Troubleshooting win10 bluescreens

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Pantoot

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Jun 6, 2002
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Built new setup in early april, everything ran fine.

About 3 days ago I got a bluescreen while playing a game.
The next day I ran a few benchmarks, the CPU benched as it should, the memory looked fine. Then, a few hours later it blue-screened again, this time at the character creating page of that same game.

Since then it has gotten worse, blue-screening while booting and eventually got to the point where I tried to reinstall windows and now I get a blue-screen during the install process.

IRQL, Memory manager, System Service, the bluescreen error seems to vary randomly.
I can't even get to the point where I can finish a windows install before it crashes.

I suspected it was heat related, but I watched the temps during the stress tests and everything looked good.

I have tried:

Removing all 4 ram sticks and trying just 1 in each of the 4 slots.
Removing vid card and using onboard video.
Placing M2 drive in the other m2 slot.

During one of the times that it was acting stable I ran the memtest that windows offers before you start the install and it ran through without error, but when I clicked to Install windows it bluescreened after about 30 seconds.

All i can point to now is the mainboard, but, since its an ASUS, their RMA process sucks, and they will probably get it and just return it to me saying they didn't find an error.

Any ideas on what I should try before I send the board back?

Thanks
Edit: (i7-7700k, asus max ix hero, 4 8 gb gskill tridentz 3200, samsung evo 1tb m.2, evga 1080ti SC )
 
Ketchup

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
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What power supply? Have you tried switching bios to optimized default settings?

And if those don't work take the video card out and try on-chip graphics only.
 
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Pantoot

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Jun 6, 2002
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Thanks for the help so far.

It's a rosewill quark 850. The leds on that stay green, if that's worth anything.

I tried the onboard video, same behavior.
I took out the m2 drive and tried a fresh install to a platter, same behavior.

Yeah, bios is set to optimized defaults.

Install goes past the copying files part, USB keyboard will blink and then I get the blue screen. This is repeatable, but the blue screen reason varies. (seems to be mostly kmode exception not handled or system thread exception)

Not sure how I could access the dmp files, since the install fails so fast.
I am trying to install from a USB device, both a download from the media creator and the retail win10.

Going to try installing 32 bit version on a whim. (Edit:no joy)
 
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Ketchup

Ketchup

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Sep 1, 2002
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Make sure the the RAM voltage is set to what the RAM manufacturer recommends. Even going a bit over on it won't hurt anything.
 
Iron Woode

Iron Woode

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Oct 10, 1999
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Pantoot said:
Perfect, I was looking for a tool i could boot from usb to test, can't believe I spaced the name.
Pass 1 completed after 1:03, no errors.
Click to expand...
are you testing all ram modules at once or 1 at a time?
 
Iron Woode

Iron Woode

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assuming the ram passes then the problem is not the ram or the MB.

my next tests would be the HDD itself.
 
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Pantoot

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Iron Woode said:
assuming the ram passes then the problem is not the ram or the MB.

my next tests would be the HDD itself.
Click to expand...
memtest is still running, no errors yet.

I have two drives, a platter and a 960 evo ssd. I have tried with just one of each installed and both times it bluescreened right after the loading files screen.

Just so weird that memtest or even the bios screens can run so long and windows install errors out so fast.
 
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Pantoot

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Another oddity, if i use the advanced setup options (f8) and choose safe mode it will actually go through the install process instead of bluescreening right after the black screen that says copying files. I can go through the setup steps but then after the first reboot it will bluescreen, and then bluescreen after every reboot.
 
deustroop

deustroop

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Dec 12, 2010
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What is the error reported on the BSOD ?

Is a driver.sys mentioned ?

Is the iso file you are trying to install the same one that was installed when the errors began ?

Have you tried to install a new ver. of the windows 10 iso ?
 
Ketchup

Ketchup

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Sep 1, 2002
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What BIOS is on that board?

Also, if you haven't tried already, disconnect from the Internet while running Windows setup.
 
P

Pantoot

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Memtest completed 4 passes. 5:58, 0 errors.
Bios is version 0906 - 03/22/2017 (current)

I have the retail usb iso, and I have downloaded the media maker iso on two different usb sticks (last night and thursday night). Doesn't seem to make a difference.
I have tried the install disconnected from the network.

The retail USB is the same as the one I used during the initial install. On one of the safe boot attempts I was able to get to the disk partition screen and deleted the old partitions to clear the ssd.

There isn't usually a driver mentioned.
I just ran through a 8 tries (2 with retail usb, 6 between to other sticks with images downloaded from two different machines)
Using onboard video and no LAN and got:
3 x SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
2 x SYSTEM SERVICE EXCEPTION
PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA (this one pointed to WimFsF.sys)
ATTEMPTED_TO_WRITE_TO_READ_ONLY_MEMORY
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

I have tried using different USB ports (usb 3 or 2). Scrounging around for a cdrom so I can see if maybe usb install is part of it.
Then I guess i will try finding a win7 install to try.
 
Ketchup

Ketchup

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It really sounds like a memory problem even though mentesr isn't saying there is. Is there anywhere local you can get memory to test with? Preferably on the QVL, but at this point ok if not at long as it's local.

Also, have you taken the cou out to make sure there are no bent pins in the socket?

And, what voltage are you running the memory at?
 
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Iron Woode

Iron Woode

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I have 2 ideas.

1. check the power supply voltages to see if they are stable. or try a different power supply.

2. install a linux distro and see if this problem persists.
 
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Pantoot

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Ketchup said:
It really sounds like a memory problem even though mentesr isn't saying there is. Is there anywhere local you can get memory to test with? Preferably on the QVL, but at this point ok if not at long as it's local.

Also, have you taken the chips out to make sure there are no bent pins?

And, what voltage are you running the memory at?
Click to expand...

Sure, I can try buying some different memory. The 4 sticks I have are from two different orders, seems really unlikely that both sets would be bad, but I have no better ideas at the moment.

Optimized defaults through the bios sets the voltage at 1.2V, so most of the attempts have been at that. I did try running the XMP profile which sets it at 1.35, but got the same results. I turned off XMP and bumped it up to 1.4 and unfortunately, no luck.

Physically the memory looks good.
 
P

Pantoot

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1) Great thought, I plugged in an old supply, it is only 400W, but I only attached it to the mainboard so it should be fine.
Unfortunately, it didn't matter, same behavior, this time KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED.

Might be a red herring, but every time right before the bluescreen the usb devices (keyboard and mouse) flash, like its reinitializing the bus or something.

2) I will grab a distro and see if i can boot to that.

Thanks again all. I am getting too old for this!
 
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Pantoot

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Ubuntu kernel panics right away trying to install.
Fatal exception in interrupt.
I know its really rare, but...bad CPU?

edit: I tried again, at least ubuntu gives more info than windows when it fails. Didn't know how to log it to text, but here is what it looked like:

http://imgur.com/HwLktJa
 
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Pantoot

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TeeJay1952 said:
bent pin
Click to expand...

You mean on the CPU? I haven't taken a look at that yet...
Edit: maybe...really hard to tell. Since I had to pull the board out to look closely I decided to just buy another motherboard to be sure, amazon will deliver it tomorrow. I am tired of messing with it.
 
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Iron Woode

Iron Woode

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Oct 10, 1999
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Pantoot said:
You mean on the CPU? I haven't taken a look at that yet...
Edit: maybe...really hard to tell. Since I had to pull the board out to look closely I decided to just buy another motherboard to be sure, amazon will deliver it tomorrow. I am tired of messing with it.
Click to expand...
bent pin seems rather odd. Would it even boot up?

looking carefully at the socket with light reflecting the right way should reveal a bent pin if there is one.

it's also possible the MB is dying for some unknown reason.
 
Ketchup

Ketchup

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Sep 1, 2002
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Depending on where the bent pin is, it is very possible for a computer with bent pins to boot up. There have been instances reported here not too long ago.

It would fall in line with what the OP has reported if the bent pins were near the memory controller portion of the chip.

I have heard of at least one aftermarket CPU cooler that is reported to damage CPU pins if not installed just right. Again; I have no idea if this is the case, but it would fit.
 
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