Actually, I don’t know whether it was the OS or something else, but I saw a BSOD different from any I’ve ever seen before. The title was Stop Error Screen, and it was followed by a long hex number, with four more in parentheses following it.
What is it? Something with the RAM, something with the BIOS, or something entirely different?
Whatever it is, I need to know what to do to fix it.
That sounds pretty normal for a BSOD. You should find the details in the System Event Log.
I’m having trouble getting it to stay on long enough to even look for that. 
BTW, where do I find it?
Obviously, I’m using a different computer to post here. 
Reason I’m asking? I don’t think I’ve seen a BSOD since Win3.1 - don’t have a clue where to look.
(I’m assuming WinXP)
Very often, it’s something like a hard drive error that stops some critical component from loading, or prevents the disk being mounted properly.
If you hold down the <F8> key as the machine starts up, you should get a more complete boot options list.
Try booting into Safe mode - if that works, just shut down and boot up again normally
If not, try ‘last known good configuration’
Failing that, boot from your Windows installation CD (but only if it’s a proper Windows Install disk - don’t do it if it’s a ‘restore disk’ or something like that) - boot into recovery console and run chkdsk /f (or is it /r in the recovery console?)
Of course it might not be a hard drive problem - it might be a memory problem or something else.
WinXP; correct.
F8 only gets me a Norton GoBack menu. when it got to the end of its load thingie, the dang computer shut off. :smack:
Next?
The first hex number tells you what the error was. Write it down and google. (Why the don’t just fn print the error message, I don’t know. I guess it’s a brilliant optimization that trims a few KB from the kernel. And to continue ranting… I fucking HATE how windows automatically restarts on a bsod. The possible reasoning that went into that decision makes my blood boil. Disable this with F8 if you can’t boot or in System options if you can.)
That long hex number will (attempt to) tell you, more or less. Some stop error codes are v ery specific while others are almost useless, but it’s a place to start.
Are you serious? Have you stopped using computers for the past 15 years? At the very least, didn’t you use 9x …?
I probably saw some with Win95, but I’ve mostly blocked out all memories related to Win95 :rolleyes: and none of them were things that perplexed me.
The first one was 0X0000008E. I found a question that matches my experience on techguy.org from May last year. But the response refers to DVD burning software. I have no DVD burning software on that machine.
AAMOF, I’ve done very little on that machine lately, other than email and some browsing. I did listen to some music on it last night.
On this site, it says that it’s KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED 0x8E - and now I’m absolutely lost. :eek:
Windows XP only restarts automatically on a BSOD if your settings allow it. I assume that is the default because most users getting a BSOD wouldn’t have any idea what else to do anyway. Start up your System control panel, go to the Advanced tab, click the third Settings button (i.e. in the Startup and Recovery section), and uncheck Automatically Restart. As to why the screen isn’t printed, given that you get a BSOD when the guts of the operating system has died, it’s not reasonable to assume that printing is possible at that point - it uses as little resources as possible to provide the error so that it can provide the error.
That’s a fancy way of saying that things have really gone to Hell and the safest thing to do is to halt the computer. It can be caused by hardware or software.
That’s what I was afraid of. I haven’t turned it back on since then. Is there anything I can do to find the problem myself, or have I got to pay someone to fix it? I’m still hoping it’s something simple, like RAM. Is there anything I can do to try to figure it out, or is it best for me to take it to a shop?
Turn it back on, follow Canadjun’s instructions, and when it happens again, write down the results and look them up in Microsoft’s Knowledge Base.
A friend has a HP Pavillion and she has been getting that from day 1 with the thing. She has uploaded more recent drivers etc that is supposed to fix the problem but it still continues. Anyway, I spoke to the tech who was out repairing my machine and he advised gettinga techo out under warranty as it could be serious.
First of all, let’s not get paranoid here. Computer crashes are to a large extent “normal.” Cosmic rays, radiation, static electricity, you being drunk, can all cause the computer to stop working in totally random ways.
The first question is: Does the problem happen repeatedly? If your computer just crashes once, then no matter what the error is, turn it back on. Only if the problem is repeating itself can you know it is there. Keep note of the error each time (whether it’s the same one or changing, it’s clues to the problem).
Second, what you can do to diagnose a BSOD is run a minidump analysis. It’s a bit techy, but this site tells you what to do. The analysis will often tell you if it’s a hardware component that’s broken. But then again, so would a pattern of errors. You can also run a memory test using memtest86 and, just throwing it out there, pull out hardware until it works. (‘What are you doing, Dave…’)
Should you go see a professional? Well, if you’re a grandma… First, back up your data asap. You must do this even if you give the comp to someone else. Then, try solving it yourself. There’s very little chance of permanent damage to your hardware. Computers aren’t cars. Worst thing is you’ll have to reinstall. Best thing is you’ll get smarter.
Thanks for being so patronising.
I have run across several borked norton goback installs. In addition goback is a royal PITA to work around in my experience. if you have any misson critical data you might consider just using something like a bart PE disk to copy any mission critical stuff off to a memory stick or external drive and try doing a clean reload of XP (preferably without goback.
Open up the case and visually inspect the motherboard for bulged or ruptured capacitors. Also make sure all the fans are running and none of the cables are loose.
If that looks ok then bad RAM is a likely culprit. Burn yourself an Ultimate Boot CD and use it to run Memtest86+ and/or Microsoft’s memory tester. If they come up with any errors then you’ve got at least one bad DIMM.
The CD also has hard drive diagnostics for all of the major brands. Scan using the appropriate one for your drive.
If none of those turns up anything then start looking at software problems. A repair install is often a good way to go.