Member Avatar for Zyan17

my windows xp crahses all the time very frequently and i have know idea why.. like 3 times every 45 mins

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Short, practical troubleshooting plan based on the thread: reported frequent BSODs after installing college network/security software; replies from , , , and correctly split the possibilities between software (drivers/installed security) and hardware (memory, PSU, GPU). The goal is to isolate which side is failing and collect evidence that points to a culprit.

Steps to run (order matters)

  • Capture the crash data first. Locate the Windows minidump files and check Event Viewer for patterns; a quick reader like BlueScreenView can highlight the suspect driver/module before deeper analysis. Microsoft’s guide explains how to analyze dumps if deeper work is needed: .
  • Test memory thoroughly. Intermittent BSODs are often bad RAM. Run a dedicated memory tester (bootable) for multiple passes; see MemTest86.
  • Exercise drivers and kernel components. Use Microsoft’s Driver Verifier to stress third‑party drivers (especially newly added security/AV drivers). Verifier will usually trigger a reproducible dump if a driver is faulty — it must be used with care and disabled from safe mode if the system becomes unbootable: Driver Verifier documentation.
  • Check power and temperatures. Intermittent crashes under varying load can be PSU or thermal related. If feasible, test with a known-good, higher-quality PSU and monitor CPU/GPU temps.

Recommended sequence for

  1. Run MemTest86 overnight.
  2. Collect and review the newest minidumps (use BlueScreenView or WinDbg).
  3. If memtest is clean, run Driver Verifier targeted at non-Microsoft drivers (temporarily).
  4. If crashes persist across a Linux live session or under no-OS testing, focus on PSU/board/GPU hardware swap or thermal checks.

If a minidump names a driver/module, post that filename/module here — that is the most actionable evidence and will narrow the fix quickly.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for PcPro12

any info would help, like did you install a new driver? new software? new updates?

(I personally recommend you switch to windows vista, i only had the blue screen come up like 2 or 3 times in the last 6-8 months, and that was because of a stupid game that game with vista. but i fixed it.)

Member Avatar for Zyan17

well, i just got to college and had to install a bunch of stuff for their network like security updates and macafee virus protection like i have no clue what it could be... i was just hoping someone knew how to deal with this but im sure it could be any number of things

Member Avatar for Serunson

BSOD realtes to RAM, GFX card, or not enough power from what i have experienced.
What are your specifications? RAM, CPU etc.

Member Avatar for Zyan17

cpu: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4600+ (2.41GHz)
ram: 1 GB stick Ultra ddr PC3200
gfx: XFX nvidia geforce 7600GT 256MB
power supply: 350W
HD: 250GB

Member Avatar for ramjo

could be your registry is corrupt can u try and fix it and see what happens

Member Avatar for Serunson

What other components do you have in your PC? 350W PSU might not be big enough to handle all of your equipment, it then BSOD's due to lack of power. That could be the cause.

Member Avatar for Zyan17

could be your registry is corrupt can u try and fix it and see what happens

how would i go about fixing my registry??

Member Avatar for ramjo

how would i go about fixing my registry??

Can you try entering in safemode to see whether you can go to scandisk or have a registry repair software which you can run.

Me i would use mini pe live cd as it has all the utilities neede to fix it or use UBCD(Ultimate Boot CD).

Member Avatar for Zyan17

i've tried cleaning the registry and stuff but nothin worked... the blue screen finally stayed and the technical info was:
*** STOP: 0x40000080 (0x85c26130, 0x85c0b760, 0x85c26e58, 0x00000002)

Member Avatar for caperjack

0x40000080 indicates a hardware problem from my research,hard to trace what hardware is the problem . could be bad stick of ram or mismatched stick of ram,to check the hard drive stability boot to your winxp cd and do a R for repair , do a check disk , type this in the prompt ,note there is a space between the K and the /
CHKDSK /F

troubleshooting stop errors .
http://aumha.org/a/stop.htm

commented: Excellent link, that i shall refer others too +3
Member Avatar for Suspishio

Does your motherboard have on-board graphics? A clash here is quite common.

Member Avatar for Serunson

Great Help link caperjack!

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