BSOD after BIOS update

Hey james Snow

It would help if you posted your system and main hardware components such as Processor model, Vidio Cards, Hard Drives and RAID configuration, OS and Memmory. Is your system overclocked?  Being you upgraded the bios from A03 to A10 just guessing is your system  a Area 51 or Aurora? ALX or not? Have you made any hardware changes or upgrades? Have you been in the bios pages recent maybe a setting in the bios has got changed. Also you say you are showing a fatal Hardware error reported by the processor core....What is the exact error? Is it giveing a number code? You should show a certin amount of info on the blue screen what exact does it say? All of the above mentioned is important information and helpfull for troubleshooting.

Best Wishes

jeffcmfrt66  

Hey, Jeff. I updated my sig with the info you requested. I haven't installed anything new. No new hardware or software. Error happened right after updating the BIOS. I haven't even entered the BIOS on this PC so I didn't change anything. I keep getting the same BSOD. The codes are long but here they are.

0x00000124 (0x0000000000000000, 0xFFFFFA800C6D4028, 0x00000000FA000000, 0x0000000000400405)

Thanks for your time. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ok now we can get somewhere... have you used a regestry cleaner or some third party utility or  tool or software to boost performance or somthing  like that?

From the error you are getting  it's a very good posibility you have have screwed up or courupted windows files. This can happen to anyone at anytime it happens.

Have you ever done a system restore before?

If yes I would try that before anything. If no it's no big deal and I can give you the directions it pretty simple and straight forward and only takes a few minutes. What OS do you have windows 7 home 64?

jeffcmfrt66

I have windows 7 64 bit.  I have used a registry cleaner in the past but nothing recently. I can do a system restore. I will first thing in the morning and let u know. Thanks again.

Jeff, this is not related to damaged Windows files, but is system firmware / hardware reporting data corruption.  Bug code 0x124 is generally always a firmware / hardware problem.

My recommendation is to escale to support to see about getting hardware replaced if there are no obvious problems such as DIMMs working themselves loose or the like.  I don't think you will see any change from running 'registry cleaners' or the like here.

Update: after a couple hours on the phone with tech support they're going to replace the mobo and ram. I guess that's a good start. Do they just swap the CPU into the new board? Is there anything in particular I should watch for when the tech comes? Thanks again guys.

I bet if you reinstalled windows and checked your BIOS settings ( which can and will change after a BIOS update ) everything would be working again just fine. A hardware error can pop up with incorrect BIOS settings.

There is no way you need a new mobo and memory since it was working just fine right before the update and works in safe mode. Reinstall windows before the tech gets there and if everything works fine like i expect then cancel the service call.

Hey morblore, I think that your probably right about not needing the mobo  replaced. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if there's something wrong with the Bios, will reinstalling windows do anything? Is there anything in particular I should check in the Bios? I tried downloading the old Bios but it would not reinstall the older version.  I'm kicking myself so hard for doing that upgrade. Live and learn.

I agree with morblore also and disagree with skywing! Thats is exactly what I was getting at.... Thats why I asked if you went into the bios recent or used third party software, tools or utilities like a reg cleaner. Many of those utilities say they will boost performance over the years I have found only a few do acually  work and never as good as they claim.I will not use them I would rather a clean fresh instal of windows. In fact I have a image burned right after a fresh clean instal with all the windows updates and my main programs all updated and I re-install from the image once a year. It is easier and less time consuming as you don't have 100 updates and all.I am pretty sure that their is nothing wrong with your Ram & Mainboard.

I don't want to scare you but Dell contracts the hardware repairs out and you can get lucky and get a good tech but also get a bad one.I have had both over the years and also had a computer destroyed. My neibhor has a system like mine with nVidia cards A tech cam out to replace the MIO board and had to call Dell to find out how to open the side panel door but only after prying on it and bending the door brackets I had to streighten the door hinges out so it would open and close decent but it is not perfectly aligned like it used to be. I can go on and on telling you horror stories it is sheer luck of the draw ya get a good one or a bad one.

I would not replace the Ram and Mobo without trying first. Just my 2 pennies worth

jeffcmfrt66

Thanks all for your time. I think I'm gonna try a fresh install before the tech gets here. There's really no reason not to. I do have a couple questions though. So I just pop in the windows disc that came with the pc and go from there to reinstall windows? After that is there a specific order in which I need to install the other things (drivers, command center, etc)? Should I do a windows update before or after installing things like command center? Should I get things like the video card drivers from the Dell website or from the manufacturer web site? Thanks again guys.

One more thing. There's nothing I need to do to the bios right? Just reinstall windows?

First thing I would do Is go into your bios settings and if you are familiar with them and see somthing out of place by all means change them back if you do find somthing.But if you are not familiar with your bios you can at the same time mess things up. During a bios flash it can and does change bios settings sometimes. I am thinking it is one simple setting but their is a large posibility you also have courupted / screwed up windows files or regestry files.Most definate you do not want to flash a bios if you are getting blue screens and  auto reboots if it reboots during a flash you just bricked your system!

Do not use the command center that is on the disc that came with your system! Search Dells site for the proper order to install the drivers as some have priority and have to be installed before others. I am even more particular then most when doing a clean Instal of a OS on a system.

When Re-installing it is best to go to Dells site and download the latest drivers rather then useing the CD with your system drivers on it!

Also there is a special way to install the command center software before you instal it you have to power down unplug the power cord from the back of you PC then press and hold the power button down for 10 seconds to drain power from MIO board to reset it to insure a hitch free install!

Hope this helps best wishes

jeffcmfrt

Hey Jeff. At what point during the reinstallation process do u recommend installing command center? I do the power drain to the mio board right before that right?

Correct. i even wait a bit to install the command center for windows to get all the NETFramework updates.As mentioned I am more particular when I do a instal then most. Because after a fresh instal and all windows updates and my main programs I use often like office for example after I install and update them along with windows and my antivirus I create and burn a image that way I never use a regestry cleaner or third party tools or utilities if after a year or so i can just instal of the image in my opinion thats the best way then you noly have limited updates from that point. I most of the time do a fresh clean instal once a year but thats just me.

You can also take your drivers disc CD that came with your system put it in and look at the drivers then go to Dells site and match them up with the latest drivers then after you do that with each driver burn a disk that way you are not instaling outdated drivers then updateing them you have the latest drivers the first time.

You will want to install your priority drivers first then the rest of you drivers I hold off on the command center and the Intel rapid storage instal them at a later time after I do all my windows updates. Once I instal my drivers get antivirus installed then I do all the windows updates once I am done with the windows updates and what I conside my needed programs like office professional I also run all the updates for that and what I consider must programs windows Media player photo shop disc burning software java stuff like that then I do  disc cleanup and defrag then i instal the command center then the Intel rapid storage which that  takes a  few hours to migrate but I am runing RAID 0 which you may not and some dont use the intel rapid storage it is personal prefrence. Once I have all drivers windows updates what i consider my necesity programs  and all are updated  at that time I defrag again then burn a image and a repair disc label those then go on to my games and all my other programs.

To me after a year or so a OS there are regestry interies junk files and things left behind from old programs and rather then use registry software or PC booster programs and third party tools and utilities that can cause problems to computers and very few I have found to  work well to begein with! I would rather reinstal that clean fresh updated  image I made. in my opinion there is nothing like a fresh clean OS to bring back that boost  after a year or so of junk files from programs you did not like and uninstalled  old registry changes and typical junk files that get acumulated over a year or so.

Also I take notes of my startup  programs because many programs want to be instal in the startup and are not necessary! Also take notes of bios settings little things like that can help if you need to trouble shoot at a later time.Also I make sure my  favorits and my music and my pictures are in place before I burn my image.

Just little extra things like that it takes a little more time just like defraging but I feel it is worth it in the long run. I do work on friends and people I know on their systems if they get spyware or hit with a virus and some of them I don't take theese extra steps but on my own system I do.

Good luck if you have any questions and I can help just give me a shout.

jeffcmfrt66

Did you try clearing the CMOS and reseating the cards and memory? Did you also go into the BIOS settings to make sure everything was set right?

Pull out the memory and any pci cards. Reset the jumper to clear CMOS and pull out the battery for a min. Put it all back and start the system. Go into the BIOS and reset it to page defaults. Reboot and go back into the BIOS again. First thing you want to do is check the system time on the first page. Then go to your boot up and make sure all thats right. If you use raid you will need to turn that back on and check the memory and cpu settings.

Once you do all that reboot again but in safe mode with networking. If it boots to the desktop you will want to update everything you can in safe mode. Somethings won't work and can only be done in normal mode but try to install all the drivers that you can.

At this point if it doesnt work but you can get into safe mode you can try reflashing the BIOS update again. There is a chance something went wrong with the first one and reflashing it could fix it. There is also a chance that if it BSOD while doing the BIOS update it will brick the system. I don't think I would worry about that though since it isnt working anyway and the next step is to just say the hell with it and replace the board.