I has computerz problemz. Plese halp!

[Aragoni]

A couple of days ago when I played Europa Universalis 3: In Nomine (awesome game btw) I got this beautiful thing called "Blue Screen Of Death" (it happened when I had alt+tab, switched music and was about to enter the game once again). As ignorant as I am I thought "meh. Probably just a problem which a reboot can fix" but oh was I wrong. I rebooted the computer and got the same Blue Screen again.
I started the computer in fail-safe design (strange translation from "Felsäkert läge IMO) which worked. I made a System Restore to a few days earlier when everything went smooth. The restoration was successfull but when I started Windows in normal mode shit hit the fan once again (Hai there, looks like you have a problem http://members.ozemail.com.au/~lbrash/msjokes/blue-screen-of-death.gif).
This time I turned off the computer and said "Fuck it" and told my father about it. He started the computer an hour afterwards and everything worked! I almost had a boner when I started EU3: IN again and played for the rest of the night.
When I turned off the game the same screen of death returned. Today when I woke up I saw my parents sit in front of the computer and had a good time surfing tha intrawebz. This time I understood that the problem would return so I thought "maybe it's the driver to my graphic card" and installed a newer version of it. The Blue Screen returned afterwards when I rebooted the computer.

Here's what it says: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

Techincal Information: *** STOP: 0x00000050 (0xFFFFFFFF, 0x00000001, 0x804CF658, 0x00000000) ***

Anyone got a solution to my problem?

[Viluin]

That error can mean 20 different things. Try running some stress test programs like Prime95 or MEMTEST to see if you can recreate the problem.

EDIT: It sounds like a RAM / harddisk problem if it only happens when exiting the game or alt tabbing.

[Aragoni]

That error can mean 20 different things. Try running some stress test programs like Prime95 or MEMTEST to see if you can recreate the problem.

Will do sir.
Edit: That is, once I managed to get into windows again.

[Greyfang]

:search:

unfortunately, as you'll read below, it's a whole slew of possibilities. enjoy your imminent investigation. ;)

one of many links which discuss page faults (http://www.pcuser.com.au/pcuser/hs2.nsf/web/968849DC1F0171A8CA257039004EA14C)

[Metal Wolf]

Clean the dust bunnies out of your cpu and video cards fan.

[Aragoni]

:search:

unfortunately, as you'll read below, it's a whole slew of possibilities. enjoy your imminent investigation. ;)

one of many links which discuss page faults (http://www.pcuser.com.au/pcuser/hs2.nsf/web/968849DC1F0171A8CA257039004EA14C)

*Facepalm* gonna cry myself to sleep tonight. :( Cheers for sending the link

[Aragoni]

Clean the dust bunnies out of your cpu and video cards fan.

Did that yesterday.

[Greyfang]

*Facepalm* gonna cry myself to sleep tonight. :( Cheers for sending the link

don't despair... while it could be a number of different reasons, most of them are easily detected and repaired. we've all been there. have you made any hardware changes in your system in the last couple days? i'd start there first.

[Aragoni]

don't despair... while it could be a number of different reasons, most of them are easily detected and repaired. we've all been there. have you made any hardware changes in your system in the last couple days? i'd start there first.

Not what I can remember, no. The only changes I've done with my computer lately is installing/removing games (+ installing FF3, which is pure awesomeness).

[Greyfang]

check to make sure your RAM is still socketed properly, especially if you've done some cleaning in your case recently. sometimes one of those puppies will pop loose (but not obviously so) and can cause this. this has also happened to me before :rolleyes:

i've got to log for a bit, good luck to you!

[Aragoni]

check to make sure your RAM is still socketed properly, especially if you've done some cleaning in your case recently. sometimes one of those puppies will pop loose (but not obviously so) and can cause this. this has also happened to me before :rolleyes:

i've got to log for a bit, good luck to you!

I did the cleaning after I got the Screen since I thought all the dust could be a problem (ddin't include this in the Wall Of Text. Sorry).
The RAM is still where it should be.

[Aragoni]

One of the "funny" thing is that I can start the computer again after it's been off for a while. The thing is though that it IS free from dust and that all the parts are where they are supposed to be.

[fCo_Pancho]

Is this a legitimate copy of EU3?

[Aragoni]

Is this a legitimate copy of EU3?

Why are you asking..?

Edit: Fuck this. I'm going to let a pro repair it later.

[alfaroverall]

One of the "funny" thing is that I can start the computer again after it's been off for a while. The thing is though that it IS free from dust and that all the parts are where they are supposed to be.
Sounds like an overheating issue then. I'm no expert, but if you can't start it unless you leave it off for a while, overheating is about the only thing I can think of. Try replacing some fans before you head to a pro.

[Greyfang]

Sounds like an overheating issue then. I'm no expert, but if you can't start it unless you leave it off for a while, overheating is about the only thing I can think of. Try replacing some fans before you head to a pro.

i concur. check your CPU fan first, or use a program like Speedfan (http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php) to monitor it. chances are you'll find the culprit if you spend a little time looking for it, and better (imo anyway) to take a little time than to spend the diagnostic fee.

[Viluin]

If it's a heat issue, his computer would crash during the game and not when he tries to close it or alt tab out.

I'm not surprised that his computer will only boot after a while. Computers are weird like that sometimes.

Why are you asking..?

Edit: Fuck this. I'm going to let a pro repair it later.

They're no better at it than you are, really.

Do you have 2 sticks of RAM? Try taking one out and see if the problem persists. if it does, put it back in and take the other one out.

[Greyfang]

i know you said that your RAM modules were both locked in properly, but following Viluin's advice would make certain both are properly installed. when a similar situation arose for me, i removed and replaced my modules (which had gotten dustier than i thought possible) and that fixed it for me, even though they appeared to be properly in place at first. another time it was because my temp sensor which was installed near the CPU had worked its way between the CPU and heatsink somehow and my CPU temp was soaring in the 70s. either way, both were easily determined and even more easily fixed. there really is a wealth of information already on the Internet regarding this subject as it's a pretty common problem, and you certainly don't need a degree to determine the actual cause of the issue.