Can I repair Windows 7 without breaking DRM?

[dejavux2]

Is it possible to repair Windows 7 without breaking DRM?

My problem started after the upgrade to Silverlight 5. After Silverlight 5 was installed, I could no longer stream from Netflix. Within WMC, as soon as I hit the 'Play' button, WMC crashes and restarts. I tried to watch through my browser, and Netflix is stuck in a loop of telling me to install Silverlight. No matter how Silverlight is installed (through Microsoft site, or through the link on Netflix), Netflix thinks I do not have Silverlight installed.

Shortly after the above starting happening, I started getting random BSOD crashes with Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit. The BSOD message started with "dxgkrnl.sys" as the problem. After searching the internet for a solution, I was pointed in the direction of my GPU drivers. This is when everything just got wierd/aggrivating/annoying... the BSOD messages started changing and pointing at different things...video drivers...java...random services...even the Kernal itself....

I've tried just about every solution out there to solve these problems, but nothing works. I've uninstalled/re-installed my GPU drivers (MSI GeForce GT 520 1GB GDDR3 PCIe HDMI)...no good. I've wiped out the Video drivers (nVidia) with Driver Sweeper and Driver Fusion and re-installed...no good. I've uninstalled/re-installed Silverlight....no good. I've uninstalled/re-installed Java....no good.

I have run all tests on my ram (Corsair High Performance Vengeance 16GB DDR3 (4x4gig sticks))...including one stick at a time, 2, 3, 4... in different slots, and different combination of slots.... everything passed...

I have run all tests on my CPU (AMD FX-4100 Quad Core 3600MHZ 8MB 95W AM3+ Bulldozer Processor) and everything passed....

I do not have another GPU to try.... I'm kinda hesitant to try another GPU.... here's why....

I have the Ceton InfiniTV 4 installed with a CableCard from my cable company (TWC), and I do not want to loose my many, many, many hours of recorded tv. I've heard too many horror stories of people loosing their recordings because of upgrading one piece of hardware.

This is why I need to know if I can do a repair on Windows 7 without breaking DRM.....

Thank you for any input...

[foxwood]

If you have a backup from an time when Windows was working OK, you can back up your current PlayReady "database", and restore it after restoring the old image. At least one poster has reported that this allowed him to maintain access to recordings made after the Windows backup was made:

http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... 35&start=0

(Obviously, your milage may vary - nobody else has reported trying this yet).

You might want to try creating a new user profile on your PC, and see if Netflix/Silverlight get on any better in that profile. Switching user profiles shouldn't affect your protected recordings - they are tied to the machine, not the user. While Silverlight is installed on the machine, not the User account, there will be some per-user settings in the profile.

It's worth a try.

[dejavux2]

Ok... my frustration furthers.... I cannot find out what is wrong with my computer. I'm still getting the random BSODs pointing to different things. I've installed the Windows Kit that allows me to read/view the minidumps. The error that caused the BSOD is pointing to different things, "dxgkrnl.sys", "ntoskrnl.exe", "System_Service_Exception", "dxgmms1.sys", sometimes it points to Java, sometimes it's totally random and points to USB, Silverlight or even my Storage Controller "Jmicron JMB36X".

I know that "dxgkrnl.sys" and "dxgmms1.sys" points to the graphics drivers.... more on that bellow.

I know that "ntoskrnl.exe" is what the cumputer uses to 'talk' to the hard drives and memory. I've tested all of my drives, and they come back with no errors. I've used Memtest86 to test my memory, and everything passes. I've tested each of the 4 memory sticks separately, in combinations of 2, 3, 4, and different combinations of DIMM slots... All passes.

I've run Prime95 to test the CPU, and everything passes...

I've uninstalled my Graphics Drivers (nVidia), used Driver Sweeper and Driver Fusion in safe mode, reinstalled the Graphics Drivers, but still get the BSODs.

I've switched out cables, HDMI and DVI, just to see if that was the issue....no change

I've uninstalled and re-installed my JMicron JMB36X.... no change

I have the latest BIOS for my motherboard, lastest for my Ethernet adapter, latest for my SSD.... no change

But now... I've done the uninstall/re-install of my Graphics Drivers so many times, that now the nVidia Installer fails at trying to install the drivers, but Windows is able to download and install the drivers with no problems...

Like I said above, everything was running perfect until the Silverlight 5 was installed... the first thing I noticed was that I was no longer able to stream from Netflix, either within WMC or through the browswer.

Now, I know most people are going to say, "Just reinstall Windows!", but I do not want to go down that road just yet, because I will lose the many, many, many Recordings withing WMC (CopyOnce)...my Wife will hate me, seriously....the kids will not be happy either....

My specs:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit;
ASUS Sabertooth TUF 990FX AMD AM3+ Motherboard;
AMD FX-4100 Quad Core 3600MHZ 8MB 95W AM3+ Bulldozer Processor;
Corsair High Performance Vengeance 16GB DDR3 1600 Mhz PC12800;
Corsair Enthusiast Series 650-Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Power Supply;
MSI GeForce GT 520 1GB GDDR3 PCIe HDMI;
CRUCIAL M4 64GB 2.5 SATA 6GB/S SSD;
4 X Western Digitial Caviar Green 2 TB HDD;
2 X Hauppauge 1229 WinTV-HVR-2250 Dual Hybrid PCI-E TV Tuner;
Ceton InfiniTV4 PCIe;
CableCard from TWC;
Cisco 1520 Tuning Adapter;
ASUS 42" Widescreen LCD Monitor (HDMI) 1080p;
Westinghouse 19" LCD Widescreen (DVI).

[barnabas1969]

I think you're posting in the wrong place to get help with your BSOD's. There is a forum where people are there specifically to help others with BSOD problems. Follow this link:

http://www.sevenforums.com/bsod-help-su ... tions.html

[foxwood]

Do you have a backup of your system drive from before you encountered these problems? If it is a software issue, you can restore that image, as long as you save the PlayReady information first.

[dejavux2]

I do not... because of my own stupidity, I was in the habbit of cleaning my drive with "Disk CleanUp", and then making a new restore point after the clean. Unfortunately, the restore point now includes this problem.

I'm starting to wonder if it may be a power issue.... Is a 650 W PSU enough now?....

[dejavux2]

I'm sorry, I'm not ignoring the "bsod" link above... it's just that this started with Silverlight in my HTPC, and was hoping someone else has come across this issue.

Another posted said that there was nothing wrong with Silverlight, that it was just my computer... which turns out to be true, but there are quite a bit of people having issues with Silverlight..... they are just not posting it here... so when looking here, no one would know there was a problem.....

Sorry...ranting....

[kmp14]

Just a tip: EVERY time I have had weird, odd, difficult to track down PC problems it has been the power supply.....

[barnabas1969]

I'm starting to wonder if it may be a power issue.... Is a 650 W PSU enough now?....

Yes, 650W is more than enough unless you have a VERY powerful gaming machine. But that doesn't eliminate the possibility that you have a failing power supply.

Still... before you go out and spend any money, PLEASE go ask for help at the link I posted above.

[dejavux2]

Ok, thanks. I will reach out to the link above, but I will also keep posting here, as it does affect my HTPC...

Here's hoping to posting a solution....

[Shackleford]

Just a tip: EVERY time I have had weird, odd, difficult to track down PC problems it has been the power supply.....

I always keep a spare power supply for this reason. In 16 years of building and repairing PC's this is the most replaced due to failure piece of hardware I've experienced. Improper voltage can cause BSOD, reboots and other odd behavior.

[barnabas1969]

Just a tip: EVERY time I have had weird, odd, difficult to track down PC problems it has been the power supply.....

I always keep a spare power supply for this reason. In 16 years of building and repairing PC's this is the most replaced due to failure piece of hardware I've experienced. Improper voltage can cause BSOD, reboots and other odd behavior.

I guess I must be lucky then. In the 21 years that I've been building and repairing PC's, I've never experienced this problem. Not once. I've built dozens of PC's for myself, friends, and family members. And, in my last job, I was primarily responsible for maintaining/repairing 400+ PC's. I worked there for 5 1/2 years, and never had a power supply failure in a PC. We had plenty of fried Ethernet adapters and serial ports due to lightning strikes, but never a power supply.

In fact, in the job I had before that one, I was an electronics technician for a large semiconductor manufacturer. My primary responsibility was maintaining/repairing Symtek environmental handlers (robotics equipment used in the testing of semiconductor devices) and test systems made by various manufacturers including Teradyne, Tektronix, and Sentry (which was bought by Schlumberger), along with all their assorted peripheral test equipment, printers, tape drives, disc drives, etc. With all the systems and peripherals I was responsible for, I only had one power supply failure... and that was on a piece of equipment that was 21 years old at the time.

Granted, the systems at the semiconductor manufacturer were built to last... but at the job where I maintained 400+ PC's they were all consumer grade PC's made by Gateway. Not the highest quality machines by any measure.

[foxwood]

I guess I must be lucky then. In the 21 years that I've been building and repairing PC's, I've never experienced this problem. Not once. I've built dozens of PC's for myself, friends, and family members. And, in my last job, I was primarily responsible for maintaining/repairing 400+ PC's. I worked there for 5 1/2 years, and never had a power supply failure in a PC.

We're not talking about powersupplies that stop working entirely, we're talking about power supplies that delivery unstable output to the PC, causing inconsistent behaviour. Unless you've never, ever seen a PC with random crashes that you couldn't pin down to bad RAM or buggy software, you might well have been fighting with a PSU that appeared to be working just fine, but was in fact the real source of your problems.

[foxwood]

I'm starting to wonder if it may be a power issue.... Is a 650 W PSU enough now?....

Modern componenets actually have much lower power requirements. You could happily run a 3rd Gen Core i7 with 8GB of RAM, an SSD and a 2GB Green drive on a 200W PSU, if you could find a 200W PSU.

There are some online PSU calculators that can give you an idea of what you might need:
http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/Power
http://images10.newegg.com/BizIntell/to ... index.html

But an unstable powersupply can cause this type of problem, even if there is plenty of capacity in the system.

[foxwood]

Newegg has had some great bargains on Corsair PSUs recently. They have the CX430M 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC for $30 after MIR, for example.

[dejavux2]

Hmmmm... I just did the Thermaltake PSU Calculator, and it is recommending a 654 W PSU.....

[barnabas1969]

I guess I must be lucky then. In the 21 years that I've been building and repairing PC's, I've never experienced this problem. Not once. I've built dozens of PC's for myself, friends, and family members. And, in my last job, I was primarily responsible for maintaining/repairing 400+ PC's. I worked there for 5 1/2 years, and never had a power supply failure in a PC.

We're not talking about powersupplies that stop working entirely, we're talking about power supplies that delivery unstable output to the PC, causing inconsistent behaviour. Unless you've never, ever seen a PC with random crashes that you couldn't pin down to bad RAM or buggy software, you might well have been fighting with a PSU that appeared to be working just fine, but was in fact the real source of your problems.

I'm well aware of what we're talking about. When a power supply begins to fail, it can output incorrect voltages and/or too much ripple (which is electrical noise on the output of the supply).

Yes, I've seen PC's that get BSOD's, and the problem has never been due to the power supply. Again, I've worked on literally hundreds of PC's, most of which were maintained by me for a period of several years.

I have, however, seen a couple of PSU's that completely failed... smoke and all. I suppose I should have said that I've never seen a PSU failure that caused a BSOD.

[barnabas1969]

Hmmmm... I just did the Thermaltake PSU Calculator, and it is recommending a 654 W PSU.....

Did you post over at sevenforums.com with all the required information?

[dejavux2]

I will post over there when I get home from work... as I cannot do the uploads from here....

[Crash2009]

I will post over there when I get home from work... as I cannot do the uploads from here....

I asked Ceton for help, they kindly requested the dmp files, and one of their analysts pointed me towards the problem. Then, I went through the troubleshooting steps at http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/22 ... s-7-a.html I also got ASUS (motherboard), and Corsair (ram) involved. Between the five of us, and several of you from TGB, we nailed the problem in about a week. A software named BlueScreenView was very helpful.

Several of my 19 dmp files were pointing to MEMORY MANAGEMENT. Memtest, booted from USB was unable to find anything wrong. I came up with an unusual method to test ram. What I did to find the offending stick, was to:

1- set the bios to boot from CD/DVD
2- disconnect the hard drives, and remove all the ram
3- place the Win7 CD in the tray
4- insert Ram stick 1, in motherboard slot 1 and see if it boots OK.
5- then try stick 1 in each motherboard slot
6- then try the rest, one stick only, in each slot

Label the ram sticks 1,2,3,4. and take notes. Mine went something like this.

1 in 1 OK
1 in 2 OK
1 in 3 OK
1 in 4 OK

2 in 1 OK
2 in 2 OK
2 in 3 OK
2 in 4 OK

3 in 1 overclock failed, F1, use same settings, boots.
3 in 2 no nothing
3 in 3 no nothing
3 in 4 overclock failed, F1, use same settings, boots.

4 in 1 OK
4 in 2 no nothing
4 in 3 overclock failed, F1, use same settings, boots, runs a little rough.
4 in 4 no nothing

I RMA'd Stick 3 and 4, and havn't had a BSOD since. Not saying RAM is your problem, but, if you test it like this and it passes, you can surely eliminate it as being part of the problem. It only takes a half hour or so to find out.