Every year, after NEAF, I have purchases a new CCD ware program. Within several weeks of installation I get an IRQ error on my screen and it freezes up. This first occured with PemPro, but has also occured with CCD inspector, and I now also have all the other CCD ware programs. When sending the message to Microsoft (automatic), the computer says Windows has recovered from a serious error. The Microsoft website says:

"Follow these steps to solve the problem with a device driver

You received this message because a device driver installed on your computer caused Windows to stop unexpectedly. This type of error is referred to as a "stop error." A stop error requires you to restart your computer.

Troubleshooting

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Depending on which situation is applicable to you, do one of the following:

If this problem occurred after you installed a new hardware device on your computer, the problem might be caused by the device driver. Use the Dell Driver Reset Tool or uninstall the driver.

How do I disable or uninstall a device driver?

Click Start, and then click Control Panel. If you are using Classic View, click Switch to Category View.
Click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
Click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
Click the plus sign (+) next to the faulting device. You should now see the device listed.
Right-click the device, and then click Disable or Uninstall.
If this problem occurred after you added new software, the software might have added a driver that caused the problem. Try removing the software.

How do I remove a program?

Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs.
Click Change or Remove Programs, click the program you want to remove, and then click Change/Remove or Remove.
If you don't know the specific driver or software, try performing a System Restore.
Go online to check for updated drivers on the Microsoft Update website:
Microsoft Update
For information about your support options, go online to the Support.Dell.Com website."

I do not want to remove all my CCDware programs again. I met someone else at NEAIC who coined the term "blue screen of death." Two years ago, I could no longer open my computer, and had to do a hard restore on my hard drive, losing all data.

Has anyone else had this problem?

Seems odd that you would think these programs which aren't loading any device drivers could be causing this problem. It's much more plausible that your system registry is a mess as it sounds like you have been using this computer for quite a while.

When facing such issues, I'd suggest backing up your data, which you should be doing anyway, and reload your OS and all updates. Service Pack 3 was just released the other day for XP. I'd be sure all my drivers are current as well. Over time, as you install and un-install programs, the registry becomes a real mess. I have been told by MS support several times, it's a good pratice to do a clean install about once a year.

Hi Ruben,

That certainly doesn't sound like a CCDWare application problem. Blue screen and IRQ errors are caused by hardware and device drivers.

First, I'd suggest you go through the list of all the devices on your computer and update their drivers to the latest available. Video card, disk controller, USB controller, sound card driver, network and wireless, touch-pad or whatever mouse device you have installed, bluetooth driver, etc, etc.

Second, run a full system and memory diagnostic test (most Dells have diagnostic tests build into their BIOS, which you can invoke on boot-up through some key combination -- search on dell.com for instructions). This is a long test that can take half an hour or so to complete.

Also, check on dell.com to see if there's a newer version of BIOS for your laptop. If there is, it's a good idea to install it (but be careful to follow the instructions to the letter).

If this still fails to fix the problem, then I'd recommend rebuilding the hard disk after formatting it, and then re-installing everything. This is painful, so be sure you really want to go this route.

Good luck,

-Paul

could this be due to loading Microsoft.net ? There is such a correlation with the loading of these programs, and resolution with the deletion of these programs. I met at least one other person with the same computer as me who had the same problems.

Hi Ruben,

It's unlikely, but possible that .NET runtime may have something to do with it. That's really the only thing that is in common between all the CCDWare software.

Have you tried to uninstall and reinstall .NET?

Even if CCDWare applications somehow cause the problem, it's because your system either has hardware problems, device driver conflicts, or a bad hardware configuration. That's why I would still recommend that you go through the steps I outlined in the previous post to fix any hardware/device driver issues.

Regards,

-Paul

quote:

Originally posted by Stardoctor:
could this be due to loading Microsoft.net ? There is such a correlation with the loading of these programs, and resolution with the deletion of these programs. I met at least one other person with the same computer as me who had the same problems.