IRQL _NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Message

madmaven · #1 Post by **madmaven** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:44 pm

I have an IBM A31 running XP Pro and installed a Cingular Air card and it worked fine for 2 weeks I came home one evening and Windows had recovered from a serious error it was all down hill from there tried system restore no help. Unable to access safe mode. got the blue screen of death and strange white star from microsoft stating it was unable to verify my license key which was genuine.got this for 3 or 4 boots then it would only go to the welcome screen and not allow any other option but shut down. then got configg sys missing error and it would not boot at all. so between trying various system recovery and system rapair operations check disk repair twice and it recovered several files and deleted several also I got the above message. I also got a page file blue screen and stop screens but foolishly lost the paper Iwrote them down on. finally not having time to fool anylonger gave up what little was on the machine and reformatted and tried to install windows. I could not.
I got windows was unable to copy a specific dll file I kept trying and got the IRQL message. so thinking it was the disk I got a copy I had of the disk no scratches and tried that and got the same thing but a different file could not be copied and after cleaning the disk and repeated trys I got the IRQL message again. . then I borrowed a friends oem home just to try and windows could not copy another file. this happens almost at the very beginning of the copy process. I tried dirve fitness tests and the drive passed, I low level formatted the drive and had the same results and got the IRQL message . I swappedthe memory using 1 512 chip instead of 2 256s. I swapped optical drives. removed the battery changed adapters and a lot of other stuff I cant remember or write down now and still am unable to copy xponto the drive. I did put 98 on the drive no problem and tired to install windows XP from 98 both as update and as clean install also and no luck either. Do you think microsoft has done me in or am I paranoid???? any ideas the answeres to the IRQL on forums google etc all refer to hardware conflicts do I have IRQs if I have no operating system and if they are in conflict how can I reconfigure if I have no Os?? this has got me. The one thing I have not done yet is changed hard drives. I have one with a windows XP from another A31 (thus all the spare parts) but hesitate to install it b/c I dont want to screw it up also. any help would be a greatly appreciated.
Oh also wanted to mention that the software from cingular for the Sierra 750 air card included the blackberry device manager software and the 2nd error after the orignial crash was the BBDEVMAN.EXE experienced a problem and needs to close. Cingular tech support had no idea this software was bundled with their card. alet alone be helpful. this was the same day as Blackberry had all its problems.??? Again is correlation any proof for causality? I have too many coincidences in my life. no wonder I wonder
Mad Maven

#2 Post by **GomJabbar** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 12:54 am

I received the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL message once. It had to do with an installation of Nero INCD on a desktop PC. This message is not really related to IRQ's, but usually means that some device driver has tried to run in a higher privilege mode than it is allowed to in Windows.

The fact that you low level formatted your drive and you still get the error is strange. You did do this in the same A31 didn't you? I was suspecting a virus infection at first. Now I think it is likely a hardware problem. Try booting up a PC Doctor for DOS CD and running the diagnostics. Also try running some memory testing software.

PC Doctor for DOS bootable CD - ThinkPad

Memtest86+

Common Stop Messages, Published By Marc Liron - Microsoft MVP

#3 Post by **carbon_unit** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:29 am

Sounds like a memory problem to me. Even though you changed memory, still run memtest86 for 24 hours and see what happens.

dsigma6 · #4 Post by **dsigma6** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 7:59 am

When I had the IRQL crap, it apparently was my RAM. I thought (well, RAY thought) it was possibly the IDE connector, but it has been running well since I changed the memory.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=34334

It's a boring read, but it touches on this topic.

madmaven · #5 Post by **madmaven** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:19 pm

Grats. I'll try to get the old tank out again and get up some enthusiasm to try the suggestions. I was thinking the PC doc but lost energy for the project. Maybe the slot is bad (or going bad) that I put the 512 in? I'll put memory in both when I run the memtest. will try Pc` doc first. Will let you know results.

madmaven · #6 Post by **madmaven** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 7:23 pm

First I did format the harddrive in the same machine as you questioned and I think it is really strange too!

I finally figured out how to copy the ISO image. I had to download freeware and long story short I ran PC DOctor and found memory failed in SLot 2 after several memory tests found the slot appeared ok but that particular piece of memory appears bad, Sooo I install new memory test it
then commence to format and reinstall xp pro and all goes well up to the start of copying and It tells me Unable to copy file ....dll so after retrying I hit skip it and then it just cant copy any file until I get the BSOD and get a BAD POOL HEADER message
I look it up and all I read pertains to having an operating system on it . I have formatted more times that Liz Taylor said "I do!" and have no undersatnding of its relavace, soooo...any suggestions on the bad pool header error?????
sooo....I take another hard drive format IT and proced to attempt to install XP on it and I get the message cannot copy file yada..yada hit enter no luck escape no luck with any file copying. and then I got the BAD POOL HEADER BSOD SO...
i reboot and use a different XP disk and same thing cannot copy file yada ... yada... and THEN... all on its own I get the IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL crapola again. soooo
I go in the bios and set all to defualt then change to boot to Cd then change network to disable wake on lan,,,,, Flash Bios over Lan,,,,,, and disable the 3rd which was something about Ethernet booting stored on rom. THEN....
tried to install again and GUESS WHAT??? I got the sAme cannot copy file .......... and after entering to try again only half heartedly got the IRQL_NOT_LESS OR_ EQUAL.
ALso forgot to mention I removed the modem and lan cards.
Soooo anybody seen anything like this particular version of computer hell??

ALso did I mention I installed windows 98 no errors and it booted up several times?? this is previous to this last rant.
I will now try the memtest for 24 hrs. and
I am presently searching for a W2k disk to try that. What do you bet it wont install? I will keep my eyes open for that old ME disk too and will be curious to see if that installs eror free??

My paranoid husband thinks that microsoft has flashed a file to the bios that prevents XP files to be copied on this machine.
I wonder if flashing the bios would help? If I flashed the bios would this over write everything on it presently?
I also have another A31 a family member owns but even though I would love to slip that hard drive into this machine I have fear I would screw that up too (no pun intended) and then have 2 problems. AUGH
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and I will definitely let you know the outcome of the memtest maybe I have more bad memory or the slot is actingup intermittently??
thanks
Madmaven

madmaven · #7 Post by **madmaven** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 9:57 pm

Running the memtest now and it is 53% done and only 3 percent memory passed. ????? not really sure what that means. but the cache is on ecc off and not sure if it is testing cache ?? this is all an eduction to me now.
says testing 116 - 511M 511M
it is scrolling bd like crazy and has over 3 million errors.

(sigh) what next?

#8 Post by **rkawakami** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:27 pm

There are two "bar graphs" displayed in memtest86+. An overall progress of all of the different tests in the diagnostic ("Pass") and the progress ("Test") of the current test being run ("Test #n"). So, with 3% of the entire program completed, you were 53% into a particular test number. Cache heading indicates the condition of the processor cache (on or enabled) and ECC (error correction) is off (since the system uses non-ECC memory; aka "no parity").

The errors (should be displayed in red) will indicate at what address the error(s) were detected, what was expected, and what was actually read. As it appears you have a bad or incompatible memory (or bad memory slot), you need to isolate which board/slot is giving you problems. With only one module installed, re-boot the system and start memtest86+ running. Let it run at least three times through the entire suite of tests ("Pass" heading; between "Test" and "Errors"). If no errors are detected, move that module to the other slot and repeat. Do the same for the other module (test it by itself in both slots). If you find a module that fails in both slots don't use it. If you find that both modules only fail in a particular slot, then your motherboard may need replacing. If both modules by themselves pass in both slots, then plug both of them into the system and run memtest86+ once again. If you only get failures when BOTH modules are installed then it may be a case of incompatible modules (it's rare but it can happen).

madmaven · #9 Post by **madmaven** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 7:56 pm

Did I mention that I was blonde? Well the entire mem test was in red so it was all in error so I stopped it after test 4 and I finally reopened the memory slot bay and lo and behold in my most idiotic of moves I had reinstalled the bad memory stick I had already found to have failed..I threw it in the trash after kicking myself in the ( what rhymes with trash) .

Replaced that module and sure thing I was able to install XP with no errors It is running fine.
Soooo a one minute memory module replacement turned into a tortuous odyssey. HOpe I learned something from this. thank you for all your help ande for the knowledge about ISO Images, Pc doctor, memtest etc.

#10 Post by **rkawakami** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:19 pm

Well, it's perfectly fine for you to have a "blonde moment"

. I get them too, even though my hair is (mostly) black (kids & wife gave me all of the white ones! I can say that since she's in Nashville, TN today). Only I don't call my momentary lapses of reason "blonde moments". Instead, they are "brain *arts"

#11 Post by **carbon_unit** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:09 am

Glad to hear you got it figured out.

IRQL _NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

IRQL _NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Still in deep water with BSOD

which memtest should I use?

Re: which memtest should I use?

DUH

Who is online