Blue screen problems (DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL)

avisotin

Solid State Member
Messages
9
Hi all, first post here.

I'm writing this on my Macbook as my desktop has just decided to start having BSOD problems (specific error in the post title). I began encountering them a couple of days ago and the first appeared while i was playing a game, Battlefield 2142. Since then, they happen to crop up when I try to launch an application (game, web browser, whatever) and sometimes when Windows has loaded and I've already been using the PC for a minute or two.

Don't have many specifics, but this is what I jotted down from the last error:

Code:
DRIVER_IQRL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.

Stop: 0x000000D1 (0x0x000000B8, 0x00000002, 0x00000000, 0xFFFFFADFC84EFC78)

nvata64.sys (Address: FFFFFADFC84EF7C8, base at FFFFFADFC84D0000.

Datestamp 43052db3.
I saw that the problem was because of nvata64.sys so I did a search and found that it was a component of my graphics card driver. I downloaded new drivers for my graphics card, but I got another BSOD later on anyway, and nvata64.sys was still the problem.

I would like to fix this problem without having to re-install Windows, simply because it takes a lot of time and I don't want to lose any of the data I have. I have tried virus checking with avast!, spyware checking with Adaware and running CCleaner, but I still got BSODs. I tried running memtest but it is not designed for 64 bit PCs. My specs are as below:

  • Windows XP Pro (x64 edition), SP2
  • ASUS A8N-32 SLI Deluxe motherboard
  • AMD Athlon 4200+ X2 (dual core) @ 2.5Ghz
  • 2GB RAM
  • Nvidia 7800GT graphics card (256MB)

I hope I posted in the right forum. I hope someone can help me to fix my driver_irql_not_less_or_equal Windows 7 issue Thanks for any help.

PS. I can't seem to boot in safemode because when I press F8 it just lets me select which device to boot from (CD ROM, HDD, etc.) and I never see an option for safemode. Why is this?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It's not your video driver, it's the NForce driver, Nforce 4 6.69 windows xp x64 WHQL drivers, make sure you have the latest driver from nVidia for your board. I found this on the nVidia forum

Warning for users with nForce SataRaid systems:
This new x64 driver package version contains a very strange nForce4 Sata driver named NVATA64.SYS and an Inf-file named NVATA64.INF, which might cause problems, if you use them. The "normal" x64 file names are NVATAX64.SYS and NVATAX64.INF. I really don't know the reason, why NVIDIA changed the names and why they put the "normal" NVATAX64.SYS into the SATARAID subfolder and the "strange" NVATA64.SYS into the SATA_IDE subfolder.

Bad consequence: If you just copy the needed Inf file for your nForce Satabus Controller from the SATA_IDE into the SATARAID subfolder, your installation will fail, because Windows Setup will not find the needed NVATAX64.SYS.

LINK

Here's another link that may prove helpful too

LINK
 
a lotta cheap wireless adapters do this
my crappy Zonet Ralink thing has the worst drivers, and if i use any sort of P2P or torrents on vista, it fails (yes, drivers are for vista, and it does this)
 
Right, thanks for the advice so far. Folder, I downloaded the driver that was talked about in your second link (driver) but after I installed it, I went to the bathroom, came back, and saw another blue screen which this time only said IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL. No specific file was mentioned. Then when I restarted, Windows ran checkdisk and then I got another blue screen - this time from nvata64.sys again. So I figured the driver I installed was the wrong one.

CPU-Z tells me that I have an NVIDIA SPP100 (C51D) chipset, so I assume that this is the right driver, am I right? I selected nForce4 SLI X16 AMD from the product selection box. I am about to install that driver now, so hopefully there'll be some progress.
 
I just installed those drivers and everything seemed to work fine. Then I fired up Battlefield 2142 and I got another nvata64.sys error after about 15 minutes of play. Though I'm sure I lasted longer than I would have if I didn't install the new drivers.

Any more ideas?
 
Reinstall all the drivers that came off of the CD with your motherboard. Generally, those are pretty stable.

looks like it is the SATA drivers in particular, not the Chipset.

http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion/index.php?t8844.html

{edit} as for the safemode thing, I've seen a few boards do that. highlight the hard drive, and press enter, and immediatly start pressing F8 again. It's a pain, but it works.
 
I will try installing those drivers now. Should I endeavor to uninstall any other drivers I may have that could be causing the problem? Or will they be automatically overwritten?
 
Just tried the driver at http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion/index.php?t8844.html but got a blue screen while loading a Source engine based game. It seems games and high-demand programs are the ones causing my blue screens.

I tried inserting the motherboard CD to install default drivers, but I get an error that says "this driver has been blocked from loading" so the CD won't launch. It then tells me it can't start Kernel mode driver service, so my CD is practically useless.

Any other ideas?
 
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