How can I tell what this BSOD points to?

I am getting an IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL bsod with my laptop every few minutes and was wondering how I can make sense of the numbers to see what it is pointing to.

This is strange because it wasn't doing this and then I tried to install Win 7 and it gave me this BSOD a bunch so I just went back to Vista and its happening in Vista too! I ran the memory diagnostic in the bios and it passed and I am running the hard drive diagnostic to see if thats fine.

I would just like to be able to know what the numbers mean because apparently they actually point to pieces of hardware and are useful.

 

Run memtest86. It's a RAM problem, and the BIOS/Windows diagnostic will often pass RAM that memtest fails.

 

I've been told that this error can result from a lot of different things not just RAM. I will run memtest86 though and see how it goes. How many passes you think?

 

True.

Try debugging the dump file using the instructions here: http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35246

On Vista, you'll need to right-click the debugger and do "Run as administrator". Be sure to remember the step to load the symbol table (described on that page).

That should tell you the name of the driver or module in which the problem occurred.

Debug as many dump files as you can. Bad RAM usually results in random errors all over the place, with at least some of them being memory-related. By contrast, if all the BSODs were from the same driver, then it's probably a problem with that driver.

I also suggest going into Device Manager and disabling any devices you have never used -- such as modem, firewire, smart card reader, etc. (If you ever need one of them, it can be re-enabled in a few seconds.) Also see if there's a newer BIOS version available for your laptop model. Also, if you installed any drivers newer than what the OEM offers, you might want to downgrade them.

 

Ok guys went through some memtest86 testing and one of my sticks is gonner. Must have overheated in an intense gaming session the other day as everything was fine till I got a BSOD from overheating (I've turned up my fans since). I am going to try and get windows 7 back on and see if everything goes smoothly although I am only going to have 2Gb of RAM now....



EDIT: Ok so I tested each stick on its own and they are both fine and now they are both in and memtest is saying they are fine.... what?

 

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL is usually (not always) a driver crash.

Done any system updates lately?

Also, is there a 0x numbers (probably three of them) from the bsod available?

 

Windbg the memory dmp

 

How do I "Windbg the memory dmp"?

Also since I played with the RAM (took it out, swapper it around, poked, prodded, tested and retested) the error has not happened yet. It would happen about every 5-10 minutes and I had the system running and playing games and copying things for a couple hours last night. I think maybe one of the sticks of RAM was loose maybe... I have no idea what happened.

My friend has been playing on it on my little kitchen table that is a bit wobbly and we have been doing a couple serious Borderlands sessions, so I think with all the shooting and twitching maybe it just got jostled around a bit too much and the RAM kinda came out of place.

 

it would have been nice to know that little piece of info at the beginning.

 

Try and upload the memory.dmp

 

Yeah since there is no logic of discovery when it comes to coming up with a hypothesis I unfortunately thought of this after I figured out what the problem was.

Doh.

Also where do I find this memory dump?

 

It's all explained on the page I linked to in my earlier post on this thread.