Bluescreen on start and Error IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Diagnosis: error code 1000-0146 HELP NEEDED!!

DST shows hard drive failure, which could very well be the case but I'm thinking you need to check your RAM via the 32 bit diags, which can be booted from the Resource CD.

Since the last good boot, has anything been changed in terms of hardware?

Still doesn't work, though it once did this afternoon. We then updated the BIOS and changed the battery. Safe modus is possible, but that's it. Again Bluescreen on normal mode... :emotion-8:

Thanks for any further tips. Oh, no driver and utilities CD anymore...

Some vital file may have got corrupted or a sector of the hard drive containing it has gone bad. If you have the XP installation disc, try booting up from that and from the recovery console, run chkdsk /r that will look for bad sectors and attempt to recover files from them.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058

Thanks for the info. The situation has now gotten even a little bit more complicated:

This morning I could start the computer without a problem though it didn't work yesterday at home.

We once again ran the diagnostics tool under BIOS but the DST Short test failed, displaying once more error code 100-0146.

We restarted the computer several times, taking out hard ware one at a time (first DVD, then HDD, then the battery, then card reader hardware) and each time started the diagnostic program. The DST Short test keeps failing each time, but the computer will still boot.

We then launched Chkdsk under Windows and choose the repair option, following a restart, this check was completely performed. It did not yield any error messages. Still, the DST Short test keeps displaying the error message.

Once I take it home to restart it, it will probably show a bluescreen again and won't start...

hi,

Try to boot thru the OSCD and goto the recovery console and there try to run CHKDSK\R.....once it is done type the command"fixboot" and then type "exit"....if it works then good or do OSRI.....

We once again ran the diagnostics tool under BIOS but the DST Short test failed, displaying once more error code 100-0146.

What test was it running when it got the failure?  The diagnostics will tell you the test that generated the error in addition to the error itself.  That should give you a better idea of where the failure is actually at.

Hi, it says:

Pre-boot System Assessment Build 3012

Device: Hard Drive

Test: Start DST Short Test

Status: Error detected!

--Start DST Short Test--

Test Results: Fail

Error code: 1000-0146

Msg: Unit 0:DST Log contains previous error(s)

And here is the really mysterious thing about it:

The Computer will boot normally and work properly in the kitchen and the bedroom not showing the bluescreen.

However, when booted in the living room or in the office (both face the street) the bluescreen occurs. Even when the computer was booted in the kitchen and then taken to the living room or office, the bluescreen will occur after just a few minutes.

We have tried to switch off the WLAN but it won't help either. How can different rooms of our apartment influence the behavior of a computer?? We have another Dell laptop and it doesn't face any of these problems!

P.S.: We already have tried CHKDSK - but obviously w/o success.

In addition we have used the Dell Latitude Utilities CD for Diagnosis.

The following results were yielded:

Express Test:

Device: IDE Disk S/N=NN4TT4214VBA

Test: S.M.A.R.T Short Self Test

Test Status: Running IDE S.M.A.R.T. drive self test

Error Code: 0F00:065D

Msg.: IDE Device failed: The self-test failed the read portion of the test.

What does this mean?

But still: Why does it work in the kitchen...?

Check the Event Log (Control Panel > Admin Tools > Event Viewer) to see if it shows any errors either at or just before the time of the bluescreen.  I think that is going to help you narrow down what is causing the problem.

Does it appear to be anything in particular, other than what room you are in, that causes the error to come up?

We have reinstalled XP and the computer seems to work, even in the living room. Except for one bluescreen it seems fine. But the Diagnostics tool still delivers the same error message, so the problem still seems to exist. Might it be helpful to buy a new HDD? Might it be defect?