Solved Windows 8 keeps BSODing with IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Cygon · Feb 4, 2013

Hi!

In autumn 2011 I replaced my mainboard, RAM and CPU because the system I had up until then kept throwing BSODs in my face. Everything was rock solid for about 1 year, including after when I installed Windows 8 on October 30 (been running the various Win8 preview releases before that).

Until some time in late December, the BSODs started happening on my new system, too. There was no driver update (by me or Windows update) even close to the time it started again and it has been getting worse ever since. Yesterday I restored my system partition from a backup because I had 4 BSODs in 3 hours, but I had another one just an hour or two ago.

I have a lingering suspicion that this Creative Labs X-Fi card could have something to do with it (it really was a crash-fest when Win7 came out), but I don't know how to debug this problem.

usasma · Feb 6, 2013

E: drive only has about 2% free space. Windows likes 15% free space in order to perform stuff "behind the scenes" without adversely affecting the system's performance. Please free up 15% on all hard drives (you can get away with 10% on larger drives and won't notice a large performance penalty)

We've seen a number of BSOD issues with SSD's. Here's the information that I've compiled so far:

There's not a whole bunch available to test SSD's. The "easiest" test is to remove the SSD, install a platter-based hard drive, install Windows and test for stability that way.

Here's some suggestions:
- Update the SSD's firmware to the latest available version (VERY IMPORTANT!!!)
- Update the motherboard controllers drivers to the latest available version from the controller manufacturer (NOT the mobo manufacturer unless you can't find any on the controller manufacturer's website)
- Slow the memory (RAM) down to the next slower speed (I've only seen one person who claimed that this worked for them).
- Use any manufacturer's utilities that you may have. If you don't have any, then try this free one (I haven't used it myself): Crystal Dew World
- Update chipset and storage controller drivers to the latest available from the manufacturer of the device (not the manufacturer of the motherboard). Be sure to update ALL controllers on the motherboard!
....NOTE: Recently (Nov 2011) we had BSOD issues with the Marvell 91xx controller and an SSD. You may have to switch controllers also.
- Replace the SSD with a platter based hard drive and see if that stops the BSOD's. If it does, then it's likely that there's a problem with the SSD OR an incompatibility with your system.
It's my opinion that SSD's aren't reliable enough (with current hardware) to be used on a system that needs to work reliably. Until I see reliability I will not recommend, nor will I use, SSD's for critical applications.
06 Dec 2011 - This post tends to confirm issues with certain SSD chipsets and certain controllers - [SOLVED] cant find the cause of BSOD F4 - Tech Support Forum
29 May 2012 - The frequency of BSOD's with SSD's seems to have been decreasing over the last several months. It may be approaching time to re-evaluate my stand on their suitability for use in production systems.
10 Nov 2012 - I'm seeing an upswing in SSD errors - but most appear due to older storage controller drivers. I strongly suggest NOT using storage controller drivers that don't date from 2012 (if none are available, don't connect an SSD to that controller)
05 Jan 2013 - very interesting post about difficulties with the Marvell controllers even when not connected to the SSD drives: https://www.eightforums.com/bsod-cr...-pc-reboots-when-waking-sleep.html#post169956

Creative drivers date from 2008 - not likely that they are compatible with Win8. Either update to Win8 compatible drivers, or uninstall it's software and physically remove the device from your system.

If this doesn't fix the problems, please run Driver Verifier according to these instructions: Driver Verifier Settings

Analysis:
The following is for informational purposes only.

Code:

[font=lucida console]**************************Mon Feb  4 05:28:44.093 2013 (UTC - 5:00)**************************
Loading Dump File [C:\Users\Owner\SysnativeBSODApps\020413-15678-01.dmp]
Windows 8 Kernel Version 9200 MP (6 procs) Free x64
Built by: [B]9200[/B].16461.amd64fre.win8_gdr.121119-1606
System Uptime:[B]0 days 14:47:21.538[/B]
Probably caused by :[B]memory_corruption ( nt!MiIdentifyPfn+15d )[/B]
BugCheck [B]A, {48, 2, 1, fffff8020bd4613d}[/B]
BugCheck Info: [url=http://www.carrona.org/bsodindx.html#0x0000000A]IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (a)[/url]
Arguments: 
Arg1: 0000000000000048, memory referenced
Arg2: 0000000000000002, IRQL
Arg3: 0000000000000001, bitfield :
    bit 0 : value 0 = read operation, 1 = write operation
    bit 3 : value 0 = not an execute operation, 1 = execute operation (only on chips which support this level of status)
Arg4: fffff8020bd4613d, address which referenced memory
BUGCHECK_STR:  AV
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  WIN8_DRIVER_FAULT
PROCESS_NAME:  svchost.exe
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: [B]AV_nt!MiIdentifyPfn[/B]
  BIOS Version                  1301
  BIOS Release Date             03/12/2012
  Manufacturer                  To be filled by O.E.M.
  Product Name                  To be filled by O.E.M.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
[/font]

3rd Party Drivers:
The following is for information purposes only.
Any drivers in red should be updated or removed from your system. And should have been discussed in the body of my post.

Code:

[font=lucida console]**************************Mon Feb  4 05:28:44.093 2013 (UTC - 5:00)**************************
[COLOR=RED][B]ctac32k.sys                 Wed Jul  2 04:38:22 2008 (486B3E7E)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]emupia2k.sys                Mon Aug 22 01:55:54 2011 (4E51EF6A)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]ctsfm2k.sys                 Mon Aug 22 01:56:00 2011 (4E51EF70)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]ctoss2k.sys                 Mon Aug 22 01:56:11 2011 (4E51EF7B)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]ha20x2k.sys                 Mon Aug 22 01:57:35 2011 (4E51EFCF)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]ctaud2k.sys                 Mon Aug 22 01:58:28 2011 (4E51F004)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]ctprxy2k.sys                Mon Aug 22 01:58:30 2011 (4E51F006)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]CTEXFIFX.SYS                Mon Aug 22 01:59:38 2011 (4E51F04A)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]CT20XUT.SYS                 Mon Aug 22 01:59:44 2011 (4E51F050)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]CTHWIUT.SYS                 Mon Aug 22 01:59:47 2011 (4E51F053)[/B][/COLOR]
amdsbs.sys                  Tue Feb 21 13:15:43 2012 (4F43DF4F)
e1i63x64.sys                Wed Feb 29 22:25:14 2012 (4F4EEC1A)
dump_storahci.sys           Wed Jul 25 22:30:35 2012 (5010ABCB)
imdisk.sys                  Mon Jul 30 14:57:16 2012 (5016D90C)
nvlddmkm.sys                Tue Oct  2 14:21:13 2012 (506B3099)
[/font]

Cygon · Feb 7, 2013

Thanks!

Please do take into account that this system has been running rock solid in its current configuration for more than a year. That's why I'm tending towards blaming hardware fatigue.

I'll begin by updating my BIOS and the firmware of that onboard SATA controller I'm using for my system drive, and the SSD's firmware as well.
If it still happens, I'll downclock my memory - the modules I used should be hand-tested, top of the line, but who knows.
After that I'll try going with my chipset's audio solution instead of the SoundBlaster card.
And if that doesn't help, well, I guess I still have an old WD platter-based hard driver onto which I could restore my backup.

By the way, regarding the 2008 SoundBlaster drivers - that's Creative Labs at its best. They update their drivers once or twice a year and then only make cosmetic changes. The one I'm using was published on Jan 25 2013 and described as, I quote:

This download is a driver providing Microsoft® Windows® 8 support for Creative Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ series of audio devices. For more details, read the rest of this web release note.

EDIT: I've now updated my BIOS to the latest version, while re-entering my BIOS settings I was also reminded that this mainboard has automatic overclocking features, so I made twice sure they're disabled. The ASM1061 storage controller firmware is part of the BIOS, so while I can't update it on its own, the BIOS update hopefully covered that. My Intel SSD is up-to-date according to the Intel SSD Toolbox. I'll wait 2-3 days before the next step to see if anything changed.

Cygon · Feb 9, 2013

Looking good so far. Two days of uptime without any BSODs.

View attachment 16304

I'll keep things as they are now for another 2-3 days and if it remains stable, I'll mark this thread as solved and write down the exact changes I made.

usasma · Feb 9, 2013

Just FYI - I've recently seen an issue with a video card where the down-clocking (when idle) has caused problems.
Dunno if this could relate to your issues, but I bring it up "just in case".

Good luck!

Cygon · Feb 10, 2013

No such luck... the problem merely took a 4-day vacation.

Two more BSODs today, both IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, both at (nt+0x7B340). That SoundBlaster is going to take flight tomorrow.

usasma · Feb 10, 2013

Please zip up the memory dumps and upload them with your next post. They're located in C:\Windows\Minidump

Cygon · Feb 11, 2013

Okay, I attached the two minidumps to this post. Thanks again!

I don't know if I can interpret the recurring crash address as indicating a driver issue (versus unstable memory which would cause crashes all over the place). In any case, I'll add Cool'n Quiet (the dynamic downclocking thing) to the list of things to test.

Now let's see how I can completely purge those Creative Labs drivers (basically all the files you marked in red) as they're not offering a driver removal tool...

EDIT: In case anyone else is looking to remove Creative Labs drivers, this is what I did:

Uninstall all Creative Labs entries from the Control Panel (auto-updater, control center and driver)
Run C:\Windows\Temp\CRF000\Drivers\SBXF\support\amd64\ctzapxx.exe (the CRF000 directory is created by the installer and never cleaned up), pick "Uninstall Drivers" and select "Also delete all shared files"
Delete the files usasma marked in red from C:\Windows\System32\Drivers
Run SFC /SCANNOW once over just to be sure no system files went missing or were replaced

usasma · Feb 11, 2013

If you note that the memory address' (where the crash occurred) are very low in the address range. This isn't normal behavior, so I suspect that it's a driver issue - and the faulting driver is scrambling a bit or two. I'm not into disassembly of the memory dumps, so that's really as far as I go with my analysis'

Also, these are all IRQL errors (STOP 0xA) - which are usually due to drivers. You may want to use Driver Verifier according to these instructions: Driver Verifier Settings

There is some involvement with the HAL - so it's possible that it's hardware, but IMO it's much more likely to be a faulty driver. Most often (with hardware errors) you'll see apparently random BSOD errors - even with bad RAM

Great work on the Creative driver removal process! I'm adding it to my bookmarks!

If you still suspect hardware, please run the free diagnostics here: Hardware Diagnostics
Most of the tests also test different aspects of memory (for example, the hard drive test is also related to the pagefile - where the virtual memory is stored).

Just FYI - here's the output from the last 2 dumps. They are very similar to the first one.
Please update these older drivers. Links are included to assist in looking up the source of the drivers. If unable to find an update, please remove (un-install) the program responsible for that driver. DO NOT manually delete/rename the driver as it may make the system unbootable! :

ctac32k.sys Wed Jul 2 04:38:22 2008 (486B3E7E)
Creative Audio Driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=ctac32k.sys

AsUpIO.sys Mon Aug 2 22:47:59 2010 (4C57835F)
ASUS hardware monitoring software related
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=AsUpIO.sys

emupia2k.sys Mon Aug 22 01:55:54 2011 (4E51EF6A)
Creative E-mu Plug-in Architecture Driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=emupia2k.sys

ctsfm2k.sys Mon Aug 22 01:56:00 2011 (4E51EF70)
Creative SoundFont Management Device Driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=ctsfm2k.sys

ctoss2k.sys Mon Aug 22 01:56:11 2011 (4E51EF7B)
Creative OS Services Driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=ctoss2k.sys

ha20x2k.sys Mon Aug 22 01:57:35 2011 (4E51EFCF)
Creative 20X HAL (WDM)
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=ha20x2k.sys

ctaud2k.sys Mon Aug 22 01:58:28 2011 (4E51F004)
Creative Audio Driver (WDM)
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=ctaud2k.sys

ctprxy2k.sys Mon Aug 22 01:58:30 2011 (4E51F006)
Creative Audio Driver (WDM)
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=ctprxy2k.sys

CTEXFIFX.SYS Mon Aug 22 01:59:38 2011 (4E51F04A)
Creative sound card driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=CTEXFIFX.SYS

CT20XUT.SYS Mon Aug 22 01:59:44 2011 (4E51F050)
Creative sound card driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=CT20XUT.SYS

CTHWIUT.SYS Mon Aug 22 01:59:47 2011 (4E51F053)
Creative sound card driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=CTHWIUT.SYS

Analysis:
The following is for informational purposes only.

Code:

[font=lucida console]**************************Sun Feb 10 12:53:28.932 2013 (UTC - 5:00)**************************
Loading Dump File [C:\Users\Owner\SysnativeBSODApps\021013-15896-01.dmp]
Windows 8 Kernel Version 9200 MP (6 procs) Free x64
Built by: [B]9200[/B].16461.amd64fre.win8_gdr.121119-1606
System Uptime:[B]0 days 4:31:23.664[/B]
Probably caused by :[B]memory_corruption ( nt!MiIdentifyPfn+15d )[/B]
BugCheck [B]A, {300000059, 2, 1, fffff8036c14b13d}[/B]
BugCheck Info: [url=http://www.carrona.org/bsodindx.html#0x0000000A]IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (a)[/url]
Arguments: 
Arg1: 0000000300000059, memory referenced
Arg2: 0000000000000002, IRQL
Arg3: 0000000000000001, bitfield :
    bit 0 : value 0 = read operation, 1 = write operation
    bit 3 : value 0 = not an execute operation, 1 = execute operation (only on chips which support this level of status)
Arg4: fffff8036c14b13d, address which referenced memory
BUGCHECK_STR:  AV
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  WIN8_DRIVER_FAULT
PROCESS_NAME:  svchost.exe
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: [B]AV_nt!MiIdentifyPfn[/B]
  BIOS Version                  1703
  BIOS Release Date             10/17/2012
  Manufacturer                  To be filled by O.E.M.
  Product Name                  To be filled by O.E.M.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
**************************Sun Feb 10 08:21:22.776 2013 (UTC - 5:00)**************************
Loading Dump File [C:\Users\Owner\SysnativeBSODApps\021013-17440-01.dmp]
Windows 8 Kernel Version 9200 MP (6 procs) Free x64
Built by: [B]9200[/B].16461.amd64fre.win8_gdr.121119-1606
System Uptime:[B]0 days 19:21:17.479[/B]
Probably caused by :[B]memory_corruption ( nt!MiIdentifyPfn+15d )[/B]
BugCheck [B]A, {48, 2, 1, fffff80085d4913d}[/B]
BugCheck Info: [url=http://www.carrona.org/bsodindx.html#0x0000000A]IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (a)[/url]
Arguments: 
Arg1: 0000000000000048, memory referenced
Arg2: 0000000000000002, IRQL
Arg3: 0000000000000001, bitfield :
    bit 0 : value 0 = read operation, 1 = write operation
    bit 3 : value 0 = not an execute operation, 1 = execute operation (only on chips which support this level of status)
Arg4: fffff80085d4913d, address which referenced memory
BUGCHECK_STR:  AV
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  WIN8_DRIVER_FAULT
PROCESS_NAME:  svchost.exe
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: [B]AV_nt!MiIdentifyPfn[/B]
  BIOS Version                  1703
  BIOS Release Date             10/17/2012
  Manufacturer                  To be filled by O.E.M.
  Product Name                  To be filled by O.E.M.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
[/font]

3rd Party Drivers:
The following is for information purposes only.
Any drivers in red should be updated or removed from your system. And should have been discussed in the body of my post.

Code:

[font=lucida console]**************************Sun Feb 10 12:53:28.932 2013 (UTC - 5:00)**************************
[COLOR=RED][B]ctac32k.sys                 Wed Jul  2 04:38:22 2008 (486B3E7E)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]AsUpIO.sys                  Mon Aug  2 22:47:59 2010 (4C57835F)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]emupia2k.sys                Mon Aug 22 01:55:54 2011 (4E51EF6A)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]ctsfm2k.sys                 Mon Aug 22 01:56:00 2011 (4E51EF70)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]ctoss2k.sys                 Mon Aug 22 01:56:11 2011 (4E51EF7B)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]ha20x2k.sys                 Mon Aug 22 01:57:35 2011 (4E51EFCF)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]ctaud2k.sys                 Mon Aug 22 01:58:28 2011 (4E51F004)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]ctprxy2k.sys                Mon Aug 22 01:58:30 2011 (4E51F006)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]CTEXFIFX.SYS                Mon Aug 22 01:59:38 2011 (4E51F04A)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]CT20XUT.SYS                 Mon Aug 22 01:59:44 2011 (4E51F050)[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=RED][B]CTHWIUT.SYS                 Mon Aug 22 01:59:47 2011 (4E51F053)[/B][/COLOR]
amdsbs.sys                  Tue Feb 21 13:15:43 2012 (4F43DF4F)
e1i63x64.sys                Wed Feb 29 22:25:14 2012 (4F4EEC1A)
PROCMON23.SYS               Tue Jun 19 15:24:55 2012 (4FE0D207)
dump_storahci.sys           Wed Jul 25 22:30:35 2012 (5010ABCB)
imdisk.sys                  Mon Jul 30 14:57:16 2012 (5016D90C)
AsIO.sys                    Wed Aug 22 05:54:47 2012 (5034AC67)
nvlddmkm.sys                Tue Oct  2 14:21:13 2012 (506B3099)
VBoxNetAdp.sys              Wed Dec 19 08:47:17 2012 (50D1C565)
VBoxDrv.sys                 Wed Dec 19 08:48:25 2012 (50D1C5A9)
[/font]

Cygon · Feb 15, 2013

After removing that SoundBlaster card and switching to the sound solution integrated into my chipset (a Realtek ALC889 chip which is the DAC or codec with some Intel HD Audio thingy on top, details are hard to come by), this happened:

View attachment 16756

None of the drivers you remarked as being too old were on my system anymore since 4 days ago. They were all from the Jan 13 2013 release of the Creative Labs drivers, with the exception of AsUpIO.sys, which was from Asus' BIOS updater (it's bundled in some suite of monitoring and tuning tools that even after uninstalling left drivers, 3 services and auto-run tray icon apps on my system - I removed that stuff as well).

So in short, the source of the crashes was, with very little doubt, the Creative Labs sound card and/or drivers.

Thank you for all the help and support! I don't know why you're doing this (I imagine it must be boring and perhaps frustrating), but you have my gratitude. It's just fantastic being able to work once again without fearing that at any moment all open programs and carefully arranged views are gone!

usasma · Feb 15, 2013

Several years ago I found that there wasn't very much help available for people suffering from BSOD's
I started studying them and developed some techniques that help to solve them.
I continue with it because I'm interested in it - and because it helps others. It's my way of paying back those who helped me learn about this!

Good luck to you!

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