Windows 8.1 IRQL_Not_Less_Or_Equal

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=5539FAAD86FF3B84!635&authkey=!ANGrIJyFvaA9SP0&ithint=file%2c.zip

Hopefully that works!

So far you've made this extremely easy for me to understand, so I thank you for that very much. :)

Hi,

In order to assist you, we will need the .DMP files to analyze what exactly occurred at the time of the crash, etc.

If you don't know where .DMP files are located, here's how to get to them:

1. Navigate to the %systemroot%\Minidump folder.

2. Copy any and all DMP files in the Minidump folder to your Desktop and then zip up these files.

3. Upload the zip containing the .DMP files to Onedrive or a hosting site of your choice and paste in your reply. Prefered sites: Onedrive, Mediafire, Dropbox, etc. Nothing with wait-timers.

4 (optional): The type of .DMP files located in the Minidump folder are known as Small Memory Dumps. In %systemroot% there will be what is known as a Kernel-Dump (if your system is set to generate). It is labeled MEMORY.DMP. The difference between Small Memory Dumps and Kernel-Dumps in the simplest definition is a Kernel-Dump contains much more information at the time of the crash, therefore allowing further debugging of your issue. If your upload speed permits it, and you aren't going against any strict bandwidth and/or usage caps, etc, the Kernel-Dump is the best choice. Do note that Kernel-Dumps are much larger in size due to containing much more info, which is why I mentioned upload speed, etc.

If you are going to use Onedrive but don't know how to upload to it, please visit the following:

Upload photos and files to Onedrive.

Please note that any "cleaner" programs such as TuneUp Utilities, CCleaner, etc, by default will delete .DMP files upon use.

If your computer is not generating .DMP files, please do the following:

1. Start > type %systemroot% which should show the Windows folder, click on it. Once inside that folder, ensure there is a Minidump folder created. If not, CTRL-SHIFT-N to make a New Folder and name it Minidump.

2. Windows key + Pause key. This should bring up System. Click Advanced System Settings on the left > Advanced > Performance > Settings > Advanced > Ensure there's a check-mark for 'Automatically manage paging file size for all drives'.

3. Windows key + Pause key. This should bring up System. Click Advanced System Settings on the left > Advanced > Startup and Recovery > Settings > System Failure > ensure there is a check mark next to 'Write an event to the system log'.

Ensure Small Memory Dump is selected and ensure the path is %systemroot%\Minidump.

4. Double check that the WERS is ENABLED:

Start > Search > type services.msc > Under the name tab, find Windows Error Reporting Service > If the status of the service is not Started then right click it and select Start. Also ensure that under Startup Type it is set to Automatic rather than Manual. You can do this by right clicking it, selecting properties, and under General selecting startup type to 'Automatic', and then click Apply.

If you cannot get into normal mode to do any of this, please do this via Safe Mode.

Regards,

Patrick

Maybe, but it's very hard to say without a crash dump. It may have just been a side effect of verifier, so let's disable verifier.

Ensure you have the latest video card drivers. If you are already on the latest video card drivers, uninstall and install a version or a few versions behind the latest to ensure it's not a latest driver only issue. If you have already experimented with the latest video card driver and many previous versions, please give the beta driver for your card a try.

After doing so, please run Memtest for NO LESS than ~8 passes (several hours):

Memtest86+:

Download Memtest86+ here:

http://www.memtest.org/

Which should I download?

You can either download the pre-compiled ISO that you would burn to a CD and then boot from the CD, or you can download the auto-installer for the USB key. What this will do is format your USB drive, make it a bootable device, and then install the necessary files. Both do the same job, it's just up to you which you choose, or which you have available (whether it's CD or USB).

Do note that some older generation motherboards do not support USB-based booting, therefore your only option is CD (or Floppy if you really wanted to).

How Memtest works:

Memtest86 writes a series of test patterns to most memory addresses, reads back the data written, and compares it for errors.

The default pass does 9 different tests, varying in access patterns and test data. A tenth test, bit fade, is selectable from the menu. It writes all memory with zeroes, then sleeps for 90 minutes before checking to see if bits have changed (perhaps because of refresh problems). This is repeated with all ones for a total time of 3 hours per pass.

Many chipsets can report RAM speeds and timings via SPD (Serial Presence Detect) or EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles), and some even support changing the expected memory speed. If the expected memory speed is overclocked, Memtest86 can test that memory performance is error-free with these faster settings.

Some hardware is able to report the "PAT status" (PAT: enabled or PAT: disabled). This is a reference to Intel Performance acceleration technology; there may be BIOS settings which affect this aspect of memory timing.

This information, if available to the program, can be displayed via a menu option.

Any other questions, they can most likely be answered by reading this great guide here:

http://forum.canardpc.com/threads/28864-FAQ-please-read-before-posting

Regards,

Patrick

Hello, so sorry for the late reply!

I've had Driver Verifier on for a few days now, since I haven't bothered to turn it off, and my computer did not BSOD.

I decided to play a powerful game to see if that was triggering it or something, and though it never crashed, it kept doing these little lags and the sound distorted for about a second each time it happened, It almost felt like It was about to crash but never did.

Does this mean there's a problem with my hardware?

You did just great, thanks! Glad my instructions were clear.

We have two bug checks:

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (a)

This indicates that Microsoft Windows or a kernel-mode driver accessed paged memory at DISPATCH_LEVEL or above.

This bug check is issued if paged memory (or invalid memory) is accessed when the IRQL is too high. The error that generates this bug check usually occurs after the installation of a faulty device driver, system service, or BIOS.

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (d1)

This indicates that a kernel-mode driver attempted to access pageable memory at a process IRQL that was too high.

A driver tried to access an address that is pageable (or that is completely invalid) while the IRQL was too high. This bug check is usually caused by drivers that have used improper addresses.

-- FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_0xD1_dxgmms1!VidSchiProcessDpcVSyncCookie+4

^^ Direct X MMS routine.

Unfortunately, that's about all we have to go regarding information in these dumps. It'spossible this is hardware, but let's be sure by enabling Driver Verifier:

Driver Verifier:

What is Driver Verifier?

Driver Verifier is included in Windows 8/8.1, 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 to promote stability and reliability; you can use this tool to troubleshoot driver issues. Windows kernel-mode components can cause system corruption or system failures as a result of an improperly written driver, such as an earlier version of a Windows Driver Model (WDM) driver.

Essentially, if there's a 3rd party driver believed to be at issue, enabling Driver Verifier will help flush out the rogue driver if it detects a violation.

Before enabling Driver Verifier, it is recommended to create a System Restore Point:

Vista - START | type rstrui - create a restore point

Windows 7 - START | type create | select "Create a Restore Point"

Windows 8 - http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/4690-restore-point-create-windows-8-a.html

How to enable Driver Verifier:

Start > type "verifier" without the quotes > Select the following options -

1. Select - "Create custom settings (for code developers)"

2. Select - "Select individual settings from a full list"

3. Check the following boxes -

• Special Pool
• Pool Tracking
• Force IRQL Checking
• Deadlock Detection
• Security Checks (Windows 7 & 8)
• DDI compliance checking (Windows 8)
• Miscellaneous Checks

4. Select  - "Select driver names from a list"

5. Click on the "Provider" tab. This will sort all of the drivers by the provider.

6. Check EVERY box that is NOT provided by Microsoft / Microsoft Corporation.

7. Click on Finish.

8. Restart.

Important information regarding Driver Verifier:

• If Driver Verifier finds a violation, the system will BSOD. To expand on this a bit more for the interested, specifically what Driver Verifier actually does is it looks for any driver making illegal function calls. When and/if this happens, system corruption occurs if allowed to continue. When Driver Verifier is enabled, it is monitoring all 3rd party drivers (as we have it set that way) and when it catches a driver attempting to do this, it will quickly flag that driver as being a troublemaker, and bring down the system safely before any corruption can occur.
• After enabling Driver Verifier and restarting the system, depending on the culprit, if for example the driver is on start-up, you may not be able to get back into normal Windows because Driver Verifier will detect it in violation almost straight away, and as stated above, that will cause / force a BSOD.

If this happens, do not panic, do the following:

• Boot into Safe Mode by repeatedly tapping the F8 key during boot-up.
• Once in Safe Mode - Start > Search > type "cmd" without the quotes.
• To turn off Driver Verifier, type in cmd "verifier /reset" without the quotes.

・    Restart and boot into normal Windows.

If your OS became corrupt or you cannot boot into Windows after disabling verifier via Safe Mode:

• Boot into Safe Mode by repeatedly tapping the F8 key during boot-up.
• Once in Safe Mode - Start > type "system restore" without the quotes.
• Choose the restore point you created earlier.

-- Note that Safe Mode for Windows 8 is a bit different, and you may need to try different methods: 5 Ways to Boot into Safe Mode in Windows 8 & Windows 8.1

How long should I keep Driver Verifier enabled for?

I recommend keeping it enabled for at least 24 hours. If you don't BSOD by then, disable Driver Verifier. I will usually say whether or not I'd like for you to keep it enabled any longer.

My system BSOD'd with Driver Verifier enabled, where can I find the crash dumps?

They will be located in %systemroot%\Minidump

Any other questions can most likely be answered by this article:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/244617

Regards,

Patrick