Keeps Rebooting

[Interrupt]

Okay, so I was with GZ over in my other thread trying to work out a VPN solution. I kept downloading different Open Source or free VPNs in order to test them on my system (one, OpenVPN used the Access Server from within a VM session). I ended up deleting them all. But as I was downloading Schrew Soft VPN from their official site (without installing it), my computer quickly rebooted.

Then after it keeps rebooting.

From within Safe Mode w/ Networking

1. Malware Tests - Being a bit tech savvy I ran through a list of malware tests. All come up fine except Hitman though the things it list don't concern me and I don't have a license handy and used up my free one several thousand times before. SAS blue screens out just by launching the program but SAS isn't really meant to run in Safe Mode. Malware bytes ran fine with no error.

2. Autoruns, Services.msc, Msconfig - I'm probably blind but I'm really not seeing anything that should cause a driver conflict if one of the VPNs installed a conflicting network driver. I'm also not seeing anything remotely out of the ordinary. If someone wants me to walk them through with what I do see, I will.

3. Event Viewer - The moment you've been waiting for is a little strange. I'm going to list everything prior to the event log starting in a given reboot:


Event Type: Information
Event Source: VMnetAdapter
Event Category: None
Event ID: 34
Date: 7/14/2012
Time: 10:15:54 AM
User: N/A
Computer: DATAHAVEN
Description:
() Starting up: 8A8E4650, \REGISTRY\MACHINE\SYSTEM\Control
Data:
0000: 00 00 00 00 02 00 5a 00 ......Z.
0008: 00 00 00 00 22 00 08 60 ...."..`
0010: 22 00 08 60 00 00 00 00 "..`....
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........

Event Type: Information
Event Source: VMnetAdapter
Event Category: None
Event ID: 34
Date: 7/14/2012
Time: 10:15:54 AM
User: N/A
Computer: DATAHAVEN
Description:
() Driver entry successful.
Data:
0000: 00 00 00 00 02 00 5a 00 ......Z.
0008: 00 00 00 00 22 00 08 60 ...."..`
0010: 22 00 08 60 00 00 00 00 "..`....
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........

Event Type: Information
Event Source: Save Dump
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1001
Date: 7/14/2012
Time: 10:17:24 AM
User: N/A
Computer: DATAHAVEN
Description:
The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck. The bugcheck was: 0x100000ce (0xa1ad683e, 0x00000008, 0xa1ad683e, 0x00000000). A dump was saved in: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\Mini071412-02.dmp.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at Events and Errors Message Center: Basic Search.

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: Dhcp
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1003
Date: 7/14/2012
Time: 10:17:52 AM
User: N/A
Computer: DATAHAVEN
Description:
Your computer was not able to renew its address from the network (from the DHCP Server) for the Network Card with network address 001320E8A5A4. The following error occurred:
The semaphore timeout period has expired. . Your computer will continue to try and obtain an address on its own from the network address (DHCP) server.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at Events and Errors Message Center: Basic Search.
Data:
0000: 79 00 00 00 y...

(Is this log entry after the crash? Err... I don't know that part.)

System Restore Entry (Non-Issue)

Then it spews out junk which I already know about my System Restore being disabled (possibly when I start Safe Mode?) But I disabled it long ago and can't recall what method I used, ever since it has been dead. But I don't care about System Restore in this case. I just want to be able to resolve the issue causing the immediate restarts.

Possible Problems

Driver conflict or configuration conflict caused by changes made by one of the VPN pieces software?

Windows Safe Mode w/ Networking is working fine so I'll check back using that.

Any help anyone can provide would greatly be appreciated!

[paul9]

I would try pulling the network card, or disabling it in the BIOS, for a built-in card. Also, removing the drivers could be worth trying as a diagnostic.

[Steve R Jones]

Is your pc randomly rebooting itself? You can go to

Control Panel->System icon->Advance tab->Startup & Recovery Settings button. UNcheck/disable the "auto reboot" option. Instead of rebooting you'll probably get a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) which can be searched on for a solution.

You can go to Advanced Search to search on for example: STOP 0x00000050

[Interrupt]

Is your pc randomly rebooting itself? You can go to

Control Panel->System icon->Advance tab->Startup & Recovery Settings button. UNcheck/disable the "auto reboot" option. Instead of rebooting you'll probably get a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) which can be searched on for a solution.

You can go to Advanced Search to search on for example: STOP 0x00000050

Okay, you're right with auto-reboot on the dump - it's there and checked - but the problem is I can't turn it off without enabling the Alerter service. And I can't enable Alerter from within Safe Mode it says.

Another issue is that I could get Windows XP SP2 Support Tools to get dumpchk.exe but it won't install in Safe Mode either.

(Will I be able to install it on another computer, copy and paste dumpchk.exe over on a USB and run it from this computer?)

(Also would love to uninstall VMWare Player to see if when I updated it for OpenVPN it caused a conflict, alas, I can't from Safe Mode or at least it gives me an MSI error. Which, to my knowledge, occurs because I'm running it from Safe Mode and MSIs don't work within Safe Mode.)

I would try pulling the network card, or disabling it in the BIOS, for a built-in card. Also, removing the drivers could be worth trying as a diagnostic.

I'm kinda hesitant about uninstalling my NIC drivers because as of right now I can access Safe Mode w/ Networking. If I uninstall the drivers and, for some reason can't reinstall them successfully, I won't be able to get online using this computer. Or should I throw caution to the wind and try it? Up to you.

[Interrupt]

If anyone does have the dumpchk -- Mini Dump File Uploaded: Mini071412-02.dmp download - 2shared


Scheduled chkdsk and rebooted but it didn't. The moment it was trying to restart I got BSOD:

page_fault_in_nonpaged_area

Any new hardware... Etc.

STOP 0x00000050


Also in MSCONFIG it lists:

dump rep 0 -k in system32 which starts at startup. Should I disable it?

Disabled it. Folks, the dump/crash caused a BSOD finally either from disabling it or from what you had me do, Steve, it told me it didn't work but maybe it did!!! So BSOD reads:

BSOD
DRIVER_UNLOADED_WITHOUT_CANCELLING_PENDING_OPERATI ONS
0x000000CE
vfilter.sys

As related: Vfilter.sys driver | What is Vfilter.sys file?

Note: Schrew Soft VPN was initially how this all happened. Any connection? What next?

[paul9]

You can download the driver onto hard drive or a USB stick. A reinstall might help put any settings that the VPN install banjaxed back to normal.
Even without that, you probably have Windows default drivers built into your XP install, somewhere.

[Interrupt]

I was JUST about to do that when I tried something new. It works. Kinda, Looks like things are really selectively starting now but I know how to fix that. But everything is up and running. I delete c:\Windows\System32\Drivers\vfilter.sys after identifying the only purpose it served was to help facilitate the Screw Soft VPN which didn't even really install fully.

Maybe it wasn't even meant for my OS that install.

Regardless the system is working now. However, if it fails again and I find out this only temporary, I will do your suggestion next.

thank you so much for spending time with me, Steve & Paul. I'll repost here in a day or so just to close the issue concretely.