New Laptop Crashes

[Klope3]

The newest nVidia driver came out this month (280.26), but the most recent one I installed came out last month (275.33). The latter driver I installed using a 'clean install,' and I still had crashing problems (specifically, the crash detailed in that .DMP). I guess I could download and install the newer one, but since the versions are so close together, it seems unlikely that my problem will be solved...

As for that 'nvoclk64.sys', it seems that it caused the last crash, and since the last crash occurred as soon as I started nTune, I suspect the file came with nTune. (Ironically, nTune was what I installed to diagnose the crashes...)

And I have not made any attempts to overclock my laptop GPU, ever.

 

[KSoD]

Did you remove the driver from the device manager and restart the system before installing the new drivers? Did you have a very basic looking desktop when you did? If not then the drivers were not fully removed. You need to follow the directions as I have them laid out. Skipping steps only leads to trouble.

you should get rid of ntune as well.

 

[Klope3]

I know I waited a long time in continuing this thread, but I finally got around to re-installing the driver. I don't know if my problem was solved, though, because I have a switchable GPU setup. I have a standard Intel HD Integrated Graphics card that turns on for less demanding tasks, as well as the nVidia GT 540M that turns on for gaming.

The point is, I followed your tutorial to uninstall the nVidia chipset, but upon restart my desktop was not basic-looking as you described. The Aero theme was still active and looking completely normal. I'm guessing this is because the Intel card took over when the machine started up and realized that the other card was "missing." Either that, or the Intel card is the one that takes care of Aero all the time anyway. (Probably the case.)

So, keeping my specific problem in mind, should I do a clean install for both video card drivers? How do I do this for the Intel card? I don't know that its installer wizard has the option for a clean install...

 

[MindoverMaster]

I think KSoD just meant the NVIDIA side of the video. The Intel graphics were not the problem.

 

[Klope3]

That's what I thought. I think it's important to note, though, that the crash in question is unique; it only occurred when I downloaded nTune to check my core temperatures and thus diagnose the other crashes.

The "normal" crashes have been happening some more. The most recent ones were labeled KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR, and the blue screen said something about ntfs.sys. They always fail to create a minidump, but I did find a MEMORY.DMP in the Windows folder. It had the following info:

Crash Time: 10/10/2011 2:45:59 PM
Bug Check String: KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR
Bug Check Code: 0x0000007a
Parameter 1: fffff6fc`4000a7b8
Parameter 2: ffffffff`c000009d
Parameter 3: 00000001`14daa860
Parameter 4: fffff880`014f7ce8
Processor: x64
Full Path: C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP
Processors Count: 4
Major Version: 15
Minor Version: 7601
Dump File Size: 511,714,436


The event viewer doesn't give much information, although "Error" and "Critical" events appear around the time of the crash. These include (in no particular order):

Error: Failed to attach to: Atheros AR5B97 Wireless Network Adapter.

Error: The previous system shutdown at 2:43:14 PM on ‎10/‎10/‎2011 was unexpected.

Error: Driver threads still active when driver is being shutdown.

Error: The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck. The bugcheck was: 0x0000007a (0xfffff6fc4000a7b8, 0xffffffffc000009d, 0x0000000114daa860, 0xfffff880014f7ce8). A dump was saved in: C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP. Report Id: .

Critical: The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.


I've heard that the KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR is associated with hard drive failure, but I've run CHKDSK and all the non-advanced tests provided by SeaTools. It seemed to pass everything.

Suggestions on how to proceed?

 

[Geff-]

I would go back to the memory, i know you sayed you tryed memory test programs, but just take one of the 2 out of computer and use it, you will notice it geting worst or fixed, try with the other memory instead after and see what happends, it really does sound like a problem i had in my desktop recently wich took me a long time to discover solution for. good luck!

 

[Slaymate]

I've never found nTune to be reliable. I would try HWMonitor or Open Hardware Monitor or Speedfan or RealTemp or CoreTemp, etc...

 

[Klope3]

Okay! After the longest time, the thing finally crashed again. I feel weird saying it like that, but it was sort of a mixed blessing this time because I had it set to not automatically restart. Here's the exact copy of the blue screen I made while it was on the screen (and I do mean exact):

A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut 
down to prevent damage to your computer.

KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR

If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, 
restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow 
these steps:

Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed.
If this is a new installation, ask your hardware or software manufacturer
for any Windows updates you might need.

If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware 
or software. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. 
If you need to use Safe Mode to remove or disable components, restart 
your computer, press F8 to select Advanced Startup Options, and then 
select Safe Mode.

Technical Information:

*** STOP: 0x0000007A (0xFFFFF6FC40027BD0, 0xFFFFFFFFC0000056, 0x00000001297FA860,
0xFFFFF88004F7A668)

*** intelppm.sys - Address FFFFF88004F7A668 base at FFFFF88004F72000, DateStamp 
4a5bc0fd

Collecting data for crash dump ...
Initializing disk for crash dump ...
Physical memory dump FAILED with status 0xC0000010.
Contact your system admin or technical support group for further assistance.

I'm hoping that now with the exact stop error codes the cause will be much easier to determine. Does this information help in diagnosing the problem? What should I do from here?

 

[sudden0utburst]

Personally, I would try running ubuntu live or another operating system, THAT way you can immediately tell if its O/s related (conflicting drivers) or not...

 

[Klope3]

Do you mean ubuntu live will tell me exactly what the problem is when it happens? Or that I should just run a different OS and see if that makes the problem go away (thus implying that it was Windows' fault)?

Because the errors are REALLY intermittent. It could be weeks before I get the error again--and in the meantime I would need to figure out an entirely new OS, in the midst of schoolwork and everything...

But thank you for your advice.