[kushiro]

Hi. I recently had a couple of blue-screen events and a few Windows Services stopping, so I decided to have a look at the Event Viewer, and found a number of ESENT Warnings as follows:

Source: ESENT
Event ID: 399
Task Category: Database Page Cache

wuaueng.dll (368) SUS20ClientDataStore: The database page read from the file "C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore\Datastore.edb" at offset 98304 (0x0000000000018000) (database page 2 (0x2)) for 32768 (0x00008000) bytes failed verification. Bit 25161 was corrupted and has been corrected. The problem is likely due to faulty hardware and may continue. Transient failures such as these can be a precursor to a catastrophic failure in the storage subsystem containing this file.

There are 10 of these warnings (so far), all of which appeared this morning after recovering from a BSOD for SERVICE_SYSTEM_EXCEPTION (0x0000003b; faulting application: ntoskrnl.exe). Five of them are repeated for one specific bit number, while the others are for different bit numbers. All occur in that file and at the same offset (98304).

I did a full shutdown and startup and the warning has not returned as yet, but then again I really haven't done anything on the PC (I am writing from another PC).

Note that upon initial startup I was advised that there were Windows Updates, and there was also a Steam update.

My system:
AMD Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition Quad Core Processor
ASUS M4A79XTD Evo Motherboard
G-SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL Ripjaws PC3-12800 2x2GB DDR3-1600
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
WD Digital Caviar Black 640GB

This system is three years old; however because of some problems over the years I have needed to do a full reformat and fresh Windows installation three times. The first two were in 2010 and were due to hardware issues that were fixed. The most recent was in July 2013, and involved an inability to enter Windows beyond the welcome screen. The system has been running fine since then (a few Services stop and start now and then, and a couple of blue screens, but mostly fine).

There are no SMART errors for the system hard drive, according to HD Sentinel.

My questions:
1. What does that DataStore file do and how is it being affected by this error?
2. What diagnostic should I run and how do I do them?
3. Are there any immediate corrective measure I should be taking, independent of any diagnostics?

Thanks for any assistance.
Sam

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Kushiro

If you have not done so already I suggest that you back up all important data on your HDD as a precaution.

How much free storage space is available on the HDD.

Please note that in order to avoid data corruption and/or mechanical HDD failure for data only HDDs you must always have a minimum of 10% of the HDDs overall storage capacity available as free space and between 15 and 20% of a HDDs overall storage capacity available as free space if the OS is on it, the free space allows for information to be copied to and from the drive efficiently.

Not having the above can render a computer inoperable if the HDD concerned has the OS on it due to the MBR (Master Boot Record) becoming damaged/corrupt, please see information @ http://pcsupport.abo...sterbootrec.htm

Go to Start then to Search
Type in compmgmt.msc and click Enter
On the left side click on Disk Management
On the right side you will see your hard drive.
Now I need you to take an expanded screenshot and attach it to your next reply.
Do the following to take a screenshot while the above is open and showing on your desktop.

To capture and post a screenshot;

Click on the ALT key + PRT SCR key..its on the top row..right hand side..now click on start...all programs...accessories...paint....left click in the white area ...press CTRL + V...click on file...click on save...save it to your desktop...name it something related to the screen your capturing... BE SURE TO SAVE IT AS A .JPG ...otherwise it may be to big to upload... then after typing in any response you have... click on browse...desktop...find the screenshot..select it and click on the upload button...then on the lower left...after it says upload successful...click on add reply like you normally would.

Screenshot instructions are provided to assist those that may read this topic but are not yet aware of the “how to”.

[phillpower2]

Kushiro

If you have not done so already I suggest that you back up all important data on your HDD as a precaution.

How much free storage space is available on the HDD.

Please note that in order to avoid data corruption and/or mechanical HDD failure for data only HDDs you must always have a minimum of 10% of the HDDs overall storage capacity available as free space and between 15 and 20% of a HDDs overall storage capacity available as free space if the OS is on it, the free space allows for information to be copied to and from the drive efficiently.

Not having the above can render a computer inoperable if the HDD concerned has the OS on it due to the MBR (Master Boot Record) becoming damaged/corrupt, please see information @ http://pcsupport.abo...sterbootrec.htm

Go to Start then to Search
Type in compmgmt.msc and click Enter
On the left side click on Disk Management
On the right side you will see your hard drive.
Now I need you to take an expanded screenshot and attach it to your next reply.
Do the following to take a screenshot while the above is open and showing on your desktop.

To capture and post a screenshot;

Click on the ALT key + PRT SCR key..its on the top row..right hand side..now click on start...all programs...accessories...paint....left click in the white area ...press CTRL + V...click on file...click on save...save it to your desktop...name it something related to the screen your capturing... BE SURE TO SAVE IT AS A .JPG ...otherwise it may be to big to upload... then after typing in any response you have... click on browse...desktop...find the screenshot..select it and click on the upload button...then on the lower left...after it says upload successful...click on add reply like you normally would.

Screenshot instructions are provided to assist those that may read this topic but are not yet aware of the “how to”.

[kushiro]

I have a fair amount of free space on the drive, and on the secondary drive. It will take me some time to backup the personal data, but it can be done. Here is the screenshot (note: I used the snipping tool that comes with Windows 7. It's very easy to use.)

EDITED to add: I have not seen any further warnings since posting. I assume the problem has something to do with Windows Updates?

Attached Thumbnails

• 

Edited by kushiro, 06 October 2013 - 12:14 PM.

[phillpower2]

Apologies for the delay getting back to you Kushiro

The HDD looks fine (thanks for the screenshot )

Can I ask what type of Windows DVD it is that you have as in a full retail, OEM, burned copy, downloaded ISO or a back up that you have made yourself.

Can you check back through the Windows updates to find what if any updates have failed to install or did install just before the problem/s started.

[kushiro]

Hi, phillpower2

Thanks for the reply. I checked the Windows Update history and there weren't any significant updates to Windows on or leading up to Saturday morning, which is when I had the trouble. The only thing updated was Microsoft Security Essentials definitions, which have been updated three times since then with no noticeable problem. The last updates of note were some security updates in mid-September.

So even though I was advised that there were updates to Windows, no updates were actually applied when the ESENT warnings occurred.

Right now I am backing up everything in case I decide to have Windows scan the disk (like a CHKDSK, I think).

My Windows is OEM DVD ("System Builder Pack").

Edited by kushiro, 08 October 2013 - 12:39 PM.

[phillpower2]

You may have had a bad update which has since been corrected and so installed as it should, create a new restore point and then try running Update Checker which you can download fromHere

It is also worth flushing the DNS Cache;
"how to" below;

1.Press the Windows key then type in cmd (do not press enter)
2.In the search results that come up, right click “cmd” and run as administrator, when the screen flashes and asks for permission, accept it.
3.In the command prompt type in ipconfig /flushdns (or right click and paste it to the command prompt) then press Enter.
You should then see a dialog box saying successfully flushed resolver cache, if so you are done post back with an update.

[kushiro]

"You may have had a bad update which has since been corrected and so installed as it should..."

I don't get how that could be possible if there hasn't been a meaningful update since September 14. Right now the only updates I see in the Windows Update panel are an Office File Validation and some optional updates for hardware (keyboards/mouse, network, monitor) and a couple optional ones for Remote Desktop operations. But those have been hanging around for weeks.

Did the DNS flush and ran the UpdateChecker. Results attached.

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[phillpower2]

"You may have had a bad update which has since been corrected and so installed as it should..."

I don't get how that could be possible if there hasn't been a meaningful update since September 14.

Sorry I should have said duplicate updates as in old ones being reinstalled.

Please Run the PCPitstop.com OverDrive Full Tests

Here's how:

You must use your Internet Explorer for this procedure. (doesn't work so well in Firefox or others). If your machine is running Vista or Windows 7, you must Select IE to “Run as Administrator”. After completing PCPitstop OverDrive you can close your IE browser and re-open it Normally so that you are no longer running as administrator.

Go to: http://www.pcpitstop...pit/default.asp
Click on "Free Computer Check-up" listed below PC Pitstop OverDrive
In the User Login - Click on "Sign up FREE!"
You'll need to submit a valid email address and create your own password, then click - Create Account(button)

Now enter your email address and password to Log in, Select - Scan this system Now!(button)
You will then be asked to download an ActiveX component and allow it to install.
It is safe and does not compromise your privacy.
Follow the on-screen prompts to install the ActiveX and to allow the Full Tests to be run on your machine.

The Full Tests take about 2 1/2 - 3 minutes on most machines.
When complete, a Results - Summary - Recommended Fixes will be displayed.

Please post the URL internet address, from your Results, back here into this Topic Thread so that we can review the configuration and present performance levels of your machine.

Note: During the graphics 2D and graphics 3D testing, your screen will display some rapidly moving objects.
If you are sensitive to visual flashing, it may cause dizziness. Therefore, look away from the screen during that portion of the testing.

After reviewing the results we will be more informed and may be able to provide better recommendations for you to work towards improving your machine's performance.

While PCPitstop does offer a variety of Paid Products, the PCPitstop OverDrive testing is FREE. Please ignore the references to Paid Products. We prefer to provide manual solution instructions that you can apply directly to your machine.

Thanks to rshaffer61 for the PCPitstop information

NB: An example of the url that we require and the information that it leads to http://www.pcpitstop.com/betapit/sec.asp?conid=25271813

[kushiro]

I ran the PitStop test (except for internet speed, because Flash, but my speeds are great anyway).

http://www.pcpitstop...?conid=25445573

[phillpower2]

The test results are good but I would try updating your Net Framework 4.0 to version 4.5 fromHere the latter was released to address known security issues.

As an asides Kushiro I noted the presence of uTorrent on your list of installed software, are you aware of the risks of downloading torrents.

[kushiro]

Yeah, I have utorrent on there, but I stopped torrenting about 4 or 5 years ago. The only reason I've used it in the past year was for an (artist-approved) audience recording shared amongst a closed network of fans who are pretty well known to each other. If I want to engage in piracy, there are much more secure and reliable methods and sources. Thanks for asking, though; I know of people who've been burned both legally and malware-wise.

I will try to update the Net Framework.

I am still concerned about those "corrupt bits" (sounds naughty), but short of a chkdsk scan I have no idea of how to see if it's an actual problem or a temporary hiccup. Next time I do an update I guess I should keep an eye out.

Thanks for your help with this. Any additional advice is certainly welcome.

[phillpower2]

Thanks for the update Kushiro

Have you updated the Net Framework.
How is the computer behaving at present.

[kushiro]

I haven't had the chance to update that yet. I'm not quite done backing things up and I don't want to change too much before I get that finished. Otherwise, things are running fine. I did have bit of a scare this morning as I was confronted by the Windows welcome screen, but it turned out I needed to change my password.

There were a bunch of updates for Windows this morning (including Disk Cleanup, Security, and some for the .NET framework that I haven't updated). Those were successfully installed and there are no warnings like the ones that occurred on Saturday.

Once I get the backups done I am going to install some updates that have been hanging around, and see how my system feels about them.

[phillpower2]

[kushiro]

Hi, phillpower2

Yesterday (Oct. 13) I updated the NET framework to 4.5 and did some Windows updates. Everything seems to be going fine. However...

I had a crash just this evening: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0x000000d1) caused by driver NETIO.SYS. This happened when I accidentally clicked on uTorrent (I was about to uninstall it, but I had a left-click twitch). Once it opened I got the BSOD.

After that happened I checked the Event Viewer, and I found some new warnings:

Source: ASP.NET 4.0.30319.0
Event ID: 1020
Updates to the IIS metabase were aborted because IIS is either not installed or is disabled on this machine. To configure ASP.NET to run in IIS, please install or enable IIS and re-register ASP.NET using aspnet_regiis.exe /i.

There were 5 instances of this warning over 10 minutes around 3am. There are also a couple of them from just after I installed the new NET framework. It seems like Windows is trying to update the NET 4.0 version. Should I be concerned about this?