Tag Archives: error

Windows will not boot with a Stop Error 0x0000007B

A very common BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) is a STOP error 0x0000007B and may indicate either a hardware, software or driver issue.

Please see the great troubleshooting guide put together by Tim Fisher on about.com

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/findbyerrormessage/a/stop0x0000007b.htm

One thing that Tim does not mention is that sometimes it is necessary to slipstream the AHCI SATA Controller Drivers into your Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 installation media.  This can easily be done by downloading and using nLite to slipstream drivers and updates into your Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 CD Media, you can get the application from http://www.nliteos.com/

Common AHCI Sata Drivers include:

Intel – http://downloadcenter.intel.com (Look under Chipset, Chipset Software and then Intel Rapid Storage Technology.  You will need the F6 Drivers for either x86 or x64 depending on you using 32bit or 64bit windows)

Nvidia – http://www.nvidia.co.uk/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-uk or http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

AMD/ATI – http://support.amd.com/us/Pages/AMDSupportHub.aspx

Intel Network Adapter Diagnostics May Wrongly Report that the Network Cable is over 100 Metres Long

When you run a Cable diagnostic using the Intel PROSet Network Adapter Diagnostics you may find that the utility incorrectly reports that your network cable is over 100 Metres and/or that the Cable is faulty/poor.

This issue can occur if you have a network switch that implements “power Saving” or “Green Ethernet” this feature is meant to reduce the power to a network port that is supporting a device with a short network cable run.

This “power saving” or “Green Ethernet” feature can cause the diagnostics to fail and can sometimes contribute to network drops and/or poor network throughput.  If you have a managed/smart switch then you can normally login via a browser and “Disable” this feature to correct the issue.

Windows Kernel Power Event ID 41 Error

Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 may restart unexpectedly, you may get a brief glimpse of a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) and then find yourself back at the Windows login prompt.  When you inspect the Windows Event Log you will find the following event logged

Log Name: System
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
Event ID: 41
Level: Critical
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.

The additional info under the event is important because the various bug check codes can indicate different causes.

EventData
BugcheckCode          0
BugcheckParameter1    0x0
BugcheckParameter2    0x0
BugcheckParameter3    0x0
BugcheckParameter4    0x0

Having faced this error recently it eventually turned out that the problem was due to incompatible memory (not faulty memory).  The batch of machines in question were all branded but due to an error with the manufacturers memory compatability matrix had been supplied with the wrong additional memory modules.  When we reverted the machines to the standard 2GB module that was already installed they operated perfectly, we eventually arranged for the additional modules to be swapped and that was the end of the issue.

An important thing to remember is that a memory checker will not show that your memory is faulty if it just incompatible with your particular system or mainboard.

Your system or mainboard manufacturers support should be able to confirm memory compatability and advise on the correct upgrade/type for your system