Infrequent IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Crashes

Hello! I have been having issues with my gaming PC for several months now. Basically, I will occasionally get blue screens and the error messages seem to usually be related to memory (usually the error is "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL").

This happens pretty infrequently, but it's generally about once every week or two. It will usually occur while I am watching YouTube on chrome or loading up in a game. I have a suspicion that this is due to a faulty RAM stick, but I'm not sure. I don't really want to spend hours on memtest86 until I have ruled out most other causes.

I'm pretty sure that I saw the tool collect more than the most recent dump file. The most recent one happened about an hour ago and is the one I'm specifically asking about, but I wouldn't be surprised of the others were also IRQL errors and might give more insight. If you need more info just let me know. Thanks!

Attachment 150066

Hi,

There are many different bugchecks in the dumpfiles.

The cause for different error codes are usually hardware and lower level problems.

U should begin with:

Diagnostic Test

 RAM TEST

Run MemTest86+ V5.01 to analyse your RAM. MemTest86+ - Test RAM - Windows 10 Forums

   Note

MemTest86+ V5.01 needs to be run for at least 8 complete passes for conclusive results. Set it running before you go to bed and leave it overnight. We're looking for zero errors here. Even a single error will indicate RAM failure.

More Info here: Microsoft Community

Make a photo of the result and post it.


Different RAM modules could be also an Problem. You have different ones installed:

Code:

  Number of Memory Devices      4
[Memory Device (Type 17) - Length 40 - Handle 0043h]
  Size                          8192MB
  Speed                         1600MHz
  Manufacturer                  1315
  Part Number                   BLS8G3D1609DS1S00.
[Memory Device (Type 17) - Length 40 - Handle 0044h]
  Size                          8192MB
  Speed                         1600MHz
  Manufacturer                  1315
  Part Number                   BLS8G3D1609DS1S00.
[Memory Device (Type 17) - Length 40 - Handle 0045h]
  Size                          4096MB
  Speed                         1600MHz
  Manufacturer                  1315
  Part Number                   BLS4G3D1609DS1S00.
[Memory Device (Type 17) - Length 40 - Handle 0046h]
  Size                          4096MB
  Speed                         1600MHz
  Manufacturer                  1315
  Part Number                   BLS4G3D1609DS1S00.

I recommend pulling two of the same type out and then perform the memtest. When its done, put them back and pull the other two modules. One memtest will run 8 passes, plan for every test two days.


2) There are also different file system errors:

Code:

2017-08-10 02:29:29  Warning: Volume C: (\Device\HarddiskVolume2) requires an Online Scan.  An Online Scan will automatically run as part of the next scheduled maintenance task.  Alternatively you may run "CHKDSK /SCAN" locally via the command line, or run "REPAIR-VOLUME <drive:> -SCAN" locally or remotely via PowerShell.   
2017-08-10 02:29:29  Error: A corruption was discovered in the file system structure on volume C:. The exact nature of the corruption is unknown.  The file system structures need to be scanned online.   
2017-08-12 23:44:44  Warning: The file system structure on volume C: has now been repaired.   
2017-08-13 00:42:04  Warning: The file system structure on volume C: has now been repaired.   
2017-08-16 14:53:37  Error: {Registry Hive Recovered} Registry hive (file): '\SystemRoot\System32\Config\RegBack\SOFTWARE' was corrupted and it has been recovered. Some data might have been lost.   
2017-08-18 17:15:54  Error: {Registry Hive Recovered} Registry hive (file): '\SystemRoot\System32\Config\RegBack\SOFTWARE' was corrupted and it has been recovered. Some data might have been lost.   
2017-08-21 12:59:46  Error: {Registry Hive Recovered} Registry hive (file): '\SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE' was corrupted and it has been recovered. Some data might have been lost.   
2017-08-21 16:08:46  Error: The shadow copies of volume C: were aborted because the shadow copy storage could not grow due to a user imposed limit.

U should perform a file system repair after or before doing the memtest:
Repair Windows Filesystem:

1. Open an elevated command prompt.
2. In the elevated command prompt, type these five commands below, and press Enter:

dism /Online /NoRestart /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
dism /Online /NoRestart /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup
sfc /scannow
chkdsk C: /F /R /X
fsutil dirty set C:

SFC:
The SFC command scans the integrity of all protected system files and replaces incorrect versions with correct Microsoft versions.
DISM:
If a Windows image becomes unserviceable, you can use the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management (DISM) tool to update the files and correct the problem.
For example, you would use DISM to fix Windows component store corruption when a sfc /scannow command is unable to repair corrupted or modified system files because the component store (source) is corrupted.
CHKDSK:
Checking your drives for errors every once in a while can help fix some performance issues. Drive errors can usually be caused by bad sectors, improper shutdowns, bad software, corruption, physical damage, etc...


3) Your BIOS version is outdated. You should update to the newest version:

Code:

BIOS_VERSION:  V1.12 
BIOS_DATE:  08/11/2015

Update here: Support For Z97 GAMING 5 | Motherboard - The world leader in motherboard design | MSI Global

Thank you for your reply! I ended up running memtest86 last night on all four sticks. It is currently on pass 5 with over 1.7 million errors. I would assume that this is plenty to conclude that at least one stick is bad and start testing sticks individually to figure out which is the issue?

Hi,

Since memtest show so much errors, one of your RAM modules are gone. Now you have to test one after another to find out which one is broken.

Using memtest I was pretty easily able to find the bad memory stick. It looks like only one stick was the problem, as the other three ran without errors for one pass (I know I should do more, but the bad stick had tens of thousands of errors in the first pass, so I was confident in concluding that only that one had an issue). I also changed which slot I put it in to ensure it wasn't an issue with the mobo memory slots. Right now I am running on two sticks, as I have removed the bad stick and its partner and I am looking into an RMA as they still appear to be covered. I will not be completely certain that this has entirely fixed my issue, as its generally a week or two between the BSODs. However, I do believe that this was the cause of the problem. Thank you very much for taking your time and walking me through this!

Glad to hear that your problem is now fixed. Let us know if there are any other problems.