Why is my computer always crashing?

[lsquare]

At about 11 PM last night, my computer started crashing on me. I would get the BSOD with a very long error message. I only have enough time to write down some of it before it restarts. The error message starts with 0x000000F4.

After the BSOD, the computer will restart. Then it'll get stuck and just shows the message that it's loading the operating system. I go into the BIOS and my SSD (primary drive) isn't even shown. It's just blank. The only way the BIOS will display the SSD is after I shut down the computer by holding down the power button.

My only solution to the problem right now is to shut down the computer and then start it up again. Then the BIOS will detect the SSD and boots up the OS (Windows 7). At first I thought this may just be a one time thing, but it happens at least 1-2 times an hour. I don't want to constantly power down the computer by holding down the power button because it's abruptly shutting down the machine and I'm afraid I might cause data corruption on the hard drive. This is why since last night, I haven't done any serious work because I don't know when the BSOD will occur. The last thing that I want is to cause data corruption on my hard drive (secondary drive). I can't figure out what's cause this problem. Does anyone here know what's going on?

 

[Ketchup]

This is a great tool for analyzing Windows minidumps.

http://www.resplendence.com/whocrashed

It might help if you give us some details about what is in your systems.

Based on your info, it sounds like there could be a problem with the hard drive, hard drive cable, or possibly the power supply.

 

[Jaydip]

dp

 

[Jaydip]

Do what Ketchup says and make sure the connectors on ssd are properly secured.Another thing, go to control panel->administrative tools -> event logs, check for any critical error entry under windows logs -> system/application (if only you are too lazy to download whocrashed ). If any of them says "controller" error or something alike, there is a high chance your ssd is fading into void.

 

[denis280]

lsquare did it work.give some feed back.

 

[pcgeek11]

You can go to My Computer Properties and set it under Startup and Recovery Options to Not automatically Reboot after a crash. The blue screen will stay in place so that you can read it.

 

[lsquare]

This is a great tool for analyzing Windows minidumps.

http://www.resplendence.com/whocrashed

It might help if you give us some details about what is in your systems.

Based on your info, it sounds like there could be a problem with the hard drive, hard drive cable, or possibly the power supply.

I just downloaded the app, but I have no idea how to use it. Do I have to intentionally crash my computer with this app to get the report?

 

[lsquare]

Do what Ketchup says and make sure the connectors on ssd are properly secured.Another thing, go to control panel->administrative tools -> event logs, check for any critical error entry under windows logs -> system/application (if only you are too lazy to download whocrashed ). If any of them says "controller" error or something alike, there is a high chance your ssd is fading into void.

All of my connectors are properly secured as I haven't touched the internals of my machine in almost 3 years. Everything was working correctly until last night.

It's my first time using event logs so I'm not sure if I found what you're asking me to find.

In the Windows Log -> Application, I see an error in the level column. The source is WMI. If I go to the event properties, I see the following under General:

Event filter with query "SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent WITHIN 60 WHERE TargetInstance ISA "Win32_Processor" AND TargetInstance.LoadPercentage > 99" could not be reactivated in namespace "//./root/CIMV2" because of error 0x80041003. Events cannot be delivered through this filter until the problem is corrected.

Will this help you figure out what's wrong?

 

[Jaydip]

All of my connectors are properly secured as I haven't touched the internals of my machine in almost 3 years. Everything was working correctly until last night.

It's my first time using event logs so I'm not sure if I found what you're asking me to find.

In the Windows Log -> Application, I see an error in the level column. The source is WMI. If I go to the event properties, I see the following under General:



Will this help you figure out what's wrong?

If this is only marked as "error" we can move on.Check the system tab and look for "critical" errors if any.

 

[Jaydip]

I just downloaded the app, but I have no idea how to use it. Do I have to intentionally crash my computer with this app to get the report?

Heh, no :biggrin: open the application and click the analyze button and scroll down

 

[lsquare]

Heh, no :biggrin: open the application and click the analyze button and scroll down

System Information (local)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

computer name: A-PC
windows version: Windows 7 Service Pack 1, 6.1, build: 7601
windows dir: C:\Windows
CPU: GenuineIntel Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500K CPU @ 3.30GHz Intel586, level: 6
4 logical processors, active mask: 15
RAM: 17162158080 total
VM: 2147352576, free: 1897684992




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crash Dump Analysis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crash dump directory: C:\Windows\Minidump

Crash dumps are enabled on your computer.

No valid crash dumps have been found on your computer

It doesn't seem like there are any issues to be found.

Yet, I have no idea why my computer continues to crash at a rate of 1-2 times per hour. It's not a joke.

 

[lsquare]

If this is only marked as "error" we can move on.Check the system tab and look for "critical" errors if any.

I don't see any critical errors under the level column.

I do see error under the level column and the following is shown under the general section:

The previous system shutdown at 12:58:17 AM on ‎9/‎19/‎2013 was unexpected.

I'll see that error message for each time the computer have crashed. It just say the system shut down was unexpected. Yet, it's not getting me any closer to figuring out what's causing this.

 

[lsquare]

You know what? I'm really tempted to just format the computer right now and see whether the OS is somehow corrupted. It just seems odd to me why I'm experiencing stability problems considering that I haven't messed with the Windows directory or played with any critical system files at all. Like I said, my computer have been fine ever since I build my Sandy Bridge base system. This was done like about 2 years ago or so. All I do on a daily basis is browse the web and use Adobe Lightroom. It's so bizarre that this is happening right now.

 

[Jaydip]

you can check if any system files are corrupted with sfc /scannow

Are you sure the option to create mini dump files is checked?

 

[lsquare]

you can check if any system files are corrupted with sfc /scannow

Are you sure the option to create mini dump files is checked?

It's too late as I formatted my computer. I spent most of yesterday Googling for answer without any success.

I'm starting to suspect that I might be experiencing some sort of hardware failure because Windows crashed during the installation process and the exact symptoms as described in the op appeared!

The BIOS also shows a number 18 in the top right corner. This is the sign that the SSD isn't detected. Normally it'll show a 16.

Another thing that I've noticed is that I can no longer boot directly from the SSD. Ever since my problem first appeared about a day ago, I notice that no matter what I select for the boot priority, my USB flash drive is booted first. I have Windows 7 set up inside the USB drive for faster installation. The only way I can get my SSD to be booted first (assuming I'm not experiencing the problem that I have described and that everything is working normally) is to press F12 and then select the disk to boot from. This is just crazy!

 

[lsquare]

So far my computer haven't crashed yet. I'm going to be away from the computer so I'm going to get it to run Prime 95 and see if my computer is still up and running by the time I get home.

Someone told me to try out Memtest, but I can't seem to figure out how to run that app. Do I have to copy that image to my USB drive and then boot from it to test my RAM? I doubt RAM is the issue here, but I guess it won't hurt if Prime 95 fails.

 

[Jaydip]

you can burn the image to a optical disc/usb.

 

[lsquare]

I take back what I said earlier. My computer crashed again. I tried to copy down the error message as fast as I can from the BSOD.

0x000000F4 (0x0000000000000003, 0xFFFFFA800EAA1460, missing portion

I missed the last part before my computer restart itself. Does any of this help?

 

[Jaydip]

Can you disable the auto restart ? regarding the bsod http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff560372(VS.85).aspx

I have a suspicion either your ssd or ram is going to fail.

 

[John Connor]

You need to run who crashed after the blue screen and give us the details.

 

[lsquare]

You need to run who crashed after the blue screen and give us the details.

I used Who Crash and this is what I got:

System Information (local)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

computer name: A-PC
windows version: Windows 7 Service Pack 1, 6.1, build: 7601
windows dir: CWindows
CPU: GenuineIntel Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500K CPU @ 3.30GHz Intel586, level: 6
4 logical processors, active mask: 15
RAM: 17162158080 total
VM: 2147352576, free: 1897684992




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crash Dump Analysis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crash dump directory: CWindows\Minidump

Crash dumps are enabled on your computer.

No valid crash dumps have been found on your computer

It doesn't seem like there are any issues to be found.

Yet, I have no idea why my computer continues to crash at a rate of 1-2 times per hour. It's not a joke.

 

[lsquare]

Can you disable the auto restart ? regarding the bsod http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff560372(VS.85).aspx

I have a suspicion either your ssd or ram is going to fail.

Jay,

Why should I disable auto restart?

The link from MS' website doesn't explain to me what I can do to fix the problem.

Someone thought it could be my PSU's dying. lol! Everyone seems to have their own suspicions. If I run Memtest, what should I be looking for to make sure my RAM is ok?

 

[Ketchup]

Hello lsquare, at this point I would really like to know what hardware you are using, specifically the motherboard, and the SATA port your boot drive is on.

Also, make sure there is a folder named 'Minidump' in C:Windows. If there is not, create one.

 

[John Connor]

Since the whocrashed log didn't find anything I suspect a hardware issue. Maybe hard drive. Run HDTune or Crystaldiskinfo. If you test the memory run memtest86+ over night.

 

[lsquare]

Since the whocrashed log didn't find anything I suspect a hardware issue. Maybe hard drive. Run HDTune or Crystaldiskinfo. If you test the memory run memtest86+ over night.

I suspect it's the SSD rather than the HDD base on the reasons that I outlined earlier. What will HDTune and Crystaldiskinfo do to help me determine the root cause of the problem?