Hello, My relative's computer started getting STOP errors last week (her computer's christmas present to her, lol). So far she has gotten 2 and each time she received them, she was either playing or loading The Sims 2 (coincidence or not, I'm not sure). I have tried analyzing the minidumps via WinDbg. The first, according to WinDbg, pointed to: arusb.sys, with the STOP error 0x000000C5 (0x002932E4, 0x00000002, 0x00000001, 0x805515A1) After she restarted her computer after this first BSOD, she sent an error report to Microsoft as Windows reported recovering from a fatal error. Microsoft pinpointed ALCXWDM.SYS (Realtek AC'97 driver) as the problem, but WinDbg did not as far as I can tell from my limited analysis so that may or may not be a different issue. The second, according to WinDbg, pointed to: USBPORT.SYS with the STOP error 0x000000C5 (0x002932E0, 0x00000002, 0x00000000, 0x8055196D) Her computer specs (Acer Aspire T320) are as follows: - Windows XP Home Edition SP3 (32-bit) - Intel Celeron 2.8 GHz - 2GB RAM - NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 256MB (this was an upgrade from her original integrated Intel graphics so that she could play The Sims 2) - 80GB Hard Drive (FAT32) - ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4.2 installed - TP-LINK TL-WN821N 11N Wireless Adapter (for her Internet) I tried googling the 0x0C5 error, and I think that it is often a driver or hardware problem. Since both STOP errors had some reference to USB ports (arusb.sys and usbport.sys), I assume it would be her USB ports failing, or the devices connected to the USB ports? The TP-LINK Wireless Adapter is connected via USB, and so is her Lexmark 2200 printer (but the printer is off). The STOP errors have only occured when she's playing The Sims 2, and as far as I know, that doesn't require the internet, although the adapter is still on. How can I verify if it is a USB port(s), the Wireless Adapter, or something completely different that is causing the STOP errors? I'd be more than willing to provide more information if required. I'd be grateful for any assistance that anybody could provide (and so would she). Hope everyone had a great Christmas.
A lot of games will try and connect out whether you play online or not to check for updates and so on. Might be worth checking to see if access is denied in firewall. A longshot.
Hello Keyboard Commando, Thanks for your reply. I will check to see if the game is denied in the firewall or not. I'm also thinking that in order to play her game, she has to insert the DVD into the DVD drive. How is the DVD connected to the motherboard and other parts of the computer? Is it, by any chance, connected via USB? If it is, then maybe it's the DVD drive dying. After checking the firewall, the only thing I can think of doing if the STOP error occurs again is putting the Wireless Adapter in a different USB port and see if that stops the blue screens. Is there anything else I can do? Thanks again, Mark
Hello, There is only one entry in Windows Firewall that relates to The Sims, which is the EA Download Manager. It is not denied. Do you think this should be uninstalled? The router is on channel 7, but the wireless adapter was on channel 6, which is the default for most devices. I changed it to channel 7 (see screenshot). Are these supposed to be on the same channel, or will they interfere if they are on the same channel? I checked Event Viewer and the only events before the STOP error were several instances of 4201 events which state, "The system detected that network adapter {random letter} was connected to the network, and has initiated normal operation over the network adapter." I unticked "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" (see screenshot), because I thought maybe it was making the adapter shut off, but then turn back on because it was needed for something (somehow causing BSODs)? What do you think? Thanks, Mark
Hi there. So this only happens when The Sims is being cranked up? ... in the event logs does it show up in any other instances with another application? The (Event ID 4201) is a common problem, with the little bit of googling I did, but I haven't seen any specifically with The Sims. There doesn't appear to be anything specifically related between the two from google search. There may be a patching solution, though, if you check the game forum. Make sure the drivers/firmware for everything are up to date, if they are, try uninstalling/reinstall the adapter and see if it happens again. Also check out the router security settings and see whats going on there. I doubt it would need specific game settings but most modern routers have specific settings for games. The EA download manager checks for any game updates. I have read of instances where these updater programs can freeze/crash a game if they're not accessing the internet for DRM (digital Rights Management)/game patch checks. I'd give it internet access, just incase. If you can narrow the problem specifically down to The Sims, I would uninstall/reinstall the adapter, have the latest drivers and start again. Hope that helps.
Few weeks ago i ve installed Sims 2 ,a genuine copy and after installation i could see n* protection drivers installed.Check Non Plug and Play drivers section ,enable hidden view in device manager and see if there are "4t3wetg35y" kind of drivers.I think in my case it installed over 10 of those random named Legit rootkits that may conflict with some other security drivers.
