C000021a...

  Every now and then I get given a computer to look at to fix.  Now as I am qualified with the A+ I have started to charge for it.  Well whats the point in paying £750 for a qualification if I am not gonna make any money back on it eh?  Anyhow, I was given a laptop by my mothers friend, Kim to fix.  I was told that the laptop has been dropped onto a table.  Not a bad problem to fix, or so I thought.  I know that there was a stick of RAM that was rattling around somewhere and had been replaced.  I checked that first just to see it had been reseated correctly.  I was also told that the hard drive was making a weird noise.  Thats not usually a good sign, so I tried a boot... nothing, nada... not a peep.  I then listened to the hard drive and heard it making this noise.  The only way I can describe it, is that it's like the noise an old LP makes when it's finished it's track (showing my age here).  I checked the BIOS to see if the HDD was being recognised, it wasn't.  So I ordered a new HDD for Kim to put in there.  Being a Bank Holiday last weekend (Easter and it rained most of it... Thanks Jesus!...) the parts took some time to get here.  Well they turned up and after finally getting hold of a copy of Windows 7 (legal I'd like to add) I went about installing Windows 7 onto the new HDD.  Thats when the fun started... every time I tried to reinstall Windows, it's get to the Windows loading screen (where the little window flashes) and then it would show me the lovely Blue Screen of Death!!! Oh NOES!!! I expected that from XP and Vista but not 7.  It said (in short)

STOP : C000021a {Fatal System Error}
The initial session process or system, process terminated unexpectedly with a
status of 0x000000000  (0xc0000001  0x001003f0).
The system has been shut down.

  First of all, I thought it could of been the RAM, with the stick being knocked out and everything.  So I tried with one stick, then I tried two new sticks and still the same error.  So out to Google I went... I read everything from it overheating to the ACHI being turned to compatibility mode or something.  I tried everything I could think off and find on Google... however my Google-fu skills where letting me down.  Well thats not entirely correct.  I did read somewhere that the AMD's Cool'n'Quiet technology could be the answer.  If you turn it off it would work as it buggers up with a Windows logon process.  Well into the BIOS I went to turn that bugger off... failure on that end.  It's a Toshiba laptop with a basic BIOS so no turning off for the C'n'Q.  Then I had a really crazy idea... I took the HDD out and put it into another computer that I knows that works and installed Windows 7 on to the HDD with that laptop.  I know it's not supposed to be done because of the drivers and such but bear with me.  It finished the install and I put the HDD back into the Toshiba.  I turned her back on, yes I know... she crashed BUT I got back into the Windows 7 installation screen.  This time it actually worked... dodgy installs 1 logic 0.  I got the install done correctly and all sorted.  Now everynow and then it would crash again with the same issue so I went into the BIOS to see if I had messed with anything.  I hadn't, but then I noticed the BIOS version V1.5... I checked Toshibas website for the BIOS and there was an update, V1.8 released 2 years ago-ish.  I installed the BIOS update and touch wood, it's been a stable platform to use.  So if you have a Toshiba Satellite Pro L300D and it's got an AMD cpu in it AND you are getting that stop code.  Then check the BIOS version and see if it needs an update.  You'll thank the stars that you didn't waste 8 hours on it like I did.

  PEACE!

  Dazz