Hello everyone. Recently, I've been encountering numerous BSODs on Windows 8.1, each time with the same error: "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL". This is my attempt to document the steps taken to fix this error.
The first thing I did was examine the Windows Event Viewer service to determine what happened during the crash. According to the Event Viewer, there was a problem with the "svchost.exe" file. This is a system file, so the next step was to run an "sfc /scannow" command.
Running the Command Prompt as an Administrator, I ran the "sfc /scannow" command. After an extensive scan, the program returned the following information: "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. Details are included in the CBS.Log windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For example C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log."
Well, this sucks. SFC is supposed to fix the files! After some digging around on the internet, I decided to run the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool, or DISM. Launching the Command Prompt with Administrative privileges again, I ran the following command: "dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth". Essentially, this would scan the entire Windows image, delete any resources associated with the corrupt files, and restore the clean files from a backup.
After around half an hour, the DISM program was completed with the following message: "The restore operation completed successfully. The component store corruption was repaired." Cool. Just to be thorough, I ran the "sfc/scannow" command again. It returned the following result: "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."
I haven't had any BSODs since. I believe this corrected the problems, and my system seems to be running a lot smoother, but considering the random nature with which the problem appears, it's impossible to be certain. I'll give it some more time and update this blog if anything changes.
The first thing I did was examine the Windows Event Viewer service to determine what happened during the crash. According to the Event Viewer, there was a problem with the "svchost.exe" file. This is a system file, so the next step was to run an "sfc /scannow" command.
Running the Command Prompt as an Administrator, I ran the "sfc /scannow" command. After an extensive scan, the program returned the following information: "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. Details are included in the CBS.Log windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For example C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log."
Well, this sucks. SFC is supposed to fix the files! After some digging around on the internet, I decided to run the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool, or DISM. Launching the Command Prompt with Administrative privileges again, I ran the following command: "dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth". Essentially, this would scan the entire Windows image, delete any resources associated with the corrupt files, and restore the clean files from a backup.
After around half an hour, the DISM program was completed with the following message: "The restore operation completed successfully. The component store corruption was repaired." Cool. Just to be thorough, I ran the "sfc/scannow" command again. It returned the following result: "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."
I haven't had any BSODs since. I believe this corrected the problems, and my system seems to be running a lot smoother, but considering the random nature with which the problem appears, it's impossible to be certain. I'll give it some more time and update this blog if anything changes.
