Sudden Reboot - Dell XPS P4 3.0GHZ

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Subject: Sudden Reboot - Dell Dimension XPS
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Here is my system:

Dimension XPS P4 3.0 GHZ 1024MB Ram
Windows XP PRO SP2
Purchased: 5/23/03
12MB Radeon 9800 Graphics Card
Built in Intel PRO/100 network card
Sound Blaster Audigy Card

BIOS Version: A03
NVRAM: Cleared It

My computer just reboots randomly. Full reboot suddenly. Below is the error
I get when I connect to Microsofts OCA.

The first event is my Intel Network card - E100B.

But I have changed this and it still crashed. It seems to crash more with the
built in Intel Card. I put in a Linksys network card and it still crashed.

My questions:

Are there any other updates for my BIOS other than AO3. That is the latest on
my update screen at Dell?

What is your gut feeling the cause?

Heat problem
Software problem
Memory problem - did memtest - passed!!!
Unfixable motherboard problem
Any info appreciated. I do not know what to do?



I have removed an Adaptec 2960 card. Still crashes. I have changed network
cards - still crashes.

Here is Microsofts Error:

Stop 7F, 0x00000008 (double-fault) error occurs because of a single-bit error
in the ESP register

Article ID : 842465

Last Review : May 28, 2004

Revision : 2.0

On this Page

SUMMARY
SYMPTOMS
CAUSE
RESOLUTION
MORE INFORMATION
SUMMARY

This document discusses why Windows may display a "STOP 0x0000007F,
0x00000008" error message on your computer because of a specific processor
error. This error message may be displayed when a single-bit error occurs in
the ESP register of a processor that is running on the computer. The article
describes methods to help you troubleshoot this error.

SYMPTOMS

On a computer that is running one or more Intel Xeon processors, or that is
running other processors, Windows may display a Stop error message that is
similar to the following:

STOP 0x0000007F (0x00000008, 0x00000000, 0x00000000, 0x00000000)
UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP

When this problem occurs, the following conditions are true The first
parameter of the Stop error is "0x0000008". (This error is a double-fault
exception.)

o Because of a single-bit error in the upper half of the ESP register, the
value in the ESP register is outside the stack range of the current thread.

CAUSE

This problem occurs if one or more of the processors in the computer Require
a microcode update that is not applied by the computer's basic input/output
system (BIOS).

o Are damaged or defective.

o Are operating outside their specified ranges for temperature, power, or
other conditions.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, use one of the following troubleshooting methods:

Method 1: Determine if the processor is running the production revision of the
microcode update

A microcode update corrects errata, or bugs, in a processor's internally
implemented logic. Microcode updates cannot be permanently stored in the
processor itself and must be loaded into the processor every time that the
computer starts. Microcode updates can be applied by the computer's BIOS or by
the Update.sys driver.

To identify the revision of the microcode update that is currently applied to
an Intel processor that is installed on your computer, follow these steps: 1.
Download the Intel Processor Frequency ID Utility from the following Intel Web
site:

http://support.intel.com/support/pro...ls/frequencyid

2. Install and run the Intel Processor Frequency ID Utility on the computer
that is experiencing symptoms.

3. Write down the following CPU information for each processor CPU Family

o CPU Model

o CPU Stepping

o CPU Revision

The CPU Family, CPU Model, and CPU Stepping values identify the specific type
of processor. The CPU Revision value identifies the revision of the microcode
update that is applied.

4. Contact your computer manufacturer to determine whether the revision of the
microcode update is the most current revision that is available for a
particular processor. If the revision is not the most current, ask your
computer manufacturer for an updated BIOS that will apply the most current
microcode update revision.

The symptoms that are described in this article have been observed most
frequently on Intel Xeon processors that have the CPU Family, CPU Model, and
CPU Stepping values of 15, 2, and 9 respectively and that are installed on
motherboards that use ServerWorks chipsets. (The CPU Family, CPU Model, and
CPU Stepping hexadecimal values are F, 2, and 9 respectively.) These
processors require a revision value of 0x18 or later to function correctly.
(0x18 is equivalent to a decimal value of 24.)

A revision value of 0 indicates that the computer BIOS does not have the
correct microcode update for the processors that are installed in the
computer. You must update the BIOS with a microcode update revision that
supports the processors that you are using.

Intel recommends that you apply the latest microcode update revisions to help
avoid known issues.

Method 2: Determine if a processor is damaged or defective

If the processors that are installed in the affected computers have the
production microcode update revision applied, and the symptoms that are
described in this article do not occur on all computers of the same model that
are running the same processors, the processors may be defective.

To determine if a processor is damaged or defective, move the processor to a
computer that is not experiencing any symptoms.

Warning If you change processors, follow instructions that are provided by
your computer manufacturer, or engage appropriately qualified hardware
technicians to change the processors.

If the symptoms continue to occur on the original computer with the
replacement processor, but not on the other computer with the original
processor, the problem is probably not caused by a damaged or a defective
processor.

If the symptoms do not continue to occur on the original computer with the
replacement processor, but do occur on the other computer with the original
processor, the problem is probably caused by a damaged or a defective
processor. In this case, contact your computer manufacturer to replace the
original processor.

If the computer that is experiencing the symptoms that are described in this
article has more that one processor, move all processors to the other
computer. If the results indicate that one or more of these processors may be
defective, move processors one at a time to determine the processor or
processors that may be defective.

Method 3: Determine if a processor is operating outside a specified range of
environmental conditions

Excessive room temperature, bad ventilation, or dust accumulation can cause
electronic components, such as processors, to behave erratically.
Malfunctioning fans or blocked air passages can cause ventilation problems. If
the interior or the air passages of the computer are dusty, or if the computer
exhibits symptoms when it is installed only in a particular location, system
overheating may be a factor. Make sure that components are clean, that fans
are functioning correctly, and that air passages are not obstructed.
Additionally, make sure that the room where the computer is located is
adequately ventilated. The temperature of the room must be in the operating
range that is specified by the computer manufacturer.

Voltage that is higher or lower than specified, or that fluctuates, may cause
processors and other electronic components to behave erratically. Incorrect or
inconsistent main power voltage, an overloaded or improperly functioning power
supply in the computer, or improperly functioning motherboard circuitry may
cause incorrect or inconsistent voltage to be supplied to the processor.
Contact the appropriate technicians to verify whether any one of these issues
may be the cause of symptoms.

For information about how to contact your computer manufacturer, click the
appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:

65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about "STOP 0x0000007F" errors, click the following
article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

137539 General causes of STOP 0x0000007F errors

The ESP register is also known as the stack pointer register. A stack is a
data structure in memory that is used to store information about the current
state of the execution of a thread. A thread's stack is used to keep track of
function calls in progress, of parameters that are passed to those functions,
and of variables that are used by those functions. The value in the ESP
register is expected to point to the current top of the stack. If the value in
ESP is incorrect, it may point to incorrect information or to an invalid
address. If the value in ESP points to an invalid address, a double-fault
exception may occur.

To determine if the Stop error is the result of a single-bit error in the ESP
register, follow these steps:1. Install the Microsoft Debugging Tools for
Windows. To download the tools, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtoo...g/default.mspx

2. Run the WinDbg tool, click File, click Open Crash Dump to locate the memory
dump file that contains the Stop error information, and then click OK.