NT BSOD protection?

[Red Squirrel]

Is there a way to protect myself from the NT BSOD? I swear, that's worse then getting a virus. One little program or driver that's not compatible, and bang, you have to reformat because it just keeps rebooting in a loop.

I figured I'd give server 2003 a try as a desktop - I heard it's been done and quite nice. Not even half way through installing all the programs, it hit me, rebooted, then the system would not come back up, so I went downstairs to check what was up and sure enough it was caught in a bootup BSOD where it just flashes blue really fast then reboots over and over again. A repair does nada, nothing works, only a reformat. I remember having the same problem in win2k when I used a 3rd party driver to get my scanner to work, instead of having to dual boot in 98.

So my question is, is there a way to protect a system from this happening?

 

[MrChad]

Blue screens are usually caused by one of two things: bad drivers or bad hardware. There's little that you can do to "protect" an operating system from either of these two symptoms. Reformatting is not necessarily the answer.

1. Boot in safe mode. That should at least give you a desktop so you can update/rollback drivers. If safe mode doesn't work you probably have a hardware issue.
2. Under System Properties / Advanced / Startup and Recovery Settings, you can disable the Automatic Restart feature for system failures. That will allow you to read the error message on screen for troubleshooting.
3. Analyze the .DMP file created in your Windows Minidump folder. The Windows debugger (available from Microsoft) allows you to scan crash dumps and can sometime point to a particular driver.
4. Use Bart's PE CD to access files on a system you cannot boot. Again, invaluable for troubleshooting.

The WORST action you take is to immediately reformat your computer. Not only are you masking the real issue, you are setting yourself up for repeated system failures and potential data loss. Learn how to troubleshoot your system properly and Windows can be pleasant and stable experience.

 

[Red Squirrel]

How can I get access to all that? The BSOD happends before I even get to the point of being able to press F8. I also tried doing a repair using the disc, no luck there either.

 

[MrChad]

The BSOD occurs before the XP loading screen comes up? Are you certain it's a BSOD and not a reboot related to a heat or power supply issue?

 

[TGS]

The BSoD should mention a driver that it had an issue with prior to the dump. Typically you should be able to plug in that driver into google and pull out what the app, or device that is using it.

I had a good amount of random lockups, from a older realtek driver. Replacing it helped the BSoD a bit, but in the end it turned out to be a bad motherboard.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Nope, what happends I see a Blue screen come up for less then a second - then it reboots, so it's nearly impossible to read it, but it is a BSOD as I do see text, depending on where the screen is at when refreshing, as it apears faster then the monitor has a chance to refresh from top the bottom, fastest I've ever seen, as usually it will stay there instead of rebooting. My camera is super slow at taking pics, but if I press it the right amount of seconds before it comes I can try to grab it and post it.

 

[MrChad]

You should be able to access safe mode before that happens. Right after the computer POSTs (after the RAM is checked), but before the Windows XP logo appears, hit F8 repeatedly to list extra boot options (including Safe Mode).

 

[Red Squirrel]

Thanks. I'll try that when I get home, oh wait, I already formatted. Well I'll try the same install proceedure as I did and if it happends again I'll try it. Also, how do you get SP1 to install? It gives an error about an invalid key or something, but I have a valid key for it, otherwise it would not be running.

 

[Smilin]

Yes, there is a way you can prevent BSoDs

1. Start | Run | gpedit.msc
2. Under Computer Configuration | Windows Settings | Local Policies | Security Options, set "Devices: Unsigned driver installation behavior" to "Do not allow"
3. Start | Run | SFC /scannow
4. Provide your OS CD or service pack CD as needed.
5. Start | Run | Sigverif.exe
6. Hit Start
7. Remove any unsigned drivers and use inbox (Windows) drivers or drivers that have been signed and through the WHQL labs.
8. Log on as a user without administrative rights and use this for day to day tasks.
9. If you need administrative rights, use a "runas" or logon as admin temporarily.

BSoDs are caused only by kernel mode failures with the exception of the Stop 0xC000021A which is a user mode failure. 3rd party crap is what causes the problem and if you can get it removed you won't get a BSoD.

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
Thanks. I'll try that when I get home, oh wait, I already formatted. Well I'll try the same install proceedure as I did and if it happends again I'll try it. Also, how do you get SP1 to install? It gives an error about an invalid key or something, but I have a valid key for it, otherwise it would not be running.

I assume your copy of XP is legit. Pirated copies (along with their keys) are blacklisted by the service packs.