BSOD loop occurs at startup with the error IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, yet safe mode can be accessed.
BSOD loop occurs at startup with the error IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, yet safe mode can be accessed.
Thank you for your support! I plan to test the RAM one by one tonight and aim to check all four sticks by Sunday evening. I’m really hoping they don’t pass the test, so I can point any crashes at something else—like a faulty RMA from Gskillz. Fingers crossed!
In the meantime, I’m using HDsentinel to run tests on my hard drives. So far everything shows 100% health and performance, but I’m doing extended tests on all sectors just to be safe.
Hopefully, the issue is with one of the above components, not my CPU, GPU, cooler, or motherboard.
A solid catch by @ubuysa. I verified the driver but missed the date. I re-examined the dumps and found an executable named VaM.exe in one of them (030624-13281-01.dmp). It doesn’t appear to be a system or Windows file—it’s likely a third-party program.
Code details:
THREAD ffff950c42dec080
Cid 3620.09c0
Teb: 000000e455273000
Win32Thread: ffff950c34515cd0
RUNNING on processor 8
Impersonation token: ffffdc075bc6e940 (Level Delegation)
GetUlongFromAddress: unable to read from fffff8051280be4c
Owning Process: ffff950c43b790c0
Image: <Unknown>
Attached Process: ffff950c3fd75080
Image: VaM.exe
fffff78000000000: Unable to get shared data
Wait Start TickCount: 1380730
Context Switch Count: 72
ReadMemory error: Cannot get nt!KeMaximumIncrement value.
UserTime: 00:00:00.000
KernelTime: 00:00:00.000
Win32 Start Address: 0x00007ff6b63db540
Stack Init: fffff20ae152fbb0
Current fffff20ae152e4b0
Base: fffff20ae1530000
Limit: fffff20ae1529000
Call: 0
Priority: 8
BasePriority: 8
UnusualBoost: 0
ForegroundBoost: 0
IoPriority: 2
PagePriority: 5
Child-SP: RetAddr: Args to Child
Call Site: nt!KeBugCheckEx
fffff20a`e152e4d8 fffff805`1202c5e9
You may try working with the PC after updating that driver.
@ubuysa noted and suggested checking for repeated BSODs.
If the PC experienced another crash and it seems to be a non-essential third-party app, uninstalling it might resolve the issue. Alternatively, if the app installs its own drivers or updates, you could verify for any relevant updates.
Thank you guys so much! I am going to check and update all the drivers. I did update BIOS last week to the latest for my Mobi.
VaM.exe is a video game I play regularly, I’ve been playing that for couple years. So from the dump file, does it say this application is the cause of the BSOD? I’m not aware of any driver associated with this game. But it is a very demanding game in terms of CPU/GPU. Can a game cause BSOD by just sitting in the hard drive? This is kind of concerning since I do want to keep playing that game.
A quick update on the RAM issue, I tested each stick individually at the max pass (at least for the free version). They all passed with 0 error. However, I was checking my mobo and ram QVL. I found out my mobo doesn’t support 16gbx4 setup for my specific RAM! I bought 2 kits of 16x2 and mixed them together. Could that be the issue? I always thought you could mix RAM kits as long as they are the exact model. Either way, I have ordered some new RAM from the QVL (this time I made sure it’s supported on both the Mobo and RAMs QVL) and will test it out tomorrow when it arrives as you suggested.
p.s. while waiting for the new RAM, I did some Prime95 tests. With XMP enabled, it gives almost instant failure and BSOD. So the system is definitely not stable at this point.
No, more likely scenario is the BSOD occured while you were running the game or maybe game was running and you switched to desktop or some other like streaming apps perhaps or Discord or something of that sort?
This is basically a bad idea since it's always a gamble. Even if they're the same model number which is metioned in the motherboard QVL for RAM. Sometimes they work OK, sometimes there are issues (likely in your case) and sometimes they outright refuse to play nice and won't even boot etc.
Check part numbers and run system with either pair that came as a pack/sold together and that might be it! There's a reason RAM come in packs. They make sure they run together. Yes same model number same specs and everything. There's no guarantee mixed RAM would work as user would like them to.
I really can't keep track of all the BSODs caused by mixing RAM. It's also worrying that your manual doesn't cover the RAM settings you used. I believe it was smart to order fully supported RAM.
Can't believe I missed such a simple detail! The instructions even warn "DO NOT MIX KITS" on the RAM box... I'm not sure how I got this idea that kits can be mixed. I've always trusted my experience building PCs. I'm hoping this is the problem, so I'll try the new kit today and check if it still causes BSOD. Will let you know what I find. Thanks again for your patience and clear explanations—it really helps!
Great news your system is running smoothly. Please review this thread for guidance on labeling a post as the best solution and marking it as 'solved'.