wondering1 wrote:
Currently, checking for a virus that may be affecting ntoskrnl.exe.
Do it only because it is easy to do. But that is way down the list of suspects. Unlikely. A bad disk drive is even less possible.
Learn what the BSOD said. Something in the OS tried to execute code in memory it was not permitted to read. So, a top suspect - bad memory location. Sometimes it only fails with a particular data pattern and unique data in adjacent memory cells. Bad memory sometimes works perfectly in a 70 degree room - does not fail until operated in another ideal temperature - 100 degrees F. That is how you use a memory diagnostic to find defective memory.
A bad peripheral driver. Often these are not corrupted. They can respond defectively to something that should not have occurred in its hardware - the peripheral. Its programmer did not know such a failure could happen. And so his driver software went berserk.
Or the driver is defective.
If Windows code (ie Kernel) was bad, then Windows detected it and corrected it. And announced the failure in the system (event) log - which is reviewed before fixing anything.
If that same failure happened in an application program, Windows detects the failure and cuts off that program - no crash. To have BSOD, a list of suspects is short. Includes sound card, video controller, memory, the many components of a power supply system, and only a few parts of the motherboard. Definitely not on the list is hard drive, keyboard, heat, etc.
Fix this by first executing the computer manufacturer’s comprehensive hardware diagnostics. Only better computers give you their diagnostics for free. If you have a lesser machine, well, all manufacturers have such diagnostics. Some could not be bothered to spend a dime to give them to you on a CD. So you must resort to component manufacturer or third party hardware diagnostics.
Long before fixing software, first establish hardware integrity. That means diagnostics and other facts. Your error message said where the failure happened. Any suggestion that ignores that fact will be time wasted. Any solution that recommends replacing good parts (shotgunning) can create complications (and frustration). Follow the evidence. The BSOD tells you why your machine crashed. Now discover why that software tried to access memory it was not permitted to access.