Solved various BSOD's appeared suddenly - nvlddmkm.sys ++

[steelix]

Dear eightforums,

I recently recieved my new laptop and preceeded to do a clean install of w8.1. There was no OS installed.
Downloaded windows updates and drivers from the sellers webpage. Installed steam and played several days of hitch-free Metal gear solid V as well as many many hours of WC3. I also played several hours of dolphin emulator, and while playing all these games; no BSOD or similar issues occured. Moved laptop to livingroom and hooked it up to TV screen, launched dolphin emulator and played for 20 minutes; BSOD occurs.

Ever since the BSOD's now didnt stop, ive done a total clean install on my OS disk, reinstalled updates and drivers. This did not help. I've also checked my power settings to be "performance", nothing to shut down etc. I've checked that both fans are spinning and reseated the ram. I've also tried a manual clean install with expanding the nvlddmkm.sy_ etc. from desktop from a new installer. I've also turned off fast startup. None of what i've tried has helped so far.

As far as I can recall I did not install any new drivers or firmware right prior to the BSOD's occuring.
The BSOD's are sometimes accompanied by 12-15 BEEPS(motherboard/bios beeps) and a complete hard shutdown.
nvlddmkm.sys show up as the culprit in some BSODs, together with VIDEO TDR FAILURE.
Some watchdog and videodxkernel has also appared, but not after latest reformat/clean OS install.

Before updating drivers after latest clean install of w8, the beeping and flashing LED's would happen within 5-10 minutes of startup+chrome+downloaddrivers+idling. After drivers and updates completed the problem now only occurs in games etc.

The only "new thing" ive done around the house is setting up a PowerLine adapter to my room, and im hooked up with a ethernet cable to that. But that cant be related can it?

hope someone can help me out.
cheers

View attachment 65596

 

[axe0]

Hi steelix,

Welcome to the 8forums

I see you have Daemon tools installed

Daemon tools, Alcohol 120% and Power Archiver Pro uses SCSI Pass Through Direct (SPTD), which is a well known cause for BSOD's.
Please remove Daemon Tools and run the SPTD pass through remover.

1. Uninstall Daemon Tools
2. Download the SPTD standalone installer and follow these steps:
   • Double click the executable to open it
   • Click on the button shown below

If the button is grayed out, like in the image, there is no more SPTD installation on your system, and you can close the window

 

[steelix]

Hi axe0!
Thanks for the reply.

I had daemon tools installed previous to the BSOD's appearing in the first place. I did however still uninstall Daemon tools now, and tested with Metal Gear solid V; didnt even manage to see any intro/logo sequences; straight to BSOD video tdr failure nvlddmkm.sys.
Ive tried with it installed and uninstalled, even tried to play games while getting BSOD on a clean install PC, without this causing the error to stop.

As i was typing this; the computers fans boosted to maximum and then the beeping started before a hard shut down occured.
Therefore added new dump log files.

thanks again!

View attachment 65597

 

[axe0]

Please try following

• Open msconfig
• Go to the tab services
• Check 'Hide Microsoft services'
• Search Nvidia Streamer Service and uncheck it
• Click apply > ok
• Reboot if asked

 

[steelix]

Thanks again for the reply.
I tried doing as you said.
I now tested Titan quest and Metal gear solid. Both games with and without daemontools installed. Either way resulted in crashes.
I also noticed some different type of behaviour this time around:

During titanquest, the game simply froze and i had to reeboot.
During metal gear solid, the game triggered a BSOD(video tdr failure nvlddmkm.sys).
I rebooted, and now metal gear solid was running super slow/low performance. I also noticed windows had not sucessfully started several programs(steam, nvidia control panel etc.)
I reebooted; stuck for 15 minutes on command line blinking(just black screen DOS-like). Couldnt type.
I reeboted by holding down the button; bluescreen occured; "system thread exception not handle nvlddmkm.sys" which happened twice
Next automatic reboot led me to "windows didnt load correctly" and "windows system repair".

I went in and look at system restore checkpoints. Only to have 1 restore point(i recently clean installed) where it says "Direct X installed". Affected programs to be removed was Titan quest and almost all my drivers. Titan quest is the only game I have installed, metal gear was just discovered from my HDD/NON-OS disk via steam. Is there something iffy about my laptop and directx maybe?

After looking, but choosing NOT to restore; i exited out of windows repair and booted sucessfully to windows.

Therefore, stopping the nvidia streamer service did unfortunately not work. It did prompt some "new behaviour" but Im not really sure if its related to the new BSOD's and etc I just recieved.

Thanks again and hopefully something can be done to fix this problem.
Cheers

(added new logs)

View attachment 65599


edit:
i can also add that ive been idling for 1 hour now in windows watching a movie without any issues.
I can also add that im not using the newest nvidia driver, as I am a hundred percent sure that the driver im now on ran for many days without any issues prior to these BSOD's started happening. Reverting back to this driver seem to make the laptop more stable, the BSOD's however happen on both this driver and the newest.

cheers

 

[axe0]

Please check your manufacturer for driver updates for your GPU.

Please monitor the temperature of the GPU when idle and when under load

Please test your GPU by following the instructions below

Diagnostic test

GPU TEST

Run Furmark to test your GPU. Furmark tutorial

   Note

Run Furmark for around 30 minutes

Your GPU temperatures will rise quickly while Furmark is running. Keep a keen eye on them and abort the test if temperatures rise too high

 

[steelix]

thanks again.
I downloaded the manufacturers driver, both for the integrated and the NVIDIA GPU
Ran Furmark, which after about 7 minutes resulted in a BSOD with the same "video tdr failure".
I monitored the temperatures and when it got to 85c i forced the fans to full, making it drop to about 82c. I then left it by itself; until it flickered up to 86celcius(the fans hadnt gone full power yet). Then the BSOD occured very very shortly after reaching 86.

hopefully this might help someone figure out what is going on.

adding the log again.

thanks a ton yet again.

View attachment 65601


View attachment 65604
added some events from my bluescreen viewer. Most likely this information is already in the file generated by the tool, however i figured it couldnt hurt. I noticed the time on several of the drivers marked red, they all seem off and different to eachother. could this be an issue? also would upgrading to w10 have the possibility to redeem the issue?

 

[axe0]

Please clean your fans and the GPU (if needed), let your fans go at full power and do the test again.

 

[steelix]

Please clean your fans and the GPU (if needed), let your fans go at full power and do the test again.

Thanks again for your answer
The laptop is only 20 something days old. I have however opened it up and cleaned it. There was NO dust or anything anywhere by the fans.
I noticed no difference from before and after. I also checked and both fans appeared to be spinning sufficiently.

 

[axe0]

Are you using both your GPU's?

 

[steelix]

Well in most games, the nvidia dedicated GPU autodetects it and starts running. In some i have to assign it. The GPU lamp also kicks in. But i never use it while lets say browsing. So, yes, i guess i use both my GPUs, but not at the same time. I dont know if this answered your question?

 

[axe0]

The problem might be the switching.
It may take too much time and doesn't have to happen at the time of the crash.

 

[steelix]

Thank you again for your answer axe0!

But i very very rarely/never "switch" myself, and my previous computer this worked flawlessly.
Many/most of these BSOD's occur when im in games running in complete fulllscreen mode, for lets say 25 minutes, shouldnt only the dedicated GPU be running then, so that the problem wouldnt be due to the switching; as there is none?

If i am mistaken, do you have any guidance in how i should proceed to solve it if the switching is the problem?

Thanks again.

 

[axe0]

A quick quote from @essenbe about switchable GPU's in laptops

The idea of the internal graphics being active on normal tasks and switching to the dedicated graphics on more graphics intensive tasks, is a great idea. However, the implementation of it on all laptops is quite bad. This is a common problem we see here constantly, no matter the manufacturer. If the new drivers for the internal and dedicated graphics do not fix it, I don't know how to help you. The only solution we have ever been able to find is to disable either the internal or dedicated graphics adapter. That usually solves it, because the problem usually lies in the act of switching. So, forcing it to use just 1 adapter eliminates the switching.

Choose 1 GPU to go with and disable in the settings possibilities for switching.
So far I know it might be in the settings for switching GPU's.

 

[steelix]

Thanks again axe0!
So you mean i should basically go into device manager and deactivate the integrated intel gpu? (i would like to try to test a game)
But regardless of if this works as a solution, shouldnt this be a reason to send my 20 day old laptop back?
I shouldnt just accept having to disable 1 GPU all the time? :/

 

[axe0]

Disabling a GPU might cause only more BSOD's, I've seen it very recently.

Basically change settings so your GPU's won't switch anymore, that should work.

 

[steelix]

Alright. I tried setting it so that my dedicated(nvidia gtx880m) ran as the main GPU.
While trying to press "apply" i noticed loads of glitching etc. I then exited out of the GPU control panel, and figured i'd reopen it and check if the changes were made. Back inside; i noticed it said "automatic GPU selection" (not what we want). As i attempted to change it again, the nvidia control panel crashed. When i then tried to reopen nvidia control panel; following error message appeared "you do not have a screen attached to the NVIDIA GPU".

I then tried to reboot; only for a BSOD to appear.
Reset pc into blinking commandline/dos for 15 mins. I reset the computer by pushing button.
Pc reboots into windows; i try launching Metal gear solid(convinced im now running on my dedicated GPU). The game is very very sluggish and bad performance, so obviously something is wrong; as my dedicated GPU should now be handlign everythign; and it should manage to do so fine.
The fans then suddenly go max speed; LED's blinking and beeping starts. I shut down computer. Wait couple of seconds, starts it up again, beeping returns; i press reboot. Beeping stopped, fans go back to normal.

I have no idea whats going on. Is my GPU loose or broken?

thanks for all the support and help so far!
hopefully you got some magic dust somewhere

View attachment 65607

 

[axe0]

I guess your laptop has used the Intel GPU which is just not good against the Nvidia GPU.

Crash is caused by the Nvidia Video driver.

 

[steelix]

Alrighty, thanks
Do you have any solution to the problem though? or should i just send it back to the dealer?

 

[axe0]

You installed the drivers from your manufacturer and disabled the nvidia streaker service.
Problem is most likely the switching between GPU's.

I do not have any other solution then trying to use only 1.