Windows 7: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error

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Hello Microsoft community!


Recently, a Windows 7 machine I'm working on has been experiencing BSOD restarts with the error DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL. So far, 5 have occurred in 3 days. They occur while using Firefox to browse the internet (but that's about all he does).


Thanks for any help you can provide!


Troubleshooting steps:

I ran WhoCrashed on the memory dumps (full output below). It blamed his Ethernet card (Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Controller, driver version 17.4.0.1) for the crash where it had a full memory dump and blamed unknown drivers for the minidumps. I attempted to update the driver for the ethernet card, but Windows claimed it was up to date and I was unable to find more up-to-date versions for Windows 7.


I have verified that the crashes are NOT related to the specific webpages he visits - one crash occurred right after he clicked on a specific link, but after restarting, he visited the same page just fine.


I also verified that they are not caused by transmitting large amounts of data: I downloaded the Ubuntu 18.04 ISO (1.8 GB) with no problems. I don't know how to verify if they are caused by a large number of requests, though.


I attempted to inspect the dumps manually, but I was unable to download Visual Studio 2013 to install the debugging pack and do so.


Machine Details:

Windows version: Windows 7 Service Pack 1, 6.1, build: 7601
Windows dir: C:\Windows
Hardware: OptiPlex 745 , Dell Inc. , Dell Inc. , 0RF703
CPU: GenuineIntel Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 3.40GHz Intel586, level: 15
2 logical processors, active mask: 3
RAM: 8511934464 bytes total


Antivirus:

Bitdefender Free Antivirus 1.0.12.41, updated 7/24/2018

Windows Defender (I thought I had turned this off - evidently not. I did this while researching this post, so after all 5 crashes).

Advanced Systemcare 11.4

I installed Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free to check for malware after the 1st crash: it didn't find anything (except Advanced Systemcare and Driver Tuner). I since uninstalled it.


He also had Driver Tuner and Driver Booster 4 installed. I uninstalled Driver Booster 4 around the time the crashes started (can't remember if it was before or after).


Updates/new hardware:

The machine is configured for automatic updates. No new hardware has been installed since the Fitbit 8 months ago. I don't know how to see when the ethernet card driver was last updated (the driver was published on 2/24/2016).


Update history (apologies for the format - I couldn't figure out how to copy/paste it):

update_history_pc.png


WhoCrashed output:

The first 2 sections are diagnosing the same crash: one is the minidump, one is the Kernel dump.

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System Information (local)
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Computer name: OWNER-PC
Windows version: Windows 7 Service Pack 1, 6.1, build: 7601
Windows dir: C:\Windows
Hardware: OptiPlex 745 , Dell Inc. , Dell Inc. , 0RF703
CPU: GenuineIntel Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 3.40GHz Intel586, level: 15
2 logical processors, active mask: 3
RAM: 8511934464 bytes total

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Crash Dump Analysis
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Crash dumps are enabled on your computer. This system is not configured for complete or automatic crash dumps. For best results, configure your system to write out complete or automatic crash dumps. Select Tools->Crash Dump Configuration from the main menu to configure your system to write out complete memory dumps.

Crash dump directories:
C:\Windows
C:\Windows\Minidump

On Mon 7/23/2018 10:02:15 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\072318-43711-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0xA48A0)
Bugcheck code: 0xD1 (0x1C, 0x2, 0x1, 0xFFFFF88001A62626)
Error: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode driver attempted to access pageable memory at a process IRQL that was too high.
This bug check belongs to the crash dump test that you have performed with WhoCrashed or other software. It means that a crash dump file was properly written out.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.


On Mon 7/23/2018 10:02:15 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP
This was probably caused by the following module: b57nd60a.sys (b57nd60a+0x4981C)
Bugcheck code: 0xD1 (0x1C, 0x2, 0x1, 0xFFFFF88001A62626)
Error: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
file path: C:\Windows\system32\drivers\b57nd60a.sys
product: Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet Driver
company: Broadcom Limited
description: Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet NDIS6.x Unified Driver.
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode driver attempted to access pageable memory at a process IRQL that was too high.
This bug check belongs to the crash dump test that you have performed with WhoCrashed or other software. It means that a crash dump file was properly written out.
A third party driver was identified as the probable root cause of this system error. It is suggested you look for an update for the following driver: b57nd60a.sys (Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet NDIS6.x Unified Driver., Broadcom Limited).
Google query: b57nd60a.sys Broadcom Limited DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL


On Mon 7/23/2018 10:33:13 AM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\072318-180742-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0xA48A0)
Bugcheck code: 0xD1 (0x1C, 0x2, 0x1, 0xFFFFF88001A63626)
Error: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode driver attempted to access pageable memory at a process IRQL that was too high.
This bug check belongs to the crash dump test that you have performed with WhoCrashed or other software. It means that a crash dump file was properly written out.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.


On Mon 7/23/2018 10:22:13 AM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\072318-17815-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0xA48A0)
Bugcheck code: 0xD1 (0x1C, 0x2, 0x1, 0xFFFFF88001A60626)
Error: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode driver attempted to access pageable memory at a process IRQL that was too high.
This bug check belongs to the crash dump test that you have performed with WhoCrashed or other software. It means that a crash dump file was properly written out.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.


On Sat 7/21/2018 7:11:42 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\072118-25318-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0xA48A0)
Bugcheck code: 0x9F (0x3, 0xFFFFFA8007613A10, 0xFFFFF8000433A568, 0xFFFFFA8006D83E10)
Error: DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This bug check indicates that the driver is in an inconsistent or invalid power state. A device object has been blocking an IRP for too long a time.
This is likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.


On Sat 7/21/2018 3:47:43 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\072118-28969-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0xA48A0)
Bugcheck code: 0xD1 (0x1C, 0x2, 0x1, 0xFFFFF88001A61626)
Error: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode driver attempted to access pageable memory at a process IRQL that was too high.
This bug check belongs to the crash dump test that you have performed with WhoCrashed or other software. It means that a crash dump file was properly written out.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.


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Conclusion
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6 crash dumps have been found and analyzed. A third party driver has been identified to be causing system crashes on your computer. It is strongly suggested that you check for updates for these drivers on their company websites. Click on the links below to search with Google for updates for these drivers:

b57nd60a.sys (Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet NDIS6.x Unified Driver., Broadcom Limited)

If no updates for these drivers are available, try searching with Google on the names of these drivers in combination with the errors that have been reported for these drivers. Include the brand and model name of your computer as well in the query. This often yields interesting results from discussions on the web by users who have been experiencing similar problems.


Read the topic general suggestions for troubleshooting system crashes for more information.

Note that it's not always possible to state with certainty whether a reported driver is responsible for crashing your system or that the root cause is in another module. Nonetheless it's suggested you look for updates for the products that these drivers belong to and regularly visit Windows update or enable automatic updates for Windows. In case a piece of malfunctioning hardware is causing trouble, a search with Google on the bug check errors together with the model name and brand of your computer may help you investigate this further.


Dump files:

Memory Dumps - Google Drive

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