GA-H55M-USB3 IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

[Crispy]

Kit
Motherboard: ga-h55m-usb3 (rev 2)
Memory: ocz ddr3 pc3-10666 gold low voltage dual channel 4gb (2 x 2gb modules)
Hard Drive: samsung f3 1tb
PSU: Corsair vx550w
CPU: intel i5 760 with supplied fan/heatsink fitted
GPU: Sapphire hd5570 1gb ddr3
OS: microsoft windows 7 64 bit

Running at standard clock rate and voltages, latest bios and drivers (as far as I'm aware) - nothing overclocked, no optimisations.

I built this system a couple of months ago and have had problems from the beginning.
The first time I switch on I get to the start of the windows 7 boot screen and get a bsod with IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL 0xA.
If I them restart, the system will allow me to log in and everything is normal. If I power down and back up again I can log in without problem. If I power down, wait for a few hours, and power up again I get the same bsod.

I'm assuming this is a driver problem. It would seem as if some driver is attempting to load on first boot (or after a delay) that doesn't load on reboot/restart. Can't think of anything likely to do that though.

I've looked at the event log and can't find anything specific that would cause this problem, though the bsod always happens on first boot. Has anyone got any idea where I should look to trace the boot process (or any other ideas)?

This isn't a big deal, there's a simple workround - reboot - but I'd love to pin the problem down and eradicate it.

[Dark Mantis]

Hi and welcome to the Gigabyte Forum.

Do you have the stop code for the BSOD ?

The first thing I would want to check is the memory. Please follow these instructions exactly.

I would suggest that you download and run the latest version of  Memtest86+ to check your RAM first.

Memtest86+        http://www.memtest.org/

Insert one stick of memory in slot 1 and run Memtest on it for at least 10 complete loops/cycles and if there are no errors then swap it over with the next one and continue untill you have checked all  modules.
 
If you have any errors the module is faulty.

If you have any faulty modules you will have to return the whole kit as they are matched.

Post back when you have done that with the results.

[Crispy]

Tested both memory modules in the manner prescribed, one failed at test 8 of pass 9 and the other gave no failures over the 10 passes.

Using the module that gave no errors only, I've booted the machine several times over the last couple of days and it has never booted cleanly first time. Admittedly the errors have not been IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, I've had one PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA Stop 0x00000050 and another bsod with a completely corrupted error message - weird that one.

Though chkdsk says my drive is sound I think I'll try a complete OS reload on a known good hard drive as my next step.

I really don't want to shell out on another CPU or motherboard, it's probably cheaper in the longer term to buy a ready-built machine with a 3 year guarantee.

[Dark Mantis]

Firstly don't forget that you do have a three year warranty on the motherboard and processor already.

The suggestion of a complete re-installation is a good idea as if the memory was faulty it will have corrupted some of the files on the present setup. I would advise you to clear the CMOS first and then load Optimised BIOS Defaults before running setup though to make sure that you start with a clean slate.

Remove the power cable from the mains supply and then press the power switch on the case for a few seconds just to drain any residual energy in the PSU capacitors.

Once done remove the motherboard battery for at least one hour before replacing it.
 
Next plug back into the mains supply and boot.
 
You will now need to enter the BIOS by pressing DEL and load Optimised BIOS Defaults.

Make any other changes to the BIOS settings to suit your self like disabling the floppy drive, disabling the full screen logo and making the HDD the primary boot device and then press F10 to save and exit.

[Crispy]

Just in case anyone's interested -

As Dark Mantis suggested, the memory seems to have caused the failure. I bought a Corsair 4GB DDR3 stick, replaced my existing memory modules with it and the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL BSOD error disappeared.

While I now know what caused the problem (I think), I'm no nearer to understanding why I experienced the symptoms I did. It seems illogical to me that a hardware failure should only occur on the first, and only the first, attempted cold boot.

Still, happy now!

[Dark Mantis]

Sometimes it can be because of thermal issues. Once started the components are warm and behave differently than cold ones.