Daily BSOD (DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION): ntoskrnl.exe? nvstor.sys?

Hi axe0,

Thanks for taking a look. Yes, this was one of my earlier suspicions, but per the OP:

I do see that my BIOS version is Dell Inc. 1.0.7 (11/9/2007), slightly outdated, however when I try to install 1.0.13 (or 1.0.12, or 1.0.11), all from Support for Inspiron 531 | Dell US,, nothing happens. This seems to be a known issue where it just creates a WinFlash.sys file but doesn't actually flash. I tried installing the new bios version from a USB drive, no luck that way either.

Here's one of many summaries of this failed Bios update issue:
[SOLVED] Problem Updating BIOS for Dell Inspiron 531 Perfect Fit Computers

I'm optimistic that somehow getting the BIOS updated could resolve some of the BSODs, but I'm out of ideas for how to get the BIOS updated. Any suggestions? I've tried everything I could find online:

• Close all programs before running the BIOS .exe
• Move the file to the C:\ directory and run it from there
• Move the file to the C:\windows\system32 directory and run it from there
• Run the .exe from a Command Prompt window
• Run the .exe from a Command Prompt window, Run as Administrator

And since Windows 10 was an automatic update from Windows 7, I do not have a Windows 10 boot disc (to use to create a boot disc to try running the .exe and flashing BIOS from there). Sorry if some of my terminology here is off.

Are you familiar with this BIOS .exe issue linked above? Any other suggestions on how to get the BIOS .exe to successfully flash?

Thank you!!

I have tried every possible way to update the BIOS (downloaded from Support for Inspiron 531 | Dell US
), however running the I531_1013.exe just creates a WinFlash.sys file and stops there.

This seems to be a known issue, but none of the suggestions I found online have worked. Here is a summary of the issue and various solutions people have suggested: [SOLVED] Problem Updating BIOS for Dell Inspiron 531 Perfect Fit Computers

Since I am on Windows 10, none of these solutions have worked for me, and I don't have an earlier OS disc that I can try booting from. Could you offer any other direction or advice? Do I need to find a Windows XP disc to get the I531_1013.exe BIOS update file to run?

axe0 said:

When I look at the executable it contains a .BIN, this could make it possible to flash the BIOS within the BIOS if there is an option for flashing the BIOS when you're in the BIOS?

My machine uses AwardBIOS Flash Utility for Dell V1.00. I do not see an option to flash BIOS from within the current BIOS.

Per your comment that the I531_1013.exe contained a BIN, I tried multiple extractor programs but none could locate a .bin or any other files to extract.

Randomly, I went back to trying to boot the I531_1013.exe file from a USB drive (formatted to include a .cmd program), but typing C:\> I531_1013.exe kept saying "Command or filename not recognized." So get this: I type C:\> dir, and notice that the directory of USB files shows the .exe filename as "I531_1~3". So I tried running I531_1~3.exe from the USB drive's command prompt, and voila!!

It FINALLY flashed the bios and updated to the latest version. Whoa, what a rush.

Now, let's see if the BSODs stop... I'll report back. Thanks!

I just had my first BSOD since updating BIOS to the latest version

Here's the crash report (it's the same two potential causes as before the BSOD update: ntoskrnl.exe and nvstor.sys).

On Tue 12/6/2016 3:26:11 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\120616-37484-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x14A510)
Bugcheck code: 0x133 (0x0, 0x501, 0x500, 0x0)
Error: DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: The DPC watchdog detected a prolonged run time at an IRQL of DISPATCH_LEVEL or above. This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem. This problem might also be caused because of overheating (thermal issue). The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.

On Tue 12/6/2016 3:26:11 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\memory.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: nvstor.sys (nvstor+0x7468)
Bugcheck code: 0x133 (0x0, 0x501, 0x500, 0x0)
Error: DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\nvstor.sys
product: NVIDIA nForce(TM) SATA Driver
company: NVIDIA Corporation
description: NVIDIA® nForce(TM) Sata Performance Driver
Bug check description: The DPC watchdog detected a prolonged run time at an IRQL of DISPATCH_LEVEL or above. This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem. This problem might also be caused because of overheating (thermal issue). A third party driver was identified as the probable root cause of this system error. It is suggested you look for an update for the following driver: nvstor.sys (NVIDIA® nForce(TM) Sata Performance Driver, NVIDIA Corporation).
Google query: NVIDIA Corporation DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION

The above was run with "WhoCrashed". What else would you suggest I try next? Thanks for your time.

I've run dm_log_collector three times and each time it completes successfully after a few minutes, but just leaves an empty zipped file on the desktop with nothing in it. I'll keep trying.

10th times a charm!