Laptop crashes while gaming.

Run a Dell diagnostic (F12 at powerup) to verify that the fan is running properly.  Check the heatsink assembly for signs of dust accumulation and clean accordingly.

Hi,

Thanks for your advice. I followed your instructions, but couldn't find a problem. I did some more testing, and I'm pretty sure the problem isn't heat-related; the crashes can happen even a minute after start up, if the laptop has been powered off all day.

On to better news, I've finally gotten some error messages (in stead of the pc just locking up):

"Display driver has stopped responding and has recovered: Display driver NVIDIA Windows Kernel Mode Driver, Version 320.49 stopped responding and has successfully recovered."

I've uploaded a screenshot of the error at this link (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/838/w7fv.png/) if you'd like to take a look.

Any ideas on how to solve this problem are most appreciated,
kind regards

Hello Arno,

I would request you to try performing a clean installation of the video drivers. That is, uninstalling and re-installing the video drivers. If not, please follow the steps:

• Open Device Manager (Start -- Control Panel -- Device Manager).
• Expand the tab for Display Adapters and right click the nVidia video card. 
• From the drop down menu, select “Uninstall”. 
• Ensure to check the box “Delete driver software for this device”. 
• Restart the computer. 
• Once the drivers are uninstalled, re-install the latest drivers from Dell Support Site. 
• Restart the computer and check the functionality.

Hope this helps!

Hi Allan,

Thanks for the reply and the step-by-step explanation! I'll give it a try, fingers crossed :)

Hello Arno,

Sure. Please try the steps and let us know how it goes. 

Hi again,

I did a clean install of the video drivers as you suggested, Unfortunately I'm still experiencing occasional crashes. I've had 3 types of crashes; 1 where the computer just jams and resetting it is the only solution. A 2nd which gives a blue screen and the following message:

'A device driver attempting to corrupt the system has been caught. The faulty driver currently on the kernel stack must be replaced with a working version.'

The 3rd type is the one where the game closes automatically, I posted a screenshot of thisone in a previous post. I noticed something interesting about this part of the message:

'The instruction at [...] referenced memory at "A". The memory could not be "written".'

Where A = 0x000000000000006C before I reinstalled the video drivers, and A = 0x0000000000000008 after the reinstallation. I suppose these numbers are memory adresses or something? I don't know if it's important, but I thought I'd mention that they are the constant in these crash messages.

Any further advice is much appreciated.
Kind regards, and thank you for your time!
Arno

Hello Arno,

Please help me understand if you have run the Pre-Boot System Assessment (PSA / ePSA) Diagnostics. If not, please run the test to check the functionality of the hardware components installed in the system. Run the test and check if gives any error code. Note down the error code and update me with the same, would let you know the next course of action. 

You may also refer to this video on how to run the PSA Diagnostics: http://dell.to/18woC5M

Awaiting your response!

Hi Allan,

I ran the PSA diagnostics again (extended test and extended memory test). It took about 7.5h and came up with 1 error when he was testing the DVD-drive and asked to insert a dvd containing software:

Error Code: 0F00: 131C
DISK-block 1488: Drive had a Non-recoverable error, try another disk

When I retried the test with another disk it worked fine. I don't really see how the dvd-drive can be the cause of my problem though, as it is usually empty.

Kind regards,
Arno

Hello Arno,

The Optical drive is fine. The error code does not indicate a faulty optical drive. We need to insert a data disk in the optical drive while running the test. In case the system does not detect any data disk, it would show that error and ask for another data disk.

Regarding the issue, while researching I came across the following articles:

• Crashing WoW - Error #123 (085100084) Fatal Exception! (Try the suggestions provided by Tony. That helped the OP).
• Error 132 (Try the steps mentioned in this article).

Hope this helps!

Hi Allan,

I had googled the error myself, but I found non of the posts very helpful. The links you posted suggested the following advice:

* run repair.exe: tried it
* addon-related crashes? Disabled all addons, the game still crashes
* switch positions of your RAM: I'm not sure I have the know-how/skill to open up my laptop
* update windows/drivers: done
* reset UI: tried it

I think I might try wiping my computer clean and reinstalling windows, do you think that could help?

Kind regards, and thanks for the advice!
Arno

Hello Arno, 

Before we try performing a clean re-installation of the Operating System, please help me understand if you have tried the Advanced Troubleshooting from this article. If not, please try the steps suggested and check if that helps. 

You may also refer to the service manual of XPS L502X (http://bit.ly/QE7oQ7) in order to re-seat the memory modules. Also see the video on how to remove the memory from the system: http://dell.to/1bSs3Ky.

Hope this helps!

Hi Allan,

I, umm, somehow missed the huge blue button saying 'advanced troubleshooting'. I have now tried everything on the list, unfortunately I'm still experiencing crashes.

Kind regards,
Arno

Hello Arno,

In that case, we would have to perform a clean re-installation of the Operating System. Please refer the article on How To Restore or Reinstall Microsoft Windows on a Dell Computer. Post re-installation of the Operating System, please ensure to install the drivers in the correct order. It is very important for the computer to function properly.  You may also refer to this video: http://dell.to/1fvdnx4 (This Video does not show the step of installing System Desktop/notebook software. This is the software that needs to be installed first).

**Note: Please ensure to back up all the data from your computer before re-installing windows as it would erase everything from your computer.

Hope this helps!

Hi Allan,

This wasn't a big succes, I'm actually experiencing a lot more crashes now than I was before I re-installed windows. This is probably completely my fault, I really couldn't figure out those drivers. For example:

The first driver to install in the list you linked is 'Dell System Software' in the category 'System Utilities'. If I go to Dell's driver page for my computer (http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/Product/xps-l502x), the System Utilities category only contains 1 driver with a completely different name. I also have a DVD with drivers that came with the computer, which has a category named 'System Utility Driver' with 1 driver named 'Intel Rapid Storage Technology', but on the website that driver is under the category 'Serial ATA'.

Another example is the next driver: Chipset driver. The category Chipset contains 5 drivers on the website (3 on the DVD) and I don't know which one(s) to install at this point.

Could you explain this to me in a bit more detail, or direct me to some kind of 'Installing drivers for dummies'-guide?

I had one more question: when choosing a partition to install windows, I noticed I had 3 partitions: OEM (Reserved), Restore and the OS, should I delete any or all of these partitions before proceeding?

Kind regards,

Arno

Update: I reinstalled the nvidia graphics card driver and instead of crashing, the screen freezes for a few seconds, flickers a bit and then the game resumes. If it stays like this I can totally live with it. I'll let you know how things progress.

Thanks again for all your advice (and patience)!
Arno