Dear Help,
As per one of your previous clients I have almost exactly the same error report - see "My PC blue screens a lot!" from Simon F.
Mine is:
Error code 0000009c, parameter1 00000000, parameter2 8054da70, parameter3 84404000, parameter4 00000136.
Cat (102)
Event ID 1003
Type ERROR
Source System
Date 07/09/05
Time 07:32:27

BYTES
0000: 53 79 73 74 65 6d 20 45 System E
0008: 72 72 6f 72 20 20 45 72 rror Er
0010: 72 6f 72 20 63 6f 64 65 ror code
0018: 20 30 30 30 30 30 30 39 0000009
0020: 63 20 20 50 61 72 61 6d c Param
0028: 65 74 65 72 73 20 30 30 eters 00
0030: 30 30 30 30 30 30 2c 20 000000,
0038: 38 30 35 34 64 61 37 30 8054da70
0040: 2c 20 38 34 34 30 34 30 , 844040
0048: 30 30 2c 20 30 30 30 30 00, 0000
0050: 30 31 33 36 0136

It is the same as Simon F’s error except for line 0040.
If this is hardware as you strongly suspect can I narrow it down before spending money on replacing equipment that is not faulty.
I have the system stripped down to PSU, Mobo, Video card, sound card CD reader & Floppy.
I have replaced the CD reader with new and have rebuilt on a new 120 Gig Maxtor
Next I can swap the floppy drive with one from a previous PC.
Also have replace all the ribbon cables and checked the power ones.
Mobo is BN791 PRO
Athlon 2400
VIA chipset
Video is GeForce2 mx/mx 400
Sound card Sound blaster running C-Media AC97 Audio device
Software:
OS = XP
Can you help me narrow down the field, I understand this may be a big ask but any help greatly appreciated.
Bob C.

0x0000009C: MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION

This is a hardware issue: an unrecoverable hardware error has occurred. The parameters have different meanings depending on what type of CPU you have but, while diagnostic, rarely lead to a clear solution. Most commonly it results from overheating, from failed hardware (RAM, CPU, hardware bus, power supply, etc.), or from pushing hardware beyond its capabilities (e.g., overclocking a CPU).

Error Message: STOP: 0x0000009C... {KB 329284} Win XP

Thanks for the very quick response.
Forgot to say I have run the MicroSoft ram test on T option - 12 phases over night, result no fault found. Also ran verify as I had recently added a network card and saw it was taking an IRQ already alocated so was concerned that the driver was dodgy. Since learned much more about sharing IRQ's which has helped, in that sharing is Good if drivers are up to it. verify.exe found nothing. So last night on reading your advice to Simon F took out original 256 memory card out of 1st slot and moved 512 new one to first slot from 2nd. Left 256 out. Ran steps (8 times) which usually produce fault and all seems well. An obvious thing to do for a professional tester but sometimes you kinda loose the wood amoungst the trees.
I'm now holding my breath while the Misses carries on trying to break it as she is the expert at this! Games Queen!
Goes to show substitute testing is quick and effective. But not practical for the likes of home users regarding Motherboards, psu's and cpu's.
Can point me at a site which will help me do my own analysis of the fault output?
MANY thanks.
Bobc

Glad you got things going. Mix-matched RAM is often an issue.

Originally Posted by robert.coleman

Can point me at a site which will help me do my own analysis of the fault output?

Bobc

I think I have hundreds of links but these are the ones I use most often:

http://aumha.org/win5/kbestop.htm

http://www.eventid.net/search.asp

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d...k_dec_lgsc.asp

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...0bd501.xml.asp

http://kadaitcha.cx/stop_err.html

Again many thanks,
The full list I suspect looks like suspect CDROM as I was getting CDROM errors before changing it.
Ribbon Cable(s) Possibly.
RAM Definately.
I see you are suggesting a missmatch with RAM which maybe the case as I added some latest DDR to an old 256 stick.
Can I suggest a simple approach to identifying hardware problems:
1.) Strip the machine down to it's bearest hardware parts which I think are:
mouse, keyboard, monitor, ram, harddrive, cdrom, floppy, PSU, Motherboard, video card, sound card, Cables. (supprising how many bits you need!)
Unplug and take out all others such as modems, network cards etc.
2.) Run the operation that best produces the fault. If fault is still present.
3.) Reload OS and ONLY add drivers which are needed for the above hardware.
From other people experience on other web sites. Don't change anything you don't need to like up-grading drivers or Bios. Stick to the ones you know once all worked together. The least variable at this stage the better!
4.) Repeat step 2 - If still have problem.
5.) Substitute parts from cheapest upwards. Cables then CDROM, then Floppy etc.
Certainly try all the good web sites for help and advice - like this one before getting into major changes like CPU / motherboard. See URL's above.
6.) If you have two ram sticks leave one out. (Obvious but I missed this. And don't mix RAM types.)
7.) Try step 2 again.
Once you get it fixed then you can change / upgrade stuff a bit at a time.
Hope this helps anyone else in the same position and good luck.
Donation to site made and more power to your elbow.
BobC.

Thanks for your info & support! Both will be very helpful to others.

Let us know if we can help further in the future!

Forwarded PM:

Originally Posted by robert.coleman

Pretty sure it was overheating CPU after all

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

Dear Jephree,
Reference my thread about pc restarting how to pinpoint hardware.
Please re-open the thread and add this further experience.
It dawned on me that for whatever reason I went into the enclosure the PC would work ok for 2 or 3 days. So I decided to inspect the hardware and just push pull and flex lightly of course every thing in the box I could. I was going to un-seat the cpu and re-seat it but the clips proved to be very strong so I left it, however I did rotate the heat sink backwards and forwards and sort of bedded it down better on its paste bed. Also I thouroughly cleaned its fan this time not just lightly as before. I had loaded Everest which is pretty helpfull, it gives a report on all your hardware including temperature. URL from you I think. Anyway to cut a long story short the cpu is now queiscent at 28 degs and only goes up to about 41 instead of quiescent at 47 degs. I guess under work load obviously it went higher, out side of it's working range causing the pc to reset. I have put all the hardware and drivers in and all is well. I would recommend Everest. Run it when your machine is behaving OK and print out it's Computer - Sensor report then when things go bad run it again and you can directly compare voltages and temperatures. Is any logging kept of the dynamic temperatures of such things as the cpu which you could inspect after a crash? If not why not would seem to be a reasonable question.
Great site keep up the good work.
A much happier PC owner.
Next to load the OS on my ABIT 64 duel cpu beastie.
Bobc.

My experience of Everest by observation is that with respect to CPU temprature monitoring it takes one reading on start up and thats all you get. To expand. On start up I take a reading and say its 40 deg then I run a game and some time passes so You would expect the cpu to warm up due to at least just normal currents running, the temperature does not change. Is this a problem with the sensor on the CPU? I stop the PC and restart it about 1 minute later and the temperature is the same. The readings taken by Everest look dynamic as such things as CPU voltages jump about and change as you watch? so why doesn't the CPU temp reading climb at least a bit as it warms up from cold?
Is this all just M. Mouse technology or is it due to a fault?
I go back to asking why can't I consult a systen log after a crash which shows last essential cpu and other system conditions such as emperatures, at the moment before a machine dies?
Bobc.