Dual boot, Win 7, Win 7

[ChrisRChamberlain]

Hi all

Thread title looks bizarre but logic is simple

Have a high end gaming enthousiast client with a 3 year old 6 core Win 7 Ultimate pc.

Client currently experiencing blue screening whilst gaming after 5 mins or so, despite having replaced known faulty graphics card within the past four weeks.

Ignoring what may be causing the problem, (no obvious clues available), the proposal is to dual boot the pc with a second partition running Win 7 Ultimate with only gaming software.

Having isolated the gaming software from the everyday software, then an investigation could begin as to what is causing the problem.

So, having from created another partition on the only hard drive, what 'gotchas' might there be in creating this configuration?

TIA

FAQ184-2483​

Chris
PDFcommander.co.uk
motrac.co.uk

 

[ChrisHirst]

Ignoring what may be causing the problem, (no obvious clues available)

What about reading the memory dump files that a blue screen event creates?


However:

Client currently experiencing blue screening whilst gaming after 5 mins or so,

Suggests that the CPU heatsink/cooler fan isn't working as efficiently as it should.

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.
Webmaster Forum

 

[goombawaho]

OP - Don't jump out the window until you know the house is on fire.

Suggests that the CPU heatsink/cooler fan isn't working as efficiently as it should.

I wouldn't rush to conclusions about the client that rushed to conclusions. Start with the basics.

Where is the memory dump or blue screen error? What does it say is the source of the problem?
Has the RAM been tested?
Has the HDD been tested?
Has the BIOS been updated?
Has the driver and/or firmware of the video card been updated?
Have you tried updating all other system drivers? (wireless cards, ethernet cards, sound cards, chipset driver)

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[ChrisRChamberlain]

Thanks ChrisHurst and goombawaho for your replies

Now received crash report from client, generated by WhoCrashed.

The client is downloading latest video card driver and will report back after testing.

.System Information (local)
computer name: ROSS-PC
windows version: Windows 7 Service Pack 1, 6.1, build: 7601
windows dir: C:\Windows
CPU: AuthenticAMD AMD Phenom(tm) II X6 1090T Processor AMD586, level: 16
6 logical processors, active mask: 63
RAM: 4292403200 total
VM: 2147352576, free: 1909878784



Crash Dump Analysis
Crash dump directory: C:\Windows\Minidump

Crash dumps are enabled on your computer.

On Sun 20/10/2013 21:56:26 GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\memory.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: Unknown (0xFFFFF8800576F88C)
Bugcheck code: 0xD1 (0x3B, 0x2, 0x1, 0xFFFFF8800576F88C)
Error: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode driver attempted to access pageable memory at a process IRQL that was too high.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
A third party driver was identified as the probable root cause of this system error.
Google query: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL



Conclusion
One crash dump has been found and analyzed.
Read the topic general suggestions for troubleshooting system crashes for more information.

Note that it's not always possible to state with certainty whether a reported driver is actually responsible for crashing your system or that the root cause is in another module. Nonetheless it's suggested you look for updates for the products that these drivers belong to and regularly visit Windows update or enable automatic updates for Windows. In case a piece of malfunctioning hardware is causing trouble, a search with Google on the bug check errors together with the model name and brand of your computer may help you investigate this further.

Any further ideas, comments?

FAQ184-2483​

Chris
PDFcommander.co.uk
motrac.co.uk

 

[goombawaho]

So, it still COULD be memory despite what the dump said, so I always check that first with MEMTEST86+ for a couple hours.

Then, start updating all the other drivers as mentioned. I'd start with video card though normally I'd say chipset drivers first. Then LAN (wired & wireless) and sound. The SMART way to do it is to update one item, reboot, try the game and see if it's fixed. Does the PC have any other "unusual devices" that might need driver updating?

The shotgun approach is update each one, one after other with no reboots unless asked until you are all done and then test. If you want to know the source of the problem, the above is the better way to go.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[ChrisRChamberlain]

So far, so good.

It appears the culprit was the video card driver.

No BSOD regardless of time spent gaming.

Again thanks to ChrisHurst and goombawaho for your suggestions.

FAQ184-2483​

Chris
PDFcommander.co.uk
motrac.co.uk