Blue screen stop error DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

littlemoney

I switched my laptop on this evening and got a stop message stating DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL. It suggested I uninstall any recently installed software. I have not added anything and I am trying to speed up my computer on start up and have disabled processes which run automatically. It started OK yesterday and I have made no changes since then. Is it possible I have disabled something I should have but it is only now showing up.

I have started the computer again and it started OK. Do I need to worry about this or take any action please.

The computer is a Dell Inspiron 6400 with windows XP SP3.

Advice appeciated please as I am not very technical when it comes to these sort of things. Thanks in advance.

closed

usually a driver problem or corrupt profile, and difficult to diagnose, try system restore to yesterday, or F8 last known good config if it returns.

or backup your data, and do a hard disk image, in case it returns

unlikely to be anything to do with msconfig, startup options, if that's all you have been unticking

littlemoney

Thanks closed.
The only other thing I did in msconfig was disable the “SupportSoft Sprocket Service” in the SERVICES tab to stop the dell support centre from coming back after deactivating from start up tab.

Is it worth doing a system restore now or should I wait and see if the error recurs again.

I will do a backup of my data tomorrow as there is not enough time to complete one this evening, my last back up was 2 months ago, and I will have to look into image software as the only image I have got is the one that was pre installed on the computer when it was delivered 4 years ago.

Whats the best freeware for making an image? and are they reliable. I have heard that they will not always restore.

Lucero_2

BSODs (blue screens of death) can be anything, especially on a laptop. Memory is a common cause, or it might literelaly have been having a funny 5 minutes. As you weren't in Windows when this happened, it's unlikely there's any useful dump file information available. Are you sure it said Software and not hardware?

closed

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=45197656&postcount=8

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2436849

waddler_8

Ignore it if it has happened just the once. If it happens again and more frequently then it'll require further investigation - but, as has been said - Debugging BSoD's isn't the easiest thing to do.

Banacek

waddler_8 wrote: »

Ignore it if it has happened just the once. If it happens again and more frequently then it'll require further investigation - but, as has been said - Debugging BSoD's isn't the easiest thing to do.

I agree with waddler_8 if its only happened once ignore it but if it repeats try running whocrashed I find it usually points me in the direction of the offending driver.

Hope it helps.

littlemoney

Thanks everyone for the advice. I didn't get the "blue screen of death" tonight when I logged on so I am hoping it was a one off. Keeping my fingers crossed but it does make it a bit difficult to type

paul_and_shark

My laptop started doing that a few months ago, and i just ignored it untill it was happening nearly every time i started the machine up, it turned out to be the GPU chip was over heating and destroying the motherboard (can not remenber the exact technical details) but after getting on to dell it was a known fault with mine and other laptops, and despite my machine being nearly 5 years old it was repaired free of charge by dell :beer: