Windows XP - Don't know where to start.

[Xyanide321]

Hey guys! New to the forums, shame it's on bad terms haha.

Guess I'll get straight to it.

Two days ago, my computer all of a sudden started freezing for very short periods of time, constantly. Every 2-3 minutes it would freeze for about 10 seconds, sometimes every 15 mins. Regardless of what i was doing, maybe playing a game, or watching a video, or just browsing.

I thought it might be a driver issue, seeing as I didn't have the latest graphics driver version, when I tried to install it. It came up with an error, something a long the lines of "no access to memory", or something like that I can't really remember what it said.

I tried rolling back a driver and then trying to install the latest driver, but that didn't work either. As a last resort, I tried completely uninstalling the graphics driver under the device manager, that broke all heck loose. My computer is now slow beyond belief, I can't get into windows XP as it fails to boot into the OS. Can't get into safe mode either.

I have my original windows XP cd, so I tried booting that to try and run a windows repair or a just a fresh install really, but whilst it loads the features of the cd, before I get to pick what I want to do. I get a blue screen of death with the following error codes:

*** STOP: 0x0000007E (0xc0000005, 0x748E0BF, 0xF78DA208, 0xF78D9F08)

*** pci.sys - Address F748E0BF base at F7487000, DateStamp 3b7d855c

I probably did something very stupid at one point whilst trying to fix this and it's made things a lot worse. I'm not that great with computers, if any help could be thrown at me in "noob" language, that'd be great!

I'm on Windows XP service pack 3.

Any ideas?

Thanks so much in advance! I'll be so grateful for any suggestions or tips!

Ivan

 

[Slaymate]

Please list your complete system specifications (all your components with Manufacturer and part numbers listed) so that we know what were dealing with.

 

[Xyanide321]

I've got a quad core processor.

Nvidia Gt 240.

Asus P5KPL/EPU motherboard.

3 gigs ram.

Windows Xp SP3

Nothing is over clocked, not sure if it's relevant.

 

[KSoD]

Cause

The SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED bug check is a very common bug check. To interpret it, you must identify which exception was generated.

Common exception codes include the following:

0x80000002: STATUS_DATATYPE_MISALIGNMENT indicates an unaligned data reference was encountered.

0x80000003: STATUS_BREAKPOINT indicates a breakpoint or ASSERT was encountered when no kernel debugger was attached to the system.

0xC0000005: STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION indicates a memory access violation occurred.

For a complete list of exception codes, see the Ntstatus.h file that is located in the inc directory of the Microsoft Windows Driver Kit (WDK).

Resolution

If you are not equipped to debug this problem, you should use some basic troubleshooting techniques.

Make sure you have enough disk space.

If a driver is identified in the bug check message, disable the driver or check with the manufacturer for driver updates.

Try changing video adapters.

Check with your hardware vendor for any BIOS updates.

Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing.

If you plan to debug this problem, you might find it difficult to obtain a stack trace. Parameter 2 (the exception address) should identify the driver or function that caused this problem.

If exception code 0x80000003 occurs, a hard-coded breakpoint or assertion was hit, but the system was started with the /NODEBUG switch. This problem should rarely occur. If it occurs repeatedly, make sure that a kernel debugger is connected and the system is started with the /DEBUG switch.

If exception code 0x80000002 occurs, the trap frame supplies additional information.

If you do not know the specific cause of the exception, consider the following issues:

Hardware incompatibility. Make sure that any new hardware that is installed is listed in the Microsoft Windows Marketplace Tested Products List.

Faulty device driver or system service. A faulty device driver or system service might be responsible for this error. Hardware issues, such as BIOS incompatibilities, memory conflicts, and IRQ conflicts can also generate this error.

If a driver is listed by name within the bug check message, disable or remove that driver. Disable or remove any drivers or services that were recently added. If the error occurs during the startup sequence and the system partition is formatted with NTFS file system, you might be able to use Safe Mode to rename or delete the faulty driver. If the driver is used as part of the system startup process in Safe Mode, you must start the computer by using the Recovery Console to access the file.

If the problem is associated with Win32k.sys, the source of the error might be a third-party remote control program. If such software is installed, you can remove the service by starting the computer by using the Recovery Console and then deleting the offending system service file.

Check the System Log in Event Viewer for additional error messages that might help identify the device or driver that is causing bug check 0x7E.

You can also disable memory caching of the BIOS might to try to resolve the error. You should also run hardware diagnostics, especially the memory scanner, that the system manufacturer supplies. For more information about these procedures, see the owner's manual for your computer.

The error that generates this message can occur after the first restart during Windows Setup, or after Setup is finished. A possible cause of the error is lack of disk space for installation and system BIOS incompatibilities. For problems during Windows installation that are associated with lack of disk space, reduce the number of files on the target hard disk drive. Check for and delete any temporary files that you do not have to have, Internet cache files, application backup files, and .chk files that contain saved file fragments from disk scans. You can also use another hard disk drive with more free space for the installation. You can resolve BIOS problems by upgrading the system BIOS version.

Bug Check 0x7E: SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED

What type of Processor? There are a lot of Quad Core Processors. What type of RAM? DDR, DDR2, DDR3? Those specs are a bit to generic since this is a hardware related issue. You need to run Belarc Advisor, SiSandra Software or Everest to get more specific information. It could also be a driver issue as well. Have you updated all of your drivers?

 

[Slaymate]

Intel or AMD CPU and what is it's speed.

What manufacturer and speed is your memory.

Power Supply, Manufacturer - Model - Watts

You should start by resetting the bios. You can do this by the jumper or by removing the battery for a minute and then putting it back in.

After that you should go into the bios and check-out your temperatures and voltages. We want to know what the CPU and System temperatures are and we want to know what your voltages are. The main voltages are 12v, 5v and 3.3v, they are rarely the exact number they are suppose to be. They can be a little high or low but a large variation is bad.

 

[Jupiter 2]

The video card is designed for Vista or Windows 7 and not Windows XP so the problem actually lies in your older operating system. Although it may appear to work fine, it will do so for only short periods of time. If you do not want to upgrade to Vista or Wnidows 7 then you need to use your computer for only basic programs and not games. The video Card does require DirectX10 or higher and I'm not sure that Windows XP SP3 supports higher than the DirectX 9 series.

 

[Xyanide321]

Thank you so much for all the feedback! I will get to work on this and get back to you! Thanks again!

 

[Slaymate]

The video card is designed for Vista or Windows 7 and not Windows XP so the problem actually lies in your older operating system. Although it may appear to work fine, it will do so for only short periods of time. If you do not want to upgrade to Vista or Wnidows 7 then you need to use your computer for only basic programs and not games. The video Card does require DirectX10 or higher and I'm not sure that Windows XP SP3 supports higher than the DirectX 9 series.

This is wrong. 99% wrong. There is no truth to any of it except that Windows XP only supports DX9.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

@Jupiter 2: If drivers for the card are made for that OS, the card will work on that OS, other wise it would be a waste of corporate profits to build and update drivers for an OS the card supposedly wouldn't work on. You should really pick up a CompTia A+ book and read up on it before you start trying to help people out, as you will quickly cost them money that shouldn't be spent.

 

[4P_Bulldozer]

... I tried rolling back a driver and then trying to install the latest driver, but that didn't work either. As a last resort, I tried completely uninstalling the graphics driver under the device manager, that broke all heck loose. My computer is now slow beyond belief, I can't get into windows XP as it fails to boot into the OS. Can't get into safe mode either.

I have my original windows XP cd, so I tried booting that to try and run a windows repair or a just a fresh install really, but whilst it loads the features of the cd, before I get to pick what I want to do. I get a blue screen of death with the following error codes:

*** STOP: 0x0000007E (0xc0000005, 0x748E0BF, 0xF78DA208, 0xF78D9F08)

*** pci.sys - Address F748E0BF base at F7487000, DateStamp 3b7d855c

I probably did something very stupid at one point whilst trying to fix this and it's made things a lot worse. ...

Ivan

Your Computer had one problem to begin with and then your tried to install new Graphics Drivers; now you have a BSOD indicating a PCI Error. You might try removing the Graphics Card (if you have "onboard Graphics", (on the Motherboard)) and try booting in "VGA Mode" (Hit F8 while booting) to avoid using (any part of) the corrupted Drivers.

If you no longer get a BSOD (error) then try to reinstall the NVidia Drivers in "VGA Mode" (or rollback) and reboot. If Windows (now) works then shutdown and power off and try putting the Card back in (it will use the properly installed Drivers).

Note: NVidia installers don't update all the files correctly (even with the recommended reboot performed by the Installer) in the last 30 (or so) Updates that I have done (on WinXP). You need to lock your Desktop Icons and boot in VGA Mode (to boot without using the NVidia Driver) and then run the Installer (on the ugly low-rez Screen) to ensure that the Installer can delete or overwrite every file with the newest version (and not end up with a mix of old and new). Uninstalling the old Driver first is what Nvidia recommends to avoid that problem.


The last resort would be to use your Rescue Disk ("Windows Repair") as that will wipe your Desktop Icons and "Installed Programs List" (but not your downloads and Pictures - assuming you choose not to format the Drive).