BSOD (I think caused by Kodi Media Center)

Every now and then I'll get a BSOD crash but it only happens when Kodi is open. It doesn't happen every time Kodi is open though. 

 OS - Windows 7

· x64 
· What was original installed OS on system? Windows 7 x64
· Is the OS an OEM version (came pre-installed on system) or full retail version (YOU purchased it from retailer)? Full Retail
· Age of system (hardware) ~2.5 years
· Age of OS installation - have you re-installed the OS? ~9 months. (Fresh install after upgrading to SSD)

· CPU - Phemon x4 965 Black Edition
· Video Card - MSI GTX 970
· MotherBoard - Asus M5A97 LE R2.0
· Power Supply - Antec 650W

· Laptop or Desktop - Desktop PC

Good Afternoon ZMOT7S,
 
I did some research and here is what I noticed.
 
It appears you have some software that is out of date and according to a Microsoft Technet Forums assistant¹, this error may be caused by Bitdefender not being updated.

To address this, please do the following:

1. Update Bitdefender
2. Restart your computer
3. Start Kodi Media Center

Please let me know if the BSOD occurs or not.

As I look through your PC Specs, I noticed some other software that is out of date. If you don't mind, I would like to have you provide some additional information so we can make sure your computer is fully up to date as that may be what is causing your BSOD.

Specifically, the following information suggests you may need to update other software on your computer.

• Java JDK is not up to date
• Java JRE is not up to date
• Bitdefender AV disabled
• Windows Update Disabled

If this is something you would like assistance with, please let me know.

Good Afternoon ZMOT7S,
 
I did some research and here is what I noticed.
 
It appears you have some software that is out of date and according to a Microsoft Technet Forums assistant¹, this error may be caused by Bitdefender not being updated.

 

To address this, please do the following:

 

1. Update Bitdefender
2. Restart your computer
3. Start Kodi Media Center

Please let me know if the BSOD occurs or not.

 

As I look through your PC Specs, I noticed some other software that is out of date. If you don't mind, I would like to have you provide some additional information so we can make sure your computer is fully up to date as that may be what is causing your BSOD.

 

Specifically, the following information suggests you may need to update other software on your computer.

 

• Java JDK is not up to date
• Java JRE is not up to date
• Bitdefender AV disabled
• Windows Update Disabled

 

If this is something you would like assistance with, please let me know.

When I was Googling my problem earlier I read that Bitdefender may be the culprit but I didn't actually see any info on how to fix it. I will try what you've suggested and let you know. Since it doesn't BSOD every time I run Kodi, I may have to give it a day or two.

I will check on Java being updated, I thought it was on the latest update. Windows update and my AV are off because I would rather manually run those services when needed instead of automatically. 

Thanks for the help. 

EDIT: Seems Bitdefender was already up to date. I will still restart and test Kodi though. 

Edited by ZMOT7S, 22 September 2015 - 03:47 PM.

If you can provide the memory dump that would be helpful. My research so far points to Bitdefender.
 
Here are some things you can try:
 
Please provide the memory dump if that is possible. If you cannot provide the memory dump and are fairly certain your BSOD is being caused by Bitdefender, I would suggest you might consider uninstalling Bitdefender and installing a different Anti-Virus program.
 
Three good antivirus programs free for non-commercial home use are Avast!, Antivir and Microsoft Security Essentials
Note: You should only have one antivirus installed at a time. Having more than one antivirus program installed at once is likely to cause conflicts and may well decrease your overall protection as well as impairing the performance of your PC.

If you choose to uninstall Bitdefender, please make sure you do the following:

1. Completely Uninstall Bitdefender
2. Restart your computer
3. Install your new Anti-Virus
4. Update your new Anti-Virus
5. Enable the Firewall if your new Anti-Virus does not also provide a Firewall
6. Install available Windows Updates
7. Restart your computer

I did find an article that says installing this Microsoft hotfix will solve your BSOD error which it says is caused by Bitdefender, so if you install this hotfix and restart your computer, please let me know if you still get the BSOD when you start Kodi Media Center.
 

Let me know if you can get a copy of the memory dump. If you can't and decide to try one of the other options, please let me know which one and if it works.

If you can provide the memory dump that would be helpful. My research so far points to Bitdefender.
 
Here are some things you can try:
 
Please provide the memory dump if that is possible. If you cannot provide the memory dump and are fairly certain your BSOD is being caused by Bitdefender, I would suggest you might consider uninstalling Bitdefender and installing a different Anti-Virus program.
 
Three good antivirus programs free for non-commercial home use are Avast!, Antivir and Microsoft Security Essentials
Note: You should only have one antivirus installed at a time. Having more than one antivirus program installed at once is likely to cause conflicts and may well decrease your overall protection as well as impairing the performance of your PC.

 

If you choose to uninstall Bitdefender, please make sure you do the following:

 

1. Completely Uninstall Bitdefender
2. Restart your computer
3. Install your new Anti-Virus
4. Update your new Anti-Virus
5. Enable the Firewall if your new Anti-Virus does not also provide a Firewall
6. Install available Windows Updates
7. Restart your computer

I did find an article that says installing this Microsoft hotfix will solve your BSOD error which it says is caused by Bitdefender, so if you install this hotfix and restart your computer, please let me know if you still get the BSOD when you start Kodi Media Center.
 

Let me know if you can get a copy of the memory dump. If you can't and decide to try one of the other options, please let me know which one and if it works.

I just had another crash after using Kodi for about 5 minutes. I can't upload the memory dump. Even compressed it's still around 100mb unless I'm looking a the wrong file... (MEMORY.DMP)

Which AV would you recommend? I used Avast before switching to Bitdefender because Avast became a little resource heavy. I'm looking for something lightweight and don't really need active monitoring just manual scans.

Edited by ZMOT7S, 22 September 2015 - 09:13 PM.

I have used Avast in the past and there are some issues more recent versions can cause (like failing to backup EFI partitions when a windows image is performed) so of those three, I would say you may want to replace Bitdefender with MSE. See how that works for you. Please be aware Windows Defender in Windows 7 is anti-spyware. Microsoft Security Essentials in Windows 7 is anti-virus. In Windows 8 and later versions of Windows Windows Defender is anti-spyware and anti-virus.

I have used Avast in the past and there are some issues more recent versions can cause (like failing to backup EFI partitions when a windows image is performed) so of those three, I would say you may want to replace Bitdefender with MSE. See how that works for you. Please be aware Windows Defender in Windows 7 is anti-spyware. Microsoft Security Essentials in Windows 7 is anti-virus. In Windows 8 and later versions of Windows Windows Defender is anti-spyware and anti-virus.

Honestly I don't trust MSE because even Microsoft stated I should use something else. Looking at Avast and Avira, I'm not really liking those either. What is your opinion on ESET? It seems pretty lightweight and has amazing security from what I've read. I'd be willing to pay for it.

ZMOT7S,

I haven't used ESET myself so I really can't offer an opinion on it. Perhaps it is worth trying on of the personal use free ones I posted earlier so you can confirm Bitdefender is indeed the cause and then if you want purchase ESET? Does that seem reasonable? I know others on BC use ESET so perhaps one of them can offer an opinion about it.

packetanalyzer

Edited by packetanalyzer, 23 September 2015 - 10:22 AM.

ZMOT7S,

 

I haven't used ESET myself so I really can't offer an opinion on it. Perhaps it is worth trying on of the personal use free ones I posted earlier so you can confirm Bitdefender is indeed the cause and then if you want purchase ESET? Does that seem reasonable? I know others on BC use ESET so perhaps one of them can offer an opinion about it.

 

packetanalyzer

That's understandable. They do have a 30 day free trial so I think I'll give that a go and see how it works out. I was reading your posts again and I just noticed you mentioned that hotfix so I'm going to give that a try first. 

 

I did find an article that says installing this Microsoft hotfix will solve your BSOD error which it says is caused by Bitdefender, so if you install this hotfix and restart your computer, please let me know if you still get the BSOD when you start Kodi Media Center.
 

Let me know if you can get a copy of the memory dump. If you can't and decide to try one of the other options, please let me know which one and if it works.

I just wanted to follow up and say I've been using Kodi for the past day or two and had no BSOD. This hotfix seems to have fixed the problem. Thanks again for all the help. 

Edited by ZMOT7S, 24 September 2015 - 09:10 PM.

ZMOT7S,

I'm glad to hear your problem is resolved. Please let me know if you have other questions about Kodi Media Center.