sick harddrive

[Livzz]

hi guys,

I'm having problems with my second harddrive, a WD3200KS sataII harddrive... Its been fine up until now, and i'm getting those blue error screens, with the following info:

........

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_EQUAL

..........

***STOP: 0x000000D1 (0xB347D000, 0x00000002, 0x00000001, 0xBA60D4BD)

*** nvata.sys - Address BA60D4BD base at BA60C000
date stamp 428a9103



all i can get from that, is that a driver might be playing up?
but i didnt install any drivers for the harddrive, i just plugged it in and used it...

If i try turning on the computer with it plugged in, it will boot into windows, but after about 5 - 10 minutes it bluescreens. I'd hate to format, because i've got a lot of music and dvds on there i dont want to lose...

...help?

 

[ceewi1]

Drivers are the first suspect. Uninstall the nVidia IDE drivers from your system. Memory errors are another possibility, if removing the drivers fails to correct anything, try running memtest to ensure that your RAM is not causing the problem.

 

[pdc76]

an irql_not_less_or_equal error is definately a driver problem. most of the time this error is received when you've switched brand of video cards and didn't completely remove the previous driver.

this error also comes from audio driver problems, but from your info, the nvata.sys driver is at fault. the nv leads me to believe it's an nvidia driver problem you're having. have you recently upgraded video cards?

 

[PC eye]

You may want to look in the device manager under "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers" to see if the second drive has a yellow mark next to it. You could then right click on it and choose the update driver option. before that you may want to look over the updates at the Asus support site. http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us

 

[SirKenin]

It is a known nVIDIA SATA driver problem. It happens when the driver tries to access memory using an IRQL that is too high. Go to the Asus website and download an update.

It can also be caused by faulty RAM or a corrupt pagefile if that fix doesn't work.

 

[Livzz]

i havent upgraded video card... so it cant be the graphics drivers...

If it is the RAM or the pagefile, why does it only happen when this particular harddrive is connected?

i just looked in the "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers" branch in device manager, theres two entries for "nVidia nForce4 Serial ATA controller".
Could that be it? if i uninstalled both of them, then let the computer 'find new hardware' and install just what it needs could that fix it?

there wasnt an entry with a yellow mark, but thats probably because i havent got the hdd connected at the moment...

 

[SirKenin]

No, there's no yellow mark because there's nothing wrong with it.

I told you how to fix it... Why not try it and then post back if it fixed the problem?

 

[ceewi1]

i havent upgraded video card... so it cant be the graphics drivers...

nVidia makes more than just graphics cards. Do what either SirKenin or I suggested. Remove the offending driver (and use the Windows one), or download an update from Asus site. Either way should solve the problem.

 

[PC eye]

Anyone need instructions on this?

6045 » Windows XP Home Edition issues DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error? 06-Dec-02



When your computer restarts after installing Windows XP Home Edition, you receive:
System has recovered from a serious error
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.
This problem can be caused by:
1. A damaged Virtual Memory Manager Page file.
2. A faulty RAM (memory) module.
3. A RAM module that is NOT compatible with the computers chip set.
To resolve this issue, check your computer documentation or contact the computer manufacturer:
Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K
Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P
Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z
If the RAM is OK or changing it does NOT fix the problem:
01. Right-click My Computer and press Properties.
02. Select the Advanced tab.
03. Press the Settings button under Performance.
04. Select the Advanced tab.
05. Press the Change button under Virtual memory.
06. Select No paging file and press the Set button. Press Yes if prompted.
07. Press OK, OK, and OK.
08. Shutdown and restart your computer.
09. Right-click My Computer and press Properties.
10. Select the Advanced tab.
11. Press the Settings button under Performance.
12. Select the Advanced tab.
13. Press the Change button under Virtual memory.
14. Select System Managed size and press the Set button. Press Yes if prompted.
15. Press OK, OK, and OK. 16. Shutdown and restart your computer.


​

http://www.jsifaq.com/SF/Tips/Tip.aspx?id=6045

 

[Livzz]

I rolled back the drivers to the microsoft versions, and everythings fine! (so far...)


i'll post back if any problems come up, thanks for your help!!

 

[SirKenin]

I rolled back the drivers to the microsoft versions, and everythings fine! (so far...)


i'll post back if any problems come up, thanks for your help!!

Nice job.

You can also update to the latest from your manufacturer's website as well. Actually, that might not be a bad idea in case they include any optimizations. If your Microsoft drivers came from the Windows Update site, then they probably already are the latest drivers.

Good luck pal.