BSOD - IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

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mikerick

Junior Member
Oct 30, 2004
11
0
0
I recently built two identical pc's and both are now suffering from the same BSOD problems. The BSOD happens randomly as far as I can tell. The problem listed in the BSOD is "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL".

Both systems contain the following:

MB = K8N Neo Platinum MSI MS-7030
Video = ATI RADEON 9000 64MB DDR
CPU = AMD SEMPRON, 1.8GHZ SDA3100
RAM = DDRAM 512MB, CORSAIR 64X64, VS512MB400
HD = 120GB SAMSUNG SATA SP1213C 8MB 72R
OD = DVD-/+RW INT NUTECH DDW-082
OS = WinXP w/SP1

All OS & IE updates have been installed except for SP2, all drivers & BIOS updated. SP2 was removed due to it causing Bad Pool Header BSOD's.

Any ideas anyone has would be appreciated.
 
D

dclive

Elite Member
Oct 23, 2003
5,626
2
81
Originally posted by: mikerick
I recently built two identical pc's and both are now suffering from the same BSOD problems. The BSOD happens randomly as far as I can tell. The problem listed in the BSOD is "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL".

Both systems contain the following:

MB = K8N Neo Platinum MSI MS-7030
Video = ATI RADEON 9000 64MB DDR
CPU = AMD SEMPRON, 1.8GHZ SDA3100
RAM = DDRAM 512MB, CORSAIR 64X64, VS512MB400
HD = 120GB SAMSUNG SATA SP1213C 8MB 72R
OD = DVD-/+RW INT NUTECH DDW-082
OS = WinXP w/SP1

All OS & IE updates have been installed except for SP2, all drivers & BIOS updated. SP2 was removed due to it causing Bad Pool Header BSOD's.

Any ideas anyone has would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Please see my last question from your last post on http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ht_key=y&keyword1=bsod -- does this happen in safe mode?

Based on feedback from http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=38342&page=1 (and page 2) I'm betting it's hardware - they've got a very similar stack to what you've got, but give safe mode a shot and let us know what happens.

How long does it take to reproduce this issue?
 
M

mikerick

Junior Member
Oct 30, 2004
11
0
0
I get bluescreens about once a day. I will start running in safe mode and let you know what happens.
 
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montag451

Diamond Member
Dec 17, 2004
4,587
0
0
At least with a bsod, you should get an Event in the Event log,
What are the SOURCE ID's and the EVENT ID, and include the text
 
U

Underwood

Member
Sep 15, 2004
30
0
0
I had this problem the last time I built a PC and it turned out to be the RAM that was throwing it off.
 
M

mikerick

Junior Member
Oct 30, 2004
11
0
0
Is this what you mean?


Event Type: Information
Event Source: Save Dump
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1001
Date: 2/4/2005
Time: 5:24:35 PM
User: N/A
Computer: MGR
Description:
The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck. The bugcheck was: 0x0000000a (0x0000002c, 0x00000002, 0x00000001, 0x804e340b). A dump was saved in: C:\WINDOWS\MEMORY.DMP.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
0
Also try kicking your memory voltage off of AUTO. Set it manually to 2.6 volts to start with. Inadequate memory voltage can manifest itself in random BSOD-type stuff. Not the only cause, but a common one when using PC3200 or higher.

Likewise, ensure that the memory and the CPU's bus speed are sync'ed. If the CPU's bus is DDR333 aka 166MHz, then run the RAM at that speed too.
 
D

dclive

Elite Member
Oct 23, 2003
5,626
2
81
Originally posted by: Slikkster
I'd be looking at the RAM issue. Read this thread about your Bad_Pool errors you had with SP2. You would be wise to run the test(s) mentioned:

http://kindel.com/blogs/charlie/archive/2004/05/26/282.aspx

Edit: Looks like an incompatibility probability with this Ram and your motherboard:

Incompatible? Looks like it...click here.

(scroll to the top of that Google News thread to read it all)
Click to expand...


Debugging Tools for Windows
Bug Check 0xA: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

The IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL bug check has a value of 0x0000000A. This indicates that Microsoft® Windows® or a kernel-mode driver accessed paged memory at DISPATCH_LEVEL or above.

Parameters
The following parameters are displayed on the blue screen.

Parameter Description
1 Memory referenced
2 IRQL at time of reference
3 0: Read
1: Write

4 Address which referenced memory


Cause
This bug check is issued if paged memory (or invalid memory) is accessed when the IRQL is too high.

The error that generates this bug check usually occurs after the installation of a faulty device driver, system service, or BIOS.

If you encounter bug check 0xA while upgrading to a later version of Windows, this error might be caused by a device driver, a system service, a virus scanner, or a backup tool that is incompatible with the new version.

Resolving the Problem
If a kernel debugger is available, obtain a stack trace.

To resolve an error caused by a faulty device driver, system service, or BIOS

Restart your computer.
Press F8 at the character-based menu that displays the operating system choices.
Select the Last Known Good Configuration option from the Windows Advanced Options menu. This option is most effective when only one driver or service is added at a time.
To resolve an error caused by an incompatible device driver, system service, virus scanner, or backup tool

Check the System Log in Event Viewer for error messages that might identify the device or driver that caused the error.
Try disabling memory caching of the BIOS.
Run the hardware diagnostics supplied by the system manufacturer, especially the memory scanner. For details on these procedures, see the owner's manual for your computer.
Make sure the latest Service Pack is installed.
If your system has small computer system interface (SCSI) adapters, contact the adapter manufacturer to obtain updated Windows drivers. Try disabling sync negotiation in the SCSI BIOS, checking the cabling and the SCSI IDs of each device, and confirming proper termination.
For integrated device electronics (IDE) devices, define the onboard IDE port as Primary only. Also, check each IDE device for the proper master/slave/stand-alone setting. Try removing all IDE devices except for hard disks.
If the message appears during an installation of Windows, make sure that the computer and all installed peripherals are listed on the Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility List (HCL).

 
D

dclive

Elite Member
Oct 23, 2003
5,626
2
81
Originally posted by: mikerick
I get bluescreens about once a day. I will start running in safe mode and let you know what happens.
Click to expand...

So what happens in safe mode?
 
S

Slikkster

Diamond Member
Apr 29, 2000
3,141
0
0
Did you read the newsgroup thread I posted about others with this motherboard and this RAM?

That would be enough for me to do a simple swap out of RAM to see if the problem(s) were fixed.

Others with this ram and this motherboard and virtually the same types of problems.

Here's yet another reference to this RAM on an Athlon64 system:

(from http://www1.bottomdollar.com/rating_get...v.php/masterid=966540/id_type=masterid
If you read the reviews, you'll notice that P4 users mainly loved the ram, but the Athlon64 guy had issues quoted below)

Reviewed by: wcw from MN on Jan 20, 2005 Rating:

Experience: 5 Days



Strengths: Price, latency and timing performance, firm reputation, lifetime warranty.


Weaknesses: Memtest86 error at consistent address in one of two sticks when testing both together in Athlon 64 rig.


Summary: Price is great, just above bottom-of-the-barrel sticks and with good 2.5-3-3-7 timings instead of the 3-4-4-8's you otherwise see. The firm reputation is good, so you'd probably be able to cash in the lifetime warranty should you need.


The downside is that while each of the two sticks I bought tested perfectly alone, with both together in the same AMD64 setup, memtest86 threw an error in Test 6 [for data-sensitive errors] in one of the two sticks regardless of DIMM slot. The error would not go away even with relaxed timings (e.g., 3-4-4-10) or underclocking (I tried 100 MHz rather than the rated 200 MHz -- and got the same error).


I'm returning both sticks for a refund rather than an exchange, since I'd rather not risk another hard-to-test interaction. For all I know it's the motherboard, but I'd rather not risk it. Since I would not purchase again, it's a two-star rating, but I don't think this is really that bad a review. The numbers are all good, each sticks runs like a champ alone even under hours of memtest86, and since I didn't buy the two sticks in a kit (which I probably should have), I can't expect Corsair to have tested all possible sticks for this weird interaction error.


Still, buyer beware. If you're buying two sticks to run together, consider buying the kit instead

 
M

mikerick

Junior Member
Oct 30, 2004
11
0
0
I tried but can't get my internet connection to function. FYI, 99.99% of my PC time is using VNC and running my work PC.

Any ideas?
 
M

mikerick

Junior Member
Oct 30, 2004
11
0
0
I have been in Europe for work and haven't been able to respond to everyone's help. I am going to swap memory with friend and see what happens. I am also going to perform the MS memory test mentioned above. I will post the results.

Thanks everyone for the help!
 
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dclive

Elite Member
Oct 23, 2003
5,626
2
81
Originally posted by: mikerick
I tried but can't get my internet connection to function. FYI, 99.99% of my PC time is using VNC and running my work PC.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

You tried what?

 
kb3edk

kb3edk

Senior member
Jul 11, 2004
494
0
0
Mike, are you using a PCI sound card? I used to get IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL BSODs all the time on an older box of mine, it had a SoundBlaster Live card in it, I yanked the card, started using the onboard AC97 codec, and I stopped getting the BSODs.

That being said I definitely agree with the other posters here that you should check the RAM first.

-Adam in Philly
 
kb3edk

kb3edk

Senior member
Jul 11, 2004
494
0
0
Originally posted by: Gentle
Where you using an older driver with that older sound card?

Gentle
Click to expand...

No, I made sure to use the latest drivers from Creative with the card. Those old SB Live cards are obsolete anyway, I don't know why I left it in to begin with.

Anyway, the reason it might still be the RAM is when I was getting those IRQL errors I first ran Memtest86 and I had a bad stick... but I *kept* getting the BSODs until I yanked the sound card. I even tried moving it around from PCI slot to slot, to no avail.

But I guess none of this matters at all if mikerick isn't using PCI sound.
 
D

dclive

Elite Member
Oct 23, 2003
5,626
2
81
Originally posted by: kb3edk
Originally posted by: Gentle
Anyway, the reason it might still be the RAM is when I was getting those IRQL errors I first ran Memtest86 and I had a bad stick... but I *kept* getting the BSODs until I yanked the sound card. I even tried moving it around from PCI slot to slot, to no avail. q]

Doesn't that suggest the problem was the sound card drivers, and not the memory?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
kb3edk

kb3edk

Senior member
Jul 11, 2004
494
0
0
Originally posted by: kb3edk
Anyway, the reason it might still be the RAM is when I was getting those IRQL errors I first ran Memtest86 and I had a bad stick... but I *kept* getting the BSODs until I yanked the sound card. I even tried moving it around from PCI slot to slot, to no avail.
Originally posted by: Gentle

Doesn't that suggest the problem was the sound card drivers, and not the memory?
Click to expand...

Right... I forgot to mention that I pulled the bad RAM and replaced it with new stuff that passed Memtest86, and I still got BSODs until I yanked the card, even after installing the newest drivers. Could have been a bad card... they stopped making SBLive cards years ago, right?
Click to expand...
 
C

cyclohexane

Platinum Member
Feb 12, 2005
2,837
19
81
Oh, the infamous IRQL BSOD. I used to get this alot. But they happen during 'seasons'. I but get maybe one or two a day for few days, and then not get it again for an entire year, then get it again. That being said, you can't really do anything about this problem, as I don't think Windows XP allows you to manually change the IRQs, so I guess you just gotta tough it out ;(
 
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