# [SOLVED] Kernel-Power Critical Event



## Marine Sniper (Feb 16, 2011)

Since the time I installed the new drivers for my 8800 GTS 512 about 2 weeks ago, my PC has been crashing, kind of.

The Monitor will go black and say there is no signal. Sometimes there is an audio issue as well, kind of like a fast clicking sound that never ends. The PC does not wake up to any keystrokes and requires a manual shut down. The hardware in the PC does not appear to shut down until the manual shut down. Fans still spin, drives appear to continue to spin, etc.

After a little research I ran the Event Viewer and it indicates that it was a Kernel-Power Critical Event. This problem has happened 17 times in the last 12 days.

This PC is about 3 years old and custom built. I upgraded from XP to Windows 7 64bit about a year ago. It has never had an issue of any kind, and has run all kinds of online and single player video games, as well as common web browsing and word processing. I've often ensured its cleanliness internally with Norton Antivirus, Spybot, and Malwarebytes. Nothing major has ever been found and minor things have been corrected by those programs. Externally the PC is cleaned out with condensed air.

Theres never been any kind of overheating issue that I know of, and it seems to have started when the new video card drivers were installed.

Any ideas? I'm stumped.

Thanks!


· OS - Vista/ Windows7 ?
· x86 - x64 bit
· What was original installed OS on system? XP
· Is the OS an OEM version (came pre-installed on system) or full retail version (YOU purchased it from retailer)? Windows 7 home that I purchased
· Age of system (hardware) 3 years
· Age of OS installation - have you re-installed the OS? Windows 7 has been on the PC for about a year.
· CPU - Core2Duo E8400 @ 3.00 ghz
· VideoCard - Nvidia 8800 GTS 512
· MotherBoard - Gigabyte EP45-DS3R
· Power Supply - AGI 580w


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## Marine Sniper (Feb 16, 2011)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

Further research has indicated that it could be a result of an outdated realtek audio driver. Downloading and installing the newest version of this right now.


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## Marine Sniper (Feb 16, 2011)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

Went ahead and updated the motherboard drivers along with the audio drivers.

Went about 10 hours without a crash and thought I might be in the clear, but unfortunately it just crashed again.

I'm starting to think it must be a failing piece of hardware causing this problem.

What hardware pieces are related to the kernel-power events?


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

Hi MarineSniper


The last nVidia drivers that had a known-issue with causing their cards to seriously overheat were the 196.75 version drivers (they came out in March of last year). If you are unfortunate enough to have those drivers installed, uninstall them as soon as possible, as they were truly bad news.

To see what I mean about the uproar those drivers caused, type "nVidia drivers cause overheat" into your favorite search engine, have it set to only list threads from the past year, and watch the avalanche of 196.75 overheat articles progress.

If the card ran OK on the previously installed drivers, I can't see why you couldn't try rolling back to those. 

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[P.S. ... cpu "throttling" due to overheat can be such a listed event -- the chips ratchet their speeds slower & slower to save themselves]


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## Marine Sniper (Feb 16, 2011)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

I went ahead last night after my last post and found some archived nvidia drivers. I wasn't completely sure what I upgraded from, so I tried the three most recent drivers. With each of them the problem still persists.

I also dont think CPU throttling would be the issue as I've never adjusted any bios settings, as I'm not familiar enough with them to know what can be safely done.

If you have any other ideas, or still think that cpu throttling could be the cause, please let me know.


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## VirGnarus (Jun 28, 2010)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

If you can run windows, I recommend you first go and flash yer bios with the latest image from Gigabyte. If that doesn't help, you'll probably have to provide more information in order for us to continue. If Windows still continues to work long enough, try to follow instructions what's presented here and get back to us with the info. 

I'm starting to believe this sounds like a S3 sleep state issue which was reported with various Gigabyte motherboards, which is fixed with latest bios image. It sounds very much identical to a bios issue I experienced with a workstation at my work that I serviced.


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## Marine Sniper (Feb 16, 2011)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

I flashed the bios last night, but it still crashed at some point and required a manual reboot when I woke up this morning.

I will be out of town the next couple days, but will try the steps in the BSOD thread that you linked to when I get back.

Thanks for your help and effort.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

Hi again all


Sounds like a good idea to investigate any minidumps if you have some. It's not much fun, but it generally yields decent clues.

Another narrow-things-down trick, if you have an older video card laying around (or if a friend has one), would be to temporarily swap cards. That would strengthen or weaken the case for the card & it's drivers as the issue.

I'll check back in after the holiday weekend -
. . . Gary


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## Marine Sniper (Feb 16, 2011)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

I'm pretty confident that it is the GeForce 8800 GTS 512 graphics card. I replaced it with the Radeon x1950 card that I used prior, and have not had a crash since.

My diagnosis is that the newest driver update damaged my graphics card when it was installed. I'm currently looking into a warranty replacement for it.

Thanks for all your help, I was personally unaware that updating the drivers could damage hardware like this.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

Hi again


It's not common for a driver to cause such trouble. It just happens to have happened for a few batches of nVidia drivers, for a few of their more vulnerable cards. It's possible that through trial-and-error you could still find a combination of drivers that would work = it all depends on if the card truly is damaged & if so, how badly so. Some third-party drivers allow you to "underclock" a card that generates errors at full-speed, extending its usable lifespan a bit.

If the card is still under warranty, I think you are right in looking into its coverage.

Hope it all turns out well
. . . Gary


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## Marine Sniper (Feb 16, 2011)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

One more, and hopefully the final update.

After doing research on how to look into a warranty replacement with Nvidia, I learned some things about the process and another troubleshooting method that appears to have fixed the problem.

First, Nvidia doesn't offer the warranty as expected, the vendor on the box does. In my case it is EVGA that offers the coverage.

After contacting EVGA they requested that I do a clean install of the drivers. After putting the card back in my PC, and doing the clean install with drivers from their website rather than Nvidias using the steps they listed (selecting custom installation and checking the clean install button), I appear to be crash free.

Hopefully I didn't jinx myself by posting after only 12 hours without a crash, but I wanted to share the info incase another issue with a graphics card and driver comes along. Certainly wish I had known about this.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

Marine Sniper,

Thanks for the update. 

And Congratulations on your good work. 
. . . Gary


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## Marine Sniper (Feb 16, 2011)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

Back to the assumption that the card is damaged. After 14 hours it crashed again with the same critical error. Hopefully EVGA doesn't draw this out.


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## Marine Sniper (Feb 16, 2011)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

EVGA tech support reps have said via email that the warranty on this card is no longer valid as it is more than one year from the date of purchase (3 months shy of 3 years since the purchase; my understanding is if it had been registered within 30 days the warranty is then a 3 year) and the product was not registered on their website within 30 days of purchase.

I dont recall seeing anything in the packaged materials to that effect, neweggs website doesn't mention it in the listing I viewed before purchasing
(Newegg.com - EVGA 512-P3-N845-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) KO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card),
and I was unaware that there was a registration time frame (if there was back then) in which registration was required. The website only mentions a limited lifetime manufacturer warranty.

I have contacted the EVGA support department through their website and have been told that the card does have a manufacturer defect, but because its been more than a year they are not obligated to replace it and I can view their warranty terms on their website.

I've also contacted newegg seeking their position on the situation and asking if they are responsible or if they feel EVGA is.

What are your views? Is EVGA not responsible for a replacement? Did newegg misrepresent the warranty? Am I just a ******* that should have known to register the product right away (back in 2008 keep in mind) and am just out at this point?

Thanks.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

Hi again


Say what?

I've had no problems returning items under warranty with no registration at all, even several years after purchase -- so long as I had my original receipt. Many electronics stores even put the serial number of warrantied items on the receipt (for memory, cpu, hard drive, monitor, etc. purchases ... possibly video cards as well).

I've never had a warranty denied because it wasn't registered on their site. But it is also true that I've never dealt with EVGA in a warranty situation.

I don't have much experience with warranty trouble, but hopefully some of our other techs can help. One thing I know - is that New Egg has a very good reputation for honoring their end of exchanges, and usually quickly. But the New Egg coverage generally only applies to the first few months of a purchase - trouble after that then moves to the manufacturer's warranty.
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*ANY OTHER TECHS* ON THE FORUM FOLLOWING THIS THREAD: IF YOU'VE SUCCESSFULLY DEALT WITH AN EVGA WARRANTY -- *PLEASE ADD YOUR TIPS HERE!*
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Marine - you might even add a special extra thread for the warranty issue in the video card forum here at TSF. I would think a higher percentage of the threads there deal with EVGA cards. Here's a link to that forum --- Video Card Support - Tech Support Forum
_____________

I hope it works out: there's been too much responsibility dodging in the overheating nVidia video chip world the last few years. Later this afternoon, I'll be running a secure-erase of a hard drive for a Compaq laptop that died because of a fault in it's nVidia 6150LE video chip -- the laptop is going in for a free replacement, only possible because of a class-action lawsuit against Hp & nVidia. 

Best of luck
. . . Gary


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## Marine Sniper (Feb 16, 2011)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

EVGA has maintained their stance that they are not going to replace the card. They have informed me, and I've verified it to be accurate, that printed on the inside of the box the card comes in, is a label stating that the product has to be registered within 30 days to validate the lifetime warranty. In my opinion is poor service as they sneak it in there.

Newegg responded asking for specific information on my communications with EVGA this morning. I'm not expecting much though, as EVGA is covered and Newegg is unlikely to feel obligated after 2 years and 9 months on a product they no longer cover.

I'm chalking this up as a learning experience, I ordered a Zotac GeForces GTX 450 that is a very solid upgrade and after $70 in rebates (20 instant and 50 mail in) will only cost $139.

I'll post a conclusion to this once its all wrapped up and official on what comes from the newegg contact. I guess the moral is beware and register stuff right away. I personally will be avoiding EVGA as a result of this.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: Kernel-Power Critical Event*

Thanks again for the update, Marine Sniper.

I sent notes to a few of my friends to see if they'd had any experience with EVGA warranties, or with any warranties that had registration requirements. If they can provide any help, I'll post that info here. The video forum folks might have some experience, too - something helpful might turn up.

On a good note - the GTX 450 cards seem to be getting fairly nice reviews. 

Take care,
. . . Gary


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## Marine Sniper (Feb 16, 2011)

Approaching 72 hours since I installed a new GeForce GTX465, and no crashes. This confirms that the GeForce 8800GTS was causing the crashes and that the power supply was not the issue.

Thanks for all your help.


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