BleepingComputer.com: Cold Boot Problem

Hello all -

Recently installed Windows 7 Ultimate 64Bit on my Gateway P-173XL FX laptop and had no problems. Only driver issue was with the nVidia 8800M GTS driver and after being in eMail contact with nVidia I was able to obtain a driver for the card that didn't cause the system to crash. All went well until the DVD burner failed and the system went in for repair. Before this I was having problems with the video card drivers loading on the *first boot * of the day and thought the burner replacement would stop the problem........it didn't.

I received the system back, formatted the HD, reinstalled everything again and configured. Obtained yet a 4th driver from nVidia and all seemed to go well up until about a week ago when the laptop started - AGAIN - with this bootup issue. It seems to happen only when the system has been "cold" for a few hours, like overnight, and it either hangs completely at the "Welcome" splash screen or does boot up but without the video card and Synaptic touchpad drivers loaded (can see that in Device Manager). If I reboot they then load with everything else. While I am getting no BSOD this having to do hard shut-downs again and booting twice every morning is getting to be a hassle.

I've spent hours searching the Internet for these issues and Microsoft says they are are aware of the situation but that it causes no problems. Well it's a HASSLE to keep rebooting a system or having to do hard shut-downs because I locked up.

The Event Viewer shows Critical and Warning errors and while some seem to say (again) "cdrom" the burner is working perfectly. I am getting Event ID 219 and Task Category: (212) Kernel-PnP errors that are causing the Critical icon to show up. I am typing this now with generic video card drivers loaded because I haven't booted the laptop up again yet. I also have no response from my touchpad so both do not load and cause the system to hang. I haven't contacted Synaptec yet but I have been in contact with nVidia for months as this happened even before the system went in for the burner replacement. Windows 7 works great for about a week and then I start with the video/touchpad drivers not loading on bootup.

Please advise as to what could be causing this and if possible where I can go for download(s) to stop this really annoying problem. Outside of this issue the system is running flawlessly.

Dual Core Intel P4 Centrino 64Bit
4 Gigs Memory
RAID 0 Stripped Array on 2 200 Gig HDs
One partition
Originally came with Vista Ultimate 64Bit but I bought the full retail of 7 Ultimate (not RC).

Thanks so much for any input you can give.

I don't know how to help you, but maybe you can find something here:
Log Name: System
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-PnP
Date: Date and Time
Event ID: 219
Task Category: (212)
Level: Warning
User: SYSTEM
Computer: Computer Name
Description: The driver \Driver\tunnel failed to load for the device ROOT\*ISATAP\0000.
http://kbalertz.com/974720/After-clean-ins...ains-Event.aspx

Hi Jacee -

That's what I mentioned I've already found no matter where I've looked. Whatever is happening is making it so the video card drivers are not loading on boot-up and also the Synaptec touchpad driver. On the 2nd boot (or reboot) both load and there's no problem in Device Manager or in the Event Viewer. Same thing has been happening before the format (DVD burner replacement) and after a clean install of Windows 7. What also is puzzling is that these problems don't start the same day the clean format/install is done - usually happens 5-7 days later, almost like a Windows update is messing around with the drivers or something weird like that.

It's annoying as all get-out and I have been looking for a "fix" for this for about 6-8 weeks.

Today, after I posted above, I went to the Synaptec site and got the latest drivers for my touchpad. I had to remove the ones Windows 7 put on before I installed the vendor download but all went well. By that time the system had been on and of course it booted up just fine. I'm on a newly formatted desktop right now and am going to wait until late tonight to boot the laptop to see if the Synaptec drivers are going to fix the problem. I haven't heard back from nVidia yet and there are no other vendors to contact.

Even tho what I'm finding, plus your link, says there's nothing to do or worry about this error is preventing drivers from loading on a cold system. Event Manager doesn't give much in the way of "why" - just that once the video card drivers don't load then there's a whole bunch of yellow "warnings" followed by a "critical" error (that's me doing a hard shut-down) and then the system right's itself.

Weird but more annoying than anything else. Thanks so much for your post but I've seen that same "fix" even on the Microsoft website. They don't seem to think there's anything wrong with that error message!

What OS was on it prior?

Quote

Your machine maybe incompatible with Windows 7. Did you run the upgrade advisor?

Hi cryptodan -

I ran the Advisor on the 3 machines now running 7 and all passed just about everything (all but one passed all hardware and a couple needed newer versions of software). The system was running Vista 64Bit Ultimate and what drivers 7 put on worked fine except for a couple, one of which was the Synaptic touchpad driver. It also has the Fingerprint reader in it that I don't use but will get warnings that it needs a driver so I install it anyway. It's only 18 months old and considered a gaming machine by Gateway. For some unknown reason they stopped making this particular model about 4-5 months after I bougtht mine in August 2008.

Since I posted the OP and mentioned I was going to the Synaptic site for drivers the system has had 2 days of perfect cold-booting...........I'm amazed and surprised this is working (I'm on the system now). I didn't boot it up all day yesterday and when I did this afternoon it booted up just fine. All this time I've been going around with nVidia for video card drivers and I think the Vista Synaptic drivers were the ones causing the issues even tho the main error in the Event Viewer was "cdrom" and then mention of a video driver. There WAS video driver problems and it took nVidia 3 different ones before I stopped getting lock-ups and wonky resolution so this last clean format/install had a new video card driver and all was well........for a couple of days again. But I have to say that since getting the latest touchpad drivers the system has booted perfectly. I didn't come here to mention it because I wanted to see if it would "stick" and so far it has.

Why there should be a conflict between the video card and touchpad is beyond me but lately my computers have done some very strange things, most all of which are now straightened out.

Yes, the Advisor was run on it and this system, especially, passed everything (including software). I hated Vista and still do and couldn't put XP on it - this system wouldn't run right with that OS. It was either keep Vista or keep trying to find out what was causing this weird boot-up problem. What bothers me is Microsoft is brushing off a lot of errors/issues with 7 and saying you don't have to worry about the problem - it's no big deal. Having to boot a computer twice every time it's started IS a big deal to me.

Some times with OEM's their hardware only works with one OS and that is the OS that came with it. I have had numerous HP's and Compaq's that ran ME perfectly fine, however, you installed Windows 98 or Windows XP the lap tops would just fail. Reinstalled ME and they ran perfectly fine.

Hi all -

I have an update that may be of some help to others here.

After I downloaded and installed the new Synaptec drivers for my touchpad the system was booting great and I thought I had found the problem. While the drivers could have been the cause of the video card drivers not loading on a cold boot I think I've found the *real* cause for all this, and it doesn't even concern drivers. I thought this might be the issue some time ago but really didn't go with it thinking - as I always have - that it's a driver conflict or something incompatible. So 2 nights ago I tested this idea I thought of and I think I have it.

I don't know if anyone else here has the Gateway P-173XL FX laptop but it's a discontinued gaming machine, all cutsy black with bright orange on the lid and it has an orange trim around the keyboard. Up top there's a multimedia section that has lights you just slide over and that causes them to work - sorta like a VCR and also where the volume control is. When the system is turned on the Power Button lights up orange as does the multimedia section and the lights near the bottom of the touchpad (Ethernet, Number Lock and the HD activity flashes while it's booting). Once I get to the desktop these lights all stay on except for the HD activity which will stop flashing unless I am doing something. Here's the kicker...........

When I was turning off the system - even when Vista 64bit Ultimate was on here (the OEM OS) - I'd hit Start>ShutDown, wait for the screen to go black and close the lid. The lights always took longer to go off but I never paid attention to them because I had no video card driver problems then. I've had the system since August 2008 and have been shutting it down the same way ever since. After I put Windows 7 on I started getting this sporatic boot-up issue where the video card drivers weren't loading, had to reboot and then all was ok. I've been trouble-shooting this for months and then tried something 2 nights ago.

The boot-up video card driver issue started again about 3-4 days ago and I was on the verge of going back to Vista (NOT liking that idea at all) and when I turned it on this past Tuesday morning the video drivers didn't load - had to reboot and all was ok. When I shut the system down Tuesday night I *waited* for all the orange lights to turn off before closing the lid. Evidently something is still running until those lights go off (I have hibernation disabled and also any kind of 'sleep mode' on all my computers) and by my shutting the lid I was doing something - what, exactly is unknown. When I booted the system yesterday morning - cold and watching for the video drivers to NOT load, they did load perfectly and the system ran fine all day. Last night I waited for the lights to go of again and just now the system booted up fine again - no video card problems at all. I have also deliberately shut the lid before the orange lights went off and upon boot-up the video card and touchpad drivers do *not* load. The entire fix for this problem was for me simply to wait for the lights to go off and let the system completely shut down before closing the lid.

What has me confused is I've got the settings for the lid to "do nothing" when the lid is closed so by doing so prematurely shouldn't - imho - have anything to do with the system shutting down. I store it under my bed at night and was thinking the system was off even when the orange lights were still on when I closed the lid. Obviously something is still running until the lights go off and since starting to WAIT for the system to completely shut down I've had zero problems with the touchpad or video drivers.

I have no idea what is going on between the time the screen goes black and the orange lights turn off but I would guess it's at least 15 seconds before the lights go off. Something is still running at that time.

Is there any way to find out what it is that is running? Not that I want to stop it - certainly I can wait for the lights to go off - but I'm curious to know what was causing the boot-up problem. When the system would boot properly during the day I was leaving the lid *open* no matter where I kept the laptop at that time. It was at night - when I shut down completely for the night - that I'd close the lid before the lights went off.

Strange problem - took me months to figure out what was happening - and I have no idea what is going on for those 15 seconds! If anyone has any ideas I'd really appreciate the comments.

Thanks for ALL your previous help!!

I would go back to Windows Vista it seems that Gateway did something to your laptop to make it run better with Windows Vista.

Not sure what Gateway could have done but using both operating systems, I have to say Windows 7 runs much better on the laptop than Vista ever did. It's faster and there are less issues with it than I had when running Vista. I can't see what the difference in the OS would make anyway except that the COA on the system says Vista 64Bit Ulitmate and there's Windows 7 64Bit Ultimate on it now.

The burner WAS defective and recently replaced - that I knew was going because it could read DVDs and CDs but had a wicked time writing to either of the media. The 3rd party warranty company (which is rated D- with the BBB) did replace the burner and to be honest with you I haven't tried burning anything on it yet. Been working on the 700XL desktop and have that up and running beautifully - also on 7 from XP Pro.

I turned of the system between my last post and this one - forgot to check something online - and the drivers loaded perfectly. I don't want to have to test this again but my guess is if I shut the lid before the lights go off now I will not have video and touchpad drivers when I boot up later on today. Also, because I'm using a bluetooth mouse now if I lose my Ethernet drivers I have no mouse. This has happened and I've had to grab a USB mouse to navigate around when I've lost the touchpad too.

Don't know for sure, dan, but I highly doubt the laptop is "tied" to Vista. The Advisor gave it all good readings and even the last time I was with Gateway and online chat I was told the system could run Windows 7.

Maybe whatever is still running when these orange lights are on is listed in Event Viewer? Going to check in there and if I can't see anything I have no idea what's happening when the system is shutting down. If I close the lid and the lights are on the system does shut down completely (I open the lid and all the lights are off) but I have no idea how long it takes for them to go out once the lid is closed...........of course!

Go back into your 'power plan' and change when you shut the lid to 'shut down'.

Thanks, Jacee -

I just checked it and I had it set to "Do Nothing" for both AC and battery. I set it that way because I don't like hibernation and thought but setting it to "Do Nothing" it wouldn't put the system to "sleep". I had a ThinkPad once that was a bugger to wake up once it went into hibernation mode and from then I turn that off.

I'll check it with the new settings and see if that makes a difference if I shut the lid before the lights go off. Sounds strange: lights are on but nobody's home! ROFL!

I am going by past experience with WIndows ME and people downgrading to Windows 98 or upgrading to Windows 2000 on a machine that just had ME on it. the two OSes they tries to use had more issues then Windows ME did. It was later discovered through research that those machines with ME on it, were specifically designed just for ME.

Hi Dan -

Think it could be possible that the issues you speak of happened because of OEM versions of the operating systems? Naturally all my computers came with different versions of Windows (from 98SE through Vista) and the first thing I'd do all the time is remove the OEM version and buy the retail of it. That isn't tied to the BIOS at all like an OEM version (branded) seems to be and of course serial #'s would have to be entered. Use the OEMs and no serials are needed because the discs belong with those particular computers.

The version of Windows I put on the laptop is the retail, full version of Windows 7 64bit Ultimate and not an upgrade or OEM version (although those are cheaper). My 700XL desktop came with XP Pro OEM and I bought XP Pro retail a month after buying the computer. Right now I have 4 working desktops and one laptop (two desktops are in "limbo" at the moment) and all are running retail versions of Windows. This is another reason why I had to gather drivers before formatting.

I got lucky with most all the drivers for the Windows 7 install on the laptop and some I used the Vista drivers off the DVD that came with the system. The only ones that required going to the vendor website were for the video card and touchpad - the rest all came off the DVD, including some applications I wanted to keep.

That's the only thing I can think of that would tie an operating system to a specific computer. I do know I can't go "backwards" with this laptop (can't put XP on it) - that was told to me by Gateway while the system was still in warranty with them. I hated Vista so much I wanted to go back and they said the system wouldn't run on XP. I couldn't even order it with XP when I bought it like some Dells came with Vista and a "backwards" disc of XP if you wanted it. This laptop would probably cough with XP on it but it has no problems with 7.

Outside of that I can't think of what would cause issues with the systems you mentioned because it was only "one jump" forward or backwards from ME, which, btw, was a wicked OS, imho, and one I never had on any of my computers. I've got two here that have W2K on them (the limbo ones) and they run great when I boot them up. Both came with 98SE OEM at time of purchase but the W2K is Retail.