anathematized1

I have a very strange update to my computer troubles/woes. I decided to start randomly uninstalling things that don't run when you're in Safe Mode and then reinstall them. The first thing I started with was my sound card. Oddly enough, after I uninstalled it and restarted the computer, then reinstalled it... my CPU hovers between 10 and 20% CPU - this is great great great. However I still have the problem of both that process explorer you linked me to causing the computer to have a BSOD as well as that authorization program for my East/West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra, both of which work in safe mode but not in normal mode. I found this to be really odd because in all the Windows Performance Tools xperf trace analysis runs that I did - nothing ever came up involving the sound card driver. I just don't get it, really. There is still something wrong with the computer though, what with those two programs unable to run.

So I have an update. I got my Windows 7 upgrade disk and they don't have a "repair installation" option like they used to (when the f*** did they stop doing that? I know they still had it with Windows 98...). My only recovery options are to use a restore point, as I already explained I cannot do because a boot-scan antivirus got rid of a file on my computer and it was there up until the last restore point before my computer went to garbage and it fails to restore to that point because it can't restore that file, which I think is really stupid, prevent a system restore all because ONE little file can't be found that isn't even essential to the system? SERIOUSLY!? You can't just, restore and say "oh, it's restored, all except this file, is this alright?" Apparently not. The only other option is with a system image, which I didn't know you could make, don't know what it is, don't know how to make one, and don't even have one anyway. I noticed something else weird when I was running task manager. I noticed that the things that were running, were taking up twice the memory they should be. Hell, task manager itself was taking up 10-20% of my CPU while it was running. Does there happen to be a Windows 7 Home Premium installation repair? I mean, because I have no way of backing up 600 GB of data (hell, even half of that). I would also hate to have to reinstall a lot of this crap.

Well, as I expected, having the client installed did not change a thing, I had a BSOD (same driver, same issue). I really don't think it's the driver though because I went to that website and downloaded that Process Explorer and when I tried to run it, I got a BSOD citing some driver that goes with the program and again, it said that it was trying to corrupt system memory or what have you. So I honestly don't think there is anything wrong with these drivers in question. However, if it isn't the drivers, what is causing these drivers to cause BSODs?

OH I know the driver comes from PACE, and I could have told you it had something to do with the dongle. The thing though is, it DOES load that driver in Safe Mode (I mean I even watched the screen as it was loading the drivers and saw it on there). But I get it now (since I now know what it does). You see, the driver, while loaded, doesn't do anything in safe mode because in safe mode, dongles are ignored. I get that, sweet. Now, I'm on the Ilok website, and for me to support a help ticket, I have to log in with my Ilok name and password. Done. Next it tells me that the Ilok client program is not installed on my computer (apparently all anybody gave me were just the drivers). Maybe if I install this client, it could fix the problem?

That's cool, I tried to learn that way, but I'm having a hard time finding things like the building blocks that lead up to bigger things. It seems all the information I want is never available, but if I wanted to know how to make a bomb out of duct tape, toothpaste, and a stale fart, or if I wanted to find a t****y donkey having s** with a man and a woman, I could find it easily all over the Internet. -__- On a side note, these dump files compress really well apparently, 1.1 GB down to 103 MB. I was worried about that so I opened the .rar file and WinRAR says that it will be 1.1 GB extracted. So, if the dump file comes out... incomplete, let me know. mediafire.com/file/hwwl1wf31d8m3j8/Memory%20Dump.rar

Alright, I have to .rar it into a split archive because the dump file is 1.1 GB (and the max file size I can upload being a non-premium member is 200 MB). So, it's coming, soon. However, while we are waiting, where did you learn so much about computers? I'm looking for a career change and I've always been interested in computers and scripting, CGI, all that kind of stuff.

One last question. SO I'm about to restart my computer and have these changes take effect. When I start the faulty program/driver up, will it automatically make a complete dump? Because there is no time when it happens to hit rghtctrl + scrlck.

Does it have to be exactly equal to the system ram + 50 MB? I mean right now, mine is way above that (system ram is 8 GB, paging file is 11 gb)...

Not entirely certain without seeing the actual crash dump. You'd need a complete system dump of this, as well, not just a small or kernel dump. 1. I am assuming that when Windows BSOD's when this happens, it only does a kernal memory dump? How can I go about getting a complete system dump of this crash?

How do I run a process explorer? I also still can't think for the life of me why the other problem, with the BSOD when trying to authorize this program, happens in normal mode but it works fine in safe mode. What service/program/whatever does Windows use to determine when a file or driver is supposedly "corrupting the system?" I mean, I know the driver isn't trying to corrupt the system, but Windows seems to think it is. I mean I've installed 3 different versions of it, all from the manufacturer and everything, who are trusted and who's systems have been proven to work in Windows 7.

OH, I found the problem. It's an svchost (at least, the problem that is using up all my CPU). It says the user is "SYSTEM." I already ended the process, but I know which one it is if I restart my computer. How do I figure out what this SVChost is related to so I can permanently disable and/or fix it?

I mean, knowing what my computer is doing, what would be the next thing you guys would do if it were your computer? I mean, I took all the logical steps... Virus scans (with about 6 different anti-virus programs), found very few viruses but cleaned them out Malwarebytes scan Reinstalled drivers/checked for driver updates Checked for Windows Updates Ran Windows Performance Toolkit xperf trace analysis and fix problems revealed Ran registry scan and fixed errors after each action Ran Check disk (found no errors) Ran another malware/spyware/rootkit scan (found nothing) Honestly, my computer ran fine in Alabama, before I moved to Virginia. Then my father vacuumed the dust off of the outside of it and drove it up here to me, where I started using it again and it had all these problems with a BSOD caused by the driver for my wireless networking card (which I had never used until I got here) and I tried everything to fix that card, updating drivers, rolling back drivers, and finally gave up on it and disabled it and then just used my regular networking card to hardline into the router. However, during the process of trying to fix that, that's when the second problem came up of my CPU constantly buzzing around 60%. I mean me, with just barely more computer knowledge than the average Joe looked into the problem, I did xperf trace and found that 60% of the usage was going to amdppm.sys (the driver for my processor - AMD Phenom Quad-Core), and I did the logical thing and reinstalled the driver for that and it didn't fix the problem. There is something seriously wrong with Windows 7 itself to have all these problems, especially with the BSOD's that I've been getting from this PACE Ilok dongle. Anytime the dongle, the program, or the authorization program accesses the tdpk.sys driver, the computer BSOD's. The funny thing though is that in Safe Mode, these programs can access that driver and then there is NO BSOD and they all totally work. The only problem with that is that for me to continue with the registration, the computer has to recognize the Ilok dongle, which it can't do in safe mode. Even if it did, I still wouldn't be able to run the program in normal mode because it has to access that tdpk.sys driver. Both the program (East/West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra) and the PACE Ilok dongle have been tested and are certified to work on Windows 7 (both x86 and x64 types). A backup of all my data in itself is not practical as I don't have another drive that can hold all that info (600+ GB), and even then, I can't reinstall Windows 7 because my disk is in Alabama, on top of that, I don't even know if I can use it to reinstall Windows 7. Like, the weird thing is, all of these drives that I've mentioned that I have a problem with, they load and run fine in Safe Mode with no problems. My computer even runs at normal speed. So there has to be something that is broken or corrupt that doesn't load in Safe Mode that loads in standard mode, right?

Alright, so apparently somehow System Restore got turned off, so now I don't have any system restore points. What I WAS going to do was restore my computer all the way back to before I installed this program that was preventing me from going back in system restore because ONE file was infected with a virus and removed from it just before I attempted a system restore. I mean this is seriously gotten me distressed. I'm in Virginia, and I don't know if my Windows 7 disk that I have at home will reinstall it to my HDD. On top of that, how in the hell do I back up .6 TB of s***? I mean I have like 5 DVD+RDL disks, but that SO isn't enough. My External HDD is only 120 GB, and even then, it's a FAT32 system, so I can't even put files larger than 1 GB on it. I think I'm literally going to cry.

I can't do a clean reinstall though because I don't have a full install disk for Windows 7 I don't think. My disk I think was only an upgrade disk, I am not sure, I can't remember.

New information on this recurrent BSOD related to the tpdk.sys driver. With the PACE Ilok security key (dongle) not plugged into my computer, I plug it in and I get the same BSOD telling me the same driver was supposedly trying to corrupt system files. With Ilok plugged in or not, running either the actual program or the authorization program results in a BSOD (the same BDSOD). I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers that came with it, no change. I have tried uninstalling and installing the drivers Microsoft recommended, no change. I have tried uninstalling and installing the latest drivers listed on the manufacturer's website, no change. From doing research, nobody else with Windows 7 (either x86 or x64) have had this problem. It is definitely something wrong with my computer and not with the driver. Very interestingly, safe mode loads this driver that is supposedly causing all this crap, and then no BSOD. Really weird. However, in safe mode, the computer doesn't recognize the dongle, so the program, and even authorizing it, is useless. I know it's not the dongle itself because when not in safe mode, and with the dongle not in, running either program still results in a BSOD. So something is wrong with my computer. I was having these same issues with my wireless networking card (it would randomly BSOD at least 1-3 times per day) until I disabled it in the device manager and just decided to plug my standard networking card directly into the router. No BSOD's caused by that. The only thing I can think of that could cause a problem like this is a virus. The problem is, I've run at least 6 different virus scans (not all at the same time obviously) with everything from Panda to A-squared to Malwarebytes to Trend Micro Securities. There are no more viruses and there is no more malware (though these programs didn't find very many anyway, I think a total of like 14 threats?). I also ran Uniblue RegistryBooster 2010 and I've completely opened up my computer and cleaned out all of the dust. I really honestly don't know what to do now. The only thing I can do is get my Windows 7 disk and hope that it has "repair installation" options on it. What's even worse is I've still not gotten to this massive CPU usage problem. Everyone keeps telling me "oh you have a problem with this" and I fix it and yeah, that's good that I got that, but that's not the real problem. Then they tell me "oh you got a problem with that" and I fix that and still NOTHING CHANGES.

So I reinstalled those drivers - no change in computer behavior, but I have a new problem, one that makes me think all of these problems are interrelated. You see, I got East/West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra (Play Edition). This is a massive VSTi, which also has a stand alone program. Anyway, it requires a PACE Ilok security key (dongle) to use. Everything installed without a hitch. After the Ilok drivers installed, I had to restart my computer. No problem. Everything is back up, so I go to authorize/authenticate my EWQLSO and when I go to run the authorizing program, I get a BSOD, which points to the driver TDPK.sys as the cause. I completely uninstalled the Ilok stuff, then reinstalled it, then did it again and then upgraded to the latest drivers, still BSOD each time. Well on the last BSOD, I started my computer in safe mode. I was watching the drivers load and one of them that loaded was tdpk.sys (and another one was amdppm.sys). Interestingly, my computer runs fine in safe mode. Since tdpk.sys loaded, I went ahead and tried to run the authorization program for EWQLSO and this time it started up with no BSOD. Of course, I couldn't complete the authorization in safe mode because in safe mode, the computer doesn't recognize that the Ilok dongle is connected. So how is it that these drivers that I've had a problem with this whole time run fine in safe mode and everything is all crashy and stuff when running in normal mode?

I don't have any USB SD card readers, those readers are built right into the computer. Nothing is in them now. I have 4 USB ports in the back of the computer, to which the mouse, my speakers, my external HDD, and my webcam are all attached. Those USB ports are chipset. The other four USB ports that I have aren't chipset. Two of them are on top of the computer and two of them are at the front, and the two at the front are part of the SD card reading assembly. The only thing I have plugged into any of those 4 is my Zune. So, I can't disconnect the card readers, but I D/C'ed the external HDD and the CPU usage is still up, I just D/C'ed my Zune and the usage is STILL up. Now I have 17 "USB Ports" according to my device manager, but they don't all say the same thing. Two of them say "Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller" and five of them say "Standard OpenHCD USB Host Controller" (which must be the SD card readers, because I have exactly five of those) and then two of them say "USB Composite Device" (I'm assuming that's my mouse and webcam) and then one says "USB Mass Storage Device" (obviously my external HDD) and the other seven just say "USB Root Hub." How do I figure out which one it is? I didn't look to see if all the drivers were the same driver, but I attempted to update the drivers for a couple of them and Microsoft determined that all my drivers for them were up to date. It says the same thing about the keyboard drivers. I am about to go to bed, but tomorrow I will uninstall the drivers then reinstall them and see what happens.

Well, I just got my computer back together when you had said that. What I did today was just simple crap. I opened the computer up and cleaned all the dust out. Apparently that's all it was for some other guy, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Didn't solve a thing. My computer still runs at 40-60% CPU usage and the trace says that the 60% of it is from my Idle Processes and that amdppm.sys is like 95% of idle processes. Then it's got like nine million entries under C1Hault. But I mean, the processor is fine, and I reinstalled the driver for it and that didn't help. I really honestly can't see what the problem is... http://www.mediafire.com/file/w611kdyc1ddkdpj/Trace_3.etl

Well, a couple of days ago I asked AMD how I could get the driver for it. They responded and told me to go into the Device Manager and uninstall the device, then it would force me to restart to complete. Then when Windows loads up next, it will automatically find the driver online and install it, then call for another restart. I did that and it did everything like they said. Sadly, this didn't fix my high CPU problem. As far as the USB ports go... I don't know if I have an nForce chipset or not, or how to find out if I do. Also, from what I can tell, all of my USB ports work fine, I mean I plug s*** into them and they work the way they are supposed to.

Actually, I was doing some more research into my problem. Apparently amdppm.sys is the driver for AMD processors. I thought that if I reinstalled this driver (which seems to be corrupt), then my problem might be solved. Well I went looking and AMD (and pretty much everyone else) don't have a driver install that works on Windows 7. Hell, they don't even have one for Vista. Then I decided that I needed to search for the actual driver itself and manually install it (I.E. copy it to the windows\system32 folder and then use the Start > Run to register it. The problem is, I can't even find just that for download! What am I going to do now?

I also wanted to say that I did have one other problem, but it's only a minor problem, but it would be sweet to fix that too since, well, you guys actually know what you're talking about and can provide real help. I have a Microsoft Cinecam HD webcam. When I first got it, it worked with everything (Skype, it's own program, Windows Live Messenger, etc). I don't remember when this happened, but now anytime I try to use it with anything, it says "Error, webcam may already be in use." To try and fix this problem, I completely uninstalled the webcam and all it's software and then restarted the computer and reinstalled it (properly). This did not change a thing. I also make sure that any program that could be using the webcam is closed before I attempt to run it. There is ONE thing it works with - Yahoo! Messenger. I found that to be a bit odd. Also, one more problem. I don't know how to turn my computer off. Whenever I want to turn it off, I just pull the plug out of the wall. How do I turn off my computer!?

I have the new xperf trace file, but it's 1.5 GB in size (I accidentally let xperf run for like, 10-20 minutes...) So, here it is, split into 200 MB .rar files. http://www.mediafire.com/file/5f5f2ea4z5qj142/Trace_2.part01.rar http://www.mediafire.com/file/mm78p02lp5h8om7/Trace_2.part02.rar The only thing I see that is doing any noticeable damage right now is under System (total almost 10%) and most of that (9%) is ntoskrnl.exe, but I don't know if that's a normal range for that. Another thing interesting of note is the same file (under the next biggest entry, audiodg.exe) is contributing another 5% usage there. I'm not even counting how much it is using under Firefox or anything else that's running. I know this is a Microsoft file from what I've searched, but I don't really know what it does or even what a normal CPU usage range is for it. It is strange though that it's eating up 15% of my CPU's 30% usage (if I am reading this correctly), and that doesn't seem right. Everything else (like Firefox) seems to be in a normal range. I wouldn't think a system file would take up that much CPU (I mean it's more than FF right now). Am I correct in thinking this, or am I way off base? Then again, I'm not talking about Idle Processes. I don't exactly know what that means either, but that's eating up like 40-60% of my CPU, most of which is amdppm.sys (like 90% of idle process) and I know that is tied to Windows Search, which an attempted Windows Search is what originally caused this mess (I think). It doesn't make any sense though that this would be it because I disabled it and restarted my computer (though I didn't do an xperf trace with Search disabled) and it didn't run any better. Since I didn't do a trace, I don't know if amdppm.sys was still running or not, which I can try again, but honestly, if I'm wrong about this too, just let me know. On another note, I didn't defrag the computer before I ran the trace, I didn't think to, but I am going to have the computer defrag when I get back tonight.

Well, I took further action on the main problem with no positive results. I booted the computer up in safe mode and did a virus scan, which found 11 viruses (non of them in the previously mentioned file) and got rid of them. I also did research into this Akamai (sp?) crap and I can't really find any information on it. However, I know I didn't [knowingly] download it, so while I was still in safe mode, and since it was in the programs list in the control panel, I uninstalled it and then deleted the folder for it that was left behind ("...Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Akamai"). I'm not sure what to do now, short of taking it in to a Geek Squad location or computer repair shop and having them work on it. This however, I cannot afford right now. Any other suggestions? EDIT: I lied. When my computer is idling, it hovers between 30-40% usage, as opposed to 50-70%. I'm not sure if this is what was normal for my computer before, but I've just been sitting here playing spider solitaire (with Firefox being the only other thing open, though it's not actually being used) and I noticed that I couldn't hear my CPU fan, so I decided to check the task manager and see. Now on a side note, when I did restart my computer (after being in safe mode) and come back to regular mode, it did take a little longer than normal to boot up. I will keep yous posted about the situation. Before, I wasn't able to run SecondLife at all (yeah, I know, I'm a loser), so tonight when I would normally get on there, I'll see if my machine can run it the way it usually does. RE EDIT: Yeah, it's still not running like it should be. It's a lot better than before though. A lot of things are having a hard time running though. I have to do some stuff but when I get back, I will do another trace analysis.

1 - Still working on this problem. I can't really afford to buy an Antivirus and for some reason, I can't get the updated MRI to boot from the disk (I had to burn it to a DVD-R because the size was 706 MB, just 6 MB too big for a CDR). I have Panda Cloud Antivirus, but for some reason there was an "error" and it couldn't start up. I restarted the computer twice now and it won't start up. I'm going to uninstall and reinstall. 2 - That worked, at least we have one problem solved so far today.