STOP error 0x0000007F UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP

[21021964]

Hi
I have a Toshiba laptop with Win2000 which I upgraded from Win98 that came originally. Just yesterday I started to get many BSOD with different messages. I ran repair, was able to start in safe mode. Then reinstalled Win2000 but got the above stop error. I noticed that now there are 2 folders - WINDOWS (the old one) and WINNT (the new one). Now I can't start OS in safe or any other mode. Is there anything I can do rather than reformatting the HD. One other thing - I was able to run diagnostic test and it gave me 1 error on HD and many errors for sound. Please help!

 

[pbxman]

Probably wrong drivers were detected for the motherboard hardware. You might not be able to run 2K on this laptop.

First thing i'd try is a BIOS update to see if they support Windows 2000 on that model laptop.
Other than that, 7F's are due to bad ram, overheating/overclocking, and drivers. Thats about it. The only other "fix" would be to put 98 back on it.

:\ Sorry. pbxman
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[21021964]

Thanks,
I forgot to mention that Win2k had been working fine since I upgraded (about 6 months ago) and just yesterday I started getting the errors. The first BSOD happened when I was running a software with a dongle and removed the dongle for couple of minutes. The diagnostic test didn't find errors for the RAM.
Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[21021964]

Hi again,
I've found the BIOS update but, forgive the silly question, how do I install it since I can't do anything with the computer. Another thing - I'm running chkdsk at the moment - is it going to help?
Many thanks.

 

[pbxman]

If you have the BIOS update, you should only have to boot to the expanded files on a floppy (or check the instructions you got with the file for that laptop). Since it was running already for about 6 months, that leads to other 7F problems - like something went bad, or is quirky now.

What software were you running when you pulled the dongle out? It doesn't make sense that all of a sudden after 6 months you see 2 folders. Im suspecting either a filesystem error or bad RAM. The soundcard drivers are probably incorrect for your hardware, so driver incompatibility is most likely your cause.

At this point, i'd format and reinstall. Forget the win98 upgrade - go fresh with 2K. You'll spend far less time reinstalling than ripping your hair out trying to fix a buggy system. If it works, it was software. If not - hardware. There's really too many variables that could have caused this software-wise. In the scope of things..just think of the amount of time it might take to troubleshoot vs. fix alltogether. If you have the time - by all means try everything you can think of. If not - start stable and fresh with 2K.

I dont think chkdsk will fix this. I hope im wrong though! pbxman
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[pbxman]

oh - for the record..did you try "last known good" config before you ran the repair? Thats always worth a shot when a system wont boot. pbxman
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[21021964]

Hi
Thanks a lot for the suggestions. Yes, I tried the 'last known good' but didn't work. I was running Solidworks with the dongle.

 

[21021964]

Hi again
Sorry to be of nuisance but are the two Win2k installed (one in WINDOWS and the other in WINNT folders) are causing any problems? It starts to run from the most recently installed WINNT. Is there anything I can do to remove the other folder?
Many thanks for your help.

 

[pbxman]

Probably. It's messy though, and I wouldn't do it on a system that has been running for 6 months especially. Here's an MS article about it. It's a gamble on whether or not it fixes your problem.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q250456

pbxman
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[21021964]

Hi pbxman
The chkdsk program stopped at 72%. It said something like the disk is not recoverable or fixable. I want really to try fixing the problem first because I have some data that is not backup-ed. If there is something wrong with the soundcard or other drivers how can I replace them? I am sorry to bother you but I am not very experienced at these things.
Thanks again for your help.