PFN_LIST_CORRUPT and IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mark Hein
  • Start date Start date
M

Mark Hein

Hello Again All,
O.K. *HOPEFULLY* I can write and send this before the old
XP BSOD comes up again....
For the second time in 2 months I am getting the BSOD with
the message "PFN_LIST_CORRUPT" or "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL"
on a consistant basis, and especially while running a file
search (running Start\Search\For Files or Folders).
The last time I wrestled with this through a bit of
detective work (and after having re-loaded XP-Pro) I
seemed to have found the problem- a SCSI EIDE PCI
controller card was going bad.
Having been through this before I checked the most common
problems- video, soundcard, NIC card drivers- and
everything showed to be up-to-date. I always keep up with
all the latest XP updates, as well.In checking the Events
Log I find consistantly that the "HPT371\hptpro boot-start
or system-start drivers failed to load" and "The ATI WDM
Specialized MVD Codec service failed to start due to the
following error: The service cannot be started, either
because it is disabled or because it has no enabled
devices associated with it". In the case of the HPT371,
I'm assuming this is some HP product, but I do not HAVE
any HP products installed. I just did a software upgrade
to the ATI Radeon 9600, after uninstalling the original
software (drivers,etc.) and rebooting a few weeks ago.
In running a disk error check on my main harddrive
(partitioned into C:\ and E:\)I'm showing 16 KB in bad
sectors on C:\ and 7580KB in bad sectors on E:\.
After one of these crashes D:\ (my second of 3 harddrives)
is also auto checked by Windows at restart.
I shutdown totally last night, after trying with finding a
possible root problem and receiving yet another BSOD, and
when the auto-error-checker came up I nticed that the
ntuser.dat.log file was no longer listed as "truncated"
because of being a problem.
Bottom line: I don't get it!!
Thanks in advance for any leads/solutions.........
Mark
 
Mark Hein wrote:
In running a disk error check on my main harddrive
(partitioned into C:\ and E:\)I'm showing 16 KB in bad
sectors on C:\ and 7580KB in bad sectors on E:\.
After one of these crashes D:\ (my second of 3 harddrives)
is also auto checked by Windows at restart.
Click to expand...

HPT371 is a HighPoint controller

"...C:\ and 7580KB in bad sectors on E:\." You hard drive is very like
kaput. Stop using it.Every minute it's used, more data is lost.
Download the appropriate diagnostic from the maker of the hard drive. Read
any instructions and run it, usually from a floppy. It will likely produce
an error code. Write this down if you intend to RMA the hard drive. To
recover any data on this drive, install it as slave and copy files to
another drive or create an image on CD or DVD.
 
Hey S.,
Thanks for your quick response!

| HPT371 is a HighPoint controller

Fascinating! Since this was the offending piece of hardware the first time
around...I've not only removed the card, but (naturally) requested that
Windows remove the software, etc. at the time I yanked it! <VBG>

|You hard drive is very likely kaput.

Over the years I've been in that little corner of the computer wars, too. No
signs of failure and a good defrag seems to have solved most of the physical
problems as well.

I **THINK** I've found the culprit in this little tale of whoa... one of my
ram sticks. I typed PFN_CORRUPT in Google and got some Win Boards that
discussed these error messages. One of the big offenders was faulty Memory
sticks. Mine seems to be able to hang on enough to complete simple tasks,
but once things start "cookin'"..."Buh-Buy" =8*))!
Anywho, I'll be back if this doesn't work out, and again thanks....Mark


| Mark Hein wrote:
| <snippage>
| > In running a disk error check on my main harddrive
| > (partitioned into C:\ and E:\)I'm showing 16 KB in bad
| > sectors on C:\ and 7580KB in bad sectors on E:\.
| > After one of these crashes D:\ (my second of 3 harddrives)
| > is also auto checked by Windows at restart.
|

|
| "...C:\ and 7580KB in bad sectors on E:\." You hard drive is very like
| kaput. Stop using it.Every minute it's used, more data is lost.
| Download the appropriate diagnostic from the maker of the hard drive. Read
| any instructions and run it, usually from a floppy. It will likely produce
| an error code. Write this down if you intend to RMA the hard drive. To
| recover any data on this drive, install it as slave and copy files to
| another drive or create an image on CD or DVD.
|
|
 
Mark said:
Hey S.,
Thanks for your quick response!


Fascinating! Since this was the offending piece of hardware the first
time around...I've not only removed the card, but (naturally)
requested that Windows remove the software, etc. at the time I yanked


Over the years I've been in that little corner of the computer wars,
too. No signs of failure and a good defrag seems to have solved most
of the physical problems as well.

I **THINK** I've found the culprit in this little tale of whoa... one
of my ram sticks. I typed PFN_CORRUPT in Google and got some Win
Boards that discussed these error messages. One of the big offenders
was faulty Memory sticks. Mine seems to be able to hang on enough to
complete simple tasks, but once things start "cookin'"..."Buh-Buy"
=8*))!
Anywho, I'll be back if this doesn't work out, and again
thanks....Mark
Click to expand...


Looks like I jumped the gun on this one. The symptoms you saw could also
have been caused by a CPU running too hot, introducing errors which get
written to the hard drive. A faulty hard drive is the second and failed RAM
is the third. As a final check, you can run Memtest 3.1a from a floppy or CD
to test your RAM. Test one module at a time.

http://memtest86.com/#download1

You can stop the test when a small number of errors are produced. Proceed
with the next memory module if necessary.
 
Hey Again S.,

| Looks like I jumped the gun on this one. The symptoms you saw could also
| have been caused by a CPU running too hot, introducing errors which get
| written to the hard drive. A faulty hard drive is the second and failed
RAM
| is the third. As a final check, you can run Memtest 3.1a from a floppy or
CD
| to test your RAM. Test one module at a time.
|
| http://memtest86.com/#download1
|
| You can stop the test when a small number of errors are produced. Proceed
| with the next memory module if necessary.

I ran a hrd diagnostic/repair app on all 3 drives and came up with
"everything's healthy". Pried open the old case and pulled my most recent
memory stick addition (from a Dec. 03 install) and voila!...no more
headaches. I have a sneaky suspicion that my first go-round with this
IRQL/PFN nonsense a few moths ago was really this stick and NOT the PCI-EIDE
card I mentioned earlier.
Well, wrote the vendor for an RMA# and request for replacement. Lesson? Ya'
get what ya' pay for sometimes =8*))...
I'm going out tomorrow and drop twice the cost of the aforementioned at a
local national chain store (Microcenter) But at least I know it's only a 15
minute ride for a failed stick replacement!
Thanks again....Mark
 
Mark said:
I ran a hrd diagnostic/repair app on all 3 drives and came up with
"everything's healthy". Pried open the old case and pulled my most
recent memory stick addition (from a Dec. 03 install) and voila!...no
more headaches. I have a sneaky suspicion that my first go-round with
this IRQL/PFN nonsense a few moths ago was really this stick and NOT
the PCI-EIDE card I mentioned earlier.
Well, wrote the vendor for an RMA# and request for replacement.
Lesson? Ya' get what ya' pay for sometimes =8*))...
I'm going out tomorrow and drop twice the cost of the aforementioned
at a local national chain store (Microcenter) But at least I know
it's only a 15 minute ride for a failed stick replacement!
Thanks again....Mark
Click to expand...

Crucial/Micron makes very good quality RAM and offer decent pricing. Note:
if you require PC133 SDRAM, it's recently went up by as much as 60%. 512MB
~ $144USD
www.crucial.com


Good luck Mark.
 
On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 11:38:09 -0500, "Mark C. Hein"
a good defrag seems to have solved most of the physical problems
Click to expand...

Are you out of your mind???

Think about what defrag does:
- read potentially every cluster of the HD
- write this cluster back somewhere else

Is that what you want to do on a failing HD?


-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
Click to expand...
Running Windows-based av to kill active malware is like striking
a match to see if what you are standing in is water or petrol.
 
Back
Top