BSODs playing games or Youtube after Windows 8.1 update

[plshelp2014]

Hi,

I have this Asus UX302la Ultrabook and I get various blue screens. They happen when playing games (Hearthstone, Octodad, Civ5) or watching Youtube videos. They are random, but almost guaranteed to happen the those situations.

Most of the BSODs have ntoskrnl.exe involved. The error messages are pretty random, some off the top of my head: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION, Kernel_security_check_failure (something like that), and more.

As far as I know, there were no BSODs on Windows 8, and the BSODs occur only after I updated to Windows 8.1.
The laptop came with Windows 8, and I do not remember getting any BSODs while it was still running 8, though I am not certain (This is my GFs laptop, and she never got any BSODs when she first got it, but she also doesn't do much gaming).

Recently, because of all the BSODs, I did a fresh reinstall of Windows 8, and tested it by playing 4+ hours of Youtube videos, and 3+ hours of Hearthstone. I received no BSODs.
The only things I installed after Windows 8 reinstall: the wifi card drivers, Battle.net Client, Hearthstone.
I then updated to 8.1, and afterwards installing only the touch-pad drivers, Speccy, Steam, and the game Prison Architect on Steam.

This takes me here, where I received a BSOD while playing Prison Architect. The message was: WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR. BlueScreenView has hal.dll and ntoskrnl.dll highlighted.

Any help or insight would be appreciated.

Thank you,
-S

Edit: I'm fairly certain my temps are OK, and this is a laptop so there was no overclocking or anything. The BIOS was updated in the past, it is on version 209.

 

[HonorGamer]

Hello,

BugCheck [COLOR="#FF0000"]124[/COLOR], {0, ffffe0016d4d9028, be000000, 801136} 
BugCheck Info: WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR (124)

Processor may be overclocked! 
Expected Frequency: 1600 
Actual Frequency: [COLOR="#FF0000"]2295[/COLOR]

Bugcheck 124 is an hardware error. And overclocking the CPU is a very likely cause of this BSOD. Reset the settings to standard.

Also make sure you get all the latest updates for Windows through Windows Update.

 

[plshelp2014]

Hi HonorGamer,

Thanks for replying.

There has been no overclocking done on this machine as far as I know, unless it was overclocked before we bought it.

Can you tell me how to check/make sure? Or otherwise, can you tell me how to unclock a potentially overclocked machine?

Thank you,
-S

 

[HonorGamer]

You will need to access the BIOS, and go into the settings, How To Access The BIOS On A Windows 8 Computer

There is step by step with pictures to make everything less confusing.

Hope this helps.

 

[plshelp2014]

Hi HonorGamer,

I looked through the BIOS, it's fairly basic, as this is a laptop. I don't see any settings in regards to overclocking, let alone the CPU.

Thank you,
-S

 

[HonorGamer]

Let's checking the hardware then:

BugCheck 0x124

You have a 0x124 hardware bugcheck. If the system is still under warranty, I would recommend sending it in to have diagnostic tests done and any bad hardware replaced.

   Warning

Before you proceed with the following, answer these two questions: Are you still under warranty? Does your warranty allow you to open up the machine to check hardware? If you are unsure of the answers to these questions, contact your system manufacturer. WARNING: The steps that follow can void your warranty!!!

For your hardware stop 0x124 crash, read through Stop 0x124 - what it means and what to try - Windows 7 Help Forums and use the following hardware checks to supplement that link.

• If you are overclocking any hardware, please stop.
  
  
• If you have an SSD, make sure the following are up to date:
  • SSD firmware
  • BIOS Version
  • Chipset Drivers
  • Hard disk controller drivers/SATA drivers
  • If you have a Marvell IDE ATA/ATAPI device, make sure the drivers are up to date from the Intel site or Marvell site and not from your motherboard/vendor support site.
  
  
• Run all but the advanced tests with SeaTools for HDDs.
  SeaTools for Windows
  
  SeaTools for DOS​
  
  
• Monitor temperatures during the following tests.
  
  Use the following programs to monitor the temperatures.​
  • Real Temp is a good CPU temperature monitor.
  • Speccy - System Information - Free Download will monitor all hardware temperatures.
  • HWiNFO, HWiNFO32 & HWiNFO64 - Hardware Information and Analysis Tools can be inaccurate for CPU temperatures, but is a good program for GPU temperature monitoring.
  • Use FurMark: VGA Stress Test, Graphics Card and GPU Stability Test, Burn-in Test, OpenGL Benchmark and GPU Temperature | oZone3D.Net to test the graphics card GPU. Let it run until the GPU temperatures even out or until the GPU temperatures reach a dangerous level (you can find the max temperature for your card on either the nVidia or AMD sites; if you are not sure, ask us). The goal is to get a steady temperature, find out if the GPU is overheating, or to see if there are any artifacts present in the test itself: look for strange pixelated patterns on the screen or colors that do not look like they belong. Then use the |MG| Video Memory Stress Test 1.7.116 Download to test your graphics card memory. Let the memory test run for at least seven passes; the more the better.
    
    
  • Run Hardware - Stress Test With Prime95 - Windows 7 Help Forums to determine any hardware problems. Run all three tests for a few hours each. If you get errors, stop the test and post back here.
    
    
  • Follow the steps for doing CPU stress test using IntelBurnTest
  
  
• Run the boot version of Memtest86+ paying close attention to Parts 2 and 3 of the tutorial. Also, in case Memtest86+ misses anything and comes up with no errors, run the extended version of the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool for at least five passes. These you may want to run overnight since they take a long time to complete (run them an hour before bed each of the next two nights and check before going to sleep that they are still running).
  
  For Part 3: If You Have Errors: If you swap any memory components, follow these steps for ESD safety:
  1. Shut down and turn off your computer.
  2. Unplug all power supplies to the computer (AC Power then battery for laptops, AC power for desktops)
  3. Hold down the power button for 30 seconds to close the circuit and ensure all power drains from components.
  4. Make sure you are grounded by using proper grounding techniques, i.e. work on an anti-static workbench, anti-static desk, or an anti-static pad. Hold something metallic while touching it to the anti-static surface, or use an anti-static wristband to attach to the anti-static material while working. If you do not have an anti-static workbench, desk, or pad, you can use your computer tower/case by finding a metal hold in it, such as a drive bay.
  Once these steps have been followed, it is safe to remove and replace components within your computer.

Remember to read closely through Stop 0x124 - what it means and what to try - Windows 7 Help Forums for the crash.
​

Coutesy of: writhziden

Post back the results, once done. And if you BSOD more, post up the new files.

 

[plshelp2014]

OK, I got a new blue screen. DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION. I've attached the dump.

It happened while I was playing a game (Prison Architect still).

Something else odd that I've noticed:
My Windows.old folder is missing a lot of stuff - I noticed because the hard drive used to have ~200GB full, now it's down to only 30. My memory is not the best, but I'm pretty sure that was the case.

 

[HonorGamer]

Have little HDD space like that can cause windows to not run properly. Try to clear up some room.

Lets see if Driver Verifier was even enables:

1. Open a Command Prompt window (Run as administrator) and type verifier to open the Driver Verifier Manager.
2. Select Delete existing settings.
3. Reboot the computer.

Looking at the raw stack:

igdkmd64+0xe518a

igdkmd64.sys                Mon Sep 16 19:08:54 [COLOR="#FF0000"]2013[/COLOR] (52379D96)

There has to be a later version out than this, look for it here: Intel® Driver Update Utility

Post back results. Sorry it took so long to reply, I am also learning here too.

 

[plshelp2014]

Hi HonorGamer,

I tried to install the driver from Intel, and the auto installer says that "The driver being installed is not validated for this computer" and that I should get it from the manufacturer. I can install it from the .zip version and ignore that message, or I can get the version from Asus which is quite a bit older.

Which do you think I should go with?

Thank you again for your help.

 

[HonorGamer]

Did you try scanning your PC?

 

[plshelp2014]

Yes, and I downloaded what the scan told me to. The installer is giving me that warning because it wants me to get the drivers from Asus, which are fairly old.

 

[plshelp2014]

I have not yet had a chance to do much of the instructions you posted before, and I did not update the video card drivers yet, because I'm awaiting instruction on which one I should download, but I did get another BSOD while playing Prison Architect. I've attached it.

 

[softwaremaniac]

Please check your memory using MemTest. If you have more than one stick of RAM check them one by one. RAM - Test with Memtest86+ - Windows 7 Help Forums

 

[plshelp2014]

Hi softwaremaniac,

I downloaded and installed memtest86+ onto a USB drive, and it won't boot. I have a Windows 8.1 computer on UEFI. I have safeboot off, and I swapped the boot order as well as trying to run it manually from the boot menu. Both just go straight to Windows. Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[HonorGamer]

Have you tried installing it onto a disk instead of a USB?

-Justin

 

[plshelp2014]

This laptop has no cd drive, so after trying a number of things, I gave up and downloaded Memtest Free Edition from Passmark, which has explicit UEFI support, and that worked. I ran it for 4 passes and there were no errors.

Any word on which Intel Graphics Driver I should install: Asus provided or Intel provided?

 

[HonorGamer]

4 Passes is not enough. Please run for a minimum of 8 passes, or until you get an error.

And download Intel provided.

 

[plshelp2014]

OK, well this time it had 8 errors in pass 2. What are the chances of false positives? How come the computer never blue screened while running Windows 8?

 

[HonorGamer]

Chances of a false positive are slim to none. And for the second question I am not sure.

What I suggest to figure out which it is, whether its the ram or the motherboard, move around the ram and narrow down the results.

 

[plshelp2014]

This is a laptop with 1 stick of ram, and the ram is onboard.