My Windows 2000 machine has recently started giving me random STOP errors with a blue screen. The accompanying message varies - usually "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL", but sometimes "BAD_POOL_CALLER" and once "KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDL
ED".
Evesham technical support had me use the recovery CD to try to repair Windows, but sfc /scannow kept asking me to put the correct CD in the drive even though the correct CD was already in there. Tech support then decided that my only option was to reformat and reload Windows. However, I am not convinced that it is a software error. Could a hardware problem be causing this? Is there any way to prove whether it is a software or hardware problem? The last thing I want to do is reformat and then discover that it was hardware all along.
My PC has an AMD Athlon 1.4GH processor and 512MB DDR Ram. It originally had a Geforce Pro video card, but since a problem with that card it now has an ATI Radeon card. These errors have started since the ATI card was installed, but didn't start immediately but after about 2/3 months.
Another thing that may be relevant is that when Zone Alarm updated recently, it was rebooting the computer and my daughter didn't have time for it to restart. She pressed CTRL-ALT-DEL during the shutdown process and the computer hung and needed to be reset. The STOP errors started a week or so later.
I accept that I do need to reinstall Windows as Add/Remove programs doesn't work (and I'm not sure it ever has). Also, there is a problem with Outlook Express which sometimes closes itself when you click on a particular folder and more recently has been "losing" messages which were there when you first click on the folder, but if you go back later they are gone. (I do wonder if this has anything to do with AVG antivirus which is installed?)
Will reformating and reinstalling Windows fix these problems or could it be something more serious?
