The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Start up issues and blue screen.

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by IntenseIGFX, Jun 17, 2011.

  1. IntenseIGFX

    IntenseIGFX Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    86
    Messages:
    908
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Today my machine has been having some start up issues. After the Alienware Welcome screen, the screen goes black for a while with only the cursor visible. It stays like that for a few minutes then starts up and says internet explorer has crashed, then some other things crashed. Another time I booted up, I got a blue screen, booted in safe mode and checked the error files. How can I determine what these mean and how to fix it? I've had blue screens before but never been able to figure out how to fix them. Maybe its all the same problem. I don't understand how some days this machine works perfectly, then others it blue screens and doesn't start properly. Can anyone help with this issue?
     

    Attached Files:

    IntenseIGFX, Jun 17, 2011
    #1
  2. inap

    inap .........................

    Reputations:
    4,417
    Messages:
    7,827
    Likes Received:
    19
    Trophy Points:
    206
    most likely a problem with your ram, try using one then the other to see if one is causing the problem.
     
    inap, Jun 17, 2011
    #2
  3. txdk

    txdk Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    1
    Messages:
    46
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15

    Nope thats wrong his screenshot says that it is his harddrive thats gone bad
     
    txdk, Jun 17, 2011
    #3
  4. FallenwingsMiku

    FallenwingsMiku Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    16
    Messages:
    125
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Seems to be a memory problem for me.
     
    FallenwingsMiku, Jun 17, 2011
    #4
  5. IntenseIGFX

    IntenseIGFX Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    86
    Messages:
    908
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Could it be my video card(s)? How do you know its the ram?
     
    IntenseIGFX, Jun 18, 2011
    #5
  6. LVNeptune

    LVNeptune Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    648
    Messages:
    2,195
    Likes Received:
    140
    Trophy Points:
    81
    It is NOT the hard drive

    page fault in non paged area is bad memory, 100%.

    The only time where it ISN'T bad memory is when the actual motherboard is bad.

    Download memtest86+ and burn it to a disc. Run it for a few hours with 1 stick of RAM to test out which is bad and get it replaced.
     
    LVNeptune, Jun 18, 2011
    #6
  7. IntenseIGFX

    IntenseIGFX Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    86
    Messages:
    908
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Thanks a bunch. I'll do that in the morning. Do I need to run it for a few hours (how many?) per each stick or total? There's not a tool that just runs and tells me if its bad instantly? Is there any way it could be the memory on the GPU(s)?
     
    IntenseIGFX, Jun 18, 2011
    #7
  8. IntenseIGFX

    IntenseIGFX Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    86
    Messages:
    908
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Tried benchmarking and got another blue screen then windows tried to recover from an error, couldnt, restarted and was okay. Before that I turned on the machine and the start bar was multi colored like a graphical glitch. I'm going to run mem test tonight when I get home, but I'm curious if this new blue screen confirms everyone's hypothesis even further. I really hope its the memory, because that is such an easy fix.
     

    Attached Files:

    IntenseIGFX, Jun 19, 2011
    #8
  9. txdk

    txdk Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    1
    Messages:
    46
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    it's the harddrive not your ram thats bad
     
    txdk, Jun 19, 2011
    #9
  10. Nascentes

    Nascentes Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    86
    Messages:
    167
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    For the first bsod, yeah, that is most likely memory. If you've recently added any ram, try removing what you've added and see if the probrem reoccurs.

    For the second bsod, the iastor.sys is related to the hard drive.

    Download and burn Ultimate Boot CD and/or Hiren's Boot Disk, they both have some great utilities that can help you diagnose and possibly fix this for you, however, I would start with a chkdsk and go from there.

    Lot's of issues. What have you been doing?? lol
     
    Nascentes, Jun 19, 2011
    #10
  11. txdk

    txdk Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    1
    Messages:
    46
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    nope both bsod's is realated to his harddrive gone bad so there is not at lot of issues there is only one
     
    txdk, Jun 19, 2011
    #11
  12. Nascentes

    Nascentes Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    86
    Messages:
    167
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Wrong. The second one, yes. But the first one has to do with memory. It could have to do with other incorrectly installed hardware(sound/video card, etc...) but not the hard drive.
     
    Nascentes, Jun 19, 2011
    #12
  13. IntenseIGFX

    IntenseIGFX Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    86
    Messages:
    908
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I don't understand. Most of the time everything is fine. Its just occasionally I get these BSOD's. What the hell?
     
    IntenseIGFX, Jun 19, 2011
    #13