STOP errors maybe related to faulty cache memory? NEED HELP

[shassouneh 0]

Dear All,

My cmputer has tripped out on me. Every time i try to start Windows Xp setup it gives me a STOP error with a different message depending on my hardware/bios settings. Right now I have a minimal set of hardware (hard drive, DVD drive, and video card). I get stop errors like crazy when i try to set up or boot XP.

Sometimes it says IRQ_NOT_LESS_THAN_OR_EQUAL_TO other times i get an acpi.sys error, and sometimes even a PCIIDEX.sys error! HELP! I need to do my micro assembly homework. this is URGENT!

 

Note: as instructed to do so by the STOP error, i disabled my cache memory and setup began, but it is really REALLY slow. I want to be able to use my cache memory!

[shassouneh 0]

UPDATE: I have an Athlon Thunderbird 1.4GHZ processor, and system memory that is DDR 2100 133MHZ (266MHZ FSB)

 

NOTE that for some odd reason, If i set my system RAM / processor frequency to 100MHZ/100MHZ so that the processor runs at 1050MHZ, the install works and windows works perfectly! If, however, I try to make use of the extra 350MHZ that I paid for, things go haywire!!!

 

REMINDER: My processor is 1.4GHZ and I'm running it at 1.04GHZ right now! Can anyone please help me. I want to take advantage of my 1.4GHZ!!!

[Palos 0]

What brand is the DRAM, and what memory timings are u using?

[Sampson 0]

It sounds like you are raising and lowering the FSB. Some mobo's are rated at 133 though they were intended to run only at 100. When you raise the FSB some PCI devices will not tolerate the speed. In your case it could be the memory or the hard disk. Some motherboards will allow you to raise the FSB for the processor and leave the standard PCI devices run at a different speed. These settings are found in your BIOS. So depending on the Mobo and the Bios the flexibility of raising or lowering the FSB is enhanced or impeded.

[shassouneh 0]

Well, I KNOW the Motherboard has a front side bus of 266MHZ, and I DID run the processor/memory motherboard at 133MHZ (1.4GHZ) before WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. Its just that for some reason it pukes on me now. I RAN IT AT 133MHZ (1.4GHZ) FOR OVER 6 MONTHS WITHOUT PROBLEMS. All of a sudden it puked on me!

Reminder: board is an ECS K75SA Athlon Thunderbird / Athlon XP motherboard with a 266MHZ FSB.

 

Can someone please help?

[Sampson 0]

Sorry, in responding to someone you start from the basics. There was no intent to insult you. Maybe if you can report what you have done or tried, someone like me won't give dull witted advice or suggest something you've already thought of and done.

 

I saw errors like this after a multiple CD install of a new program. In other words, had to put in one CD after another to load it. It was a big graphics program. The computer worked fine after installation. Next day at power up it came up with errors similar to this - particularly IRQ_NOT_LESS_THAN_OR_EQUAL_TO. It was the pagefile.sys - the cache on the hard drive did not jive with what XP knew about it.

 

Since your system was running stable for 6 months, other than some random electrical spike that you couldn't know about, what had you been doing before log off?

[shassouneh 0]

Dear Sampson. No insult taken! LOL. I generally use uper case for emphasis. I used uppercase to emphasize previously-working condition.

 

Anyways, You name it And I've tried it. I removed my burner from the system, heck, even switched my ram chip to a different slot, and even set my hard drive on a different channel. I also tried safe mode (to no avail). For some reason the computer now works PERFECT @ 1GHZ but not at 1.4GHZ. Note that my motherboard does not support overclocking, and the processor itself is a 1.4GHZ.

Like i said, the STOP errors I get vary. Sometimes i get acpi.sys, other times PCIIDEX, I aso get "NON PAGED AREA" fault or something like that!

 

For the life of me I can't figure this out. I used to think of myself as a windows/computer expert, only to be given a "lesson" in Windows NT (XP) pukes!

[Sampson 0]

shassouneh,

 

Why couldn't you contract a simple problem? I got this from Microsoft as to how to interpret stop messages:

This Stop message has four parameters:

 

Address of the first or only interrupt service routine (ISR) involved in initiating the interrupt storm.

ISR context value.

Address of the interrupt object that initiated the storm.

0x00000001 if the ISR is not chained (not part of an interrupt sequence).

0x00000002 if the ISR is chained (part of an interrupt sequence).

 

If the fourth parameter is 0x1, the driver module to which parameters 1 and 3 point probably indicates a driver problem or malfunctioning hardware.

 

If the fourth parameter is 0x2, the driver module to which parameter 1 point is the first ISR in the sequence, and might not be the source of the problem.

 

When a Stop 0xF2 message occurs, it indicates the driver involved in the ISR on the storming IRQ. In addition to four Stop message parameters, a message similar to the following appears:

(endof Microsoft instructions)

 

By the way did you zero out your cache file (virtual memory) then reboot and then reset it the MAX and MIN values to give it?

[shassouneh 0]

Quote:

By the way did you zero out your cache file (virtual memory) then reboot and then reset it the MAX and MIN values to give it?

I don't understand what you mean by this.

I will try setting the processor to function back at 1.4GHZ anmd I will update this post witht he stop error(s) i get...

[Sampson 0]

Sorry about the typing. It was late last night.

 

Click Start , point to Settings , click Control Panel , and then double-click System . Click the Advanced tab, click Performance Options, Change , and then point to the partition containing the Pagefile.sys file.

 

In the Initial Size (MB): box, type 0 .

 

In the Maximum Size (MB): box, type 0 .

 

Click Set , click OK , click Close , and then click Yes when you are prompted to restart the computer.

 

After the computer has restarted, reset the Pagefile.sys file to the correct size.

 

Click Start , point to Settings , click Control Panel , and then double-click System . Click the Advanced tab, click Performance Options, Change , and then point to the partition containing the Pagefile.sys file.

 

In the Initial Size (MB): box, type a value equal to the amount of random access memory (in megabytes) in your computer plus 11.

(You can set this to your own liking, however)

 

In the Maximum Size (MB): box, type a value equal to or less than the amount of disk space available (in megabytes) on the specified partition minus 1. (You can set this to your own liking, however)

 

Click Set , click OK , click Close , and then click Yes when you are prompted to restart the computer.

[Alien 1]

Umm.. just a couple of points - there are quicker/simpler ways to do some of that..

 

There are 2 quicker ways to get to the System Properties dialog:

 

1. Keyboard shortcut - Win + Pause/Break

2. Right click My Computer [doesn't matter where, it can be the icon on the desktop, the link on XP's new start menu, or even in Explorer] & select properties from the menu that pops up.

 

To get rid of the existing pagefile, instead of setting both the min & max values to 0, simply select "No Paging file" [don't forget to click "Set"]

 

I'd still recommend you use a fixed sized page file - regardless of what size you decide upon. The reason is that whether you tell Windows to manage the size of it itself or set min & max values to different values [as Sampson suggested] Windows will still change its mind about how big it wants the swap file to be every now & then which means more disk accessing which means slow downs.

 

Setting the min & max values differently doesn't stop Windows from doing the same thing as it does when you allow it to manage it itself - it's just limiting the extent that it can do it to, whereas if you set them both to the same value then windows cannot change it @ all & has to make do with what you've allowed it. As long as you allow it a suffiicient amount there's no problem.

[shassouneh 0]

Cool, I'll try zeroing out my pagefile, then doing the 1.4GHZ thingy. Let me try real quick....

[shassouneh 0]

Ok, I zeros out my pagefile, then restarted with the 1.4GHZ configuration. Windows boots up, and runs somwhere for about 5 to 15 minutes, then gives me the expected STOP screen. Here is what the stop screen said. (note I bolded out the areas That I think may be important):

 

I quote:

Quote:

A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

 

If this is the first time you've seen this Stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

 

Disable or uninstall any anti-virus, disk defragmentation or backup utilities. Check your hard drive configuration and check for any updated drivers. Run CHKDSK /F to check for hard drive corruption, and then restart your computer.

Technical information:

 

*** STOP: 0x00000023 (0x000E0100, 0xF843D7B8, 0x404DD760)

 

 

 

Beginning dump of physical memory

Physical memory dump complete.

contact your system administrator or technical support group for further assistance

 

--END OF QUOTE--

 

I am currently running at 1.04GHZ with no problems whatsoever. i wish to be able to use the 1.4GHz though.

 

Please help if you can

[fish 0]

Hi!

 

Hum,i think something's missing on your error message.Just to know,below the stop message,do you have FAT_FILE_SYSTEM??

 

If so,there may be a physical problem with the disk.

Check the integrity of the file system by running Chkdsk.exe

 

Check the file properties of the Fastfat.sys file to ensure that it matches the current version of the operating system or service pack.

 

Update all disk, tape backup, CD-ROM, or removable device drivers to the most current versions.

 

HTH

[Sampson 0]

Found this shassouneh

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;;Q305358&ID=KB;;Q305358

SYMPTOMS

If you have two removable media in the computer (for example, floppy disks or magneto-optical media) that have non-unique volume serial numbers and similar files, you may receive the following error message:

 

STOP 0x00000023 ( Parameter1 , Parameter2 , Parameter3 , Parameter4 )

 

CAUSE

This behavior occurs because the FAT file system driver recognizes the two media as being identical. However, because there are some differences between them, you receive an error message.

 

RESOLUTION

A supported fix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem described in this article and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem. This fix may receive additional testing at a later time, to further ensure product quality. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Windows 2000 service pack that contains this fix.

 

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information about support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

 

http://support.microsoft.com/directory/overview.asp

 

NOTE : In special cases, charges that are normally incurred for support calls may be canceled, if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. Normal support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

 

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

Date Time Version Size File name

--------------------------------------------------------

20-Dec-2000 04:59 5.00.2195.3083 140,432 Fastfat.sys

 

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, reformat one of the disks and then use it again.

 

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

 

I looked at the fastfat.sys on my system and it said the following

140,368 5/4/2001 ver. 5.0.2195.2817

 

Apparently it is looking at your floppy and DVD drives or maybe it is looking for a CD drive you used to have, or it thinks your hard drive is a DVD or viceversa, anyway perhaps the fastfat.sys was corrupted or the system is confused that two devices have the same volume label but different serial numbers.

 

Will keep digging.

[fish 0]

Me again!

 

Got a good site on this too.

www.aumha.org/kbestopz.htm

[Alien 1]

Hey, I just realised - this is sounding a bit like an error that happened with win98 on someone's syetm I had to fix. I know your not using 98 [@ least not that I know of, but that's not relevant], but having read what Sampson just posted I realised that they do sound similar. I know Sampson suggested that you reformat, but it is possible that you might not have to go quite that far - you see I have seen probs like this cured by repairing the MBR [Main (or is it Master - I never can remember ) Boot Record]. In 98 this was as easy as booting with a bootdisk & using the command FDISK /MBR - but XP's command is a bit different. @ least I thought XP had a command/prog of it's own - damned if I can find the little bugger though!

 

1 time when I tried Linux dual booting with XP & wanted to get rid of Linux I used 98SE's boot disk to get rid of the Linux boot loader & I don't think it did XP any harm so you might be able to use a 98 boot disk to do this with.

[shassouneh 0]

OK folks, Thanx for all the feedback. Allow me first to point out a few points:

 

1.) I do NOT have a floppy disk drive. I ONLY have a DVD drive, my hard drive, and an EXTERNAL parralel port Zip 250 Drive.

 

2.) I am NOT running Windows 2000. I am running Windows XP Professional

 

3.) Hard drive problems are out of the question since the machine works PERFECTLY and boots without any problems at 1 GHZ, but ONLY behaves in this way at 1.4GHZ.

 

4.) This is a FRESH INSTALL of Windows XP. Meaning I already DID format and fdisk my hard drive.

 

5.) An Alternative to running at 1 GHZ would be to run at 1.4GHZ with no cache memory. The machine WILL succesfully boot and work this way, BUT who wants to run a machine without cache memory? If i run it without cache memory I'm looking at the speed of a 286! LOL

 

6.) The problem may not be Windows-specific after All. Remmember that Windows XP setup freaked out on me until I put the processor at 1GHZ, MEANING I don't think its some setting or corruption in Windows. I think it may be deeper than just that.

 

7.) The given STOP error is complete! I typed it in myself. It has NO MENTION whatsoever of FAT or FAT_FILE_SYSTEM! I had to copy it down letter-for-letter and type it here

 

Please consider the above points.

Anyways, I'll check out the links you gave me for the heck of it. Please feelf ree to add to this topic to update it if you wish.

 

I really appreciate all of your help and support!

[shassouneh 0]

UPDATE: I converted my file system to NTFS. THis is to elliminate any possibility that FAT32 is causing the problem.

I am now running at 1.4GHZ. Here is the stop message I get 10 to 15 minutes after windows has booted and started succesfully. (again, I bolded the important parts)

 

Quote:

A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

 

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

 

If this is the first time you've seen this Stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

 

Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed. If this is a new installation, ask your hardware manufacturer for any windows updates you may need.

 

If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use Safe Mode or remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to select Advanced Startup Options, and then Safe Mode.

Technical information:

 

*** STOP: 0x000000D1 (0x00000028, 0x00000002, 0x0000000, 0xF97406F9)

 

*** USBPORT.SYS - Address F97406F9 BASE AT F9737000, DataStamp 367d868b

 

 

 

 

Beginning dump of physical memory

Physical memory dump complete.

contact your system administrator or technical support group for further assistance

 

 

Can anyone please help?

[Dirty Harry 0]

This must be one of the most confusing (-ed) threads in the history of NTcomp.

 

Your problem pretty much must be a hardware issue and caused either by a wrong setting in BIOS or faulty/loose parts. No MS-dump is going to tell you anything useful. In your first post you say that the error message is different depending on BIOS setting, try to set all settings back to fool proof default settings and see if that helps. Clear the CMOS via the jumper.

 

- Just to be sure, when you say you disabled cache you are talking about the L2 cache on the CPU, right ? Not the RAM, and not the page file ? You are really sure that you have a CPU made for 133 FSB, Athlon 1400's come in two flavours, 100 Mhz and 133 Mhz.

 

- the fact that you can run 10,5 x 100 Mhz =1050 but not 10,5 x 133 strongly points in the direction of wrong/defect RAM or wrong memeory settings in Bios. If you can, try with another stick, which you are very sure is rated for 133 Mhz FSB. Set your RAM timings (latency) to highest (slowest) available, either 2,5 or 3. Use only one stick of RAM when troubleshooting.

 

- Another possibility is that one of the components cannot handle the 133 FSB speed. Can't imagine anything else than defect mobo in that case.

 

- A third possibility is a classic suggestion, power supply. Have you had this exact combo running Win 2K w/o a hitch ? Can you try another OS to see if that works, nothing else changed ? Most would claim that a Athlon 1400 needs at least a 300W PSU, on the AMD site there is a list of approved/recommended PSU's

 

 

H

[shassouneh 0]

Well the fact of the matter is I DID run both SuSE Linux 7.3 Professional AND Windows XP Professional for over 6 monthst WITHOUT A SINGLE HITCH with the same hardware configuration.

My power supply is a generous 400 W power supply. Furthermore, the system DOES run @ 1.4GHZ (133MHZ memory / 133 MHZ processor0 its just not very stable at all! It runs perfectly at 1GHZ!

I only have one RAM chip (DDR 2100), and I Know for a fact the motherboard has a 266MHZ FSB.

By the way, the cache memory I talk about is BOTH L1 and L2, meaning On and OFF the processor. The machine only works perfectly at 1.4GHZ if i turn BOTH of them completely off!

As for a component not being able to handle 133MHZ, that DOES seem like an appealing idea, HOWEVER the fact that I ran with this same exact configuration before at 1.4GHZ (133MHZ/133MHZ) can only suggest that the hardware DOES support a 266MHZ FSB with 133MHZ/133MHZ speeds.

 

Can anyone please help?

[Dirty Harry 0]

If I read your previous post you are saying these precise parts were functioning and the CPU is made for, and was running 10,5 x 133 so it can function - unless some hardware part has broken. I would narrow down the possible source of the problem by:

 

1) clear the CMOS to be sure no Bios setting is causing this.

2) reformat and reinstall XP to see if something went wrong there

 

If that doesn't help you have to test the CPU on a different Mbo to see if its still OK, and run the Mobo with a diff CPU to see if has blown.

 

Oh, one more idea - could the CPU be overheating?

 

H

[shassouneh 0]

Thanx for the reply.

I have just reset te BIOS.Ofcoarse it defaulted to 100MHZ/100MHZ (1050MHZ).When I set it to 133MHZ/133MHZ it did the same thing!

I have also tried reformatting / re setting up several times, BUT the setup will not even start orcontinue unless I have it set at 1GHZ.

As for the CPU overheating, I doubt it. I have ran that CPU formonths without a single hitch like this, so even though overheating IS possible, it is highly unlikely.

I am gonna try borrowing a RAM chip from a freind. If i STILL have trouble, then maybe my processor and/or motherboard have gone defective!

I'm just pissed that I can only run at 1GHZ when I paid hard-earned money for a 1.4GHZ,andi know the 1.4ghz configuration worked before!

 

If someone has any ideas please do not hesitate to share them!

 

PS: Sorry guys if I seem to reply with a sharp tone. I am just frustrated. Also,I use CAPITAL LETTERS for emphasis, NOT for shouting!

[Dirty Harry 0]

You anger is understandable, your system should run as designed.

 

Do I understand this correctly, you say the BIOS defaulted to a FSB of 100 after you resetted CMOS and reverted back after you changed the FSB manually to 133 ? That implies that the CPU is not identified properly. Does your BIOS tell what CPU is found ? Can you set the CPU manually also ? If so, set the multiplier to 10,5 and the FSB to 133. Check that your RAM latency is at 2,5 (or 3). If you can set the multiplier manually in BIOS, try lower multipliers (8,9,10) and the FSB still at 133 to see if that works. If you have any settings between 100 and 133 for the FSB, try them also.

 

Also, some boards (my Abit KG7 for one) are picky about which slot the DDR-RAM is poulated from, could it be that you have switched slot for your stick lately?

 

Just another check; you did reset the BIOS by the book? Power off, powercord out, short the jumper for a few seconds. Taking the battery out for 30-60 minutes does the same thing.

 

Your temps would be good to know. The heat conducting tape/sticker grows old sometimes, and the heatsink and fan collect dust. Also, if you've had the CPU out of its slot lately you could have inadvertedly caused a bad contact between CPU and heatsink. I'd guess your bios has a "health" screen where you can see the CPU temp, for an not O/C Athlon 1400, you should be looking at a temp of max 40-50 C idle, case open. What are your temps? As you are in the BIOS, please post your voltages too.

 

BTW, ...put a floppy drive in the system. If you can boot with 133 Mhz at all (doesn't sound like it) boot from a good ol' DOS floppy. One thing is for sure, if you can't run DOS, you're very unlikely to be able to run XP, and this way you can better differentiate between a hardware failure and a WIN failure.

 

I take it you bought the Athlon from a reputable vendor and then you are likely to be OK. But, be aware, there has been many reports of ppl selling overclocked CPU's as the real thing. If (or maybe rather when...) you decide to replace the heat conducting material, you'll anyhow first need to clean the CPU carefully. Write down all the text on the CPU, this is the only positive way to identify which CPU you have.

 

H.

[Alien 1]

You say that you think CPU heat probs are unlikely, but concede they may be a possibility, so why not eliminate that possibility - check the temps. You could use whatever hardware monitoring prog came with your mobo, or MBM5, or you could try SpeedFan. It's a great little prog that does what most hardware monitoring progs do, but also monitors your HDD temp as well [assuming your drive(s) have a temp. sensor, & the prog can recognise it]. Also its system tray icon displays the temp of whichever sensor you've told it to, so is easier to keep an eye on it.

 

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the chap who wrote it, I just think it's a really cool little prog.