Windows 7 Crashed on Boot. What The Heck is This?


Recommended Posts

Windows 7 crashed on me on boot. This is the second time it does that. Last time was about 3 months ago. Has anyone experienced this?

Problem signature:

Problem Event Name: BlueScreen

OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3

Locale ID: 1033

Additional information about the problem:

BCCode: 4e

BCP1: 0000000000000099

BCP2: 00000000003E5A73

BCP3: 0000000000000000

BCP4: 0000000000003A73

OS Version: 6_1_7601

Service Pack: 1_0

Product: 768_1

Files that help describe the problem:

C:\Windows\Minidump\010213-12807-01.dmp

C:\Users\Scorbing\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-20794-0.sysdata.xml

Read our privacy statement online:

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=104288&clcid=0x0409

If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:

C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt

A "4e" bugcheck equals "PFN_LIST_CORRUPT". According to Microsoft:

Cause

This error is typically caused by a driver passing a bad memory descriptor list. For example, the driver might have called MmUnlockPages twice with the same list.

If a kernel debugger is available, examine the stack trace.

In my experience, this is usually the case - a driver has caused some sort of memory list issue in the way it's freeing memory pages, and causes the crash. Without at least a kernel memory dump file of the issue, however, you now know everything that can be gleaned from the crash.

A "4e" bugcheck equals "PFN_LIST_CORRUPT". According to Microsoft:

In my experience, this is usually the case - a driver has caused some sort of memory list issue in the way it's freeing memory pages, and causes the crash. Without at least a kernel memory dump file of the issue, however, you now know everything that can be gleaned from the crash.

Video driver perhaps?

Who knows? Usually something loaded in nonpaged pool, but honestly it could be any driver that is accessing memory. The video driver isn't necessarily the only kind of driver that can do that ;). I usually suspect storage drivers, but I've seen video drivers do it, ramdisk drivers, etc.

http://msdn.microsof...2(v=VS.85).aspx

Who knows? Usually something loaded in nonpaged pool, but honestly it could be any driver that is accessing memory. The video driver isn't necessarily the only kind of driver that can do that ;). I usually suspect storage drivers, but I've seen video drivers do it, ramdisk drivers, etc.

http://msdn.microsof...2(v=VS.85).aspx

Mmmmmm...I wonder if its Skydrive?

OK I left Memtest86+ running all night and although its still not done yet, it found 5 errors. Now my question:

How do I know which memory chip is bad? Does Memtest86+ tell you which one is bad? Anyone knows?

Well the tests are done. Here's the results. I guess I'm screwed. My question is though, which module is bad? How can I tell from this result which one is faulty?

I have two 8GB modules installed for a total of 16GB.

acsD4TSQ.jpg

OK I left Memtest86+ running all night and although its still not done yet, it found 5 errors. Now my question:

How do I know which memory chip is bad? Does Memtest86+ tell you which one is bad? Anyone knows?

Just remove the sticks one by one and retest until you figure out which one is is. Can be a bit tedious, but it's the best way to know for sure which one is faulty.

Edit: Just saw your recent post with the screenshot. Well, at least you have a 50/50 chance of pulling the right one first! Based on your image, I would try the 2nd populated RAM slot first. The slots will be numbered on the mobo.

I feel you, scorbing! I woke up on Christmas day to a desktop that just won't power on. If it wasn't the one with all of my movies/mp3's on it, I wouldn't really care too much, but now I have to save up for a new power supply. Sorry that had to happen though, bro!

Well the tests are done. Here's the results. I guess I'm screwed. My question is though, which module is bad? How can I tell from this result which one is faulty?

I have two 8GB modules installed for a total of 16GB.

You're not screwed. 8gb should easily get you by until you replace it. Take one module out at a time (place it in DIMM 1), run the test, if it passes, that's a good stick. To make sure the other really is bad, take out the good one and put in the bad. Your computer should go "beeeeeeeppp". Shut it down, put the good one in. Windows should start up fine now. :)

I feel you, scorbing! I woke up on Christmas day to a desktop that just won't power on. If it wasn't the one with all of my movies/mp3's on it, I wouldn't really care too much, but now I have to save up for a new power supply. Sorry that had to happen though, bro!

Are you sure the pins are on correctly? :)

A co-worker of mine saw the test results and he tells me that my memory timings are way off. Can you guys concur with that?

I have high speed Kingston gaming memory on that PC DD3 1333.

you might be screwed, with those memory addresses it looks like you have errors on the 1st card and errors on the 2nd card...

but do the single card test to be sure, just pull one, make sure the other remaining one is in the correct slow, reseat it just to be sure its in right... run the test again... if it fails swap them and repeat

you might be screwed, with those memory addresses it looks like you have errors on the 1st card and errors on the 2nd card...

Which is highly unlikely.

A co-worker of mine saw the test results and he tells me that my memory timings are way off. Can you guys concur with that?

I have high speed Kingston gaming memory on that PC DD3 1333.

If this is gaming memory the proper timing and speed should be written on the sticks.

Are you sure the pins are on correctly? :)

Yeah, I've taken it out and tested out a lower rated wattage power supply in place of it, and everything worked. In fact, it's been acting strange since July. See, in my area, we are prone to power outages....a few months back, one happened, and when I tried to power up the old beast, the power light would blink, then shut right off. To remedy, I'd unplug it for about 15 minutes, then plug it back in, which worked for quite a while...up until christmas morning, anyway...so I knew it was coming. This laptop blows that old thing out of the water spec wise anyway, so I'm in no major rush to get it fixed. It's an old P4 machine. If I could afford an upgrade, trust me, I would do that instead of pumping more money into such an ancient system, but it's all I've got desktop wise, and it does what I need it to do, runs 7 like a champ, streams video to my ps3, SOME...and I mean some gaming (It's got an ATI HD3650 512MB AGPx4 video card, lol), but mostly, I leave it on as sort of a NAS. Oh well.

It's kinda an odd pattern that the failures are showing. Have you tried blowing out the DIMM slots?

Good point, GreyWolf....could be some dust build up, perhaps? (I'd rather it be something simple like that than to see you have to fork over some hard earned cash to invest in new memory modules!)

A co-worker of mine saw the test results and he tells me that my memory timings are way off. Can you guys concur with that?

I have high speed Kingston gaming memory on that PC DD3 1333.

Maybe reset your bios to fail safe defaults and see if that fixes your timing issues?

Yeah, I've taken it out and tested out a lower rated wattage power supply in place of it, and everything worked. In fact, it's been acting strange since July. See, in my area, we are prone to power outages....a few months back, one happened, and when I tried to power up the old beast, the power light would blink, then shut right off. To remedy, I'd unplug it for about 15 minutes, then plug it back in, which worked for quite a while...up until christmas morning, anyway...so I knew it was coming. This laptop blows that old thing out of the water spec wise anyway, so I'm in no major rush to get it fixed. It's an old P4 machine. If I could afford an upgrade, trust me, I would do that instead of pumping more money into such an ancient system, but it's all I've got desktop wise, and it does what I need it to do, runs 7 like a champ, streams video to my ps3, SOME...and I mean some gaming (It's got an ATI HD3650 512MB AGPx4 video card, lol), but mostly, I leave it on as sort of a NAS. Oh well.

Oh, well that's too bad. You need to get a surge protector and a UPS for yourself. :p

Well I fixed the latency settings on the BIOS. I also deleted the partitions and re-installed Windows, but this time I installed Windows 8 Pro. So far, so good. Played BF3 for 2 hours and no blue screen of death. It is very weird.

I downloaded a utility that reads the blue screen errors and translates then into an understandable format and apparently the Windows 7 kernel was failing plus a bunch of other stuff. Maybe I caught a virus? I don't know.

Well I fixed the latency settings on the BIOS. I also deleted the partitions and re-installed Windows, but this time I installed Windows 8 Pro. So far, so good. Played BF3 for 2 hours and no blue screen of death. It is very weird.

I downloaded a utility that reads the blue screen errors and translates then into an understandable format and apparently the Windows 7 kernel was failing plus a bunch of other stuff. Maybe I caught a virus? I don't know.

You had memory that was faulting, you proved this, why would you think you had a virus? Have you ran memtest since you fixed the timings?

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • Glad I uninstalled this incredibly buggy browser. Looking at that changelog, they clearly don't test their updates at all.
    • UniGetUI 2026.2.2 by Razvan Serea UniGetUI is an application whose main goal is to create an intuitive GUI for the most common CLI package managers for Windows 10 and Windows 11, such as Winget, Scoop and Chocolatey. With UniGetUI, you'll be able to download, install, update and uninstall any software that's published on the supported package managers — and so much more. UniGetUI features Install, update and remove software from your system easily at one click: UniGetUI combines the packages from the most used package managers for windows: WinGet, Chocolatey, Scoop, Pip, Npm and .NET Tool. Discover new packages and filter them to easily find the package you want. View detailed metadata about any package before installing it. Get the direct download URL or the name of the publisher, as well as the size of the download. Easily bulk-install, update or uninstall multiple packages at once selecting multiple packages before performing an operation Automatically update packages, or be notified when updates become available. Skip versions or completely ignore updates in a per-package basis. Manage your available updates at the touch of a button from the Widgets pane or from Dev Home pane with UniGetUI Widgets. The system tray icon will also show the available updates and installed package, to efficiently update a program or remove a package from your system. Easily customize how and where packages are installed. Select different installation options and switches for each package. Install an older version or force to install a 32bit architecture. [But don't worry, those options will be saved for future updates for this package] Share packages with your friends to show them off that program you found. Here is an example: Hey @friend, Check out this program! Export custom lists of packages to then import them to another machine and install those packages with previously-specified, custom installation parameters. Setting up machines or configuring a specific software setup has never been easier. Backup your packages to a local file to easily recover your setup in a matter of seconds when migrating to a new machine Devolutions UniGetUI 2026.2.2 changelog: This release marks the completion of UniGetUI's migration from WinUI to Avalonia. With the remaining WinUI components and dependencies now removed, UniGetUI is fully powered by Avalonia. This update also brings Windows 11 Snap Layouts support, refined styling throughout the application, improved log viewing, new illustrations, and significantly smaller release packages. Highlights Further refined the Avalonia user interface to better match WinUI styling and behavior across package lists, navigation elements, dialogs, and controls. Added support for Windows 11 Snap Layouts when hovering the maximize button, matching the behavior of native Windows applications. Added illustrations for empty and loading package list states, improving visual feedback throughout the application. Improved the operation log window so automatic scrolling no longer interrupts users when reviewing previous log entries. Reduced installer and application package sizes, resulting in smaller downloads and a significantly leaner Windows distribution. User Interface Improvements Improved package list styling, column headers, backgrounds, hover states, and selection indicators for a more polished and consistent experience. Refined sidebar navigation and segmented controls to better align with modern Windows design patterns. Improved package tag badges and icon presentation throughout the application. Updated several labels, placeholders, and interface elements for improved clarity and consistency. Removed the remaining WinUI-specific styling dependencies, further consolidating the application around Avalonia. Windows Improvements Added native Windows 11 Snap Layouts integration for the maximize button. Improved maximize button hover and pressed visual states to more closely match native Windows behavior. Performance & Reliability Reduced the size of Windows release packages by removing unnecessary runtime dependencies and optimizing published builds. Reduced installer size through improved compression settings. Simplified application dependencies and reduced overall maintenance complexity. Fixes Fixed log output auto-scrolling behavior when manually reviewing previous entries. Resolved various UI inconsistencies and styling issues across the Avalonia interface. Addressed several minor issues and edge cases throughout the application. Other Changes Dependency cleanup and project maintenance. Internal code refactoring and infrastructure improvements. Additional test coverage and build pipeline optimizations. Download: UniGetUI 64-bit | Portable | ~90.0 MB (Open Source) Download: UniGetUI ARM64 | Portable Links: UniGetUI Home Page | GitHub | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • The best controller for XBOX and PC is down to the lowest price by Taras Buria Image via Neowin The GameSir G7 Pro is a fantastic controller for XBOX and PC. Officially certified, it works with Microsoft's consoles, mobile devices, and PCs, giving you a universal controller for any kind of gaming machine. And right now, you can save 20% on it, thanks to the latest deal during Prime Day 2026 (purchase link below). The G7 Pro has the classic XBOX layout, complemented by a couple of extra elements, such as the M button for changing various settings and four additional remappable buttons. It also has trigger locks and TMR sticks that eliminate drifting issues, giving you a reliable, long-lasting gamepad. The controller is powered by a built-in battery, which charges via a USB Type-C cable or the bundled dock station. The G7 Pro supports wireless (XBOX Wireless, proprietary dongle, or Bluetooth) and wired connectivity. In addition to software customization (you can remap multiple buttons to different actions), it lets you personalize the look by swapping the faceplate or grips, enabling multiple design combinations. Other features include a 1,000Hz polling rate, an audio jack for your headphones, Hall Effect triggers, and a swappable D-pad (two extra are included). The controller is also available in four color variants, and all of them are now discounted. Thanks to quality materials, reliable components, rich customization, universal compatibility, and an affordable price tag, the G7 Pro received very high praise in our review. It is certainly among the best controllers you can buy. GameSir G7 Pro - $63.99 | 20% off with Prime Good to know This Amazon deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Microsoft further improving Windows 11 Taskbar with latest builds by Sayan Sen Microsoft has released new Windows 11 builds for users flighting the Experimental channels. The new builds are 26300.8758 for Windows 11 26H2, 28120.2374 for 26H1, and 29617.1000 for future platforms. There are improvements related to the Taskbar, File Explorer and more with the new update. The full changelogs are given below: First we have the build 26300.8758: Changes and improvements gradually being rolled out [Taskbar] Taskbar customization just got easier. As we continue to make improvements to the Taskbar experience mentioned last month, we've introduced a dedicated Taskbar Size setting, making it simpler to find, understand, and personalize your ideal taskbar experience. UI showing the new Taskbar Size setting in Settings. We've also made refinements to the transitions between taskbar sizes for a smoother overall experience. [File Explorer] We've improved the reliability of thumbnail previews for cloud files in the Details pane. The pane has also been reorganized so file properties are easier to find and review at a glance. Fixed an issue where the OneDrive shortcut in File Explorer stops working when File Explorer is run in administrative mode. Fixed an issue where the confirmation dialog might display an internal Recycle Bin file name instead of the original file name when permanently deleting a file. [Sounds] Improved system sounds when using Windows in dark mode. Up next we have build 28120.2374: Changes and improvements gradually being rolled out This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes [Mobile Device Settings] You can add and manage your mobile devices in Settings under Bluetooth & Devices > Mobile Devices. On this page, you can manage features such as using your device as a connected camera or accessing your device's files in File Explorer. [Remote Recovery Management] Added a recovery remote management plug-in to extend WinRE management capabilities for MDM providers. [Input] The emoji panel (Windows key + period (.)) now uses GIPHY as the GIF provider, delivering a smoother GIF browsing and sharing experience following the deprecation of the Tenor API. Finally we have the changelog for Windows 11 build 29617.1000: Changes and improvements gradually being rolled out [Windows Update] As announced in the Windows Update announce blog, we are now bringing a new unified update experience to reduce the number of reboots you see per month. We are starting by coordinating driver, .NET, and firmware updates to align with the monthly quality update, reducing the update experience to a single monthly restart. See the blog for more information. [Windows Magnifier] Magnifier now gives you more control over how you zoom. You can type an exact zoom percentage directly in the magnifier toolbar to land on precisely the level you need. We've also added preset step increments (5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 100%, 150%, 200%, and 400%) to the Settings dropdown, so you can jump to common levels in a single click. Whether you need a subtle boost or a dramatic close-up, Magnifier adapts to how you want to zoom. Enter an exact percentage or jump to preset steps —5% up to 400%. Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Magnifier. [Accessibility] We're introducing screen tint, a new accessibility setting that applies a color overlay across your entire display, softening its intensity so it's easier on your eyes throughout the day. If bright, saturated screens leave you with tired or sensitive eyes by the end of a long session, screen tint can help. Screenshot showing UI for screen tint in Accessibility, with color presets and a strength slider. To get started, open Settings > Accessibility (or press WIN + U) and look for screen tint under the Vision section. From there, you can: Pick from six preset colors or choose a custom color of your own. Adjust the tint strength slider from a subtle wash to full intensity. Night light warms your display to reduce blue light that can interfere with sleep. Screen tint reduces overall screen intensity to ease eye fatigue and light sensitivity during the day. They tackle different problems and you can use both at the same time, one working on warmth and the other on intensity. Note that turning on screen tint will disable color filters, and vice versa. If you currently rely on color filters, you might need to keep screen tint turned off. Feedback: Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Narrator. [Voice Access] Voice Access now supports Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), and Korean (South Korea). [Audio] Continuing our work on improving Sound Settings, we've made a few more updates in this build: We've adjusted the description text for the Allow option in properties for audio devices to include the current state of the device, to improve the clarity of the text and the purpose of the button actions. "Listen to this device" is now available in properties for audio devices, so you don't need to enter Control Panel for this functionality. [Multiple Desktops] Improved explorer reliability when switching between multiple desktops. [Storage] We've updated the dialog when creating a Dev Drive to now support specifying the size in GB instead of only MB. This has also been added when changing the size of volumes under Settings > System > Storage. [Personalization] This update improves color selection accuracy when adjusting your accent color to match your wallpaper when automatic accent color selection is enabled in Personalization settings. This update improves wallpaper persistence reliability across restarts and upgrades, including better support for large-resolution wallpapers and other scenarios to prevent solid color wallpaper fallback. [Display and Graphics] Improves the reliability and persistence of applying color profiles. You can view the official blog posts here (link1, link2, link3) on Microsoft's site.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Year In
      bernmeister earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      tuben earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • First Post
      OffsetAbs earned a badge
      First Post
    • Reacting Well
      OffsetAbs earned a badge
      Reacting Well
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      441
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      197
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      156
    4. 4
      FloatingFatMan
      71
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      67
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!