Installed Control Centre from PCS website now BSOD.

J

jaredjeya

Active member
I'm going to assume I need to have had a BSOD first for this to be useful? I reinstalled Windows last night and haven't reattempted Control Centre installation yet, so I haven't had any.

Before I do that I want to make a system image that I can recover from in case it permanently bricks my installation, because it still took me 3+ hours between installing Windows, downloading everything, logging in, reconfiguring things that aren't backed up etc. I have USB drive with more than enough memory, but Windows says it's not a valid location. I can't seem to find a free third party tool that will do this for me. Any tips? (Ideally I want something I can just directly restore everything from and skip installing all software etc.)
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Yes, you need a couple of BSODs really because the more dumps we have the better.

What tool are you using for the system drive image? The problem may be because the USB drive isn't NTFS formatted, or because there is existing data on there.

Much will depends on what imaging tool you're using.
 
J

jaredjeya

Active member
I tried Win 7 backup and restore, which said the drive wasn't valid. I tried the workaround of mapping it to a network drive but this didn't work. I also tried some other tools (EaseUS, Minitool I think?) and both required me to fork over money despite pretending they had a free trial! Another one, Hasleo WinToUSB, it wasn't clear if it was cloning my disk or just the OS so I didn't proceed with that one. The last one, Hasleo, appears to have a free disk cloning utility but that wouldn't do it to a USB stick. I did format the drive as NTFS.
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
The Windows imaging tool is not recommended - not even by Microsoft! There is still a free version of Macrium Reflect available, though not from Macrium. Get it from MajorGeeks. I can strongly recommend Macrium Reflect, I've been a user for a good many years. Be sure to make rescue media before you take an image, you'll need that in order to restore your image - should you need to.
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
No, the Macrium rescue media is pretty small, it fits easily on a DVD for example, so a 4GB USB drive should be big enough. But you will need a second USB drive for it.
 
J

jaredjeya

Active member
Okay so I was procrastinating on getting hold of a second memory stick which is why I haven't done this yet, but one is arriving today.

More concerningly though, I just had my computer bluescreen with what I think was WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR (it was up for half a second) followed by it not being able to find a boot medium on restart. Although it fixed itself after I rebooted a few times, that's exactly what killed my laptop the first time round. All signs pointed to it being my SSD failing and so I replaced it. But that's unlikely to be the issue now unless I got really unlucky and was shipped a defective SSD. Do you have any ideas what else could've caused something like that? Could it be the CMOS battery, or an issue with the motherboard maybe? I haven't made any changes to my system since reinstalling Windows a week or two ago.
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Under some circumstances the WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR bugcheck can be caused by a bad driver. You're at that stage where you don't really know whether you have a hardware or a software problem and so I think the most sensible thing for you to do now is to start Windows in Safe Mode.
  • Safe Mode loads a stripped-down version of Windows with only critical services and drivers loaded. No third-party drivers are loaded (except for networking drivers if you start in Safe Mode with networking).
  • You WILL NOT be able to do any useful work in Safe Mode. You will not be able to game for example.
  • Because no third-party drivers are loaded many devices may not work properly (or at all). Your display will be very low resolution for example, because you'll be using the Windows basic display driver.
  • It is VERY IMPORTANT that you try to use the PC/laptop as much as you are able in Safe Mode. It's also important to leave it idle - but do not allow it to sleep, hibernate or shutdown. Your objective is to try and make it BSOD in Safe Mode, so do persevere for as long as you can stand it - a couple of hours AT LEAST.
  • Safe Mode provides the most stable software platform possible, so if it BSODs in Safe Mode you almost certainly have a hardware problem.
Let us know whether you can make it BSOD in Safe Mode. Based on the answer to that we'll have more idea of what to suggest next.
 
J

jaredjeya

Active member
ubuysa said:
Under some circumstances the WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR bugcheck can be caused by a bad driver. You're at that stage where you don't really know whether you have a hardware or a software problem and so I think the most sensible thing for you to do now is to start Windows in Safe Mode.
  • Safe Mode loads a stripped-down version of Windows with only critical services and drivers loaded. No third-party drivers are loaded (except for networking drivers if you start in Safe Mode with networking).
  • You WILL NOT be able to do any useful work in Safe Mode. You will not be able to game for example.
  • Because no third-party drivers are loaded many devices may not work properly (or at all). Your display will be very low resolution for example, because you'll be using the Windows basic display driver.
  • It is VERY IMPORTANT that you try to use the PC/laptop as much as you are able in Safe Mode. It's also important to leave it idle - but do not allow it to sleep, hibernate or shutdown. Your objective is to try and make it BSOD in Safe Mode, so do persevere for as long as you can stand it - a couple of hours AT LEAST.
  • Safe Mode provides the most stable software platform possible, so if it BSODs in Safe Mode you almost certainly have a hardware problem.
Let us know whether you can make it BSOD in Safe Mode. Based on the answer to that we'll have more idea of what to suggest next.
Click to expand...
I've been busy and haven't had a chance to do this yet (this is my work computer too and was away for the weekend; will try soon), but I also noticed I'm getting a lot of WHEA-Logger warnings in Event Viewer:

Code: 
A corrected hardware error has occurred.

Component: PCI Express Root Port
Error Source: Advanced Error Reporting (PCI Express)


Primary Bus:Device:Function: 0x0:0x1D:0x0
Secondary Bus:Device:Function: 0x0:0x0:0x0
Primary Device Name:PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_06B0&SUBSYS_11161D05&REV_F0
Secondary Device Name:

The device referenced, in plain English, is the "Intel(R) PCI Express Root Port #9 - 06B0" to which my SSD appears to be attached (when I open Device Manager and click View By Connection, it sits under that port).

Here is the full output of the event: https://gist.github.com/jaredjeya/fc9f4a876080e48402d2ccbb762127e7

I suppose when try to run it in Safe Mode, even if it doesn't BSOD, it will be interesting to see if I get these errors.
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
jaredjeya said:
I've been busy and haven't had a chance to do this yet (this is my work computer too and was away for the weekend; will try soon), but I also noticed I'm getting a lot of WHEA-Logger warnings in Event Viewer:

Code: 
A corrected hardware error has occurred.

Component: PCI Express Root Port
Error Source: Advanced Error Reporting (PCI Express)


Primary Bus:Device:Function: 0x0:0x1D:0x0
Secondary Bus:Device:Function: 0x0:0x0:0x0
Primary Device Name:PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_06B0&SUBSYS_11161D05&REV_F0
Secondary Device Name:

The device referenced, in plain English, is the "Intel(R) PCI Express Root Port #9 - 06B0" to which my SSD appears to be attached (when I open Device Manager and click View By Connection, it sits under that port).

Here is the full output of the event: https://gist.github.com/jaredjeya/fc9f4a876080e48402d2ccbb762127e7

I suppose when try to run it in Safe Mode, even if it doesn't BSOD, it will be interesting to see if I get these errors.
Click to expand...
It’s part of the chipset. If you check device manager do any components have question marks?
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
You need to run it in Safe Mode, until you do that we're poking in the dark trying to decide whether this is a software or hardware issue.
 
J

jaredjeya

Active member
I’m starting a new thread because there seems possibly to be something deeper going on here, but I had an original support thread for a slightly different issue:

Installed Control Centre from PCS website now BSOD.

So, I had to reinstall Windows on a new SSD after my old one failed. I have one of the Tongfang models, specifically Elimina Pro Series: 15.6" Matte QHD 165Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1440). It was all working fine and I’d spent HOURS reinstalling all my programs. At that point I noticed...
www.pcspecialist.co.uk www.pcspecialist.co.uk

To summarise, a few months ago, my laptop got a couple of WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR BSODs, with no obvious cause, and then after one of them it wouldn’t boot to Windows - the bios reported “no media found”.

I assumed the SSD had died and decided my best bet was to buy a new one and reinstall Windows 10. My original SSD was a Corsair MP400 1TB NVMe drive; for maximum compatibility I bought a similar model (MP600 1TB). This laptop worked fine for a while, besides some issues installing the Control Centre software - this is still uninstalled. At some point I reinstalled Windows 10 since I was worried I’d corrupted my installation with the failed Control Centre install, but never got round to trying to install CC again on the new Windows.

More recently (and this is the issue I’m currently seeking help for), it started giving me the WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERRORs again. Since I knew to look out for them, I’ve also been getting lots of WHEA_CORRECTABLE_ERRORs, which don’t result in a blue screen (sometimes 10,000 of them in a minute or two, sometimes 1 or 2 over an hour). These always occur in the PCIe root where the SSD is installed. I set up a script to alert me when one occurred: my system would be stable, and then randomly one of these would happen, often followed shortly by an uncorrectable error and a blue screen. Frequently, the computer would then be unable to find the SSD and would again tell me “No Media Found” at boot. If I boot the computer from a Macrium Reflect recovery drive, it also often can’t see the SSD, which is bizarre - it’s not solely a Windows issue.

This was manageable - I’d have a crash maybe once every few days - but more recently it’s been throwing up CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED or UNEXPECTED_STORE_ERROR, often shortly after logging in or even during startup. Sometimes Windows has then halted during startup to tell me my installation needs to be repaired. This has made the computer completely unusable.

At some point it crashed mid-update (frustratingly, it chose to update itself right after crashing, as in on reboot from a BSOD, and then crashed again 🙄) but this was a while ago and I seemed to have fixed it with SFC, DISM etc. plus applying more updates. This instability is more recent.

I’m hesitant to blame it on the SSD because it would be odd for the new one to fail so quickly. I did buy insurance for it so if it is, I can hopefully get it replaced at low cost. I think it’s a motherboard or bios issue.

The BIOS is keeping time so it’s not the CMOS battery.

I took it to a repair shop to take a look, I don’t think the guy really understood my issue because at that time the computer was just refusing to get to even the login screen, and then the SSD vanished. He said installing Intel Rapid Storage drivers might fix it, but I’d need to reinstall windows and do this at the installation stage. I haven’t done this because it’s bloody annoying to reinstall Windows, all my applications, all my games etc.

I can get Windows to load and run for sometimes 5-10 minutes if you need me to pull any sort of logs etc, and I’m comfortable using cmd, Powershell etc. as I do a lot of programming at work. Some of these should be in the old thread.

This is has me pulling my hair out with frustration so any help would be appreciated. It’s also my work laptop, not just a recreational one.

What I’ve tried:
• Running DISM (including from Macrium recovering environment) - no issues found
• Running chkdsk - no issues found
• Moving the SSD to a new slot - appeared to temporarily fix the WHEA issues but they resurfaced.
• Installing all optional driver updates
• Fresh installation of Windows, following instructions from a forum member to minimise risk of driver mismatch etc.

What I haven’t tried (yet):
• Installing Intel Rapid Storage drivers - I thought these were only for SATA drives and I’m not convinced it’s the issue therefore not worth reinstalling windows for.
• Buying (another) new SSD
• Restoring an old image onto either the new or old SSD, but I’ll try this soon. I don’t think this will solve all the issues but might get me to the point where my PC was stable on a timescale of days, not minutes.
• Plugging the old SSD back in and seeing if it’ll work now, but I’ll try this soon. Nope, the old SSD is definitely dead.
• I’ve not yet heard back from PCS support.

Specification:
Chassis & Display
Elimina Pro Series: 15.6" Matte QHD 165Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1440)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor 10870H (2.2GHz, 5.0GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2933MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3060 - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 1880 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 3 in 1 Card Reader (Full Size SD / SDHC / SDXC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 180W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Elimina Pro Series Integrated 62Wh Lithium Ion Battery (RTX 3060)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.1 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
ELIMINA PRO SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
 
Last edited:
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
It’s a shame you don’t respond previously as this all could have been sorted a long time ago, we hadn’t finished troubleshooting.

This is why it’s so important to have windows on a separate drive to everything else, takes 30 minutes to be back up and running with a clean install.

But you’re fully covered under warranty, as you’re struggling with the troubleshooting is just send it back for an RMA

sounds like windows still isn’t configured, it won’t work properly without control center as that’s the master driver that ties into every other driver. We had asked in the previous thread if the chipset driver was installed as that’s what the symptoms pointed to and that’s what enables the PCIe connectivity that the SSD runs through.

It could be something on the motherboard though but until we know windows is properly configured there’s too many variables

Can you post a screenshot of your device manager page?
 
J

jaredjeya

Active member
Sorry. I was trying to sort things like having the rescue medium and backups, and at the same time the issue was (at the time) hard to reproduce so I didn’t feel like I had anything to add on that front. Then I went on a long holiday and was very busy with work, and my computer seemed to be working for a while.

To answer one outstanding question from that thread, these crashes seem to occur in Safe Mode too, and the fact I sometimes can’t see the SSD even in the rescue environment points to a hardware issue.

To answer yours, I do have the latest chipset drivers installed from Intel. Photo because Windows didn’t stay alive very long. Nothing is erroring as far as I can see.
 

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J

jaredjeya

Active member
I guess the other factor is, I couldn’t install Control Centre without causing a BSOD before, and possibly corrupting my Windows. And it isn’t clear what version of Control Centre I should be installing, as it looks like the one on PC Specialist’s website is designed to work on older drivers (those available when my laptop shipped).

I’ve sent a support request anyway so I’ll see what they can do to help me, but not having to ship my laptop off to them for weeks while they repair it would be a huge benefit. (I also might be out of warranty as the laptop was delivered in April 2021 - possibly they’ll cover labour as the issues started in February).
 
J

jaredjeya

Active member
I tried swapping the old SSD in, it’s definitely completely dead.

I decided to try and test rolling back to an old image but I thought before that, I could try installing Control Centre - I might as well seeing as I had the safety of a backup.

Unfortunately this seems to have completely bricked the computer. I guess Control Centre messed with my BIOS, which I hadn’t realised it would do.

It installed once but then once the computer had finished restarting, nothing had changed, except I had a “Control Centre” shortcut in the desktop that did nothing. So I tried uninstalling it and then re-installing it. This time, however, the screen was black when it restarted, with minimal fan activity - and it stayed black for a minute or two until I turned it off. Repeated attempts to turn it on get the same thing. The keyboard lights work, strangely, and I can change the “mode” using the dedicated button (between office/gaming/turbo, which are indicated by LEDs), but nothing else happens. I don’t even see the PCS logo.

It’s the same when I plug in my Macrium Reflect USB, even if I remove the SSD entirely. I’ve tried everything listed online for a black screen, including removing the battery and CMOS battery, holding down the power button, then replacing the batteries. Plugging into a monitor does nothing.

Is my only option an RMA now? (Could a local repair shop do anything to resolve this?)
 
J

jaredjeya

Active member
I'm in contact with PCS support to see what they can do. In the meantime, after some CMOS reset shenanigans, it seems like my laptop is able to output to a monitor, but the built-in screen isn't working. Waiting to hear back from them before I try anything else.
 
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