6. Check everything that doesn't have Microsoft as the provider
7. Finish & reboot

Next time the box crashes, upload the dumps. Driver verifier adds a bunch of checks to help us identify the culprit.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

I agree with bdesmond, the problem could be related to a third party driver. Do you still have Norton installed, I thought you had a symantec technician remove it ? Run this to make sure Norton is gone for good : http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039

Don't forget to use only 2GB of RAM and uninstall your PCI IDE controller card, could still be some hardware/memory issue.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Okay, just got back into town, will try to work on this tomorrow. Yes, I still have norton for another 180 days, and something tells me they're not going to give me a refund.  What is a good replacement firewall?


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

I'd stick to XP's integrated firewall for the time of the troubleshooting, you'll know it won't come in the way and your router probably has a built-in firewall anyway. Once the problem is solved you can ask the security techs what firewall they recommend (create a new thread in the general security section). If you were using Norton Antivirus you'll also need a replacement antivirus, Avira Antivir is free, efficient and doesn't take up many ressources, else there's also avast or AVG. Don't forget to run the norton removal tool (link in my previous post) before you install a new antivirus.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Okay, changed my timing to 5-5-5-15, couldn't figure out how to change any voltages. Also set the freq to 1066. While in the BIOS, I noticed that my high def audio is enabled. Should I turn this off? The mb came with a sound card but I'm using a soundblaster card.

Temps and voltages:
CPU temp: 38C
MB temp: 32C
NB temp: 40C
SB temp:38C
Vcore: 1.2V
CPU PLL: 1.584V
NB:1.344V
DRAM:1.968V
FSB Termination: 1.168V
SB 1.056V
DDR2 Control Ref: .976V
SB 1.5V:1.52V
3.3V: 3.152V
5V:4.968V
12V: 12.152V

Am going to do the speedfan thing now.

EDIT: I changed the freq/timings at the same time I checked the voltages, so it didn't take the changes into account. 
When I checked again, Dram had changed to 2.208V and DDR2 is changing between 1.088V and 1.104V.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Vcore: 1.21V
12V: 11.46V
AVcc: 3.17V
Vcore: 0.00V
3.3V: 3.33V

^^^ from speedfan.

EDIT: I ran verifier.exe as well, as posted. I will post logs when it crashes again.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

So, cpu-z says my dram freq is 534.4MHz, not the 1066MHz I set it to in the BIOS. I have attached a dump from cpu-z. I also attached the data sheet on my ram (it's the 1065 model).


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Also getting lots of service control manager errors in event viewer. Event 7023, unspecified module. Got like ~40 of them in less than a second.

I had to install rivatuner, as I am also having what I thought was an overheating gpu. When playing wow, the screen will flash black for about .5 seconds and then back, but my framerate will drop to like 3 fps. It does this after playing the game for awhile. Anyways, my point is that I just installed rivatuner and wondered if maybe this caused the errors I mentioned above.

Just curious if I DID do a format/clean install, would this fix the problem most likely?


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

Your DDR2 ram is working at 2 x 533Mhz = 1066, cpu-z is right in reporting a 533Mhz frequency. 2.2V for the DRAM voltage may be a little high, see if you can lock the value to 2.0V or 2.1V in the BIOS. Refer to your motherboard manual, with Asus motherboards you usually have to change a given setting (like change per SPD to manual for the memory or change auto to manual for the FSB) to have access to more advanced options including the voltages. Have you removed 2 memory sticks like I asked ?

Speedfan reports an underpowered 12V line, if this reading is correct this is a serious issue that could cause hardware related BSOD's. What gpu temp does it report ? If speedfan can't find the gpu temp you should find it in the ati control panel. The GPU can get much hotter than the CPU, don't be surprised if it's at 50°C when idle. It should stay under 100°C when under load though. Try another less power hungry video card or another good quality 800W+ power supply.

A clean install should get rid of all software related errors. If the errors happen again afterwards at least we'll know for sure that they are hardware related or related to a driver needed by your hardware.

I'm not at my place so won't be able to come often this week.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

When I installed rivatuner, my GPU temps dropped from ~70C idle to ~45C. This is because I manually set the card's fanspeed to 50%. 

I will see if I can exchange the PSU.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

okay, here is a few more. I only saw one blue screen the other popped up during reboot, and the system recovered. The other one was a 0xC1 Special_pool__detected_memory_corruption.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

And a 0x50 from dxg.sys.

Is it probable that the PSU is that cause? It will be a pain to RMA it. Speedfan reports a constant 11.4V on the 12V. Is this the line to my video card? I was thinking about looking for a different 12V line on my PSU (it's modular). 

Also do you think formatting is worth the effort here? Is there a way to keep previous installs inact without reinstalling; like copying the /program files directory for those specific games to dvd and then recopying after format and reinstall? As I mentioned before, my dogs ate a few of my game cd's, luckily you don't need cd to play, but I can't reinstall them.


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## bdesmondMVP (May 19, 2008)

Hi-

Power supply isn't looking like such a great guess today - sorry. 

Can you remove your Norton/Symantec Internet Security (or whatever it's called)?

Also - whatever this is, lose it too http://www.file.net/process/asacpi.sys.html. Looks like some sort of utility that your motherboard came with maybe?


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

After running memtest for multiple passes, one of my ram sticks popped up with ~48 errors. This is one of the 2 that I've been using. Going to try 2 of the good ones. If that doesn't work, bye bye norton.

I will look at asacpi.sys, can I just remove it from the startup? I think it is a tool for my MB.

EDIT: asacpi.sys is not in my startup. It is not running right now, after boot, so I will try to figure out what opens it.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Now getting crashes where my mouse and keyboard will just stop working. No blue screen, no dump, nothing. Just freezes. CD drive will open up, but the backlighting of my keyboard turns off, and won't type, and my mouse stops. This is happening rather frequently at the moment.


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## bdesmondMVP (May 19, 2008)

If you hit num lock does the LED cycle on the keyboard?


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Lol no, it's dead, but it stopped doing that. It happened like 3 times in a row, but now it's fine? 

Anyways, norton is now gone. I uninstalled a bunch of games too, and things seem to be moving a little quicker. I am still using the controller card, but as my dvd drive now no longer can write, I'm looking into getting a SATA dvd drive, which would allow me to scrap the controller card.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Yeah, I got that freeze a couple more times again. This time, my speakers gave a quick static noise, then everything stopped responding. No blue screen, no dump.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

I can't process your minidumps right now, I'll check them next week once I'm at my place. Leave the case open and check that all the fans are still spinning. Remove all that's not needed for the computer to run, start with the PCI controller card and CD/DVD drive(s) if they don't work anymore, keeping them hooked in the computer uses some power.

Could still be a power issue, the supply could be faulty. Crashes without BSOD's are often hardware related. What does Asus PC Probe say about your 12V line ? If it's still at 11.4V then try another power supply. Check the recommended ones for your "UBER" computer at the bottom of this thread : http://www.techsupportforum.com/f210/power-supply-information-and-selection-192217.html.

Or change your video card for a less demanding one, it'll probably be easier to borrow a good quality 500W PSU and a low power video card than to find another good quality 1000W PSU. Check the voltages again with the new hardware and see how the computer goes (uninstall/reinstall the proper video drivers). Get a video card with its max wattage under 100W, check this thread about video cards power requirements on atomicmpc. The PSU will need at least 26 amps on the 12V rail for a low power PCI-e video card.

Whatever you do don't forget to run chkdsk c: /F first time you get the computer to boot. Since Windows wasn't shutdown properly there are probably minor inconsistencies in the file system.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

I'm working on the hardware side. Speedfan still says it's at 11.4v. Is this the video card line? Swapping out hardware is unfortunately not really an option, I'm poor right now. Trying to get the PSU rma-ed. 

I got another 0xc2 last night (Bad Pool Caller?). Have attached the dump.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Just got another crash without a dump. This time when everything froze, a high pitched beep started going, and didn't stop till I turned off the pc.

This seems to happen more frequently when I'm running a pandascan.

Actually I have attached what may be the speedfan dump for this crash.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Okay, so I formatted and reinstalled, and other than the other minor problem I made a different thread about, I haven't had any problems. I have removed the controller card, and am working with just one DVD drive. 

Now, speedfan does still say that my 12V line is at 11.4V even though I've switched 12V lines on the PSU. I installed ASUS PC probe 2, and it says that my 12V line is at 12.15V, so I don't know. PC probe also says that my DRAM and DRAM Ref are abnormal at 2.21V and 1.1V respectively.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

Sorry I couldn't be of more help, I've been busy with other things these last days. The issues could have been with the controller card driver, I'm still away but I'll try to take a look at your .dmp files tomorrow.

What do you mean by "switched 12V lines on the PSU" ? You'll need the version of Asus PC Probe that corresponds to your motherboard else it may report wrong voltages. You can get it from here (expand utilities and scroll down to ASUS PC Probe II V1.04.40). I would contact Asus to ask if Asus PC Probe could report wrong voltages with the Maximus Formula. If they can confirm the 11.4V reading then there's an issue with your power supply.

Some models of Crucial memory are set to work at 2.2V by default, check on Crucial's website with your modules' model (here's an example). Else you may have enabled some automatic overclocking feature in the BIOS.

Is this the special edition of the Maximus Formula motherboard, if so the water cooling solution may require additional power. Check the manual or contact Asus for more informations.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

When I say I switched 12V lines, I mean that I have 2 12V lines on my PSU (it's modular), so I simply unplugged my GPU from one 12V line and plugged it into the other line. Speedfan still says 11.4V but PC Probe (I installed it from the driver cd that came with my mobo) says 12.15V at the same time. 

I have the regular edition of the Maximus Formula, not the special edition. 

As for your help, not to worry! I appreciate your help, so don't worry, help me when you can! After all, beggars can't be choosers, right? 

Since my reinstall, I have not had a BSOD. Admittedly, I have been out of town for most of the time since then, so, we'll see in the future if it is really done being nasty. I AM still getting those freezes though. I am thinking it might be sound card related, because pretty much every time it freezes, my speakers make weird noises, static and such.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

I'm including a speedfan log that I believe is to another freeze with static noises coming from speakers. Still haven't had a BSOD since reinstall, so that at least is good news.

I was running an AVG scan when it happened.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

All your speedfan logs only contain the time entry, you forgot to tick the boxes in the cpu and voltages tabs to monitor those values :


justpassingby said:


> Click on configure, tick the logged box for each voltage in the Voltages tab. Add your fans and cpu temps if you want then go to the log tab and tick enabled. Keep speedfan running in the background (you can minimize it in the system tray) until you experience a new crash. You'll find the SFLog.csv file in the program files\speedfan folder, zip it and attach it to your next post.


Anyway, your very recent motherboard may not be recognized by speedfan. See if Asus PC Probe has some log feature and use its log file instead of speedfan's.

I took a quick look at the 5 BSOD's you had between August 14th and 17th :

1st one : ASACPI.sys and aaCenter.exe are parts of ASUS ACPI Center (ASACPI.sys can also be part of Ai Booster or Ai Nos). You don't need the bundled Asus overclocking programs and using them is not advised. If you've reinstalled Ai Booster or Ai Nos and experience new BSOD's see if you can uninstall them. Don't know much about the ACPI center, the name (advanced configuration & power interface) means it's related to the different power modes your computer can handle (standby, hibernation and the like).

2nd and 3d BSOD's : SYMTDI.SYS and CCSVCHST.EXE. SYMTDI.SYS is Symantec's device driver and CCSVCHST.EXE is Norton Internet Security. BdesmondMVP and I had both advised you to uninstall Norton and revert to XP's integrated firewall to take Norton out of the way during the troubleshooting.

4th happened when playing WoW and is related to dxg.sys, a directx driver. Video related crashes can be caused by faulty drivers or hardware issues : overheating, unsufficient power or faulty ram. I'd rerun a memtest scan (whole night).

5th one is related to ntkrpamp.exe, part of XP's kernel. Could also be drivers or hardware problem.

Let's keep our finger crossed hopefully the system won't crash anymore. If it does see if you can provide us with a log from Asus PC Probe.

About the static noises coming from the speakers have you tried removing your sound card and using the integrated sound port on the motherboard ? Have you reinstalled all your drivers (motherboard, video, sound, network) since you reinstalled XP ?


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Okay, while composing a reply to you, I got a 0X7F stop. I'm including the dump file. 

I was saying, speedfan must be incompatible with my board because everything is checked that you asked me to check. I couldn't find a logging feature on pc probe. I uninstalled the overclocking software ( I wasn't using it anyways). 

I haven't tried replacing my sound card with the one that came with my board (there is no onboard sound, the mobo came with a sound card). I also haven't tried reinstalling drivers.

EDIT: Should I run memtest all night on both ram sticks, or one at a time?


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

While running memtest, I noticed that my case fans were irregular. They would spin for awhile, stop for awhile, then start back up. This is not right, they should be going constantly. Does this confirm a PSU problem? I have noticed this problem 1 other time, but other than that haven't seen it. I had all 3 fans plugged into the same (parallel ata) power plug, but when I noticed it this time, I split them into 2 plugs.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

That last 0x7F BSOD is still related to aaCenter.exe and ASACPI.sys. Those files are part of the software that came with the motherboard, please contact Asus and get in touch with their tech support : http://support.asus.com/contact/contact.aspx. 

General causes of "STOP 0x0000007F" errors


> Divide by zero error
> A divide by zero is caused when a DIV instruction is executed and the divisor is 0. Memory corruption (or other hardware problems) or software failures can cause this.


Are you still running this computer with 4 memory sticks ? Please leave only 2GB of RAM in dual-channel configuration for the rest of the troubleshooting process : 1 stick in DIMM_A1 and 1 stick in DIMM_B1. This is from your motherboard's manual page 2-17 :


> If you install Windows XP/Vista 32-bit operation system, a total memory of less than 3GB is recommended.


Your motherboard also doesn't support modules with 128MB chips. What's the exact model of your crucial ballistix memory sticks ? 

Enter the BIOS at startup and tell us what's the BIOS revision. Flash the BIOS to the latest 1207 revision using Asus Update (make sure you have the latest 7.13.04 version of Asus Update).

Report your voltages again from the BIOS : +3.3, +5, +12V and DRAM voltage.

What are the 4 settings at the top of the power screen in the BIOS (suspend mode, ...) ?

Go to the extreme tweaker screen and check that everything is set to Auto. Tell us what timings you see next to primary info (in grey if DRAM timing control is set to auto).

Install the latest chipset drivers (Intel(R) Chipset Software Installation Utility V8.3.0.1013) from the internet, not the one on the drivers CD : http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us&model=Maximus Formula

Test the 2 remaining memory sticks one at a time with memtest (3 or 4 hours per stick should be enough).

Edit : you can't hook 3 fans on a single molex power plug. One fan at the front of the case and one at the back is usually enough, remove the unneeded ones. If possible hook the case fans on the available CHA_FAN connectors on the motherboard (check motherboard manual page 2-5 for the location of those connectors).


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Check my attachment on post #27 for the memory info. I have the 1065 model, in 1GB sticks, which according to the pdf, is 128MB x 64. I have been running with just 2GB, 1 in A1, one in A2. I am currently running memtest, so I can't check anything else yet. I'm posting from my laptop. 

Side note: the fans DID hook up to a single power plug. The fan plugs have a male end and a female end, and I had all 3 plugged into 1 plug. It is now hooked up with 2 fans on one plug, and 1 fan on another. If need be, I can make it so it's just 1 fan per plug.


BTW, once we get this fixed, if you'll let me, I'd like to send you a case of good Oregon beer. PM me with your info if you're interested, I live within walking distance of multiple microbreweries.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

I know you can physically hook 3 fans on a single molex plug, what I mean is you shouldn't. 2 high performance fans running at full speed may need more juice than what a single power connector can provide. Use the motherboard connectors when you can (max 1 amp per motherboard connector, check the fan's power needs first). Edit : not sure about the real power needs of a fan but I wouldn't hook the 3 of them on the same connector. The male-female molex plug is meant to allow connecting a fan and a hard drive on the same plug, not 3 fans.

Your memory is the BL12864AA1065 model which is made of 8 x 128MB chips. It's clearly written in the manual that your motherboard doesn't support such modules, contact Asus about that.


> This motherboard does not support memory modules made up of 128MB chips


Let's fix this before you send me the beer. You realize it'll be a transcontinental shipping do you ? :grin:


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Installed the chipset drivers, and flashed the bios. When the flash program rebooted my system, the computer rebooted, I think... The monitor never came on, there was no output from the video card. After a few minutes, I rebooted again and it prompted me to enter the bios for some reason. It appears that I am successfully at 1207, but that was weird. 

In BIOS: 
3.3V = Changes between 3.152V and 3.168V 
5V= 4.992V 
12V = 12.152V 
DRAM = 1.872V once and 1.968V another, doesn't change while I'm looking at it. 

My timings were apparently reset during the flash. Everything is on auto in Extreme Tweaker, and my Primary info (grayed) is: 5-5-5-18-3-52-6-3.

Power tab goes: 
Suspend mode (Auto)
Repost Video on S3 Resume(Disabled)
ACPI 2.0 Support (Disabled)
ACPI APIC Support (Enabled)
APM Configuration
Hardware Monitor.

I tested one stick with no problems (8 passes, I can try more if you'd like), I will leave the next stick on overnight.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

Yeah after flashing the BIOS you can encounter that behaviour, nothing unusual there. All settings will have been reset to default so it'll force you to enter the BIOS once then all will be fine.

Leave everything as it is in the BIOS and see how it goes. But do contact Asus about the aaCenter.exe/ASACPI.sys issue and to ask them whether the Maximus Formula really isn't compatible with 128MB chips memory modules. If there's an issue with your RAM showing the manual to the vendor that installed that memory on that motherboard should allow you to get a refund.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

> If there's an issue with your RAM showing the manual to the vendor that installed that memory on that motherboard should allow you to get a refund.


Yeah, not to mention the fact that 1 of the 4 sticks I bought is dead, and the entire line of BL12864AA1065 has been discontinued due to DOA. 

Wait, I just realized what you said... I'm the idiot that installed that memory with that board... DOH! 

I'll send ASUS an email about this.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

oops, didn't know you had built it yourself. I'm sure a professional retailer would have skipped the part about the 128MB chips as well. We still don't know if it's really what's causing your issues but there's probably a reason they put that warning in the mobo manual. Keep us posted once you get the reply.


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Crucial has said they will replace my ram with a different model. They are letting me exchange for fair market value (I lose $16 per set, but whatever). They also recommended standard memory rather than performance memory. Not sure what the difference is. Today I will be trying to figure out what to replace this with. Do you have any suggestions on a replacement (It of course must be from crucial)?

Also, should I RMA my PSU? Silverstone is in contact with me, and I may be able to RMA it. However, seeing as speedfan's logging didn't work correctly, and ASUS PC probe says my 12V line is not low, is it probable that my PSU is fine? I am willing to RMA it if you think it will help. 

ASUS has not emailed me back as of yet.

ETA: Am thinking of this: http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT2KIT25664AA1067
Good idea?


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## Physics (Apr 9, 2008)

Okay, whew. After talking to Crucial on the phone for awhile, I convinced them to do it. They have given me 2 options. I can trade my 4x1GB sticks for 2x2GB sticks, and they will send me either of these 2 models:
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?imodule=BL2KIT25664AA80A
or
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?imodule=CT2KIT25664AA667

Which one do you think would be better? 

Also, a side note, calling customer service is apparently better than chatting with customer service, I was set to lose money chatting, and the phone guys are trading me straight across.


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## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

The ballistix model has better timings and the higher frequency will provide a higher bandwidth :
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?imodule=BL2KIT25664AA80A

I'd start by replacing your RAM, no need to replace the PSU yet since Asus PC probe's readings are ok.


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