Full Scan causes intermittent BSOD

For my Dell XPS M1330 laptop:

It seems that about one in four times that I run a full system scan with Eset Smart Security 4, it will hit a certain point in the scanning process where my computer will eventually blue screen (usually toward the end of the scan process around 89% complete).

I have tried determining if this is hardware or software - I have swapped with a known good hard drive and known working RAM and numerous clean OS installs of Windows 7 Professional x64. Yet I have continued to run into this intermittent issue. So I think it is safe to say it is not a hardware issue.

I have tried numerous clean OS installs as well, but I still have this issue. Can any advise on what I can do?

 

what is the certain point, some folder file? are there big archive files being scanned?

 

My theory is that scanning a particular file/folder is causing the blue screen. I am 90% sure, although I am doing further testing.

I installed another known good hard drive in my computer and installed Win 7 Pro x64; I then connected my original drive via USB and used ESET Smart Security 4 to scan a specific folder on that original drive - this resulted in a BSOD.

Assuming that my further testing yields consistent results on my theory, now my question is this: why is ESET the only scanner to encounter this problem when scanning this particular file/folder? Scanning with other programs such as Hitman Pro, Prevx, Malwarebytes, and SuperAntiSpyware does not result in a BSOD - only ESET causes a BSOD.

Finally, what can I possibly do to fix this problem?

 

what is in that file/folder, what type files?

 

The folder contained installers for specific Windows Updates for various versions of the Windows OSes.

 

Please configure the system to create kernel or better complete memory dumps. When BSOD occurs, compress the dump and let me know so that I can provide you with information where to upload it. Nevertheless, I've never seen BSOD caused by a scan; if there was a problem with a particular file it has always been reported with an error in the scan log.

 

Marcos, are you referring to the minidump files located in the C:\Windows\Minidump folder?

The files are in a *.dmp format. I have been able to extract the information into a notepad file, though I am unable to make much sense out of the information. Please advise, thank you!

On a separate note, I would like to add that I was able to consistently reproduce the BSOD by scanning a specific folder. I have since removed the folder from my computer and it seems to have resolved the issue for now, as I have been able to run full system scans without further incidents of BSODs.

 

Unfortunately, minidumps don't contain enough information to troubleshoot issues. Please refer to this KB article for instructions on creating kernel/complete memory dumps. What folder was being scanned when BSOD occurred?

 

Marcos, it seems that the default setting was already set to create kernel memory dumps.

In my haste in trying to resolve the issue on my own, I deleted the specific folder that seemed to be causing the BSOD (as I also mentioned in my previous post), so I will be unable to recreate the issue.

On top of that, I have had two subsequent BSODs which have overwritten the older "memory.dmp" files located in the C:\Windows directory - the files which would have contained information pertaining to my "BSOD on scanning a specific folder" issue.

I suppose it is possible that the two subsequent BSODs I had after removing the folder from my computer may still be related - what is the next step I should take?