G51j Blue screen of death problems

This isn't a small issue, and regardless of reputation, every company has flawed products. It's bizarre to me that anyone would knowingly buy a product that's defective. We don't know yet that this can be fixed in software.

 

If you do a search on this, outside of NBR, there isnt any real chatter on this. The VIP Forums for this laptop doesnt even have but barely a mere mention of the BSOD issue with this laptop. So out of the thousands of units sold, as said earlier in this thread, there is maybe a 1-3% AT MOST users who have bought this product reporting any issues.

On a side note, Does this happen on older games that ran on DX9 or older versions? Wonder if its something to do with DX10 and the Nvidia drivers talking for the game with the chipset?? Thoughts?

 

Again, it CAN'T be that or EVERY system would have that, and it's only this model. It's something wrong with THIS model.

 

Yes, so there is something different in the CHIPSET or something that seperates it from the others... probably i7 talking with DX with the graphics drivers causing a conflict.

But rest assured, asus is working it and I have complete faith they will have it fixed.

 

I think you will be hard pressed to find any notebook that isn't built with compromises. The M15x for example has the throttling built into the bios but that's because in my opinion, Dell created an overly aggressive thermal management algorithm. I've found ways to bypass it and give users 100% CPU/GPU use with very little side effects. The Asus issue of course is a much more serious one because people can't even use it for gaming so it defeats the purpose of owning it. Sager is the only company right now with the least amount of problems/compromises but they do come with a trade off: LOUD fans, something I wasn't able to bare. That could be remedied by someone enterprising enough to change them out for quieter ones I suppose.

 

that's an excellent point that I noticed as well: I havent read of too many i7 notebooks in a 15" or smaller form factor that haven't had some serious issue. I'm starting to think manufacturers may be trying to cram too much hardware in too small a package.

I take some comfort in reading some reports that running XP seems to solve the issue (implying a software issue), but as I'm no computer genious (though I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night), I'll leave the troubleshooting/solving to the engineers.

 

Have not experienced a bsod playing Neverwinter Nights 2 (2006/7) however i got one playing Americas Army 2 (2003) and some playing AA3 (2008)

Neverwinter nights didn't even say it was compatible with vista but it runs better than the others...

 

ok thank you scothu, that rules out then that maybe a DX older games with the new chipsets and GPU's and stuff...

 

one thing though, i did have to change the dxdiagn.dll file in order to make the game work because the new directx 11 was buggy or something. if that's of any importance

 

Got my first BSod on Fallout3


Binary data:


In Words

0000: 000C07D9 001C0001 000E0000 0324002A
0008: 000C07D9 001C0001 000E0003 0324002A
0010: 00000960 0000003C 00000001 00000960
0018: 00000000 000004B0 00000001 00000000


In Bytes

0000: D9 07 0C 00 01 00 1C 00 Ù.......
0008: 00 00 0E 00 2A 00 24 03 ....*.$.
0010: D9 07 0C 00 01 00 1C 00 Ù.......
0018: 03 00 0E 00 2A 00 24 03 ....*.$.
0020: 60 09 00 00 3C 00 00 00 `...<...
0028: 01 00 00 00 60 09 00 00 ....`...
0030: 00 00 00 00 B0 04 00 00 ....°...
0038: 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........








Log Name: System
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
Date: 12/28/2009 12:16:02 AM
Event ID: 41
Task Category: (63)
Level: Critical
Keywords: (2)
User: SYSTEM
Computer: User-PC
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="2009-12-28T03:16:02.740010900Z" />
<EventRecordID>5737</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution Processid='4' Threadid='8' />
<Channel>System</Channel>
<Computer>User-PC</Computer>
<Security Userid='S-1-5-18' />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data Name="BugcheckCode">0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter1">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter2">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter3">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter4">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="SleepInProgress">false</Data>
<Data Name="PowerButtonTimestamp">0</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

 

There shouldn't be ANY computers released in the state either of these were. Both companies should have found these issues in testing before the first one shipped.

And...well for example as far as we know you can pick up other Asus systems and they don't have issues like this-which is why that's exactly what you should do.

Sure systems have compromises, but this and the M15X have known, major flaws, and that's not the same thing.

And I remain dumbfounded by why anyone would by something this expensive hoping it'll be fixed later. Yes, Asus isn't HP or Acer, but this would not be the first product they've released with major issues that doesn't get fixed (if in fact it doesn't get fixed). It may not be fixable through a BIOS update.

I've seen FAR more instances of reputable companies just sweeping problems under the rug with a specific model and never really resolving them than I have of last minute miracle cures. Seen it with Asus, Dell, Apple, etc.

Again, that may not happen in this case, and Asus is one of my first choices for a notebook, but I would NEVER advise anyone buy a computer model with a known issue like this.

 

Please do give us a refrence point and case on ASUS releasing a KNOWN faulty system to the public for mass production

 

I've owned a motherboard from them that they never got working right (the model), and I doubt that's the only product they've released in that condition. I'm sure they (and everyone else) has released a similar laptop at some point.

I'm not trying to bash Asus here-I like them-I just want you guys to have realistic ideas of how these things usually play out with consumer electronics works.

All I'm saying is pick out a different Asus model if you need it now, and if not, wait a couple of months and see if the next revision is fixed. That's the safe, reasonable thing to do.

 

Taken from a post in the ASUS VIP Forums for the G51J:
This worked for me. I had updated my BIOS to version 205 and was getting blue screens on Crysis,World in Conflict, and others. So I decided to downgrade my BIOS to version 204. Still got a blue screen after 2-3 min. So I uninstalled Nvidia driver and reset the laptop. Then I reinstalled the most current Nvidia driver and whola! I'm not sure what the deal was but I've tried every game for at least a few hours and haven't had a blue screen yet. Hope this helps. Some of you guys try it and let me know. I had already put my RMA in to the online store that I purchased it from. But I may keep it for a few and run some tests. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Has anyone else tried this yet by chance?

 

WHAT IS THE "MOST CURRENT NVIDIA DRIVER"?

 

Like I said, that was posted by another person on the forums, but im assuming hes talking about going to nvidia.com and downloading it from there

 

The M15x is perfectly functional out of the box and plays all games. The problem comes when there's heavy CPU/GPU action going on that taxes the CPU core to 100% which causes a momentary throttle in some games. Most people wouldn't have ever noticed this issue had I not run synthetic tests to discover it. Dell clearly refused to acknowledge that they purposely crippled the M15x (and as I said, it's probably related to aggressive thermal mangement) and instead gave weak excuses. So there will definitely not be a fix for the M15x because Dell feels one is not needed and they're probably right when it comes to the majority of users. It's the hardcore gamers and people that like to push their systems that will run into problems and that's where I came in and provided workarounds.

As for the Asus, I agree, the BSOD problem is far too serious to consider spending money on the G51-J in hopes of there being a fix. With CES this close, there's almost a guarantee Asus will replace the G51-J with a newer model and they will probably pretend the G51-J never existed. I'd advise all owners to push for a refund on the basis they were sold a defective notebook and buy something else.

 

Then we are just going to *censored word here* out the RMA until we get that new model.

Also I don't like Dell/Gateway, so I would never buy anything from them. Alienware is overpriced and overrated.

The BSOD is RANDOM at best, I didn't have any BSOD in the last week. Even ASUS has troubles reproducing the issue.

 

I dont really see the problem here..

1. i bought this laptop, because it was the one who would give me the best performance for the price.

2. I could not have waited for other releases, as I'll only have this chanse for the next 6 months to recieve a laptop from overseas. Otherwise I would have to pay for shipping from USA to Australia, which would be too much. Also I would have to tax in in Australia.

3. Not everyone gets the BSoD. How many G51J-A1 are sold? And even if there where BSoD on all the systems, then it would be taken care of in the warranty. If I, as stated earlier, end up getting BSoD problems, and Asus cant present any fixes to this, then it's clarely a fault that would be covered by the warranty, and as long as they dont know how to fix it I would be able to get a refund, or maybe even get one of the newer models if the price is about the same.

4. I dont play Borderlands, and I'm mostly going to use this machine for software like 3ds max, adobe, and that sort of stuff. I'll play NFS:Shift and Fallout 3, but other than that not much.

-

I do hope Asus gets a fix, of course, to eliminate all the BSoD problems.

And also, ASUS, u there? =) Can we get a brief update on the progress?
Thanks a lot,

Stian Berg Larsen

 

As I said before, the BSoD is rather random or something is conflicting software wise and causing it. I could play 5 hours of L4D2 and not have a BSoD but play 30 minutes of Team Fortress 2 and get one. I left the laptop on every night for Team Fortress 2 idling and it didn't BSOD once.

No one considered looking at what is ALREADY installed on the machine? And anyone with BSODs mind trying Game Booster(freeware) and running their BSOD games with Aero Basic along with Game Booster running in Gaming Mode?

I am going to try this and get give feedback on if I get another BSOD or not.

 

I'm pretty much in the same shoes as you. I mostly bought this laptop for architectural work so the most it'll see is 3ds Max, AutoCAD, Photoshop, etc. There are only a few games (Dirt 2 and Battlefield 2) I play and the only game that ever gave me BSOD was Battlefield 2. After BIOS 205 with a fresh format of Windows 7 recovery and latest Nvidia drivers I no-longer experience the problem. But now the problem is that what if in the future this BSOD decided to show up with a certain game I started to play or perhaps even with a new development software I'd be using? There is always going to be an issue of "what if" with an unstable device and I don't think any of us want to risk it before it's too late to take action.

 

True, but in my case I'll still be safe for another 2 years (warranty).
After 2 years I dont expect to play new games on this laptop, and if I havn't had any problems untill then I dont think I'll find any =)

Also, within these 2 years Asus should have done one of the two:
1. Figured out the problem and let us know what it was/how to fix it.
2. Dont figure out the problem, but they know very well that the problem do exist, so if there is no way to fix this then I would guess they would take the laptops back for a hardware fix (new mobo?), rather than getting all the macines back on warranty claims.

So in the long run I dont think there will be any problems.

I needed a laptop. This was the best deal.

 

I downloaded the lastest NVIDIA drivers(195.62), wanked the internet out to keep the evil windows automatic driver installation, uninstalled the NVIDIA drivers, rebooted the machine and reinstalled the drivers.

Coming back to ya if I get a BSOD soon.

 

did you re-flash your bios then uninstall reboot, then install the latest nvidia?

 

anyone know if fall out 3 suffers from BSOD cause if not i'm about to go get the game

 

Well, I was wrong

Played 30 min of CoD:MW and got 124 BSOD
195.62 driver
205 BIOS version

 

i try and keep a list of reported games on page 2 (the post that comes up in google). fallout 3 has had a few people say it's affected.

 

I'll be reporting on "Avatar" soon.

 

Gimini, Try the post I said about downloading the latest from Nvidia.com for the graphics, then Unistall your Drivers, re-Flash your BIOS to 204 then restart your computer, cancel the windows auto driver search, then install the newest Nvidia driver you downloaded already. People are reporting that this is working over on the VIP.ASUS.COM forums for owners of the laptop.

 

l3g4cy99,

i'll do that and report once i'm done.

Thank you. My appreciation for advice.

 

I didn't reflash, my BIOS is already the 204 one. I did however uninstall the NVIDIA driver and installed it after a reboot.

If I get another BSOD, I'l take that route.

 

Yea, the trick on there said to download the latest drivers, then uninstall your current drivers, re-flash your BIOS to 204, then reboot, cancel windows install, and install the drivers you just downloaded previously.

 

But what will reflashing my BIOS change anyway? My laptop came in bundled with BIOS 204

 

not sure, just how the guy posted it on the forums...

 

that's what i also did. before, i get bsod on gta4 every 20 minutes or so. after i installed the 195.62 driver ,i didn't get the bsod yet so far after playing

 

so you basically did what the post said? How much time have you clocked sense you did this and what games you playing

 

Only had a chance to play for about 30 minutes, but Avatar looks stunning and runs smoothly maxed out.

 

I haven't had many BSOD but I had 2 while playing CODMW2 in multiplayer. I downloaded Nvidia driver 195.62 and haven't had any issues since. My laptop shippied with BIOS 204 so I didn't flash that. Hopefully this is the fix we've been waiting for.

 

So nVidia Driver 195.62 + BIOS 204 is the one people yet have problem with?

 

Unconfirmed... its only been a about 48hrs, lets give it about a week at most and lets see. By then, we will have a good understanding.

 

Absolutely right, my laptop lasted 8 days without single BSOD on 195.62 + BIOS 205 and now crashes once per day (

The only difference is newest driver from Nvidia (195.81) - it probably makes my laptop crash more often.

 

try re-flashing your bios to 204 with the 195.62 and try that...

 

I purchase a 51j as soon as they were available. I played COD4 on it alot I would occasionally get a BSOD if I went to certain servers, however on other servers I could play all day. on Christmas I got borderlands and MW2 I played both all day. mw2 on line because I couldnt get borderlands online to work. I played most of saturday and sunday, I didnt get a BSOD. I then opened up the ports on my router so I could play borderlands , then I got the BSOD, but it has to be incedental because I have close the ports and I still get them. wierd tho..

 

btw, should I try nvidia drivers or the dox forceware...I found this today.
187.7 laptopvideo2go
oh oh 187
These come from ASUS, who finally have an updated driver supports a mountain.
Support a mountain of Mobile GPU's so should work for quite a few models.

 

those are not DOX drivers. DOX drivers are hand modified by DOX, this is just a normal release.

 

What you should try is go download the 195.62 drivers from nvidia, uninstall your video drivers you currently ave installed, re-flash your bios to 204. Reboot your computer then cancel the windows install. Install the drivers you just downloaded 195.62 then try that way... see if it works. its being reported as working on the asus forums currently.

 

I dont get it, the laptoptogo site says the driver have a date of 10/10, the asus website has 10/20 but nvidia's website they are up to 195.62.

 

Because they're 3 different drivers

 

Well this past weekend I got two BSOD's while playing on different servers in Battlefield 2, but then on one server I played for about an hour and half without any problems. I also got a BSOD about 10 minutes into Indigo Prophecy, and haven't retried that yet. I've been checking the temps constantly, and while you guys have pretty much surmounted that's not it, my gpu has not gone past 79 C on any games I've played, including playing GTAIV for a good two hours, and The Witcher for 3+. Wonder if with this new G51j update, us current G51j owners will get a free upgrade....

 

I have tried reflashing bios back to 204, uninstalled nvidia drivers and reinstalled most recent with no luck, managed to play a bit longer on Modern Warfare 2 but still got BSOD. Might try clean Win 7 install without Asus Bloatware but still not confident that will work... It has been confirmed that there are no BSOD's on XP has it not? That would then rule out that it is a hardware issue would it not? Have only owned the machine for less than a week and have gotten the BSOD's since the first day.