Ferrari 3200 Blue Screen !!!!!

Yeah it happened on my old AMD desktop... I really don't know why it does though...

My Ferrari hasn't gone blue on me yet though, heh.

i used to get that sort of problem when i had a some bad ram. i had to replace it .

Hum, I'm not necessarily suggesting you do this, but i was told to test my ram if it happens again by removing each stick in turn. Then if the computer doesn't crash, you know you've found the problem.

how long does the battery last on that ferrari? gaming vs. web surfing... thanks

If you suspect a memory issue or bad CPU cache, download and run Memtest86 v3.1a here. If it fails any of the tests, you know you have bad RAM. If so, remove one stick at a time to narrow it down.

Bad RAM is not an uncommon issue. Quality control is not very good for standard OEM memory and this is bound to show up sooner or later. Chances are, your the unlucky bastard that got stuck with a crappy stick. But don't feel too bad, it has happened to me once before. Also, I see bad RAM or it's settings as the leading cause for BSOD errors. If your running XP, by default it will reboot rather then giving you the BSOD. You will need to change the settings in XP to show you the BSOD message if you wish to troubleshoot this issue futher if it turns out to not be suspected bad RAM.

Me too :-(

Got exactly the same problem...

Turn on the Ferrari and it will run for a few minutes before giving me BSOD with Stop 9C error. Reboot and it tends to stay running for the rest of the day.

Blue screen seems to occur mainly when surfing the web.

Looks like I will have to make the support call and get the notebook returned.

Any ideas how quickly Acer turn around repairs?

I had freezing problems that didn't go away after a mobo replacement and got a new unit. The new unit seems perfect luckily. Acer has horrible service. They misdiagnosed my problem twice, missed two promised deadlines, and wouldn't give me ANY of the accessories that came with the new unit. They also promise 58 minute service here in Taiwan for drop-offs, but it took over 10 days for mine. Pathetic. I will surely never buy another Acer product.

Something to try before sending it back

Just a quick suggestion before spending money to send the laptop back:
You may want to try to run the restore CDs
I have seen this sort of problem on systems before - it is typically because manufacturers use a ghost image of a single system and on occasion the image doesn't write correctly.
If that doesn't work, it could be a hard drive, memory, or motherboard prob.
Good luck

Cheers for the info

Thanks for the update BigGaz...

I will get mine returned as soon as I can get hold of Acer UK.

All,
I've just purchase a Ferrari 3200 and a Corsair XMS 512 x 2 and a Hitachi 60 gb 7200 drive (Just like Snorre), but am getting tons of BSOD messages. I've narrowed it down to the RAM. Interestingly, if I have both Corsair SODIMMS installed, then I get a BSOD. If I mix one Corsair SODIMM with a stock 256 MB SODIMM then it seems to run stably. Swapping the Corsair chips doesn't recreate the BSOD. My conclusion is that the Corsair memory is not bad but somehow there must be a timing issue with DDR400 memory on my laptop and when I mix the chips then it must be throttling down the Corsair chip to DDR333 speeds. Is this false logic?

Snorre, have you had any problems with your setup? Have you done a fresh install of WinXP without a crash?

Is it me or is the BIOS setup on the Ferrari completely lacking??? It doesn't allow you to alter memory latency timing, etc.

I'm getting frustrated... wishing I had bought an Area-51m. I'd be playing Far Cry or Doom3 right now.
-Chris

Similar Problems

I bought my Ferrari 3200 back in september last year and since then have had no end of problems. I have been, like you, getting the "Machine Check Exception" Blue Screen, however in addition to this I have been getting intermittent lock up or restarting. But what really has been pissing me off is that it is somehow corrupting my profiles, which means it has to create temporary profiles and the data that was in my profiles has disappeared. Recently though, I have seen it affecting other software, eg NTI CD & DVD Maker won't even start. I have run multiple virus scans and am pretty sure it's not due to a virus.

I have just reinstalled from the recovery disk, however if it happens again, and by the responces on this forum, high probability it will, I will install Win XP Pro, if that goes tits up, then Linux would be a very good option, unless Acer acknowledges that they could have an inherent problem in the Ferrari 3200 series and provides a stable fix.

At this moment I have not checked the hardware, eg removing a memory module or using memtest (can't really test mobo and HDD), but reading your forum, this maybe a good place to start before I think of returning it to Acer. Like you, I am from the UK, and Acer UK service is appalling. I sent off an email to them months ago about this problem and still waiting for responce.

I am starting to think that the RAM could be what is bad as that would explain corruption to the profiles, so I will use memtest to check it. I have also read in this forum about lock-ups/restarting being due to the battery, however I did not note when this happened whether I was running on battery or from mains.

I agree that many suppliers use ghost images to install software onto the computer, however is this true about the bootable recovery disks?? Would the likelihood of the same problems occuring be the same even now I have reinstalled to factory defaults?

I would like to know whether you guys have any recommendations on how to make the system more stable under Win XP? Also, if I was to convert to Linux are all necessary Ferarri 3200 drivers available for Linux and which build would you recommend (I think 64 bit Mandrake?)? I am thinking about sending my laptop back for Acer to fix, did you guys have to provide proof of purchase as I can't find mine at the moment? Finally, do you know whether Acer is actually doing anything about rectifying these problems and making the 3200 more stable?? This is because I can't find jack @#%$ on their UK website about any of these problems, which seem to frequently occur in Ferrari 3200 laptops!

I only got a blue screen when i tried to upgrade to xp2... gonna search around here if anyone had the same probs and what kind ov workaround is needed... motherboard update perhaps

no I dont think you need proof of puchase for a warranty service, if you have your date of purchase I think thats fine

Hmm

I have a similar problem on my Mitac 8355, also with an AMD Athlon 64 3200+, and it sometimes BSODs with the same MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION, I'm pretty sure it's due to the soundcard drivers (occasionally freezes completly when decoding mp3s), but maybe it's an issue with the processor or m/b that's causing the crashes rather than the RAM alone, I'm sure I either read the 3200+ wasn't compatible with DDR 400 though, although it may have been my m/b. I'll try and find the original article, and I'll look into the RAM my notebook came with, 512mb of DDR ???, not sure if one or two modules. (Mitac 8355 screws on case all have different lengths and threadings, not easy to get inside - so hard to play around) Bios is useless on my laptop, boot sequence and time/date options only.