Unlucky with PC Specialist build?

Mashril

Bronze Level Poster
Just a quick update, been running fine since I changed pci-e slots, but literally 5mins ago I get a BSOD playing Monster Hunter, "kernel_security_check_failure", bluescreenview says its related to hal.dll and ntoskernl.sys googling around implies that its related to some sort of hardware I'll probably do a scan tomorrow but honestly just sick of this might just end up buying a new PC and trashing this cursed thing. 😅
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Have you done a malware scan with malwarebytes? That bsod may point to windows corruption. The repetitive degradation of windows may well point to malware.
 

Mashril

Bronze Level Poster
Have you done a malware scan with malwarebytes? That bsod may point to windows corruption. The repetitive degradation of windows may well point to malware.

I'll put it on the list tomorrow to do but I haven't, I'm hoping ESET would have picked up something if I did get anything.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
I'll put it on the list tomorrow to do but I haven't, I'm hoping ESET would have picked up something if I did get anything.
Any scanner can miss things, best to have a non live backup version for manual backup scans. Malwarebytes is widely regarded as a stand out product for really in depth scans, make sure you disable the 14day trial after installation as it will conflict with ESET and bog down the system.

Then do a manual full scan imcluding root kits on all drives, may take a while but worth it just to be certain there’s not something dodgy that’s being reinstalled after reinstall action of windows.

Aside from that, it’d be worth doing a windows startup repair followed by a sfc /scannow in an elevated cmd prompt.
 

Mashril

Bronze Level Poster
Any scanner can miss things, best to have a non live backup version for manual backup scans. Malwarebytes is widely regarded as a stand out product for really in depth scans, make sure you disable the 14day trial after installation as it will conflict with ESET and bog down the system.

Then do a manual full scan imcluding root kits on all drives, may take a while but worth it just to be certain there’s not something dodgy that’s being reinstalled after reinstall action of windows.

Aside from that, it’d be worth doing a windows startup repair followed by a sfc /scannow in an elevated cmd prompt.

I'll be sure to do that, I'm gonna leave my system on a memory diagnostic while I sleep and I just did a sfc /scannow but it didn't pick anything up. Thanks for the help and suggestions.
 

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Just a quick update, been running fine since I changed pci-e slots, but literally 5mins ago I get a BSOD playing Monster Hunter, "kernel_security_check_failure", bluescreenview says its related to hal.dll and ntoskernl.sys googling around implies that its related to some sort of hardware I'll probably do a scan tomorrow but honestly just sick of this might just end up buying a new PC and trashing this cursed thing. 😅
HAL is the hardware abstraction layer that sits between the kernel (ntoskrnl) and the hardware. I'be never seen that BSOD before but as you might imagine, bad drivers is a very common cause. Since you've already done a clean install and hopefully allowed Windows Update to install all drivers (if you didn't do that then please do so) this is pointing more towards a hardware issue I would think.
 

Mashril

Bronze Level Poster
Okay did a memtest last night, nothing found, did malwarebytes too since the memtest didn't take that long and nothing found.

HAL is the hardware abstraction layer that sits between the kernel (ntoskrnl) and the hardware. I'be never seen that BSOD before but as you might imagine, bad drivers is a very common cause. Since you've already done a clean install and hopefully allowed Windows Update to install all drivers (if you didn't do that then please do so) this is pointing more towards a hardware issue I would think.

I checked "whocrashed" and its implying that its caused by ntoskrnl.sys and another culprit, ntkrnlmp.exe. Its like everything is pointing to everything else and saying "It was him!" this machine is cursed I tell you.

Oh and I tried that driver signining thing last night, gave me an endless BSOD with io something or other.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Okay did a memtest last night, nothing found, did malwarebytes too since the memtest didn't take that long and nothing found.



I checked "whocrashed" and its implying that its caused by ntoskrnl.sys and another culprit, ntkrnlmp.exe. Its like everything is pointing to everything else and saying "It was him!" this machine is cursed I tell you.

Oh and I tried that driver signining thing last night, gave me an endless BSOD with io something or other.
I think at this point you need to get an RMA, you’ve done some very extensive testing and it does suggest perhaps more of a hardware issue. It’s a real head scratcher!
 

Mashril

Bronze Level Poster
I think at this point you need to get an RMA, you’ve done some very extensive testing and it does suggest perhaps more of a hardware issue. It’s a real head scratcher!

I think I'm out of the RMA time frame since I got the PC last April, I really don't want to go through that again so I might just get a new pc
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
I think I'm out of the RMA time frame since I got the PC last April, I really don't want to go through that again so I might just get a new pc
Even if you only selected 1 year parts, you’ve got 3 year labour included in all warranties and the part may well have manufacturers warranty in place to cover it.
 

Mashril

Bronze Level Poster
Even if you only selected 1 year parts, you’ve got 3 year labour included in all warranties and the part may well have manufacturers warranty in place to cover it.

I wasn't aware of that but its not exactly something thats easy to track down and can't be easily reproduced, when I first sent my PC back with my issue last time it got damaged in transit so I had to wait 3 weeks for Gigabyte to repair the motherboard, I even asked PC Specialist multiple times to just let me buy a new motherboard but they said no and I've had this annoying whine since day 1 whenever any load it put onto the system so I really just want to get rid of this thing and try again even if it'll cost me about 2k
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
I wasn't aware of that but its not exactly something thats easy to track down and can't be easily reproduced, when I first sent my PC back with my issue last time it got damaged in transit so I had to wait 3 weeks for Gigabyte to repair the motherboard, I even asked PC Specialist multiple times to just let me buy a new motherboard but they said no and I've had this annoying whine since day 1 whenever any load it put onto the system so I really just want to get rid of this thing and try again even if it'll cost me about 2k
Well, it’s your call, but seems a waste.
 

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Okay did a memtest last night, nothing found, did malwarebytes too since the memtest didn't take that long and nothing found.



I checked "whocrashed" and its implying that its caused by ntoskrnl.sys and another culprit, ntkrnlmp.exe. Its like everything is pointing to everything else and saying "It was him!" this machine is cursed I tell you.

Oh and I tried that driver signining thing last night, gave me an endless BSOD with io something or other.
As you know ntsokrnl.exe is the base Windows kernel, ntkrnlmp.exe is the multi processor kernel component. The reason you often get BSODs from these two is that driver errors, or hardware errors that affect the driver operation, are often not detected until the driver returns control to the kernel and kernel code validates what the driver is trying to do. Because kernel code executes in a privileged mode, if the driver response is somehow invalid or not properly formed, the usual error recovery routines are not available and all the kernel can do is BSOD with a reason code to help explain why.

What this means is that you either have a driver or kernel error, or you have a hardware error. The only way to tell is with a completely clean install of Windows (from bootable media and deleting all existing UEFI partitions) followed by Windows Update installing all drivers. That gives you the most reliable and stable software platform possible, if it fails in that state it's almost certainly a hardware problem.

Another useful test to confirm/eliminate hardware is to install a Linux distro. If that has problems as well then it's definitely hardware.

Sent using Tapatalk
 

Mashril

Bronze Level Poster
As you know ntsokrnl.exe is the base Windows kernel, ntkrnlmp.exe is the multi processor kernel component. The reason you often get BSODs from these two is that driver errors, or hardware errors that affect the driver operation, are often not detected until the driver returns control to the kernel and kernel code validates what the driver is trying to do. Because kernel code executes in a privileged mode, if the driver response is somehow invalid or not properly formed, the usual error recovery routines are not available and all the kernel can do is BSOD with a reason code to help explain why.

What this means is that you either have a driver or kernel error, or you have a hardware error. The only way to tell is with a completely clean install of Windows (from bootable media and deleting all existing UEFI partitions) followed by Windows Update installing all drivers. That gives you the most reliable and stable software platform possible, if it fails in that state it's almost certainly a hardware problem.

Another useful test to confirm/eliminate hardware is to install a Linux distro. If that has problems as well then it's definitely hardware.

Sent using Tapatalk

Got a completely fresh install running now and just gonna game on it till it does something, got until Thursday off from work so it'll be hammered, let windows find all my drivers too like you suggested before so heres hoping, thanks for all the help regardless
 

Mashril

Bronze Level Poster
Looks like I didn't have to wait very long irql not less not equal

hal.dll mentioned again, safe to say this computer is completely up the duff.
 
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ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Got a completely fresh install running now and just gonna game on it till it does something, got until Thursday off from work so it'll be hammered, let windows find all my drivers too like you suggested before so heres hoping, thanks for all the help regardless

Looks like I didn't have to wait very long irql not less not equal

hal.dll mentioned again, safe to say this computer is completely up the duff.

I'm 99% certain that it's a hardware problem then. I'm not sure how you'll want to proceed with that information but I think it's worth talking to PCS and pointing them at this thread.
 

Mashril

Bronze Level Poster
Just a quick update, as I have a freshly installed Windows I've gone back and disabled my OC and am not using the XMP profile for my ram, going back to 2133 from 3200, had a good full day of gaming and no issues. Not heard from PCS which is quite disappointing, next time I post is if I hear something, but I'm gonna carry on my PC as it is now and see if its gonna hold up, another thing I'm also doing is normally when I play a game with a controller I have a USB bluetooth dongle that I use so I've gone back to wired connection for now just to rule that out too, probably wasn't it but never know.
 
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