"Blue Error Screen" ...DATA_INPUT...

[goodnice]

Long Time Admirer First Time User.

My System:
2.00 GHz Intel Pentium
Compaq Presario 6000
RAM 512 PC2100 DDR
Hard Drive 80 GB UltraDMA
Windows XP Home
Power Supply 220W
CD-RW Samsung
DVD-ROM
If any one needs more details just let me know.

My Problem is this...

Today I was on my computer and all of a sudden everything stopped paused and then I got a blue screen with an error.

I was on the internet when it happened, I was (Ironically writing a message on another forum) clicking back on the Netscape menu and then pause... Pause still but all the while the mouse is still working... and then... wham "Blue Error Screen".

I attached the "Blue Screen" to this thread.

By the way the error message talks about having new hardware, but I didn't have any new hardware attached.

So I restarted and it came right back. Then I tried again then it said some thing like "About, Restart, Try Again" I think. So how in the world did I manage to get to the point where I type these very letter you ask? Well I went into the bios and re-set the defaults then restarted in safe mode and did a system restore to about two weeks ago. And here I am now haven’t seen any thing that would prompt me to think about that screen.

I'm pretty sure this isn't a virus or spy-ware. I ran several scans and "Ad-Aware, Spy-Bot, Hijack This" etc.... Although if the bios being reset like that was the reason it got fixed (Not 100% sure if that was what fixed it) then it could have been a bios virus after all. I ran a short virus scan with Norton didn’t find any thing. And the speed of the comp hasn’t made me suspect virus either.

Yesterday I restarted the computer twice with out a scan disk could this be related?

I'll run a scan disk as soon as I acquire the right time. (My hard drive is 80GBs so a scan disk would take a while . Would a full defrag be good too?

When this happened no black outs happened but lighting was going on in this area. Could this be related?

I recently about a week ago opened the computers case... But I didn't touch any thing except open and close the case. All I wanted to do was check if it had a free PCI and/or AGP slot. Absolutely No Touching though. And no I didn’t drop a hair wig inside before I closed it.

Any how I guess I could just forget about it and go on. Which is what I'm going to have to do with the fact other people also have to use this computer. But sense it was surprisingly shocking I figured these questions should be asked.

[goodnice]

Can one change the title after it has been posted?

[goodnice]

I think I may have made a mistake about where this post should best be in. Considering the fact its related to both hardware issues and software issues I wish I put it in the general hardware forum.

If the moderator or possibly a friend of this boards moderator finds this note please ask him to move this there.

And also if people are ignoring this thread because its got 5 ratings stars and looked and couldn't understand how it got 5 stars there I apologize about that, I was testing the buttons and it happened. I didn't do it on purpose and I know how pushy and irritating it can be to have some people trying to get more attention on thier own thread then others. So in conclusion I'm sorry and please help me and move this thread to general hardware.

[Cricket]

Use Memtest86 or DocMemory to test your RAM with. The RAM may have gone bad.

Cricket

[GreatBaldOne]

I agree Cricket. The only time that I have seen the blue screen in WinXP, bad RAM was to blame.

[EzyStvy]

Common Causes of STOP Messages 0x00000077 and 0x0000007A

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;130801

SUMMARY
STOP Messages 0x00000077 and 0x0000007A are related kernel traps that are caused when the operating system tries to load a page into memory from the paging file on the hard disk, but cannot access the page because of either a software or hardware failure.

If you experience this issue more than one time, contact your computer or hard disk vendor.

MORE INFORMATION
The following are all common causes of STOP Messages 0x00000077 and 0x0000007A:

• The paging file contained a bad block.
• If the page file is on a SCSI device, the trap could have been caused by improper termination.
• Bad cabling from hard disk to controller.
• An error on the disk controller.
• Running out of non-paged pool resources on the server.
Frequently, the cause of these traps can be determined from the second of the 4 hexadecimal parameters included in the first line of the STOP Message.

[goodnice]

Originally Posted by Cricket Use Memtest86 or DocMemory to test your RAM with. The RAM may have gone bad. Cricket

I downloaded "Doc Memory" and pressed the test button but it appeared to just paused there. Should I give "Doc Memory" more time?

If this was just a RAM problem then I'm very relieved.

[Dodge7]

That message you got looks *a lot* like the one I got yesterday evening when I was trying to Install Windows 2000. It didn't surprise me, I knew I had questionable/partial drivers for the video and sound [I just got the right ones installed]. I can see how it considers it a "new hardwr" problem.

Have you installed any programs that could have affected the drivers, like the IDE driver?

Also, it could be a simple and dirty connectors on the harddrive.


P.S. The only time I saw the blue screen on Win 2000 was an April fool's joke on a website. Thereafter it never gave me a blue screen as such

[GaryRouth]

If this is a newer system, it might benefit from MemTest86+ for the first round of tests. Depending on what version of DocMemory you have, it isn't always as up-to-date. [I'm puzzled about how it might have stalled: did you create the bootable floppy, boot from it, and then it stalls when selecting one of the tests from the menu? (There are a few options - a quick test or an extended "burn-in" test)]

I wouldn't be surprised if lightning caused a surge that caused some havoc. Hopefully it only bumped a few values in your RAM and didn't harm the module itself - or perhaps flipped a Bios setting (possibly RAM timings) up or down a notch. The extended tests will let you know.

If you want to test the hard drive as well, download the disk diagnostics from the drive's manufacturer's website (like DataLifeGuard for Western Digitals, Powermax for Maxtors, etc.)

And if you want to really, really, sleep soundly at night - you can test just about everything with system analysis tools like SiSoft Sandra [ http://www.sisoftware.co.uk ] That will help rule out damage to your main system board (motherboard).

[. . . then draw a green shamrock on the case for good luck .]
. . . Gary

[goodnice]

Ok I realize its been a super long time for a follow up and I don't want people to get disguriged by my error in manner. I humbly apologize for not following up sooner.

All these replies to this thread are very helpful and comforting to me. I admit after no one said my problem was serious right off the bat I sort of went into a large scale 999 party.

I'll double check out all these excellent ideas on here if any thing prompts my problems premise of fear.

Doge: I haven’t loaded any new program that could have done that. I also unplugged every thing briefly while the fiasco was going on just to be sure.

Thank you all again for every ones help.

[goodnice]

Almost an hour after that post... yup blue screen.

And this time I went through hell and back again to get back here.

I'm exhausted right now so I'll post a more detailed article about it later after R&R.

But I managed to take pictures of some of the screens I kept getting. So I've posted the one I got the most. It seemed to be helped when I changed the "Boot Order". I'll explain them in better detail in my next post.

[glc]

Test your ram, then test your hard drive.

[goodnice]

I finally figured out what I was doing wrong with the doc memory test. I had loaded the SPD reader, I got really cocky after I got every thing back the first time so I got tech sloppy.

But this time I managed to create a boot disk for the doc memory test. And I've attached the screen I got when I rebooted. It didn't advance from that point.

[glc]

Try Memtest86+.

[goodnice]

Success, downloaded this version.
Download - Pre-Compiled Memtest86 v3.1a installable from Windows and DOS"
And installed to a disk.
I let it do its thing until it got to the 3rd pass, no errors or ECC errors detected. Should I wait until the final pass. I checked the manual and it looks like that’s going to be a few hours.

I also attached another error screen I got from last night. This other photo is of some sort of automatic scan that usually happens when I turn on the computer. I would have let it finish scanning but when it reached 20000 I wasn't sure how many hours it would have continued so I stopped it. Got back into windows and for some strange reason zone alarm was the first window up. And some program was asking to get on line, I refused at the time of course. Not sure if this is related to the primary problem tough.

By the way one pattern I’ve noticed is that when I try to use windows paint and save, the computer will freeze. Then the start bar vanishes then every thing vanishes the only things left are the wallpaper and the mouse. All the while the mouse works fine except it can’t click any thing.

By the way what is the forum policy on attachments? Is there any thing special I should know before I post any more?

[EzyStvy]

All things considered->Start Backing up ypur important data while you can

[goodnice]

I've attached a photo of the inside of my computer. It shows dust inside. Could this be related to the problem?

One time the lock up (Start Bar Gone every thing freeze) happened the lights flickered in the computer room while it locked up. I have a light and a phone hooked up to a single surge protector power out let extender with of course also the computer and its peripherals. I hear the microwave was flickering while it happened too. Could this be related to the problem?

I am about to format the computer and use the Compaq restore software. Any advice? Will this help? Is this a dead end? Bad Idea? Say my prayers? Adios? R.I.P.? Halloween? Excuse me I'm going a little in the head right now. But seriously tell me what you think about a format in this condition. Any thing I should do before and by the way I have to format between today and tomorrow. So I could use absolutely positively any advice every body who reads this can give. Even if its about how to keep from choosing suitable sledge hammers for obvious reasons.

If there is one thing I have learned in all this gut retching time its that saying "Pre packaged Best Buy computers suck" is an understatement.

That’s about all I can think of. Basically 1# is it dust? 2# Power cables in house set up? 3# Format bad? Good? No idea? etc...

[goodnice]

More info: I said in my last post that I attched a photo of the inside of the computer. Unfortunealy that didn''t work it locked up every single time I tried to.

Also All of my bookmarks have just vanished.

[goodnice]

Ok, I'm going ahead with the system restore now.

Here are more photos to help.

[RoyKelly]

Originally Posted by goodnice I've attached a photo of the inside of my computer. It shows dust inside. Could this be related to the problem? One time the lock up (Start Bar Gone every thing freeze) happened the lights flickered in the computer room while it locked up. I have a light and a phone hooked up to a single surge protector power out let extender with of course also the computer and its peripherals. I hear the microwave was flickering while it happened too. Could this be related to the problem? I am about to format the computer and use the Compaq restore software. ...... But seriously tell me what you think about a format in this condition. Any thing I should do before and by the way I have to format between today and tomorrow. So I could use absolutely positively any advice every body who reads this can give. Even if its about how to keep from choosing suitable sledge hammers for obvious reasons. That’s about all I can think of. Basically 1# is it dust? 2# Power cables in house set up? 3# Format bad? Good? No idea? etc...

#1 Possibly dust.... How thick is the dust? If it is a light coating, probally not... BUT if it is thick and has lots of little "bunnies", the heat build up from the dust can cause errors.

#2 Is the microwave on the same circuit? What else is on the same circuit? Any item that pulls a lot of power (microwave, fridge, freezer, vacuum cleaner, ect) can cause lockups, including laser printers. Try to isolate the computer from any other electrical items and see if the problem goes away.

Sledge hammer? I use a 22lb one.

Here's what I would reccommend, testing for repeat of problem after each step.

• Backup ALL my important data, if not done already
• Blow out the dust
• Isolate the system from any other electrical item
• Unhook all external devices, such as printer, scanner, ect.
• Enter BIOS and ensure that the network connecter is set to ON, not W/PXE
• Download and run test for my HD
• Boot from the Compaq restore disk
• Reload all my other software and hook up external devices one at a time

This will do the following:

1. Ensure that you have your data backed up if the worst happens
2. Eliminate heat buildup from dust
3. Ensure that other appliances are not causing the problem
4. Ensure that the problem is not caused by an external device
5. Change the boot so that the system is not trying to boot off the network, unless that is what you need
6. Ensure the problem is not in your HD
7. Ensure that the problem is not software related

Originally Posted by goodnice If there is one thing I have learned in all this gut retching time its that saying "Pre packaged Best Buy computers suck" is an understatement.

The computers are about the same, whether they are from Best Buy, Dell, Gateway, IBM, or any other manufacturer. The main difference I have found is in the support options from the manufacturer, not the hardware or software. Of course, building your own means you can choose what you want, but you are also your own support.


Final note - This sounds like a hardware problem to me.... either memory or HD, but it can be software.

[RoyKelly]

Call Best Buy Tech Support
From http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....2104&type=page
Contact Us by Phone
For round-the-clock assistance, call Customer Care at 1-888-BEST BUY (237-8289).


Call Compaq Tech Support
from http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/....html#section1
Support for HP products (United States only)

Support for: HP and Compaq products 800-HP invent or 800-474-6836 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for most products U.S.: English and Spanish for most products
Support for: Compaq Presario PC products 800-OK Compaq or
800-652-6672 24 hours a day, 7 days a week U.S.: English and Spanish

[GaryRouth]

Roy and the others have all given some fine advice.

Keep us posted on how it goes. Seems like a machine with a 2ghz processor should still be under warranty, so if either the motherboard or its bios, the system memory, or the hard drive were harmed by an electrical surge, you may well be covered = parts are often guaranteed for the first year (with extended coverage packages available at price premiums).

It sounds like you made it through a few rounds of memory testing, but did you get around to any diagnostics for the hard drive? ---- If your Restore goes well enough, but then you start getting similiar problems as before, check in your Compaq literature (also for any Compaq items in your programs menus) for instructions on running the built-in Compaq diagnostics. Or try the diagnostics from the hard drive manufacturer's website, as mentioned earlier. One of the blue screen errors you received could be as minor and easily fixed as changing the keyboard, or as serious as having to flash the motherboard's bios. A bios flash has to be done very carefully - it has to be the right bios for the board, the right procedures need to be followed, and by golly you don't want anything to go wrong with the electricity in the middle of a bios flash, or you'll be purchasing a new motherboard.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[By the way, sometimes the electrical setup in a building in not quite like it should be (especially if the building has had several owners, or is simply aging). If you notice that several electronics devices in the building are also having trouble (T.V.s, radios, lamps, refrigerators,...) you can have an electrician check the levels and wiring, and test things in general. We had a fellow at the medical lab who rented a house where the levels were much too high, and his appliances were conking out one by one (including his computer). A check by the local electric company found this out for him with a free checkup. They fixed up the electrical, and no problems for his computers or appliances since.]

[glc]

A 220 watt power supply is a bit weak for today's computers - if you are having building electrical problems, they could be hitting the power supply pretty hard. Presarios are not noted for being quality computers to begin with, they are built with a lot of proprietary parts to meet price points.

[goodnice]

Ok right now every thing seems to have been fixed from my full system restore. After it loaded a new bios and ran a automatic scan disk [Error check] things seemed to have improved. The only thing that didn't work was it didn't change FAT 32 to NTSF. Right now I'm going to catch my breath a while before I do any tinkering. So later on perhaps I'm going to restore again one more time to let it properly convert.

How does the power electric danger regarding the bios flash work? (Just so I‘m prepared in any possible future case)

[GaryRouth]

. . . not sure what you mean "restore again one more time to let it properly convert"? Are you referring to the System Restore feature of Windows XP, or the Restore Disks supplied by Compaq? If it's the Compaq Restore Disks, did you choose the option that repartitions, reformats, and reinstalls everything to factory original? [...or did you have an option to do a partial restore from a restore partition?]

The reason I ask is that a Restore disk usually just returns things to the same state they were in when you bought the computer [they often use Disk Images]. In these cases, all data added since is erased completely. So restoring in this manner over and over theoretically should have the same effect each time. If the computer came with the hard drive formatted in the FAT32 file system (a bit odd for a WinXP system, but it's up to the system builder) - then that's what it will be each time after a restore. If the computer arrived with XP installed on an NTFS partition, then that's what it should be after a restore. No conversion usually takes place in such restores.
------------------
To answer your bios flash question: the danger when flashing a bios is if the power goes out during the procedure - it can leave the motherboard (and hence, your computer) unusable [since it's the Bios, after all, that gets things started when you first turn your computer on].

. . . Gary

[glc]

Open a command prompt.

convert x: /fs:ntfs

x being the drive letter.

[goodnice]

I used the Compaq restore CDs that came with the computer. It starts off by deleting the main partition then it up loads all the files ready to be installed. Then just before it starts windows up for the first time usually it coverts the partition. The last time I restored it tried to convert then it said warning HARD ERROR!. After I did a melancholy barrage of LOLing I restarted the computer and the system did an automatic error check. It found errors and fixed them but it didn’t finish its convert.

I sure would not like to be reinstalling the bios flash just before a black out. I wonder if people go seriously crazy after they lose their motherboard that way. I guess that’s why warrantees are so important.

This house is pretty old built probably around no later then the 70s. We had an electrician install modern wall outlets. We usually have the Compaq computer hooked up to the modern outlet. Also usually have another computer hooked up to the older outlet. Pretty dangerous because I don’t think those old outlets are grounded. In fact I’m pretty sure of that. We are using a outlet extender protection thing with ground protection written on it. Which of course is a little respite for technical problem woes but I know it isn’t a permanent fix.

I’m going to check what’s plugged into what power lines into where to where. I’ll find out if the other power hungry devices are hooked up to the same circuit.

I had a question about those outlet extender protection deelys. They have transformer written on certain designated outlets on the device. What do or are these transformers, and what are they for?

P. S. Thank you for the covert code.

[fourdollarbill]

When I have a blue screen in any computer that is running well the first thing I do is check the CPU fan to see if it running full speed. It can slowly go bad and drive you nuts with errors. Also if your power supply fan is running slow it can cause more heat in the system.

[goodnice]

Actually that’s interesting you should mention the fan because at the exact moment the blue error screen appeared (or rather every time it did) I heard the fan rev up quicker. (as if it forgot it was supposed to be on and was tiring to compensate immediately)

How can I check the fan speed?

Are there any changes in windows I can make to not strain to fan?

[fourdollarbill]

Checking fan speed on your pc will need a program to do so. The fan speed is less important than temp. More important, how old is your cpu fan, case fan and/or power fan? I have my PC inside a desk on a carpet floor and it will eat a fan a year unless it is a ball bearing fan. If your fan rev'd up it sounds like you have a smart motherboard that is telling your fan it is hot at the sensor point. Some mobo's have 3 or more sensor points that will rev up a certain fan to cool it back down after a demand. Cpu, case and power unit fans can all be replaced. If your fans are getting louder then they are also getting slower and that will cause heat and ERROR's.

You can find good fans and cpu heat sink/fan combo's at your local PC shop for $4.00 to $14.00. Just make sure of the plug type when asking for one (more easy than it sounds)(typicaly just two types for most pc's). There are tons of super fans and this fan is better than that fan stories and sales pitches on the web but a $9.00 ball bearing fan from my local PC shop works perfect (Chevy or a BMW - they can both go the speed limit).

Also with only 220watts for power it seems a touch low for two cd drives (opinion). I'm not sure of why but I had a 2 month old 866Mhz home made PC with a 250 watt and I added a CD-RW with its program and it error'd maybe 3 to 4 times a month. Then my brother - a PC building Whacko - sent me a used 350 watt power supply and said "this will fix your error problem". Sure enough it did!

Okay, now I'm babbling.
Good luck - And - Sorry for the late reply, my 3 year old is very demanding.