How come whenever I shutdown and unplug my PC, days or a week later it throws BSODs

[Phait]

SERIOUSLY. I build my own PCs. I take care of them.

 

Let's say I decide to stay a night or two at a friends, or a week like this last time. I shut the PC down, unplug the surge strip in any case. Usually, I have unplugged the 27" monitor to bring with me, like I did this last week.

 

When I'm home, it throws me error dialogs in Windows sometimes about the antivirus (Avast), and other apps that are running. Then, the screen will corrupt and suddenly I'm thrown into a blue screen. It might say BAD POOL HEADER or SYSTEM SERVICE EXCEPTION, and usually starts with ntfs.sys

 

I usually just reformat and suck it up, but eventually - when I do the shutdown/unplug thing, it's BOUND to happen.

 

What's really going on? Why is it so consistent even after new formats?

[Phait]

Just did a system restore to 02/18 the day I left, and now it threw me a BAD_POOL_HEADER

 

Now...

 

I shutdown unplugged completely, and reseated both RAM modules after a minute left out. Removed anti-virus (one of the errors happened after AV update attempt), keyboard driver (its also unplugged, I think one of the errors had to do with the kb) and display driver removal (also threw some error but not blue screen). Reinstalling these things now *fingers crossed*

 

So far it hasn't crashed (15 minutes later)

[Anderton]

 

Just did a system restore to 02/18 the day I left, and now it threw me a BAD_POOL_HEADER

 

 

I dunno...sounds like a rogue driver. Or, maybe you need to put some chlorine in the pool.

[Phait]

It usually does come down to driver issues, but for these to only crop up when the PC has been unplugged for some time baffles me.

[MikeRivers]

Could be that the CMOS memory backup power is dead and something has changed in the BIOS setup. Can you get to the setup menu and check settings for conflicts? Or reset it to defaults if you haven't customized it?

[WRGKMC]

A weak Bios battery can cause the problem, but seeing the antivirus you're using is likely your problem.

I've has experience with it before and from what I've read it causes more problems than it fixes.

You really dont even want to be running it on a DAW, but some using their DAWs for internet access too.

best to have a dual boot system if you're going to do that.

 

Try deinstalling and running it without it for awhile. Keep your firewall running and dont visit any

questionable sites or download anything till you're sure it was the antivirus causing the problem.

If the problem goes away try McAfee or Symantec or some other antivirus that doesnt have bloatware.

 

Problem with antivirus is you often have to disable it to install software which was likely your problem.

It can also be you have illegal software or certain types of software liscences and authorization issues

the antivirus is flags it causes crashes. Programs that use Pace Lock are known to lock up computers.

Theres others that use the Mac code of the netwok card that can be lost when powers removed.

Other antivirus looks for illegal software when it does a full scan and cripples the software so when

the user reboots it wipes out their system. And of course you can have a virus or trojan that cripples your system

as well.

 

operating systems have become quite complex and you can have viruses hidden in system restore files so even

when you wipe them out with antivirus software, they get reinstalled from the system restore files every time you reboot.

 

I wouldnt rule out a drive going bad either. I've had many computers that fail to boot properly when the drive begins to

go bad.

[ggm1960]

 

A weak Bios battery can cause the problem,

 

 

This is the problem my old Dell 8400 3Ghz P4 system has but heck, it's nearly eight years old so that's to be expected. I prefer to just leave it run and shut the monitor off. If I turn it off it'll have problems restarting again, blue screen a time or two but then take off and run fine.

 

Even though it's always connected to the internet I don't run any anti-virus software, never have. I've found that the best anti-virus protection is a computer user that doesn't go to strange web sites or open strange e-mail attachments.

[daklander]

What WRGKMC, use a dual boot if you need to use the DAW for you 'net use too. I would use the Linux distro of your choice.

 

Also, as mentioned, the bios battery could well be running out of juice. They are, as you should know, simple to replace and inexpensive.

[daklander]

 

This is the problem my old Dell 8400 3Ghz P4 system has but heck, it's nearly eight years old so that's to be expected. I prefer to just leave it run and shut the monitor off. If I turn it off it'll have problems restarting again, blue screen a time or two but then take off and run fine. Even though it's always connected to the internet I don't run any anti-virus software, never have. I've found that the best anti-virus protection is a computer user that doesn't go to strange web sites or open strange e-mail attachments.

 

 

Jeez, just change the battery. It's easy and cheap, and you'll probably only have to update the date settings in bios.

[Phait]

Wel I'm in Windows now and there haven't been any problems. I removed Avast, a standby antivirus I've always used and switched to Panda Cloud. I did check my blue screen dump files, and the errors mostly came down to an Avast driver, and a USB 3.0 driver (I have a USB 3.0 port I installed the official driver for, on my mobo, whenever I first formatted it months ago). There was also errors from FLTMGR.SYS which if I recall correctly is Windows file management, and lastly NTOSKRNL.EXE was involved in all errors with the aforementioned drivers.

 

I have all the USB stuff unplugged except my keyboard and my mouse.

 

 

Also, as mentioned, the bios battery could well be running out of juice. They are, as you should know, simple to replace and inexpensive.

 

 

I thought about this too, in fact I was gonna pop it out and put it back in after a few minutes to clear the CMOS, but I'd of had to remove my honkin 'video card and didn't feel like doing that lol

[nat whilk II]

 

What WRGKMC , use a dual boot if you need to use the DAW for you 'net use too. I would use the Linux distro of your choice. Also, as mentioned, the bios battery could well be running out of juice. They are, as you should know, simple to replace and inexpensive.

 

 

Dual boot doesn't have to entail a separate OS - I simply have one HD I boot from for the daily business stuff and internet, and when I want to go to DAWland I reboot out of another HD that is 99.999% internet-free (have to do software registrations, etc), game-free, Facebook-free, Adobe-free, popup-free, anti-virus-free. Nice place, DAWland!

 

nat whilk ii

[scarecrowbob]

 

Dual boot doesn't have to entail a separate OS - I simply have one HD I boot from for the daily business stuff and internet, and when I want to go to DAWland I reboot out of another HD that is 99.999% internet-free (have to do software registrations, etc), game-free, Facebook-free, Adobe-free, popup-free, anti-virus-free. Nice place, DAWland! nat whilk ii

 

 

This.

 

I do web stuff for a living, and I just moved to a dual boot system this weekend, as I want to learn linux and have a machine a bit more like the servers that I am working with, even though I need to have XP for Photoshop.

 

But you don't have to dual boot multiple os's. For instance, since I can't afford to have a non-functioning main work machine (but I want that machine to dual boot), I pulled the main drive and built a dual boot XP/Ubuntu installation on a different disk. So in a sense there are three options for booting: I can plug in a known good XP installation that I've been using to develop software on, or I can plug in the xp/ubuntu disk.

 

Actually, since I'm very secure in my setup after testing it sat/sun, I have the old OS disk on a different SATA number and I could boot to it from my bios boot-loader if I wanted to.... but by default I get a boot choice between Ubuntu and XP (though since I actually ahve to get work done today, I'm working in good old XP).

 

But in any case, it is a really, really good idea when you're dealing with things that are separate from each other like, say audio production and web development, and it keep stuff fast and tidy.

[ggm1960]

 

Jeez, just change the battery. It's easy and cheap, and you'll probably only have to update the date settings in bios.

 

 

I know it! I didn't expect that computer to live this long but it keeps hanging in there.

[daklander]

 

Dual boot doesn't have to entail a separate OS - I simply have one HD I boot from for the daily business stuff and internet, and when I want to go to DAWland I reboot out of another HD that is 99.999% internet-free (have to do software registrations, etc), game-free, Facebook-free, Adobe-free, popup-free, anti-virus-free. Nice place, DAWland! nat whilk ii

 

 

No, you don't have to run another type of OS but Linux is us a very good option for use on the internet.

Also, If you are running Windows and get hit bad enough, a hacker can access everything on that box, including your "safe" drives.

[WRGKMC]

 

McAfee and Symantec are widely regarded as bloatware aren't they? Or at least ones to avoid for many reasons, which is why I've been with reliable free alternatives for years.

 

 

No way. They arent free though unless your internet provider supplies them.

I use Comcast and they supply Symantec 360. I used SBC/AT&T before that and

they provided McAfee. Both work fine. I used Symantec mostly over the past 20+years with zero issues.

I dont trust any free antivirus.

Many will install trojans, viruses, open up stelth ports install keystroke readers and all kinds of bull{censored}.

You can scan the computer with them all day long and they wont see new viruses nor their own stelthware.

Programs like the ones I mentioned update the latest virus detection files every couple of days to a week.

Its highly unlikely you'll get attacked by antique viruses many free programs protect you from because

they are filtered in email and internet servers fairly effectively.

 

The USB 3.0 you were speaking about could definately have been the issue.

Its not widely used yet and you can have all kinds of software/hardware issues with it.

In many cases the port doesnt run any faster than 2.0 so I'm guessing it isnt perfected yet.

 

When I google up USB 3.0 problems 101 million posts so you really have to drill down based on your hardware setup

to find specific answers.

 

Also the bettery should hold the bios settings for a year or two. You jey cant tell how old the battery is though.

They may have put batteries at the end of their shelf life which is about 5 years, or you have additional boards chips that

have memory that are backed up by it.

 

I used to be on top of all the computer gear as an electronic tech from 1980 up till 9 years ago when I quit doing field work.

My wife works for HP and keeps me up to date on the new stuff that comes out.

Theres no sence memorizing all that crap if you dont use it every day. The only time I need to get up to speed is when I'm doing a

computer upgrade. I know the day I buy it its obsolite. I used to build all my own computers but since my wife works for HP,

I'd get hell for buying something generic.

 

In any case you can go into your system tools and check your software/hardware

compatibility and check your boot logs. They'll tell you whats actually causing the failures.

I havent messed with it in win 7 much cause I dont have failures and its something I only check

after setting up a system and/or hot rodding a PC for audio. Once you find the failure history you can

google it up the cause.

[Phait]

I didn't mean McAfee or Symantec etc were free, I meant I've been using top rated free alternatives, mostly Avast. I have to really disagree with your post about the BS that freeware AV will install. If this was the case they would not be touted as dependable, free alternatives all over the internet. I'm not talking about the ads that say YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED, CLICK HERE FOR FREE ANTIVIRUS!

[Beck]

What kind of MOBO do you have? What brand and model.

 

I haven't used Norton Antivirus since '05. No freakin' way! In fact I took that last Norton CD out to the range, duct-taped it to a clay bird, launched it and shot it with my Remington 870 12-guage shotgun.

 

Avast gave me problems as well, but I don't use anything on my DAW.

[Phait]

Asrock 770 Extreme3 mobo

 

BTW I'm finding that, when I put my computer to sleep, it no longer wakes from a key press. I hit power button, and it before getting into Windows says it was shutdown improperly. I've put my computer to sleep every night without problem before I got back from this last week.

 

FWIW, I did shut down, not put it to sleep, when I unplugged it all. (Did that once like last year, whoops!)

[deanmass]

Power issue. Either the shutdown sequence throws that circuit into brownout mode, causing a power dip, or a short in the off/ on button is my bet. Buy a line conditioner, and I bet the problem stops. Most pc's draw peak power on startup and shutdown, usually 4-7 amps, depending on the power supply. Ad to that a monitor, printer, etc, and you can be bumping against the top of a 15 or 20 amp circuit quickly. Since mother boards are sensitive to the milliamp in some cases, fluctuations can lead to BSOD. It is worth checking.

[BushmasterM4]

I find McAfee and other commerical (store bought) especially CA to be the most trouble causing programs in existance !!!! Slow your systems to a crawl and cause memory issues out the butt !!! The only anti virus system I have come across that is lean and mean is Avira (free or bought version). But you could have a leaky cap. on the mainboard. Or a funky power supply.

[philbo]

I would never ever consider using any Symantec or McAfee product for anything. Well, maybe I'd consider using the disc as a clay pigeon... The idea appeals to me on some level.

[techristian]

 

Could be that the CMOS memory backup power is dead and something has changed in the BIOS setup.

 

 

I think that you are right Mike. I have had similar things go wrong when my system is down for a few weeks.

 

Dan

[WRGKMC]

The trick with antivirus is you can have it installed but disable the auto start functions

so it doesnt run in the background. You would still have to launch it to run a scan and

to do updates. Both McAfee and Symantec are intergrated with browsers now and scan

for dangerous websites. They help to prevent you from going to sites that contain viruses

and downloading things that can be harmful.

 

I agree, theres no reason to run antivirus on a dedicated daw, but the OP uses his computer for

everything so its his option. Both McAfee and Symantec are very light on resources now and arent

the cinder block they used to be for systems.

 

You will always have those who hate products because they want everything for free.

If free is what you want, go for it, but in my opinion they are garbage programs that couldnt

catch an elephant in the room no less a newer virus.

Free virus programs do not have the support needed to keep virus definitions up to date.

 

The best they might do is stop a bunch of old viruses that arent even active, and they might

update after a virus has already done their damage. They dont come up with weekly updates

like the big sellers do, nor give you instructions for removing viruses found. If you're luckey they

may quarantien the file and advise you it needs to be fixed. Then you wind up having to buy their

full product to get rid of the virus only to find out it wasnt a virus to begin with.

[Phait]

Avast free runs in the background. It also has warned me when visiting bad sites or when malware was detected.

 

I don't "hate" Symantec/Norton because they're not free. Hell Avast offers a few pay options, but I don't need those options. I just avoid the big names because of their bad reputation.

 

Will Avast catch all of the viruses out there? Probably not, but what AV does? Sure, some may be higher. But, with my awareness of where I'm visiting and what I'm clicking, it's not a huge issue.

 

My virus definitions also are kept up to date. Also, while I can quarantine a virus, I can also remove it completely. And as far as them being frequently updated, http://www.avast.com/virus-monitor

 

Again, I switched to Panda Cloud (also free) to see if Avast drivers were at fault with my issue, however - it's rare that I've ever shutdown AND unplugged my computer for any reason, and aside from this issue which has happened before, Avast has performed quite well.

[Cry Logic]

For Win7/vista users you can't go past Microsoft Security Essentials imho.

 

It's free, unobtrusive and does the job as well as most others.