Motherboard dying?

Louiemaster · Jul 2, 2009, 02:46 AM

I was installing new drivers for my gfx card and upon restart I got a bsod after the windows loading screen. Tried getting into safe mode, same thing happened. Says something along the lines of "A thread or process crucial to system operation has been unexpectedly exited or terminated". I HAD been getting blue screens while booting up my computer before but sporadically.

Anyway, used vista recovery console to run chkdsk, check files, and everything came out fine. I do however get blue screens sometimes with this as well?? Random ones as well. driver irql less than or equal, a pfn list corrupt one once, but mostly just ones with only a code at the end.

Put in another cpu, another vid card, swapped out ram and psu, and still nada.

Connected an external hd and installed xp on it (running vista on my setup), multiple blue screens when transferring files (took like 5 tries before it could make it all the way through) and then another blue screen at the loading screen.

Seems like the motherboard is the problem (as far as I can tell). Just looking for some suggestions on a fix (besides replacing) or maybe some suggestions on other things to test + methods.

roadrunner17 · Jul 2, 2009, 12:15 PM

Since you've changed everything except the MB that seems likely the problem.
Just one thing- did you disconnect your primary HD when you tried to install XP on the external drive? A HD that is going out can give allot of problems in anything you're trying to do even if it's not the drive being used at the time.
If that is not the problem then try changing the Bios in your MB- update to the latest Bios or go back to an earlier one if the latest is already installed. Many times a corrupt or damaged Bios will also give problems that cause people to replace a MB needlessly.

procupine14 · Jul 2, 2009, 12:57 PM

The only two things I can think of are:

1. the motherboard is going out. Since you've basically tested everything and nothing seems to correct the issue.

2. like roadrunner said it could also be the primary HDD or some HDD in your setup. Try disconnecting all HDDs save for the one drive that you are going to use to test the system. If that works then its just a matter of finding the bad drive. I have had about 5 systems that i have serviced over the year that have had this issue. Basically, the HDD that is going bad will cause the BSODs and they won't make any sense because usually they are different every time and they generally happen right before windows boot up or shortly after you hit the desktop. The bad drive will also cause a perfectly stable computer to BSOD at times so if you isolate a drive that you believe is causing the problem trying putting it into another computer (if you have one on hand) and see if it BSODs.

Louiemaster · Jul 2, 2009, 10:15 PM

I tried my setup with another motherboard and the same problem came up :/.

This time it seems like it only has the "A thread or process crucial to system operation has been terminated" BSOD at bootup now. Still can't get into safe mode. Any chance a virus could be doing this?

caqde · Jul 2, 2009, 11:20 PM

Test your Hard Drives.. I just went through this with my parents computer. Went through a bunch of trouble only to find that the Secondary drive was the issue. (ran a copy from Secondary to Primary problem cropped up, did anything else on the main drive and it was fine, had Winamp search for music on Secondary again problem)... What a pain.. It also caused lockups on boot (isn't boot drive), and kept the computer from shutting off at times.

A few things to note, basic controller drivers for the IDE/Sata Controllers will often keep the problem from cropping up as often as the drive isn't running at its full speed, and I have always found the best way to find a problem is by isolating it as much as possible. (clean install of windows,MB/w only CPU, RAM, VC, one or no HD, and One Optical drive, using a DVD boot disk if possible etc.) Anyways good luck on finding the issue.

Louiemaster · Jul 3, 2009, 12:24 AM

Only have one hard drive running on this setup right now. I installed a fresh copy of XP on an external; it installed fine but I get a 0x0000007B BSOD upon restart (cannot enter xp setup).

Anyway to summarize the symptoms:
Booting Windows up normally ends up in 0x000000F4 BSOD
Booting Windows in safe mode ends in 0x0000007B BSOD
Booting a fresh copy of XP off an external ends in 0x0000007B BSOD.

Any chance a faulty connector somewhere could be the problem?

OldBuzzard · Jul 3, 2009, 01:14 AM

Have you been using the same cables for all of these installs? If so, try using new cables. Sometimes a bad cble can cause a lot of issues.

roadrunner17 · Jul 3, 2009, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldBuzzard

Have you been using the same cables for all of these installs? If so, try using new cables. Sometimes a bad cble can cause a lot of issues.

OMG- If that's it what a torment the guy went through for something so simple-

But after changing everything else, what's left?

Louiemaster · Jul 3, 2009, 02:40 AM

Just did a new startup repair off of vista's recovery disk with the new motherboard in place and it said:

Root cause found:
A recent driver installation or upgrade may be preventing the system from starting.
Repair action: System files integrity check and repair.

Tried using sfc /scannow through command prompt but it says it failed to start?

This might all stem back from that original driver installation lol

Louiemaster · Jul 4, 2009, 01:03 AM

Alright, replaced the motherboard and reformatted my hard drive and everything seems alright. Apparently windows does not let you start an os off an external hard drive, that's why I was having problems before.

Still not sure what the problem was, whether it was a corrupt file or a dying motherboard or a combination of both.

Thanks for all the help.

Jul 2, 2009, 02:46 AM	#1
Louiemaster Masto Commando Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Don't worry about it unless your a stalker. Posts: 295 Rep Power: 0	Motherboard dying? I was installing new drivers for my gfx card and upon restart I got a bsod after the windows loading screen. Tried getting into safe mode, same thing happened. Says something along the lines of "A thread or process crucial to system operation has been unexpectedly exited or terminated". I HAD been getting blue screens while booting up my computer before but sporadically. Anyway, used vista recovery console to run chkdsk, check files, and everything came out fine. I do however get blue screens sometimes with this as well?? Random ones as well. driver irql less than or equal, a pfn list corrupt one once, but mostly just ones with only a code at the end. Put in another cpu, another vid card, swapped out ram and psu, and still nada. Connected an external hd and installed xp on it (running vista on my setup), multiple blue screens when transferring files (took like 5 tries before it could make it all the way through) and then another blue screen at the loading screen. Seems like the motherboard is the problem (as far as I can tell). Just looking for some suggestions on a fix (besides replacing) or maybe some suggestions on other things to test + methods. __________________ Lets blow this popsicle stand!

Jul 2, 2009, 12:15 PM	#2
roadrunner17 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Irvine, Ca Posts: 41 Rep Power: 5 System Specs	Re: Motherboard dying? Since you've changed everything except the MB that seems likely the problem. Just one thing- did you disconnect your primary HD when you tried to install XP on the external drive? A HD that is going out can give allot of problems in anything you're trying to do even if it's not the drive being used at the time. If that is not the problem then try changing the Bios in your MB- update to the latest Bios or go back to an earlier one if the latest is already installed. Many times a corrupt or damaged Bios will also give problems that cause people to replace a MB needlessly.

Jul 2, 2009, 12:57 PM	#3
procupine14 Why is it Beeping!?!?! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA, Missouri Posts: 1,207 Rep Power: 27 System Specs	Re: Motherboard dying? The only two things I can think of are: 1. the motherboard is going out. Since you've basically tested everything and nothing seems to correct the issue. 2. like roadrunner said it could also be the primary HDD or some HDD in your setup. Try disconnecting all HDDs save for the one drive that you are going to use to test the system. If that works then its just a matter of finding the bad drive. I have had about 5 systems that i have serviced over the year that have had this issue. Basically, the HDD that is going bad will cause the BSODs and they won't make any sense because usually they are different every time and they generally happen right before windows boot up or shortly after you hit the desktop. The bad drive will also cause a perfectly stable computer to BSOD at times so if you isolate a drive that you believe is causing the problem trying putting it into another computer (if you have one on hand) and see if it BSODs. __________________ Laptop: HP dv6000 - Vista Ultimate (32-bit) - AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60(2.0GHz) - NVIDIA GeForce Go 7200 256MB - 4GB Kingston DDR2 667 - 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive HTPC: Vista Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Athlon 5200+ x2 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 800 - 250GB Seagate Barracuda - Samsung EcoGreen 1TB - Hauppauge single tuner HD - ASUS Radeon HD4550 512MB - ECS RS485M-M mobo - Creative X-fi soundcard Other PC: Vista Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Athlon 4200+ X2 - 4GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 - 250GB Seagate Barracuda - XFX 8600GT XXX - DFI Infinity NF570 SLI-M2/G

Jul 2, 2009, 10:15 PM	#4
Louiemaster Masto Commando Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Don't worry about it unless your a stalker. Posts: 295 Rep Power: 0	Re: Motherboard dying? I tried my setup with another motherboard and the same problem came up :/. This time it seems like it only has the "A thread or process crucial to system operation has been terminated" BSOD at bootup now. Still can't get into safe mode. Any chance a virus could be doing this? __________________ Lets blow this popsicle stand!

Jul 2, 2009, 11:20 PM	#5
caqde DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 437 Rep Power: 45	Re: Motherboard dying? Test your Hard Drives.. I just went through this with my parents computer. Went through a bunch of trouble only to find that the Secondary drive was the issue. (ran a copy from Secondary to Primary problem cropped up, did anything else on the main drive and it was fine, had Winamp search for music on Secondary again problem)... What a pain.. It also caused lockups on boot (isn't boot drive), and kept the computer from shutting off at times. A few things to note, basic controller drivers for the IDE/Sata Controllers will often keep the problem from cropping up as often as the drive isn't running at its full speed, and I have always found the best way to find a problem is by isolating it as much as possible. (clean install of windows,MB/w only CPU, RAM, VC, one or no HD, and One Optical drive, using a DVD boot disk if possible etc.) Anyways good luck on finding the issue. __________________ AMD Phenom II X4 925 AM3/ Giga-byte MA790XT-UD4P XFX HD5770 1GB / 2x2GB of GSKILL DDR3 10666 8-8-8-23 Samsung SH-S182D DVD-RW drive / Samsung SH-S222A DVD-RW drive Western Digital 7500AACS(Primary)/Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320gb(Secondary)/Western Digital 3200KS 16MB 7200rpm SATAII HD(Secondary) Fortron AX500-A PSU / CoolerMaster CMStacker Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum EX / Creative Inspire 6600 6.1 speakers Samsuugn T200HD 20" LCD Monitor / Logitech Internet 350 Black Keyboard Logitech MX510 Mouse Last edited by caqde; Jul 2, 2009 at 11:27 PM.

Jul 3, 2009, 12:24 AM	#6
Louiemaster Masto Commando Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Don't worry about it unless your a stalker. Posts: 295 Rep Power: 0	Re: Motherboard dying? Only have one hard drive running on this setup right now. I installed a fresh copy of XP on an external; it installed fine but I get a 0x0000007B BSOD upon restart (cannot enter xp setup). Anyway to summarize the symptoms: Booting Windows up normally ends up in 0x000000F4 BSOD Booting Windows in safe mode ends in 0x0000007B BSOD Booting a fresh copy of XP off an external ends in 0x0000007B BSOD. Any chance a faulty connector somewhere could be the problem? __________________ Lets blow this popsicle stand!

Jul 3, 2009, 01:14 AM	#7
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek? Join Date: May 2003 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 2,225 Rep Power: 83 System Specs	Re: Motherboard dying? Have you been using the same cables for all of these installs? If so, try using new cables. Sometimes a bad cble can cause a lot of issues. __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

Jul 3, 2009, 02:40 AM	#9
Louiemaster Masto Commando Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Don't worry about it unless your a stalker. Posts: 295 Rep Power: 0	Re: Motherboard dying? Just did a new startup repair off of vista's recovery disk with the new motherboard in place and it said: Root cause found: A recent driver installation or upgrade may be preventing the system from starting. Repair action: System files integrity check and repair. Tried using sfc /scannow through command prompt but it says it failed to start? This might all stem back from that original driver installation lol __________________ Lets blow this popsicle stand!

Jul 4, 2009, 01:03 AM	#10
Louiemaster Masto Commando Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Don't worry about it unless your a stalker. Posts: 295 Rep Power: 0	Re: Motherboard dying? Alright, replaced the motherboard and reformatted my hard drive and everything seems alright. Apparently windows does not let you start an os off an external hard drive, that's why I was having problems before. Still not sure what the problem was, whether it was a corrupt file or a dying motherboard or a combination of both. Thanks for all the help. __________________ Lets blow this popsicle stand!