BSOD: page fault in nonpaged area error - Help!

[Neil]

Just so you'll know, this problem is with a desktop computer not a ThinkPad, but it doesn't matter as it's a Windows problem anyway, and not hardware. When trying to boot I get the following error:

page_fault_in_nonpaged_area error with following tech info:
0x00000050 (0xF80F6660,0x00000000,0xF7BD971E,0x00000000)

I've tried to boot Windows normally, tried safe mode and last know good configuration. Won't boot, same error.
I can boot a live Linux CD just fine, and have run MemTest86+ (no errors) and hard drive diagnostics (no errors). Tried a few different sticks of RAM anyway, in different slots, etc., and nothing has changed. Made an image of the drive with Acronis, and recovered to another HDD, still same error. I restored the image to a different computer using Acronis Universal Restore, same error.

Is there anything else I can try before I reformat the HDD and do a fresh Windows install?

[Majestic]

When you tried the install out on the second computer, if you swapped any hardware from the original computer, you may have brought the problem along with you. Try removing all the PCI cards and switch to the on-board video if available or a different graphics card on the original system and see if the BSOD disappears.

If hardware swapping wasn't the issue then a re-install sounds like your best option

[Neil]

Thanks for the reply Majestic, but no hardware was swapped. I did find the following on another forum that makes a lot of sense:

...while physical memory problems can cause a wide variety of symptoms, a "Page Fault" is not a fault at all and not an indication of a physical memory problem. "Page Fault" is operating system terminology for an attempt to access memory in a page that is not presently in memory, but has to be paged in before it can be used. A page fault in a non-paged area is most indicative of a bug in the operating system, or a problem caused by an application affecting the operating system.

A page fault is not a fault in the conventional sense. It is a signal from the CPU chip to the operating system that a page has to be loaded into memory before the current process can continue. If the OS decides that the page fault occurred in relation to non-paged memory, then the OS is deciding that it has an internal problem or a problem in a particular program.

I've also run across a couple of suggestions that using a Windows CD to do a repair install over the existing might work. I may try that, but it's looking like a fresh install is in my weekend. This PC belongs to my brother-in-law, and he uses it to run his business, so I was hoping to get him back up and running his installed software without much time or trouble. Looks like that isn't going to happen.

I'm fairly certain he, or an employee, has installed an app or hardware driver that broke the system, but since I can't even get into safe mode, there is not much I can do I'm afraid.

[RealBlackStuff]

One easy thing to try, is delete the page-file.
Go to Control Panel/System/Advanced tab/Performance/Settings/Advanced tab/Virtual Memory/Change
Make a note of what it was, then set it to zero and reboot.
Go back in to change it back to the 'old' value or set it to the (Windows) recommended value.
Reboot again.
Problem possibly solved.

[Neil]

Now RBS....wouldn't I have to be able to boot Windows in order to change the page file size?

BTW, still can't boot the drive that was originally in this PC, but I decided to move the one from the 2nd PC that I had restored with Acronis over to PC#1, and whady'at know?, it booted into Windows and told me "One of the files containing the system's Registry data had to be recovered by use of a log or alternative copy. The recovery was successful." Yay!

Now I need to figure out just what caused this in the first place, and try to prevent it from happening again. I'm thinking it's got something to do with the HP printer application/driver they have installed.

[RealBlackStuff]

Hmm.., bad hair day. Sorry.