This document contains information about the Blue Screen Troubleshooting.
This module will cover analysis and resolution tips for Windows stop errors, also known as Blue Screen errors. This module is designed to help reduce the number of unnecessary operating system reinstalls initiated and overall number of calls taken.
Departments: Dell International Services
Authors: Heath Huff Russell Roberts
Contributing Sources:
Eileen Hughes Lee Bruns Laurence May Andy Skwarek Russell Roberts Gregory Wilson Sue Ann Kendall Chelea Paul Bobbie Mattord Gus Strand
Contacting Dell: To contact Dell regarding issues with this training material, click the following link: Feedback.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, and Dimension are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel, Pentium, and Celeron are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; AMD, Opteron, and PowerNow! are registered trademarks of AMD Corporation.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
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Using this Material
The following sections provide information to help you effectively use this training material.
Navigating the Material To navigate through this course, select topics using either the left navigation menu or the Previous/Next buttons at the top right corner of each page.
This course is designed to be completed in the order in which the topics are presented. However, refresher training can be accomplished in any desired order.
Important Symbols The following symbols are used to emphasize important notations in this material:
A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer.
A WARNING indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem.
A CAUTION indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.
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Course Introduction
TIME: This module requires 60 minutes.
Goal This module is designed to help reduce the number of unnecessary operating system reinstalls initiated and overall number of calls taken by educating resolution experts on the analysis and troubleshooting of blue screen errors.
Objectives Given the material in this course and your online resources, you will:
• Analyze blue screen errors and identify their vital troubleshooting components.Your answers will match the guide.
• Create troubleshooting and resolution plans for blue screen errors. Your answers will match the guide.
• Describe the limitations of the Dell Crash Analysis Tool and employ it on your laboratory system. Your answers will match the guide.
• Analyze memory dumps and determine the likely cause of the fatal error. Your answers will match the guide.
• Analyze different levels of system functionality and decide which troubleshooting tools are available at each level. Your answers will match the guide.
What’s In It For Me? A significant percentage of CTS calls end in the resolution expert advising the customer to reinstall their OS. Not only is this detrimental to the customer experience and the exact opposite of your goal as experts, it generates an average of two extra calls per incident.
In addition, this material will be included in the practical and written exams that are part of the requirements for becoming an Advanced Resolution Expert.
About Scope The content of this training is informative in nature only and may contain information about technical issues that is beyond the scope of support for your team. This training is not intended to reflect any support boundaries. Refer to DSN to ensure that you are following proper guidelines for support.
Required Materials
• Access to the Internet and Dell intranet
• Workstations with speakers and/or headphones
Prerequisites Before starting this training, all participants should have:
• Completed CTS New Hire training • Received ARE training approval
If you have not fulfilled these requirements, you may not be able to successfully complete this module.
Special Note to Our Outsource Partners
• As a Dell outsourcer, you have agreed to deliver on certain critical metrics. • To provide you with every opportunity to meet or exceed these metrics, we have agreed to share
some best practices with you, developed by Dell and its consultants. This training module reflects these best practices.
• These best practices are Proprietary and clearly marked as Dell Confidential. • They cannot be shared with other third parties without Dell's express written permission. You are
free to use these best practices from Dell or any other equal or better practices so long as you meet or exceed the required metrics.
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How to Read the Error
When most users see a Blue Screen error, they assume their operating system (OS) is irreparably damaged. However, this is rarely the case. Windows displays a “Blue Screen” or Windows Stop Message when it encounters an error from which it cannot recover. The core process of the OS subsequently terminates, and the resulting message contains diagnostics information in white text on a blue screen. This is the source of the nickname “Blue Screen” errors.
Blue screen errors are the most misinterpreted and misunderstood errors in the technology world. They are misunderstood by customers and REs alike. According to Microsoft, only 5-20% of these errors are actually caused by the OS. Only 10% are hardware related. The other 70% are the result of faulty drivers or software incompatibility. Based on those numbers, less than 15% of blue screen errors can be permanently resolved with an OS reinstall.
The key to resolving the vast majority of blue screen errors is identifying the software application that triggered the error and removing, repairing, or upgrading it.
How to Read the Information Blue screen errors can seem difficult to interpret at first, but when you break the screen down into easily digestible chunks of data you’ll find several pieces of valuable information, including:
• The common verbal name for the error • A suggestion as to what action to take • The numerical code that identifies the error • The name of the driver or library involved in the error • The memory address where the fault occurred
Blue Screen Example
Common Verbal Name Start at the top, below the error description and suspect file. The following is the abbreviated verbal message from the example above:
PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
This abbreviated description serves as a common verbal name for the error described by the blue screen. These names can be used to search for more information in DSN, Microsoft’s online knowledge base (KB), and even using search engines like Google. Some other examples of these names:
Suggested Course of Action A similar list of steps appears below the description of all Windows Stop Errors: restart your machine, troubleshoot basic hardware and software, adjust the BIOS, and boot into Safe mode if necessary.
Suggested Course of Action
These are your first troubleshooting steps. Before you get to any technical information, you already have a name to research and some basic diagnostics. It’s important to remember that most errors need not lead to reinstalls. It's also important to remember that customers may have already performed these steps before calling in. Your first step should always be researching the error to avoid any redundant or unnecessary action.
Stop Code In the next section down labeled “Technical information,” the first piece of information is a bug code, or “stop code,” you can use to reference the error. The stop code consists of five strings of alphanumeric characters. The stop code from the example is:
Stop Code
The first string outside the parentheses serves as a label for the error and is often abbreviated to the first two characters (0x) and the last two characters (50), so the code in the example is referred to as 0x50. The strings of characters inside the parentheses provide further details about the error.
CE Tip: When researching an error, use both the full (for example, 0x00000050) and abbreviated stop code (for example, 0x50). Use DSN, Microsoft’s online resources, and the Internet to locate information and possible resolutions.
☺
Driver or Library Involved The next piece of technical information names the driver or library file that was running when the system crashed. This information can help eliminate unrelated causes and possibly resolve the issue. If a driver or library file has become corrupt, and there’s no physical memory problem, then replacing the damaged file with an intact copy may alleviate the problem.
File Involved
The memory address where the fault occurred and time at which it happened are also listed. It’s possible, though unlikely, that physical components where vital data is stored are damaged or failing. Remember, the majority of blue screen errors are caused by faulty drivers or software incompatibility. Identify and repair the driver before you decide to dispatch and replace hardware.
CE Tip: If you think you’ve completed your troubleshooting and you are thinking about OS reinstallation, try the Crash Analysis Tool (CAT) instead. The CAT is available online at ☺ support.dell.com. Search for keyword “CAT.” Refer to DSN article 275169 for information on the CAT.
Memory Dump The last message on the screen sounds drastic at first:
Memory Dump
Things are not as bad as the message sounds. A “memory dump” is NOT a symptom of a hardware failure. Dispatching RAM is wasteful and useless; new memory will not solve the problem. A memory dump is simply the way Windows logs the error in case you want more information. By default, Windows will create mini-dump files when your computer reboots after an error. If the computer is bootable, you can direct Windows XP NOT to automatically restart in the event of a system failure and verify that memory dump settings using the following steps:
1. Click Start → Settings → Control Panel → System Properties. 2. Go to the Advanced tab → click Startup and Recovery Settings button. 3. Under System failure, uncheck the box for Automatically restart. 4. Make sure Write debugging information is set to Small memory dump (64 KB) and note the
NOTE: There are two other types of memory dumps: kernel memory dumps and complete memory dumps.
Kernel memory dumps record only the kernel memory, and are useful for developers interested in analyzing kernel mode failures. They are unnecessary for determining the cause of most blue screen errors. To store a kernel memory dump, your computer must have enough space to store the contents of 1/3 of the physical memory. In other words, if a computer has 512 MB of RAM, then you must have at least 171 MB of free space on the hard drive to store the .dmp file.
Complete memory dumps record the entire memory contents at the time of the failure. They are useful for complex debugging to identify the thread in the driver that failed, but are also unnecessary for isolating the cause of most blue screen errors. To store a complete memory dump, a computer must have at least enough free space to store its page file and RAM contents, plus 1 MB. For example, a computer with 512 MB RAM would need enough free space for the page file plus an extra 513MB.
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Analyze These Errors
Review the following screen shots and answer the questions for each one:
Blue Screen 1
Question 1: Q: What is the verbal name of the error?
Click to show answer.
Question 2: Q: What is the stop code?
Click to show answer.
Question 3: Q: Is there a driver or library involved? If so, what is its name?
Click to show answer.
Blue Screen 2
Question 4: Q: What is the verbal name of the error?
Click to show answer.
Question 5: Q: What is the stop code?
Click to show answer.
Question 6: Q: What does beginning dump of physical memory indicate?
Click to show answer.
Question 7: Q: How does this error differ from Blue Screen One?
Click to show answer.
Blue Screen 3
Question 8: Q: What is the verbal name of the error?
Click to show answer.
Question 9: Q: What is the stop code?
Click to show answer.
Question 10: Q: Is there a driver or library involved? If so, what is its name?
Click to show answer.
Blue Screen 4
Question 11: Q: What is the verbal name of the error?
Click to show answer.
Question 12: Q: What is the stop code?
Click to show answer.
Question 13: Q: Is there a driver or library involved? If so, what is its name?
Click to show answer.
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Offline Options
Now that you can read a blue screen error, how do you fix it?
Research The most important step in the resolution process is research. Ask the customer a few probing questions and then take the verbal description of the error and the error code and go online. There aren’t any new blue screen errors. Use DSN, the Microsoft Knowledge Base, and search engines to find more information about your customer’s error.
NOTE: In the Windows Debugger (discussed in detail later in this module) all 230+ stop error codes are listed at: Help → Contents → Debugging Techniques → Bug Checks (Blue Screens) → Bug Check Code Reference.
Chances are the error is caused by a faulty driver or other software incompatibility issue. If you can isolate the suspect application and repair or remove it, the error will cease to appear. Usually your online resources will suggest a solution. Ask your customer questions to verify that the description you’ve located matches their situation, then attempt the suggested resolution.
Offline Options There’s a chance the blue screen error prevents the customer from accessing the Internet or they simply don’t have an Internet connection. There are a few troubleshooting options in this case, though none are optimal.
Last Known Good Configuration Windows XP saves a set of hardware configuration and driver settings in the registry after each successful boot called the Last Known Good Configuration. During the boot process the customer can choose to revert to the last known good configuration (that is, restore the registry to the saved settings), removing any changes made since the last successful startup.
This option is limited—it will only fix errors caused by changes made to the system since the last reboot and is mainly used to correct configuration issues. It will not fix corrupt or missing drivers. If you are going to attempt to revert to the last known good configuration, you must do so prior to booting into Safe Mode. Booting into Safe Mode is considered a successful boot and will overwrite the last known good configuration in the registry.
WARNING: If the customer does not reboot their computer with any regularity or the issue has been occurring for some time, reverting to the last known good configuration is not a good troubleshooting option. This option should only be attempted with the customer’s permission and after you have completed VA.
To revert to the last known good configuration:
1. Start the computer. 2. Start tapping F8 when the BIOS screen disappears. 3. When the Windows Advanced Options menu appears, select Last Known Good
Configuration and then press Enter.
Edit the BIOS Settings
If the machine is unable to boot into the OS, but you have access to the BIOS, you can edit the BIOS settings to disable devices or drivers you suspect may be causing the problem. This is not a permanent solution. It is, however, a valid isolation method and may allow you to boot into the OS and remove or repair the offending software application if you can determine its identity.
WARNING: Editing the BIOS without proper understanding of the consequences can have an adverse effect on system performance. If you are unsure how to proceed, do not attempt to edit the BIOS. Instead boot into Safe Mode with Networking. For more information, consult DSN.
To edit the BIOS settings:
1. Start the computer. During POST, press F2. 2. When the System Setup menu appears, follow the on-screen navigation instructions to
locate and change settings or disable devices. 3. Press Esc to exit the setup utility.
Clean Boot with Msconfig The best offline troubleshooting option is to use msconfig to perform clean boot troubleshooting. The Microsoft System Configuration Utility (msconfig) automates routine configuration troubleshooting steps. Of chief interest is the ability to perform a clean boot, or disable the applications that start automatically upon bootup. For more information about msconfig, consult DSN article 128615.
WARNING: This is not a permanent solution, either. This will only help you isolate the cause of the error. When you are finished resolving the error, be sure to return the customer's system to normal.
The goal of clean boot troubleshooting is to isolate the cause of the error. First, clean boot the system. Then re-enable the features one by one until the error appears again. The last feature you re-enabled prior to the error occurring is usually the culprit and a great place to continue troubleshooting. For more information on clean boot troubleshooting, consult Microsoft Knowledge Base article 316434.
Safe Mode With Networking Rather than revert and lose data, or fiddle with the BIOS settings, it’s preferable to boot into Safe Mode with Networking to accomplish further troubleshooting and repairs.
NOTE: If a computer is bootable, it’s almost certainly reparable. This is also a very strong indicator that the cause of the error is a driver or software application rather than hardware. Very few blue screens that allow a system to boot prevent it from getting online. Advise the customer to boot into Safe Mode with Networking to get access to online troubleshooting tools such as CAT and the Windows Debugger.
To boot into safe mode with networking:
1. Start the computer. 2. Start tapping F8 when the BIOS screen disappears. 3. When the Windows Advanced Options menu appears, select Safe Mode with
Networking and press Enter.
NOTE: The other boot options in the advanced menu are Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Command Prompt, and Last Known Good Configuration. Safe Mode with Command Prompt does not have a GUI, and regular Safe Mode does not provide the Internet access required to download the Microsoft/Dell tools detailed in the following sections. As long as your customer has a broadband connection, your best
troubleshooting option is Safe Mode with Networking.
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Research these Errors
Analyze and research the following blue screen errors. Write a troubleshooting plan for each one, then click the links provided to see the sample answers.
Blue Screen 5
Troubleshooting Plan: Q: Write a plan to troubleshoot and resolve the above error.
Click to show an example plan for this error.
Blue Screen 6
Troubleshooting Plan: Q: Write a plan to troubleshoot and resolve the above error.
Troubleshooting Plan: Q: Write a plan to troubleshoot and resolve the above error.
Click to show an example plan for this error.
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Online Options
NOTE: Now is a good time to remember to suggest DellConnect. Before advising the customer to use any of the tools covered in this section, offer DellConnect as a convenient, educational option. The tools discussed in this module will be completely unfamiliar to the majority of your customers, and DellConnect is a great opportunity to demonstrate their usage and elevate your customer satisfaction ratings.
If your customer can boot into Safe Mode with Networking or normal mode, they’ll have access to downloadable Microsoft/Dell tools to assist with further troubleshooting. To summarize progress to this point:
• Your customer is receiving a blue screen error, which you have analyzed to determine the verbal description and stop code.
• You have researched the error code and description online to gather information and possible solutions.
• Your customer is able to boot their machine into normal mode, or safe mode with networking, and they have Internet access.
• You may or may not have been able to affect a resolution using the above steps and you’re looking for your next course of action.
NOTE: To download and install either the Windows Debugger or Crash Analysis Tool (CAT), the computer must be bootable to Safe Mode with Networking or Normal mode and have broadband Internet access.
The Dell Crash Analysis Tool (CAT) The CAT scans systems for suspect drivers and suggests a list of driver files that may need to be updated, repaired, or replaced. CAT is available from support.dell.com. For instructions on how to download and use CAT, consult DSN article 275169.
Questions to Consider: Q: What is the difference between the CAT and the Windows Debugger? What are the limitations of the CAT? Is it available for all systems? If you can, run the CAT on your lab system to get an idea of what your customers will see.
Click to show answer.
The Windows Debugger In a previous section we discussed memory dump files. Using tools available online from Microsoft, 85% of these memory dump files can be analyzed to determine the cause of the error. Software developers use debuggers to isolate bugs in source code. Windows Debugger is a debugger available free from Microsoft that can open and analyze memory dumps to identify the file that caused the error. Debugging memory dumps is a great opportunity to use DellConnect. At first a debugger can be confusing, especially to a basic consumer. Use DellConnect to connect to the customer’s system and install the tool from www.microsoft.com.
NOTE: The Windows Debugger must have access to symbol files in order to function properly and to accurately identify the source of the error. The best way to access the symbol files is to link the debugger to the Microsoft Symbol Server:
1. Download and install the latest version of Microsoft Debugger and start a debugging session.
2. Decide where to store any downloaded symbols (for example, C:\websymbols). 3. Set the debugger symbol path as follows:
a. Click File → Symbol File Path (or press Ctrl + S) b. Type “SRV*C:\websymbols*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols” c. Click OK
Your other option is to download the symbol files to your local machine, but the download time is lengthy and a local copy is unnecessary. Linking to the symbol server is the most convenient way to access the current symbol files.
2. Open the crash dump: Click File → Open Crash Dump (or Ctrl+D).
3. Select the first (next) memory dump file and click Open.
Questions to Consider:
Q: Are there any dump files on your lab or training machine? How would you go about locating them? How would you advise a customer who is analyzing memory dumps for the first time how to locate dump files on their system?
Click to show answer.
4. Click Yes to save.
5. A window will open containing the dump file.
6. In the “kd>” field at the bottom of the window, type “!analyze –v”, and press Enter.
7. The file that caused the error will be listed under “Image Name.”
8. Use DSN, the Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB), and Google to search for name of the file to find the root cause.
9. Press Shift+F5 to close the file, save the information, and return to Step 3.
NOTE: If you change the OS settings to create a complete memory dump upon failure, there will only be one dump file to analyze. Some customers may already have dump files saved using a different configuration. When working with more than one dump file, simply analyze them one at a time until the issue is resolved.
CE Tip: Dell provides the CAT mentioned previously as another method to resolve driver issues. Whichever tool you use, remember the goal is to avoid reinstalling the customer’s operating system if the problem can be fixed with a simple software change. These tools are just a means to identify which software application needs to be repaired or removed.
☺
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Debug these .DMP Files
If you have access to the Microsoft Knowledge Base and can do so, download and install the Windows Debugger on your machine. Use the debugger to analyze the following .DMP files. To download the files:
1. Right click on the link and select Save Target As . . . 2. Change "Save as type:" to All Files 3. Add ".dmp" to the end of the file name and click Save
Memory Dump 1: Q: Download and debug Mini022206-01.dmp. What file or driver most likely caused the crash?
Click to show answer.
Memory Dump 2: Q: Download and debug Mini042606-01.dmp. What file or driver most likely caused the crash?
Click to show answer.
Memory Dump 3: Q: Download and debug Mini083005-02.dmp. What file or driver most likely caused the crash?
Click to show answer.
Memory Dump 4: Q: Download and debug Mini100906-02.dmp. What file or driver most likely caused the crash?
Click to show answer.
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The Driver Verifier
Driver Verifier If you are unable to analyze the memory dump files, you can help your customer run the Microsoft Driver Verifier to test the computer’s current drivers in hopes of identifying the suspect driver. To set the Driver Verifier:
WARNING: Make sure you are comfortable with the Driver Verifier prior to using it with a customer. It’s easy to cause a blue screen, hang the boot process, or get into a reboot loop using this tool. Make sure you are prepared for these potential outcomes before using this tool. It’s a good idea to ask the customer about recent data backups and establish a Known Good Configuration (by rebooting) before using the Driver Verifier.
1. Click Start → Run → Type “verifier.exe” → and click OK.
Create Custom Settings
2. Choose Create custom settings and click the Next button.
Select Individual Settings
3. Choose Select individual settings from a full list and click the Next button.
Settings List
4. Check the boxes to enable all the tests except for Low resources simulation and click the Next button. The low resources simulation produces errors that are useful to developers, but useless miscues for troubleshooting purposes.
Select Drivers from List
5. Choose Select driver names from a list and click the Next button.
CAUTION: Choosing Automatically select all drivers installed on this computer will cause 80% of existing systems to fail the next boot attempt.
6.
7. 8. Driver List
9. Check the boxes for any drivers you judge to be in need of verification based on your troubleshooting with the customer up to this point and click the Finish button. Choose only those drivers you suspect may be involved. You do not need to select Windows drivers for this test unless one was mentioned by name in your research.
Questions to Consider
Q: How might you identify which drivers need to be verified? Why do you not need to add the Windows drivers to the list? What sorts of questions could you ask your customer to help you identify drivers that need verified?
Click to show answer.
Reboot
10. Click OK to exit the Driver Verifier.
11. Reboot the computer to initialize the new settings.
CAUTION: Verify that the machine is not set to automatically restart upon system failure before you reboot. If the drivers you selected fail the Driver Verifier’s rigorous tests (run during startup), the system may encounter a blue screen error while booting. If set to automatically restart after a failure, the computer could get stuck in a reboot loop.
To avoid this condition go to Start → Settings → Control Panel → System settings → Advanced Tab → click the Startup and Recovery Settings button → uncheck the Automatically restart box under System Failure → and click OK.
If a reboot loop occurs, press F8 and boot into Safe Mode to disable the Driver Verifier. If the issue persists, revert to the last known good configuration you established before you initialized the Driver Verifier.
12. The system may display a blue screen error during startup, implicating the driver that failed the Driver Verifier’s test. If so, identify the driver and repair or remove it.
13. If the reboot is successful, restart the Driver Verifier.
Verified Drivers Report
14. Display information about the currently verified drivers and click Next.
Current Levels/Drivers
15. The window will display the list of tests you enabled on the left and the list of drivers you selected for verification on the right, as shown above in the Current Levels/Drivers image. Check the status column for any drivers that failed verification, document their names, and click Next.
Global Counters List
16. The window will display the total number of occurrences for each Global Counter, or event that the Driver Verifier was monitoring. Click Next.
Counters per Driver
17. Select a driver from the drop down menu to see which global counters it incremented (in other words, which tests failed and how many times). Click Finish when you are done recording the results of your tests.
WARNING: It’s highly likely that the computer will take longer to reboot after you advise your customer to initialize the Driver Verifier. For best CE, inform the customer of this likelihood before they have to ask you. The extra time is simply the Verifier testing the selected drivers.
Disable the Driver Verifier When your tests are complete it’s imperative that you disable the Driver Verifier to avoid unintentional errors and confusion for your customer.
1. Click Start → Run → Type “verifier.exe” → and click OK.
Delete Existing Settings
2. Choose Delete existing settings and click Finish.
Verify You Want to Continue
3. Click Yes to confirm the deletion and advise the customer to reboot their computer.
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Know Your Tools
Answer the following questions:
Question 1: Q: What are the troubleshooting tools you can use even if the system will not boot into the OS?
Click to show answer.
Question 2: Q: What are the troubleshooting tools you can use if the system will boot to normal or safe mode but cannot get online?
Click to show answer.
Question 3: Q: What are the troubleshooting tools you can use if the system can boot and get online?
Click to show answer.
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Summary and Key Points
Summary The goal of this course is to educate resolution experts in the analysis and resolution of blue screen errors in order to prevent unnecessary agent-initiated OS reinstalls. You learned how to read and troubleshoot blue screen errors, the most misinterpreted errors in personal computing. Each blue screen provides you with the information you need to research, troubleshoot, and resolve the issue—almost always without having to resinstall the OS. You learned how to use the Windows Debugger for analyzing memory dumps and the Dell Crash Analysis Tool (CAT) for scanning flawed systems for potential driver issues. Both are available online and can help identify the source of the error.
Key Points
• Avoid unnecessary OS reinstalls; aim for 1 reinstall per 40 or more calls. • 70% of blue screens are caused by non-OS software applications such as drivers. OS reinstalls will
NOT permanently resolve these issues. • There is a host of tools at your disposal to troubleshoot blue screen errors. The Windows Debugger
will help you analyze memory dump files generated by the OS after a fatal error to determine the cause of the error. The Dell CAT will scan the system for suspect drivers.
• Blue screen errors are not irreparable. Memory dumps do not require new memory. The vast majority of all blue screen errors are resolvable once the cause of the error is isolated.
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Blue Screen Troubleshooting : Document Outline
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Changes: Created module based on existing course material. Took content from Advanced OS Troubleshooting: Module One (4 hrs), incorporated feedback from SMEs, shortened to a 60-minute timeline, and removed the need for a facilitator. Consumer Legal determined formal review unnecessary.
