BSODs, Wireless Code 10's and a Disappearing Hard Drive

Gingee

Gingee

New member
Hey folks, got my PCS computer about a week ago, and during the past few days I've been experiencing a few issues.

  • Random BSODs when idle.
  • Wireless PCI card spontaneously stops working (code 10), even after most recent drivers are installed (works again on restart).
  • Secondary hard drive (E: ) spontaneously pulls a Houdini (also returns on restart).

Is there anything I can do to resolve these problems, or should I have it returned? Should I post my spec?

Regards,
Gingee
 
Boozad

Boozad

Prolific Poster
First off could you post your system specs so we know what we're working with.

A code 10 error is usually down to drivers, can you uninstall the wireless card, reboot and let Windows discover it again. It should install drivers for you, check to see if the problem is solved and only update drivers if there are problems.

What code/s are you getting with your BSODs?

AS for the HDD, first thing I'd do is remove the side of the case and check the SATA connections at both ends.
 
Gingee

Gingee

New member
Ok, so my spec is:

Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4770k (3.5GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard ASUS® Z87-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE
Memory (RAM) 8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2400MHz X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT
Graphics Card 3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 780 Ti - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk 120GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk 1TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 32MB CACHE
RAID NONE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply CORSAIR 650W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling CoolerMaster Seidon 120M High Performance CPU Cooler
Fan Controller NONE
Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI CARD
USB Options MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable 1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
DVD Recovery Media Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Monitor BENQ GL2250HM LED 21.5" 1920 x 1080, 5MS, HDMI, D-SUB, DVI-D

Next time it bluescreens, I'll write down the code.

Would uninstalling the wireless card and/or checking the SATA connections affect the warranty at all?
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Was everything working ok when it arrived from PCS? It seems so since you say "...during the past few days...". So, what has changed?

The problems you're having don't seem related in any way though they probably are of course. Have you changed anything recently? Any hardware changes, BIOS changes, Windows software or config changes, Windows updates, driver updates, any new software added etc?

If you're certain that you've not changed anything then it's probably worth testing your RAM since flaky RAM can be a source of all sorts of weird issues. Download Memtest from http://memtest.org, extract the iso file from the downloaded archive, burn that iso file to a CD and boot the CD. Memtest will start running. LEave it running at least overnight (longer is better). If it reports any errors at all remove all but one RAM stick and run Memtest again, repeat that on each stick until you find the faulty one.

If Memtest finds no errors then you need to establish whether you have a software or hardware error and the only sure way to do that is to do a clean reinstall of Windows and the supplied drivers. Don't install any other software (apart from high priority updates) or make any Windows configuration changes. You'll then have the cleanest and most stable software environment, so see whether you can make it fail then.

If it won't fail then you had a software problem and you can carefully reinstall your third-party software (being sure not to reinstall the problem).

If it fails then it's probably a hardware issue and you should contact PCS.
 
Gingee

Gingee

New member
Okay, stupid question, but: BS'd again, was writing down the code before it disappeared and looped continually on the BIOS setup. Is there a way to take down the error codes sans writing? (Yes, I have little in the way of computer skills.)

I'm a little uncertain to open it up - what precautions would have to be taken?


Edit: Okay, crashed this morning, managed to write down the error code:
STOP: 0X000000F4 (0X0000000000000003, 0X0XFFFFF A800BA98520, 0XFFFFFA800BA9880, 0XFFFFF80002FDE7BO)
Click to expand...

Used Memtest during the night - tested ~8 times, no fails.

Previous crash I managed to write down began with:
0x0000007A
Click to expand...
 
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