Solved DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION on storport.sys on Win 8.1 build

msawyer91

msawyer91

New Member
Messages
12
Location
United States
I'm normally pretty good at resolving BSODs but I've got one I can't quite solve. It occurs at least once a day, and it's the same BSOD with the same error code every time.

Having an MSDN subscription, I was eager to try out the Windows 8.1 RTM bits, so I asked my wife if I could borrow her HP Envy desktop for a few weeks--I bribed her with a brand new iPad so she let me take the desktop. The desktop shipped with Windows 8; in fact when you pull up the product page on HP the only OS listed as supported by HP is Windows 8 x64.

I installed a brand new Kingston HyperX 128GB SSD, installed Windows 8.1, and then reattached the original HDD. Windows detected most of the hardware, and for the items it didn't, it grabbed the drivers from Windows Update. The only one that needed manual intervention was the storage controller, so I grabbed the latest driver from the HP Support and Drivers page.

The machine ran fine for several days, until late last week it was sitting at the Startup Repair screen. I rebooted it, and it rebooted fine...but less than a day later, it was back at Startup Repair.

After each of these episodes, I fired up WinDbg x64 and analyzed the MEMORY.DMP file and each time, it's a DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION on storport.sys. The parameters are the same every time -- 0x0, 0x501, 0x500, 0x0. It crashes in the storport!RaidAdapterAcquireInterruptLock+125e2 function.

I haven't yet installed antivirus software on the machine, so I can't point the finger at that.

Naturally I've checked the usual suspects -- the SSD and the hard drive. I installed WindowSMART 2013, and it gave both disks a clean bill of health. Crystal Disk Info said the disks were healthy too. The UEFI disk diagnostics also said the disks are healthy.

I looked in the event logs to see if I could see disk or storage controller errors, and there are none to be found. The only errors I found were a bunch of VSS errors which I very quickly traced back to CrashPlan (a cloud backup tool). Apparently CP and VSS don't get along when the cache is stored on an SSD. Moving the cache to the HDD got rid of the VSS errors yet the BSODs persist.

Like I said, I'm usually pretty good at troubleshooting BSODs with WinDbg, but I'm striking out on this one.

Code: 
Microsoft (R) Windows Debugger Version 6.2.9200.20512 AMD64
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
 
 
Loading Dump File [C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP]
Kernel Bitmap Dump File: Only kernel address space is available
 
Symbol search path is: symsrv*symsrv.dll*h:\WebSymbols*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols
Executable search path is:
Windows 8 Kernel Version 9600 MP (6 procs) Free x64
Product: WinNt, suite: TerminalServer SingleUserTS
Built by: 9600.16384.amd64fre.winblue_rtm.130821-1623
Machine Name:
Kernel base = 0xfffff802`1fa72000 PsLoadedModuleList = 0xfffff802`1fd399b0
Debug session time: Sun Sep 29 23:56:33.642 2013 (UTC - 4:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 4:50:36.344
Loading Kernel Symbols
...............................................................
................................................................
............................................
Loading User Symbols
 
Loading unloaded module list
.............
*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************
 
Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.
 
BugCheck 133, {0, 501, 500, 0}
 
Probably caused by : storport.sys ( storport!RaidAdapterAcquireInterruptLock+125e2 )
 
Followup: MachineOwner
---------
 
0: kd> !analyze -v
*******************************************************************************
*                                                                             *
*                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    *
*                                                                             *
*******************************************************************************
 
DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (133)
The DPC watchdog detected a prolonged run time at an IRQL of DISPATCH_LEVEL
or above.
Arguments:
Arg1: 0000000000000000, A single DPC or ISR exceeded its time allotment. The offending
                component can usually be identified with a stack trace.
Arg2: 0000000000000501, The DPC time count (in ticks).
Arg3: 0000000000000500, The DPC time allotment (in ticks).
Arg4: 0000000000000000
 
Debugging Details:
------------------
 
 
DPC_TIMEOUT_TYPE:  SINGLE_DPC_TIMEOUT_EXCEEDED
 
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  WIN8_DRIVER_FAULT
 
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x133
 
PROCESS_NAME:  System
 
CURRENT_IRQL:  d
 
LAST_CONTROL_TRANSFER:  from fffff8021fbf1c82 to fffff8021fbc20a0
 
STACK_TEXT: 
fffff802`21c01c98 fffff802`1fbf1c82 : 00000000`00000133 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000501 00000000`00000500 : nt!KeBugCheckEx
fffff802`21c01ca0 fffff802`1faeeaec : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 fffff802`21c01d90 00000000`00000001 : nt! ?? ::FNODOBFM::`string'+0x1f6f2
fffff802`21c01d30 fffff802`1fa09e5f : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000001 00003c23`0c9bb348 00000000`00008101 : nt!KeClockInterruptNotify+0x77c
fffff802`21c01f40 fffff802`1fb07703 : fffff802`1fa56900 00000000`00000008 fffff802`21c01f50 00000000`00000010 : hal!HalpTimerClockInterrupt+0x4f
fffff802`21c01f70 fffff802`1fbc352a : fffff802`1fa56900 ffffe000`01e41db0 00000000`00000001 ffffe000`01e4c730 : nt!KiCallInterruptServiceRoutine+0xa3
fffff802`21c01fb0 fffff802`1fbc3e9b : fffff802`1fd14100 00000000`00000000 ffffe000`00000000 00001f80`00a00b0f : nt!KiInterruptSubDispatchNoLockNoEtw+0xea
fffff802`21bf2750 fffff802`1fb072e0 : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00010008 00000000`00000000 ffffe000`02e770f0 : nt!KiInterruptDispatchNoLockNoEtw+0xfb
fffff802`21bf28e0 fffff802`1fb07656 : 00000000`00000002 fffff802`1faf0eda fffff802`1fd63180 fffff802`1fd63180 : nt!KxWaitForSpinLockAndAcquire+0x20
fffff802`21bf2910 fffff800`00bb24a2 : fffff802`21bf2b10 00000028`8cf2100d 00000001`00000100 00000000`ffffffff : nt!KeAcquireInterruptSpinLock+0x3e
fffff802`21bf2950 fffff800`00ba311a : ffffe000`01e4c1a0 ffffe000`01e4c770 fffff802`1fd68580 00000000`00000002 : storport!RaidAdapterAcquireInterruptLock+0x125e2
fffff802`21bf2980 fffff802`1faf56e2 : fffff802`21bf2b20 fffff802`21bf2ae0 ffffe000`01e4c770 fffff802`1fd63180 : storport!RaidpAdapterTimerDpcRoutine+0xa2
fffff802`21bf29e0 fffff802`1fbc5bea : fffff802`1fd63180 fffff802`1fd63180 fffff802`1fdbba80 ffffe000`0199a080 : nt!KiRetireDpcList+0x6b2
fffff802`21bf2c60 00000000`00000000 : fffff802`21bf3000 fffff802`21bec000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : nt!KiIdleLoop+0x5a
 
 
STACK_COMMAND:  kb
 
FOLLOWUP_IP:
storport!RaidAdapterAcquireInterruptLock+125e2
fffff800`00bb24a2 8ad8            mov     bl,al
 
SYMBOL_STACK_INDEX:  9
 
SYMBOL_NAME:  storport!RaidAdapterAcquireInterruptLock+125e2
 
FOLLOWUP_NAME:  MachineOwner
 
MODULE_NAME: storport
 
IMAGE_NAME:  storport.sys
 
DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP:  5215f857
 
BUCKET_ID_FUNC_OFFSET:  125e2
 
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  0x133_DPC_storport!RaidAdapterAcquireInterruptLock
 
BUCKET_ID:  0x133_DPC_storport!RaidAdapterAcquireInterruptLock
 
Followup: MachineOwner
---------
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy h8-1534
    Memory
    10GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Kingston HyperX 128GB SSD
    Seagate 1.5TB HDD
    Seagate 750GB HDD
    Internet Speed
    Comcast XFINITY Blast 50
I'm reluctant to call this an "intermittent" problem because it occurs with consistency--at least once per day, and always has the same error (0x133) at the same function (storport!RaidAdapterAcquireInterruptLock). The problem never occurred on the computer when it was just Windows 8; it's appeared only with Windows 8.1.

I ran Driver Verifier and selected storport.sys and ahcix64s.sys. I selected storport.sys because the dump says the error occurred there, and also ahcix64s.sys, because that's the AMD AHCI driver. Since the function in question has "raid adapter" in its name, it would only seem logical to select the AHCI driver to which the SSD and hard drive is attached.

The computer dumped overnight, and was waiting at the Startup Repair screen this morning. I booted up into Windows, ran Windbg, opened the dump file, and ran "!analyze -v".

I'm not sure what Driver Verifier was supposed to do, because the analysis didn't yield anything new that wasn't already in my original post. Is there a different command I should run in Windbg to get more detail? I guess I was just expecting to see more detailed analysis.

Was it wrong of me to install the Windows 8 AHCI driver package that HP makes available specifically for the machine in question? In this case, it's an HP Envy h8-1534. I would expect it far more likely to be a problem if I used a Windows 7 driver in Windows 8; in this case, it was a Windows 8 driver I loaded. Perhaps Windows 8.1 has a subtle change? Or should I roll back to the generic AHCI driver that came with Windows 8.1?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy h8-1534
    Memory
    10GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Kingston HyperX 128GB SSD
    Seagate 1.5TB HDD
    Seagate 750GB HDD
    Internet Speed
    Comcast XFINITY Blast 50
Sorry for the delay in responding. There just aren't that many people who do BSOD analysis, so at times we get a bit overwhelmed!

Verifier should be targeted at the driver that's to blame - NOT necessarily the driver that's listed as a cause in the memory dump.
FWIW - 90% of BSOD's are caused by problems with 3rd party drivers - so I use this procedure to run Driver Verifier: Driver Verifier Settings

I haven't looked into the 8.1 version of Driver Verifier yet, but it's supposed to stress the drivers using various methods designed to generate failure in the driver (which let's the crash mechanisms catch the name of the offending driver.

I find that Windows Update drivers are fine for OEM installs - but when you're building/building up a system, the drivers from the device manufacturer are necessary. For example, if you have an Intel storage controller on the HP - then you should get driver updates from Intel.

IMO there ain't no such thing as random or intermittent BSOD's - it's just that we haven't found the pattern yet.

Only 4 Windows Updates installed. Please check to ensure that you have ALL Windows Updates (it may take several trips).

SSD's were temperamental when they first came out, but their reliability has improved greatly over the last year or two. There are 2 things that MUST be checked on systems with BSOD's and SSD's:
1) That the SSD firmware is the latest available for the SSD. I usually can't see this info in the reports, so I rely on you to check it.
2) That the storage controller drivers on the motherboard are the most recent. They must date from late 2012 or later. This is ALL controllers, not just the one that the SSD is attached to. If involved these should be visible in the memory dump - but it doesn't hurt to check manually.
Click to expand...

The first memory dump blames Volsnap.sys - was the CrashPlan software still installed at this point?


AMD OverDrive (AODDriver2.sys) is either a stand-alone application, or a component of the AMD VISION Engine Control Center. This driver is known to cause BSOD's on some Windows systems.
Please un-install all AMD/ATI video stuff from Control Panel...Programs...Un-install a program
Then, download (but DO NOT install) a fresh copy of the ATI drivers from http://ati.amd.com (in the upper right corner of the page)
Use this procedure to install the DRIVER ONLY: ATI video cards - DRIVER ONLY installation procedure - Sysnative Forums

If the device (AODDriver or AODDriver4.01) remains a problem, open Device Manager, select the "View" item.
Then select "Show hidden devices" and scroll down to the Non-Plug and Play Drivers section.
Locate the AODDriver entry, right click on it and select "Un-install". Reboot for changes to take affect.
Click to expand...
Sometimes the driver remains and continues to cause BSOD's. If this is the case for you, post back and we'll give further instructions for safely removing it.

If overclocking, please stop. Remove the overclock and return the system to stock/standard values while we're troubleshooting. Once the system is stable again, feel free to resume the overclocking.

If all of this doesn't stop the BSOD's, please run Driver Verifier according to these instructions: Driver Verifier Settings

Analysis:
The following is for informational purposes only.
Code: 
[font=lucida console]**************************Sun Sep 29 23:56:33.642 2013 (UTC - 4:00)**************************
Loading Dump File [C:\Users\John\SysnativeBSODApps\093013-10312-01.dmp]
Windows 8 Kernel Version 9600 MP (6 procs) Free x64
Built by: [B]9600[/B].16384.amd64fre.winblue_rtm.130821-1623
System Uptime:[B]0 days 4:50:36.344[/B]
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for storport.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for storport.sys
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for ahcix64s.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for ahcix64s.sys
Probably caused by :[B]ahcix64s.sys ( ahcix64s+67e0 )[/B]
BugCheck [B]133, {0, 501, 500, 0}[/B]
BugCheck Info: [url=http://www.carrona.org/bsodindx.html#0x00000133]DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (133)[/url]
Arguments: 
Arg1: 0000000000000000, A single DPC or ISR exceeded its time allotment. The offending
    component can usually be identified with a stack trace.
Arg2: 0000000000000501, The DPC time count (in ticks).
Arg3: 0000000000000500, The DPC time allotment (in ticks).
Arg4: 0000000000000000
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x133
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  WIN8_DRIVER_FAULT
PROCESS_NAME:  System
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: [B]0x133_DPC_ahcix64s+67e0[/B]
  BIOS Version                  v8.09
  BIOS Release Date             10/30/2012
  Manufacturer                  Hewlett-Packard
  Product Name                  h8-1534
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
**************************Sun Sep 29 06:20:50.262 2013 (UTC - 4:00)**************************
Loading Dump File [C:\Users\John\SysnativeBSODApps\092913-11015-01.dmp]
Windows 8 Kernel Version 9600 MP (6 procs) Free x64
Built by: [B]9600[/B].16384.amd64fre.winblue_rtm.130821-1623
System Uptime:[B]0 days 14:33:34.750[/B]
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for storport.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for storport.sys
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for ahcix64s.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for ahcix64s.sys
Probably caused by :[B]ahcix64s.sys ( ahcix64s+67e0 )[/B]
BugCheck [B]133, {0, 501, 500, 0}[/B]
BugCheck Info: [url=http://www.carrona.org/bsodindx.html#0x00000133]DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (133)[/url]
Arguments: 
Arg1: 0000000000000000, A single DPC or ISR exceeded its time allotment. The offending
    component can usually be identified with a stack trace.
Arg2: 0000000000000501, The DPC time count (in ticks).
Arg3: 0000000000000500, The DPC time allotment (in ticks).
Arg4: 0000000000000000
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x133
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  WIN8_DRIVER_FAULT
PROCESS_NAME:  System
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: [B]0x133_DPC_ahcix64s+67e0[/B]
  BIOS Version                  v8.09
  BIOS Release Date             10/30/2012
  Manufacturer                  Hewlett-Packard
  Product Name                  h8-1534
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
**************************Sat Sep 28 11:41:34.274 2013 (UTC - 4:00)**************************
Loading Dump File [C:\Users\John\SysnativeBSODApps\092813-64890-01.dmp]
Windows 8 Kernel Version 9600 MP (6 procs) Free x64
Built by: [B]9600[/B].16384.amd64fre.winblue_rtm.130821-1623
System Uptime:[B]0 days 17:50:37.172[/B]
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for storport.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for storport.sys
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for ahcix64s.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for ahcix64s.sys
Probably caused by :[B]ahcix64s.sys ( ahcix64s+67e0 )[/B]
BugCheck [B]133, {0, 501, 500, 0}[/B]
BugCheck Info: [url=http://www.carrona.org/bsodindx.html#0x00000133]DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (133)[/url]
Arguments: 
Arg1: 0000000000000000, A single DPC or ISR exceeded its time allotment. The offending
    component can usually be identified with a stack trace.
Arg2: 0000000000000501, The DPC time count (in ticks).
Arg3: 0000000000000500, The DPC time allotment (in ticks).
Arg4: 0000000000000000
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x133
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  WIN8_DRIVER_FAULT
PROCESS_NAME:  System
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: [B]0x133_DPC_ahcix64s+67e0[/B]
  BIOS Version                  v8.09
  BIOS Release Date             10/30/2012
  Manufacturer                  Hewlett-Packard
  Product Name                  h8-1534
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
**************************Tue Sep 24 23:42:54.922 2013 (UTC - 4:00)**************************
Loading Dump File [C:\Users\John\SysnativeBSODApps\092513-9437-01.dmp]
Windows 8 Kernel Version 9600 MP (6 procs) Free x64
Built by: [B]9600[/B].16384.amd64fre.winblue_rtm.130821-1623
System Uptime:[B]0 days 0:13:38.698[/B]
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for volsnap.sys
Probably caused by :[B]volsnap.sys ( volsnap+1c99b )[/B]
BugCheck [B]9F, {4, 12c, ffffe000059ac040, fffff801027c9900}[/B]
BugCheck Info: [url=http://www.carrona.org/bsodindx.html#0x0000009F]DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (9f)[/url]
Arguments: 
Arg1: 0000000000000004, The power transition timed out waiting to synchronize with the Pnp
    subsystem.
Arg2: 000000000000012c, Timeout in seconds.
Arg3: ffffe000059ac040, The thread currently holding on to the Pnp lock.
Arg4: fffff801027c9900, nt!TRIAGE_9F_PNP on Win7
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x9F
DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  WIN8_DRIVER_FAULT
PROCESS_NAME:  System
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: [B]0x9F_4_volsnap+1c99b[/B]
  BIOS Version                  v8.09
  BIOS Release Date             10/30/2012
  Manufacturer                  Hewlett-Packard
  Product Name                  h8-1534
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
[/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 Sep 29 23:56:33.642 2013 (UTC - 4:00)**************************
GEARAspiWDM.sys             Thu May  3 15:56:17 2012 (4FA2E2E1)
BtAudioBus.sys              Thu Jun 14 23:17:09 2012 (4FDAA935)
BtL2caScoIf.sys             Thu Jul 19 05:47:36 2012 (5007D7B8)
IvtUrbBtFlt.sys             Mon Oct  1 22:56:13 2012 (506A57CD)
rtbth.sys                   Tue Oct  2 04:37:19 2012 (506AA7BF)
[COLOR=RED][B]AODDriver2.sys              Wed Nov 21 02:44:04 2012 (50AC8644)[/B][/COLOR]
ahcix64s.sys                Thu Dec  6 05:39:48 2012 (50C075F4)
stwrt64.sys                 Sat Mar  2 01:25:47 2013 (51319B6B)
ElbyCDIO.sys                Mon Mar  4 04:21:51 2013 (513467AF)
VClone.sys                  Sun Mar 10 20:49:12 2013 (513D2A08)
Rt630x64.sys                Fri May 10 05:59:08 2013 (518CC4EC)
AtihdWB6.sys                Sat Jun 22 22:19:48 2013 (51C65B44)
netr28x.sys                 Thu Jul 11 05:27:41 2013 (51DE7A8D)
atikmpag.sys                Wed Jul 31 14:13:12 2013 (51F953B8)
atikmdag.sys                Wed Jul 31 15:34:21 2013 (51F966BD)
Wnv.sys                     Thu Aug 22 07:36:17 2013 (5215F7B1)
NdisVirtualBus.sys          Thu Aug 22 07:36:25 2013 (5215F7B9)
intelpep.sys                Thu Aug 22 07:38:45 2013 (5215F845)
vmbkmclr.sys                Thu Aug 22 07:39:04 2013 (5215F858)
winhvr.sys                  Thu Aug 22 07:39:52 2013 (5215F888)
ahcache.sys                 Thu Aug 22 07:39:54 2013 (5215F88A)
werkernel.sys               Thu Aug 22 07:40:24 2013 (5215F8A8)
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
**************************Sun Sep 29 06:20:50.262 2013 (UTC - 4:00)**************************
usbaapl64.sys               Tue Nov 27 18:38:02 2012 (50B54EDA)
[/font]
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=GEARAspiWDM.sys
BtAudioBus.sys - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.
BtL2caScoIf.sys - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.
IvtUrbBtFlt.sys - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.
rtbth.sys - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=AODDriver2.sys
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=ahcix64s.sys
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=stwrt64.sys
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=ElbyCDIO.sys
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=VClone.sys
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=Rt630x64.sys
AtihdWB6.sys - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=netr28x.sys
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=atikmpag.sys
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=atikmdag.sys
Wnv.sys - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.
NdisVirtualBus.sys - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.
intelpep.sys - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.
vmbkmclr.sys - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.
winhvr.sys - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.
ahcache.sys - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.
werkernel.sys - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=usbaapl64.sys
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1Pro - Finally!!!
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Samsung/NP780
    CPU
    Came with the laptop (i7 of some sort)
    Motherboard
    Pretty sure that it has one, but haven't checked inside the case!
    Memory
    upgraded to 12 gB from 8 gB
    Graphics Card(s)
    has switchable - Intel/ATI - Used wrong drivers, now ATI card is inop :( Will have to fix it soon!
    Sound Card
    I'm nearly deaf, so this isn't used often
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Touchscreen on laptop/32" Toshiba on HDMI (laid the Sharp TV on a mouse and cracked the screen!)
    Screen Resolution
    800x600
    Hard Drives
    One Samsung 1tB drive - 5400 rpm. Gonna switch to a 7200/10000 rpm or an SSD (if I can find $500 for a 1tB SSD!)
    - Switched to 500 gB Samsung 840 series SSD - WOW!!!
    PSU
    Why do we ask this for laptops?
    Case
    Silver with a neat Samsung logo
    Cooling
    sub-par, gotta get around to working on it soon Worked on it - still sub-par! :(
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural - the same one I've used since it orignally came out around 1995
    Mouse
    no Mouse - Trackball!!!!
    Internet Speed
    too slow when I'm waiting for a download to finish
    Browser
    Yes, I use this (Firefox mostly, w/IE next most)
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
    Other Info
    I'm handsome and a snappy dresser :0)
PS - I'm late for work, so I rushed through this. I'll try to remember to go back through it as time allows.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1Pro - Finally!!!
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Samsung/NP780
    CPU
    Came with the laptop (i7 of some sort)
    Motherboard
    Pretty sure that it has one, but haven't checked inside the case!
    Memory
    upgraded to 12 gB from 8 gB
    Graphics Card(s)
    has switchable - Intel/ATI - Used wrong drivers, now ATI card is inop :( Will have to fix it soon!
    Sound Card
    I'm nearly deaf, so this isn't used often
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Touchscreen on laptop/32" Toshiba on HDMI (laid the Sharp TV on a mouse and cracked the screen!)
    Screen Resolution
    800x600
    Hard Drives
    One Samsung 1tB drive - 5400 rpm. Gonna switch to a 7200/10000 rpm or an SSD (if I can find $500 for a 1tB SSD!)
    - Switched to 500 gB Samsung 840 series SSD - WOW!!!
    PSU
    Why do we ask this for laptops?
    Case
    Silver with a neat Samsung logo
    Cooling
    sub-par, gotta get around to working on it soon Worked on it - still sub-par! :(
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural - the same one I've used since it orignally came out around 1995
    Mouse
    no Mouse - Trackball!!!!
    Internet Speed
    too slow when I'm waiting for a download to finish
    Browser
    Yes, I use this (Firefox mostly, w/IE next most)
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
    Other Info
    I'm handsome and a snappy dresser :0)
Thank you John for the very detailed and thorough explanation. I think part of the issue is that I'm running an OS (Windows 8.1) that isn't technically "public" yet. For those of us with MSDN, the bits are out there for us to play with, but as far as Microsoft and hardware vendors (HP included) are concerned, they're not on the hook to support it until the public availability date, October 18.

One of the things I noticed right away in your comments is driver age -- 2012. Indeed this is true; the latest available driver that HP makes for the AMD AHCI controller is from February on HP's website, but when it's installed, the driver is actually dated in December. HP doesn't list Windows 8.1 as an officially supported platform, so when I reached out to them, they said that I was using an unsupported platform and could not provide any further guidance.

Having built many, many systems over the years, whether from scratch or customizing store-bought builds, I've had great success and BSODs are not normally issues for me, which is why this one proved frustrating.

I decided to rebuild the machine from scratch with Windows 8.1, but this time take baby steps. Try one update or application, and let it steep for awhile. Noticing that CrashPlan littered the logs with VSS errors, I suspected CrashPlan could've been the guilty party, but when I apprised them of this issue, they quickly pointed out my Kingston HyperX was likely to blame. They pointed me to this article What does the DPC Watchdog Violation Blue Screen error mean? which talked about SSDs and Windows 8 not playing nicely together. Interestingly I've got a Samsung 840 Pro SSD with Windows 8 and it has no issues.

Nevertheless, since I had an extra SSD laying around--a brand new OCZ Vector, I rebuilt the PC, got all the drivers installed, and let it steep for a day. No coredump. Next I installed WindowSMART 2013. This routinely polls the disks, but no dump. Next I installed the Windows Server 2012 Essentials R2 Connector (onsite backups and domain join). No BSOD. Today in went CrashPlan. No coredump.

The machine is now at the exact same state it was--same drivers, same updates (Windows Update insists no other updates are currently available), same applications. No dump.

Michael from CrashPlan suggested I check with Kingston for a firmware update for the HyperX. The website says no firmware updates are available for my model of drive, which implies that what I have is the latest. So I emailed their support folks after looking at the datasheet for the HyperX SSDs (http://www.kingston.com/datasheets/sh103s3_us.pdf) and asked them for their recommendation. They said that if I look at the datasheet, they only have Windows Vista and Windows 7 logo certification, and the product is not certified for Windows 8--although it could be in the future with an update. They said because they had not certified it for Windows 8 they could not provide any further support.

Looks like the folks at CrashPlan were right...it would seem that the SSD is indeed to blame. :( :( :(

If that really is the case, I am NOT a happy camper right now.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy h8-1534
    Memory
    10GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Kingston HyperX 128GB SSD
    Seagate 1.5TB HDD
    Seagate 750GB HDD
    Internet Speed
    Comcast XFINITY Blast 50
Stuff I noted when I re-looked at the first posts:
I'd suggest trying the AMD RAID drivers from here: AMD Chipset Drivers
The HP AHCI driver dates from Dec of 2012 - and there's packages at the AMD site that date from Sep of 2013.
Also, it won't hurt to install the chipset drivers either (if you have an AMD chipset - I suspect that you do, but I haven't actually checked)

That and the AMD OverDrive are the biggest suspects IMO.
Try those things out and see what happens.
Post back should the BSOD's recur.
************************************
Response to your last post:

We've been helping people use unsupported platforms for years. I started it with WfW v3.11 and have continued it over the years. IMO it's the only way to become familiar with new technology - and to be ready to help others on the RTM and GA release dates.

BSOD errors are complicated critters, and they aren't so easy that you can reliably fix them in a couple of paragraphs (although we do get lucky occasionally). Also, there's many different opinions out there about them - and none are necessarily right or wrong. For example, early on when the STOP 0x124 error code first appeared - people were insisting that it was purely a hardware error. Months of research by several BSOD "experts" finally showed that low-level drivers can also be to blame.

As for the article on DPC Watchdog BSOD's, I noted that the author was using a Crucial M4 SSD. We found that the early firmware on those drives was responsible for more BSOD's than anything else around the time that it came out. Updating the firmware fixed those issues (and that was the reason I added firmware to my speeches about SSD's).

Also, around mid-2012 we noticed an increase in SSD reliability when using updated storage controller drivers. It appears that the storage controller manufacturer's were spending more time testing SSD's with their controllers - and the reliability increased dramatically around that time. We have not noticed any significant change with SSD's in Win8

Finally, the article was written in Nov of 2012 - just about the time that these problems were being solved and noticed by the community.


If you're able, try to reinstall the Kingston SSD the exact same way that you installed the OCZ SSD and see if that helps.
I do a fair amount of BSOD research on Win8 systems and have not noticed any particular problems with Kingston SSD's
Microsoft has spent a lot of money on ensuring backwards compatibility of the OS - so I tend to think that that isn't the issue here - BUT it may be advisable to see how it works w/Win8 before proceeding to the RTM version of 8.1
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1Pro - Finally!!!
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Samsung/NP780
    CPU
    Came with the laptop (i7 of some sort)
    Motherboard
    Pretty sure that it has one, but haven't checked inside the case!
    Memory
    upgraded to 12 gB from 8 gB
    Graphics Card(s)
    has switchable - Intel/ATI - Used wrong drivers, now ATI card is inop :( Will have to fix it soon!
    Sound Card
    I'm nearly deaf, so this isn't used often
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Touchscreen on laptop/32" Toshiba on HDMI (laid the Sharp TV on a mouse and cracked the screen!)
    Screen Resolution
    800x600
    Hard Drives
    One Samsung 1tB drive - 5400 rpm. Gonna switch to a 7200/10000 rpm or an SSD (if I can find $500 for a 1tB SSD!)
    - Switched to 500 gB Samsung 840 series SSD - WOW!!!
    PSU
    Why do we ask this for laptops?
    Case
    Silver with a neat Samsung logo
    Cooling
    sub-par, gotta get around to working on it soon Worked on it - still sub-par! :(
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural - the same one I've used since it orignally came out around 1995
    Mouse
    no Mouse - Trackball!!!!
    Internet Speed
    too slow when I'm waiting for a download to finish
    Browser
    Yes, I use this (Firefox mostly, w/IE next most)
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
    Other Info
    I'm handsome and a snappy dresser :0)
Hi John,

Thank you for the thoughtful reply. I am tempted to rebuild the machine again with the Kingston, this time with Windows 8, and see if the problem returns. Unfortunately it's a fair amount of time and effort to do so, and since the machine is fully built exactly the way it was, except this time with the OCZ SSD, and working perfectly, I'm less inclined to do so.

I was thinking instead I might attach the Kingston SSD to the eSATA port of a Windows 8 laptop, and configure Windows to use that as the lone paging drive. If there is in fact a problem with the drive "timing out" due to a firmware problem then I would think it's possible to generate a BSOD because Windows immediately dumps if it suddenly can't access pagefile.sys.

I have another laptop upon which I could install Windows 8.1, and if I do, I might try the Kingston there.

Both laptops in question have Intel controllers, not AMD controllers. I suppose it's possible there's a problem that shows up on the Kingston only in a very specific configuration; it may not have any problems on an Intel.

Lastly, it's always possible there's a problem with the SSD itself. None of the SMART tools--not even Kingston's own SSD toolbox--show any issues with the drive. No faulty/retired sectors, no read or write errors, etc.

I'm happy that the problem has been resolved, but I will certainly try the Kingston in different configurations and if I see BSODs following the Kingston from machine to machine, I will seek an RMA with Kingston since it's only a couple of months into a 3-year warranty.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy h8-1534
    Memory
    10GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Kingston HyperX 128GB SSD
    Seagate 1.5TB HDD
    Seagate 750GB HDD
    Internet Speed
    Comcast XFINITY Blast 50
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