STOP: c000021a {Fatal System Error}

[pokerrow]

Was playing on Full Tilt, and PT3 disappeared. I tried to start it up again, but just got an error message (maybe something about an unpacking error?). A short while later, my system froze completely, and after that a blue screen popped up, too quickly for me to read, and my system restarted. Now, right after XP starts, I get a blue screen with the message in my title.

Additional info: XP, Beta 13, and the following: The Session Manager Initialization system process terminated unexpectedly with a status of Oxc000026c (0x00000000 0x00000000).
The system has been shut down.

Going to try getting some sleep, will check back on this tomorrow...any ideas though in the meantime for me to try, and I'd appreciate it. I tried Googling that error code (same computer I'm logging this ticket from), and the only things I've found so far are beyond me :(.

Edit: I couldn't get past this message in Safe Mode, but I did try rebooting my last known good configuration, and it gave me a little more:

*** STOP: 0x0000008E (0xc0000005, 0xBF80FDF0, 0xBA6DFB10, 0,00000000)

*** win32k.sys - Address BF80FDF0 base at BF800000, DateSTamp 47e0e106

Don't know if those things mean anything, but thought I would add them here.

Crap.

[keggler]

hardware most likely: check, memory, hdd, psu, thermal, graphics card.

have you installed any new device drivers recently?

if the hard drive has corrupted a key OS file, you could try a repair install of the operating system; which if it works, will preserve your data - but you still need to look at the root cause.


susan

[pokerrow]

OK, thanks. It was on a laptop and it had been running very hot, so maybe the heat was the problem. No hardware updates or anything like that, and the only software has been PT3, AHK scripts and Postgre 8.3, so I doubt anything there would have caused it.

[keggler]

check the cpu fan; maybe all the thermal paste on the cpu to heatsink has gone and needs to be re-done...


susan

[tarix]

check the cpu fan; maybe all the thermal paste on the cpu to heatsink has gone and needs to be re-done...

Don't do this on a laptop. It probably has a complicated heat-piping system that isn't very user serviceable.

[keggler]

on most laptops it's quite easy to get the heat-sink off and renew the paste (normally just 4 sprung screws to undo); the difficulty is getting the back off in the first place and anything else you have to remove like the hinge-cover and keyboard - there are free guides on most manufacturers' sites (including dell); so if you have a relative degree of competence it's not too bad - if in doubt, take it to a qualified service technician.


susan

[pokerrow]

Thanks, folks. I did take it in (business laptop...didn't want to start opening it up). They couldn't figure out what was going on, but the hard drive was fine, so they put it in another laptop. Phew.