[CaneCraft]

Hi all,

I have a problem I've been struggling with since February, and I am at wit's end.

My computer - a new build I assembled in February - is experiencing random crashes. The nature of the crash is a sudden black screen followed by a complete system freeze. No BSoD is displayed at this time, and I have experienced occasional difficulties in getting it to create a .dmp file. The system is a clean reformat and reinstall.

I have ruled out the GPU as the source of the problem, but not much else. I will provide a detailed explanation of my troubleshooting in a spoiler further down, but here are the basics:

• All temperatures (CPU, GPU) remain low and stable - overheating is not the cause
• The crash happens across multiple games (so far every game I've tried, including NS2, CS:GO, TF2)
• The timing is random. Some times it crashes after 2 minutes, some times after 40 (but usually earlier)
• Crashes usually happen during gaming, and once (so far) while browsing
  Black screen makes it impossible to read any BSoD, and I've had problems getting it to make a .dmp file
• I have reformatted five times so far; clean install solved nothing

PC specs:

• Mainboard: MSI Z77A-GD55 (MS-7751), Socket-1155
• - Chipset: Intel Ivy Bridge
• - Southbridge: Intel Z77
• CPU: Intel Core i5 3570K Ivy Bridge - 3.4GHz
• - Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
• RAM: Crucial DDR3 1333MHz 8GB KIT, CL9
• GPU: PowerColor HD 7870 2GB GDDR5
  - Note: Crash happens with or without GPU
• HDD: Western Digital® Desktop Black 2TB
• PSU: Chieftec Super Series 650W PSU
• - ATX 12V V2.3 80+
• Windows 7 64-bit Ultimate Full Retail

Event log:

Log Name: System
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
Date: 31.03.2013 03:10:11
Event ID: 41
Task Category: (63)
Level: Critical
Keywords: (2)
User: SYSTEM
Computer: Felysian-172
Description:
The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power" Guid="{331C3B3A-2005-44C2-AC5E-77220C37D6B4}" />
<EventID>41</EventID>
<Version>2</Version>
<Level>1</Level>
<Task>63</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x8000000000000002</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-03-31T01:10:11.838023400Z" />
<EventRecordID>7472</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="4" ThreadID="8" />
<Channel>System</Channel>
<Computer>Felysian-172</Computer>
<Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data Name="BugcheckCode">268435582</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter1">0xffffffffc0000005</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter2">0xfffff800030d4ea0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter3">0xfffff880031cadc8</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter4">0xfffff880031ca620</Data>
<Data Name="SleepInProgress">false</Data>
<Data Name="PowerButtonTimestamp">0</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

BlueScreenView:

==================================================
Dump File : 033113-31200-01.dmp
Crash Time : 31.03.2013 03:10:13
Bug Check String : SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
Bug Check Code : 0x1000007e
Parameter 1 : ffffffff`c0000005
Parameter 2 : fffff800`030d4ea0
Parameter 3 : fffff880`031cadc8
Parameter 4 : fffff880`031ca620
Caused By Driver : fvevol.sys
Caused By Address : fvevol.sys+2808
File Description :
Product Name :
Company :
File Version :
Processor : x64
Crash Address : ntoskrnl.exe+7eea0
Stack Address 1 :
Stack Address 2 :
Stack Address 3 :
Computer Name :
Full Path : C:\Windows\Minidump\033113-31200-01.dmp
Processors Count : 4
Major Version : 15
Minor Version : 7601
Dump File Size : 272 336
==================================================

SystemLook:

SystemLook 30.07.11 by jpshortstuff
Log created at 08:33 on 31/03/2013 by Cane
Administrator - Elevation successful

========== filefind ==========

Searching for "fvevol.sys"
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\fvevol.sys --a---- 223248 bytes [07:10 06/03/2013] [13:28 20/11/2010] 1F7B25B858FA27015169FE95E54108ED
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-s..tartup-filterdriver_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_none_8a796922f99eb444\fvevol.sys --a---- 223448 bytes [23:22 13/07/2009] [01:43 14/07/2009] B8B2A6E1558F8F5DE5CE431C5B2C7B09
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-s..tartup-filterdriver_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16429_none_8abe4bb8f96a6f21\fvevol.sys --a---- 223448 bytes [06:15 06/03/2013] [06:20 26/09/2009] AE87BA80D0EC3B57126ED2CDC15B24ED
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-s..tartup-filterdriver_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.20536_none_8b3a17ba1292ded7\fvevol.sys --a---- 223448 bytes [06:15 06/03/2013] [06:40 26/09/2009] 71E51A121E8E06A751C374FB19E917BB
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-s..tartup-filterdriver_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17514_none_8caa7ceaf68d37de\fvevol.sys --a---- 223248 bytes [07:10 06/03/2013] [13:28 20/11/2010] 1F7B25B858FA27015169FE95E54108ED

-= EOF =-

Detailed information:

Hardware and software installation went perfectly. Drivers installed and updated fine, and everything is in the green. The system runs smoothly right up until the crash, including games, where I get the good frame rate and graphical quality you would expect from this rig.

The problem is a sudden black screen followed seconds later by a system freeze, forcing a hard reset. It always happens during gaming, across all tested (modern) games so far, and usually within five minutes or so, although I have been able to play for ~25 minutes as well. During the black screen, there is still background audio, and I have been able to briefly communicate with people in Ventrilo, until the entire system freezes a few seconds later.

Recently, it also crashed during browsing, under no heavy load. The crash was the same, but it created a proper .dmp log which I have finally been able to look at. At the time of this crash, the GPU had been removed (thought to be the problem behind the crashes) and sent back to the retailer, so I have ostensibly ruled out the GPU as the fault of the crash.


Detailed account of troubleshooting (long):

At first, all I had was the event log, as the computer was not creating .dmp files. Doing a Google search showed multiple forum threads around the internet from people with the same problem. The answer was usually along the lines of "EventID 41 Task 63" as well as the 0x80...2 keyword probably indicating a driver issue, or possibly faulty hardware. This gave me little to go on and I could find no solutions, so I started troubleshooting.

1. UPDATE EVERYTHING
1a. Installed updated versions of all third-party drivers, such as GPU, Audio, etc.
1b. Massive Windows Update installation
1c. Uninstalling/disabling of all non-critical drivers

2. CPU STRESS TEST
2a. Ran prime95 (CPU stress test) for several hours. Temperatures remained stable, and CPU-Z showed no signs of problems. No crash.
2b. Ran it again during a weak overclock of 4.2GHz. Still the CPU remained at ~57*, and no sign of crashing
2c. I have tried to play both with and without overclock (including activating/deactivating Intel Turbo and OC Genie II) with no difference

3. GPU STRESS TEST
3a. Ran different GPU benchmark/stress test (Furmark, Heaven Benchmark, etc.) without fault. GPU temperatures never exceeded 70 degrees, and the fan remained stable at ~53% speeds
3b. I played games both with and without AMD OverDrive (a conservative overclock from ATI, available from the ATI Catalyst Control Center) with no difference

4. RAM TEST
4a. Ran memtest86+ overnight, finishing ~37 passes with no errors


Other details:
- I have updated important third party drivers
- I have systematically deactivated non-vital drivers (to rule out possible driver issues) with no difference
- The problem usually happens during gaming. I once played a 9-hour long video overnight with no problems (although as previously mentioned, it recently did crash while browsing)
- I have both upgraded and downgraded GPU drivers (older version, beta version) with no difference
- I have reformatted five times with slight differences in setup; no difference
- Removed the audio interface, an external USB hard drive for use in music production. No difference (and it worked fine on my previous rig anyway)

I have NOT:
- Tried with a 32-bit installation of Windows 7
- Disconnected/disabled the LAN drivers during gaming
- Tried a PSU with a higher than 650W
- Tried a different HD

At this point I was in touch with the retailer, who suggested a new PSU. I did, although I believed a 650W PSU would be sufficient. I was unable to quickly get a hold of a higher (750+W) PSU, so I tried another 650W; no difference.

Retailer and a local PC repair shop suggested I buy new RAM, so I upgraded from my previous 4GB to 8GB. Crashes persist, and I am on my fifth reformat at this point.

Finally (this is something like three weeks later) I was able to try using another GPU. I borrowed an old NVidia GeForce GTX 470 from a friend, installed the drivers, and played a game for a couple of hours with no crashes. At this point I was sure it was my GPU, and had it sent back to the retailer (where it remains). However, today my computer crashed once again, and I do not even have a GPU installed; I am using the onboard VGA adapter. The crash was the same as before, but this time it did create a .dmp file, which I have included in this post.

I immediately started researching the crash on Google, yet all I found were similarly related problems that (once again) provided no solution. I ran Driver Verifier on all third-party drivers (as well as the .sys files indicated on the .dmp file) and the computer rebooted just fine.

The driver itself (fvevol.sys) is part of Windows (it's the BitLocker Drive Encryption Driver). Not only does it seem unlikely that it should be causing this problem (more likely the problem happened while it happened to be running?), but I have in any case found no way to update the driver. I also don't use BitLocker on any of my hard drives so it's not actively doing anything.

I cannot find any culprit for this problem and it's driving me up the wall.

I am absolutely at wit's end at this point. I have no idea what the problem is, and it's not something I have ever experienced before. If anyone with any knowledge about this could be of assistance, then you have no idea just how appreciative I would be. It's been over a month of daily frustration attempting to troubleshoot a problem that happens at random. :banghead:

I'm willing to do any amount of exhaustive tests you ask me to do. Just assume that I'm an idiot who hasn't thoroughly completed every step of the process I've outlined in this thread. I also know very little of diagnosing BSoDs. I would swear all the way to the bank that I'm good enough with computers not to be a PEBKAC, but this problem is kicking my butt.

I will run the hardware diagnostics as outlined in the BSOD Posting Instructions thread some time tomorrow. Will update this thread then.

Best regards,
Cane

 

[Wrench97]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

The only dump file in the upload names fvevol.sys which is the bitlocker security driver.
Are you using bitlocker?

Built by: 7601.18044.amd64fre.win7sp1_gdr.130104-1431
Debug session time: Sat Mar 30 21:08:40.370 2013 (UTC - 4:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:20:41.230
BugCheck 1000007E, {ffffffffc0000005, fffff800030d4ea0, fffff880031cadc8, fffff880031ca620}
Probably caused by : fvevol.sys ( fvevol+2808 )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x7E
PROCESS_NAME:  System

 

[CaneCraft]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

The only dump file in the upload names fvevol.sys which is the bitlocker security driver.
Are you using bitlocker?

Built by: 7601.18044.amd64fre.win7sp1_gdr.130104-1431
Debug session time: Sat Mar 30 21:08:40.370 2013 (UTC - 4:00)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:20:41.230
BugCheck 1000007E, {ffffffffc0000005, fffff800030d4ea0, fffff880031cadc8, fffff880031ca620}
Probably caused by : fvevol.sys ( fvevol+2808 )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x7E
PROCESS_NAME:  System

No I'm not. What I said in the OP is everything I know about it:

The driver itself (fvevol.sys) is part of Windows (it's the BitLocker Drive Encryption Driver). Not only does it seem unlikely that it should be causing this problem (more likely the problem happened while it happened to be running?), but I have in any case found no way to update the driver. I also don't use BitLocker on any of my hard drives so it's not actively doing anything.

I wish it would BSoD again so that I could get another .dmp file.

With the information you do have, can you tell me if it's possible that my mainboard is the culprit, and if I could do anything to possibly test or diagnose that?

 

[Wrench97]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

Strange that it would even involve a driver that is not in use, try running driver verifier lets see if some other driver is poking it.

Follow the instructions here, make sure to set a restore point before enabling verifier, also if you do not have Windows disk create a Windows repair disk
http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...-windows-7-and-vista-bsod-related-473665.html

 

[CaneCraft]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

I ran it previously and had no problems rebooting, and no BSoDs. I'm running it again now just to be safe, but unless I made a mistake previously, it was active for a very long time with no problems.

I'll run some more diagnostics now (the ones referred to in the Posting Instructions thread), but I'm not expecting to find much.

Thanks a lot for helping me look into this, by the way. We haven't even gotten anywhere, and already you've done more than both the retailer and the local PC repair shop.

 

[Wrench97]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

Since it's a native Windows driver seeing it named as causing the crash almost always if not always means something else has caused it to crash another driver overwriting it's allocated memory space is the most likely cause, verifier isolates the drivers selected and is one does overwrite it's requested/allocated memory space will send a stop order(bsod) and flag the driver by name.
fvevol.sys is named in the crash because it is the driver that called for the stop, or in other words it noticed a problem and called for a halt to prevent data corruption.


Try uninstalling Daemon Tools we've seen it's drivers cause these type of crashes on Win7 & 8 systems.

What AV product are you running?

 

[CaneCraft]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

Daemon Tools is a very recent installation and was not present for any of the previous crashes, so it's not the culprit. I didn't have it installed on any of my previous reformats. I'll probably remove it anyway as I don't need it any more, but it's not what's causing this.

Keep in mind that the computer has crashed with literally nothing installed other than Windows SP1, .net framework, LAN drivers, graphics drivers, and a game. (I didn't even install audio drivers for the latest troubleshoot, and it still crashed.)

As for antivirus, I use MSE, but I don't have it installed right now.

I am currently running HD diagnostics (full scan, will be complete in ~3 hours) so I'm typing this on my netbook.

 

[CaneCraft]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

Completed the HD diagnostic, and everything was in the green. I have previously run almost all of the other diagnostics tools from the Posting Instructions thread (all the way down to Furmark, Prime95, etc.) and I'm running out of stuff I can do.

 

[Wrench97]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

Lets see a screen shot from Hardware Monitor with the system under as much load as you can give it now.

D/L and run Hardware Monitor do something intense like a virus scan or gaming for a bit, Alt+Tab back to HWM expand all the trees and use the Win7 snipping tool to grab a screen shot of the HWM window, post the screen shot using the paperclip button in the advanced message box(Go Advanced button).

 

[CaneCraft]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

Is a virus scan really intensive enough to get meaningful data? I can't do any gaming because my GPU was shipped back to the retailer because I thought that's what was causing the crashes, and I'm still waiting to get it back.

Do you want me to run some stress tests like prime95 and Furmark, or will a virus scan suffice?

 

[Wrench97]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

Try Furmark even without the GPU it may show us something.

 

[CaneCraft]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

Couldn't run Furmark without a GPU, so I instead started a virus scan, ran prime95, and just browsed YouTube for a while.

Not sure if this is meaningful at all. I may have to wait until my GPU gets back and use Furmark or something.

 

[Wrench97]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

The 5v and the 12v readings show out of spec(+/- 5%), recheck in the bios on the PC health page as the 12v is so low it's probably an incorrect reading.

• Rail Min Max
• 3.3v 3.135v-3.465v
• 5v 4.75v-5.25v
• 12v 11.4v-12.6v

 

[writhziden]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

The crashes you are experiencing could also be the result of running pirated Windows. I notice that you have the infamous Windows 7 Ultimate cracked Lenovo key, which can only be used with pirated Windows.

With pirated Windows, our troubleshooting steps may not have any effect and we may be wasting your time by continuing. Also, if you do have pirated Windows, we will need to close this thread per forum rules. If you were unaware that a cracked version of Windows was installed, I would recommend contacting Microsoft for support to report the seller of your Windows media.

Protect Yourself from Piracy​

-----

 

[CaneCraft]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

writhziden: Ah, that is accurate; I have a legal copy of Home but have been experimenting with Ultimate for stability. I was also unaware of the forum's policies regarding this and so I do apologize.

I'll run the sixth reformat and revert to my copy of Home (Ultimate obviously hasn't helped with this). If I re-upload the system information once I reformat, can the thread remain open?

 

[writhziden]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

Yes, the thread may remain open if you have genuine Windows installed. In the future, be careful where you obtain your installation media. Using a cracked version of Ultimate can be dangerous to you, too.

Pirated software a shortcut to malware and worse, says IDC report - Techworld.com

How cyber criminals infect victims via P2P with pirated software on Vimeo​

-----

 

[CaneCraft]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

writhziden: Oh, thanks for the information, I appreciate it. I'll re-run the BSOD File Collection app and upload that information once I've reinstalled.

Note that the problem has persisted across both installs (the first several reformats were on Home) so it has not been a problem with Ultimate, but I have had difficulties getting the computer to make a .dmp file. This just happened to be the install where it finally created one and I had something to upload.

I'll back up some stuff, reformat, and get back to you.

And while I remember: I checked the BIOS, and voltages on 3V, 5V, and 12V were well within the proper ranges (although obviously this was at the BIOS and not during some kind of stress test, and without the GPU installed).

 

[DanTheMan92]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

Hi CaneCraft just out of curiosity have you attempted a BIOS Update for the manufacturers website, I had a similar problem and a resent flash of the BIOS fixed my problem.

 

[CaneCraft]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

Hi CaneCraft just out of curiosity have you attempted a BIOS Update for the manufacturers website, I had a similar problem and a resent flash of the BIOS fixed my problem.

Yes, that was the first thing I did, and I'm surprised I forgot to include that in the OP. It's running the latest version, and updating went smoothly.

I'm backing up some installers to an external HD, and I'll reformat and reinstall either tonight or earliest tomorrow morning. Will revisit this thread once done with updated info.

 

[DanTheMan92]

Re: Black screen/BSoD, SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, EventID 41 on i5-3570K, W

ok mate let me know how it goes