# Server 2003 Blue Screen of Death 0x000000D1 (NIC related)



## chatfield (Jan 17, 2010)

We have a Server 2003 Domain Controller that has been experiencing random BSODs over the past couple days. It has gotten progresively worse and at this point the server won't even fully boot. 

The stop code is: 0x000000D1 (0x00000001, 0xD0000002, 0x00000008, 0x00000001) DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Google tells us it could be any number of problems, however we have narrowed it down to a NIC issue, probably IRQ related. The server runs completely stable without the NIC (for a domain controller with no NIC) but BSOD as soon as we put it back in. We obviously thought driver issues so we changed out the NIC and it worked fine until the new drivers were loaded, then it had another Blue Screen. 

So far we have tried 3 different NICs and the same results every time. Any help would be very appreciated.

Its a Dell PowerEdge 830. I'm working to get a detailed description off of it and will post it shortly.

Thanks in advance!!


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## Rockn (Jul 29, 2001)

Why aren't you using the onboard NICs?What is the model NIC that is causing the BSOD? I have seen issues like this when you let Windows updates update drivers.


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## chatfield (Jan 17, 2010)

The onboard NIC has never worked with this server, but up till now the card we had in it was fine. At this point we have changed NICs three times and are currently using a DLink DGE-530T Gigabit card with the original drivers. I'm quite convinced that this is not an issue cause by the NIC or by any drivers associated with it. I think it must be something in the OS that interacts with it.


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## Rockn (Jul 29, 2001)

Their web site states that it isn't even supported under Server 2003 or any server OS according to their knowledge base. I see they have driver, but which side would you believe? If this is a production server I would never run a DLink NIC in my server. Did it load any utilities along with the drivers?


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## chatfield (Jan 17, 2010)

The same card was in a server we recently replaced and ran fine for years. As I stated above this is the third NIC we have tried in this server, all with the same results. Different slots on the board as well. At this point I don't believe it is the NIC. More likely something in the operating system that interacts with the card. But I am at a loss as to what it could be.


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## Rockn (Jul 29, 2001)

Have you looked at your Windows updates to see if a MS driver got snuck in with Windows updates? According to the Poweredge 830 specs it only has one 32-bit PCI slot so I am not sure how you would have tried it in the PCIe or PCIx slots.


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## chatfield (Jan 17, 2010)

Nope its using the drivers I installed. And the PCIx slots are backwards compatible. You put a 32 bit PCI card in them just fine.


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## Rockn (Jul 29, 2001)

All I can think of then would be a Windows update if the BSODs just began happening out of the blue.

Try removing old device drivers like they suggest here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/189227-28-installation-problem-help


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## chatfield (Jan 17, 2010)

Thanks for that. I did not know that you could view hidden drivers in device manager, a very useful feature. I did remove a half dozen drivers that are no longer in use, but unfortunately it did nothing to solve the problem. 

I really hope not, but I'm starting to think I may have to reinstall the OS.


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## Rockn (Jul 29, 2001)

Reinstalling the OS for a NIC issue? I still didn't get if you had tried different NICs that were not of the same make and model. For example Intel or 3Com


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## chatfield (Jan 17, 2010)

Sorry for the long delay. Lot going on here. Yes I tried, in total, 4 different NICs. 2 were SMC, one DLink, and one 3Com. All different models, drivers, etc... Every time everything seemed to work fine until the drivers were installed and the card was working, then bam, BSOD. I currently am keeping an image of this OS available to continue troubleshooting in my spare time in case I ever see a repeat, but have had to rebuild the OS to get the server up and working.


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## chatfield (Jan 17, 2010)

Oh, and we also tried all those NICs in every available slot in the motherboard.


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