Blue Screen Of Death

http://www.tweaksforgeeks.com/IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.html

I've run into this problem after updating a driver, especially from Windows Update. Try rolling back any recent driver updates.

You'd be surprised to find what your machine is running - but that's neither here nor there. I think DrewDad is on the right track. What the symptom you report indicates most likely is a missing, faulty or corrupt driver and/or associated software, probably related to multimedia playback or mastering, security/privacy applications, or perhaps a data backup application. More or less, whats happening is the machine is being told by an application or driver to look somewhere for info it needs to continue an operation, doesn't find what it expects where it expects to find it, and has a temper tantrum.

It's onset most often will occur in conjunction with a change in or modification to software, such as adding or removing a program or driver, or applying an update either from Microsoft or a 3rd-Party vendor, or the addition, removal, or failure of a device.

I would suggest you make certain your operating system, browser(s), device drivers, security/privacy software, (antivirus, antispyware, firewall, adblocker, popup stopper, etc), data backup, and any media playback or burning applications as applicable all are fully up to date, and that your devices all are reporting that they are operating normally.

If you can recall installing, removing, updating, or otherwise modifying a device and/or associated drivers and/or software somewhere around the time the problem started happening, that would be a logical place to start looking.

See
Microsoft: Common Stop Messages For Troubleshooting[/i][/u]

See also
PCHell: IRQ's, DMA's, and Memory Addresses ~

Y'know, if you're sick and tired of seeing the Blue Screen Of Death and never wanna see it again, you can use sysedit (Start>Run> type, without the quotes, "sysedit", then click "OK" or hit <ENTER>) to change the backround and text colors to just about anything you want. Navigate to the SYSTEM.INI file, locate [386enh] in that file, and, if they're not already there (they prolly wont be, but they might be), add the new entries:

MessageBackColor=
MessageTextColor=

Next, assign a value to each of those entries, from the following list:

• 0 = black
  
  
• 1 = blue
  
  
• 2 = green
  
  
• 3 = cyan
  
  
• 4 = red
  
  
• 5 = magenta
  
  
• 6 = yellow/brown
  
  
• 7 = white
  
  
• 8 = gray
  
  
• 9 = bright blue
  
  
• A = bright green
  
  
• B = bright cyan
  
  
• C = bright red
  
  
• D = bright magenta
  
  
• E = bright yellow
  
  
• F = bright white

For instance, you might be pleased by the effect given by my fave, bright blue text on a bright magenta background - real eyecatching. To get that, your entries would look like this:

MessageBackColor=D
MessageTextColor=9

(Note: ya gotta use CAPITAL letters, not lower case)


Save the changes, close SYSTEM.INI and close sysedit, then reboot.

Next, crash your system by whatever means you usualy use to do that , take a few moments to appreciate your new, customized crash screen, then call all your freinds, invite them over and show them the neat new trick you've taught your machine. They'll be amazed and envious, I guarantee you :wink:


IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS WORKS - BUT I OFFER IT TOTALLY TONGUE-IN-CHEEK - timber

That's brilliant !
Thanks Timber'.

Thanks

But I dunno exactly as its brilliant; I suppose its not a stretch to say its imaginative, in a silly sorta way. I can be one twisted puppy when it comes to 'puters

Does that mean it should now be named the "Timber" screen of death. :wink: