# [SOLVED] BSOD - STOP: 0x000000F4 Windows7 Ultimate x64 SP1



## dannunes (Aug 28, 2011)

I've been getting these about twice a week. I suspect my SSD, but don't know how to confirm it. Any help would be appreciated.

*·* OS - Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1  *
·* What was original installed OS on system? Yes, though I used easeus to transfer the contents of the original OEM install to a Vertex 3 SSD I installed, then I used microsoft's upgrader to upgrade from Windows 7 Home Premium to Ultimate *
·* Is the OS an OEM version (came pre-installed on system) or full retail version (YOU purchased it from retailer)? (see previous question) *
·* Age of system (hardware) - 2 Months
*· *Age of OS installation - have you re-installed the OS? 2 Months (see above)
*· *CPU - Core i7-2620M*· *Video Card - Radeon HD 6630M 1GB*· *MotherBoard - Sony Proprietary (laptop)
*· *Power Supply - brand & wattage - Sony OEM power adapter (laptop)

*·* System Manufacturer - Sony
*·* Exact model number - VPCSA2CFX/SI


jcgriff2 and perfmon reports in attached zip


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## Jonathan_King (Apr 3, 2010)

*Re: BSOD - STOP: 0x000000F4 Windows7 Ultimate x64 SP1*

Hi there,

I suspect you're right with the SSD. The OCZ Vertex 3s are causing plenty of BSODs. See if a firmware update solves the problem: OCZ Technology


```
FirmwareRevision     2.06
```


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## dannunes (Aug 28, 2011)

*Re: BSOD - STOP: 0x000000F4 Windows7 Ultimate x64 SP1*

Good eye, thanks! The newest is 2.11. I've flashed to that version. I'll run for a few days and report back if the problem persists.


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## Jonathan_King (Apr 3, 2010)

*Re: BSOD - STOP: 0x000000F4 Windows7 Ultimate x64 SP1*

That sounds good. I'm curious myself as to whether this will work. In the past, I've recommended that people with your drive/problem RMA the drive and get a different one, though just recently I was reading about the firmware updates.

I've recommended the firmware update to one other person before you, though I don't believe he's ever posted back with the results.


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## dannunes (Aug 28, 2011)

*Re: BSOD - STOP: 0x000000F4 Windows7 Ultimate x64 SP1*

On one of the support forums for flashing the Vertex 3 update, a member recommended refreshing the windows experience index score after the update. I'm not sure if or how that would have any bearing on things, but my rated disk performance jumped from a 5.8 to 7.8. I'm fairly sure I hadn't refreshed the index since before I had upgraded to the SSD though.

Since the crashes happen around 2x/week, it'll probably be a few days before I can report back anything.


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## Jonathan_King (Apr 3, 2010)

*Re: BSOD - STOP: 0x000000F4 Windows7 Ultimate x64 SP1*

That's fine, I'll look forward to it!


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## dannunes (Aug 28, 2011)

*Re: BSOD - STOP: 0x000000F4 Windows7 Ultimate x64 SP1*

Still no blue screens to-date. Sounds like the FW upgrade from 2.06 to 2.11 did the trick. Thanks!


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## Jonathan_King (Apr 3, 2010)

*Re: BSOD - STOP: 0x000000F4 Windows7 Ultimate x64 SP1*

Glad to hear this, it should save many people from having to return their drives.

Thanks for the report!


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## SirWillyBear (Sep 11, 2011)

I'm having the exact same issues, how do you update your firmware when you have the os installed on the ssd?


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## dannunes (Aug 28, 2011)

I followed the instructions here: Guide OCZ-SandForce Linux based firmware update tool


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## Jonathan_King (Apr 3, 2010)

SirWillyBear said:


> I'm having the exact same issues, how do you update your firmware when you have the os installed on the ssd?


Hello,

Your best bet would be to create a system image of the drive onto another hard drive: 

Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup - Windows 7 Forums

After the firmware upgrade, restore the image:

System Image Recovery - Windows 7 Forums

EDIT: I didn't see dannunes's post until after I posted. Follow his link if you can, and if you need to use my info, it's still there!


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## MobiusPizza (Sep 15, 2011)

This problem is somewhat common with Sandforce controller.
It's likely to be a bug with their firmware on the behavior of the drive in handling bad blocks.

The only known solution is to backup what you can and secure erase the drive

Please read and contribute to:
For all people with Vertex 2/LE BSOD (0xF4) (not related to sleep/hybernation)

Request for Anand regarding Sandforce SSDs - AnandTech Forums


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## SirWillyBear (Sep 11, 2011)

Hey guys, thanks for the links, i installed the new firmware update about 3 days ago and the freezes / blue screens stopped ^^.


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