Common causes for BSOD

[reefguy]

I have had a problem with my operating system recognizing my USB stuff. Without my original Win98 Upgrade CD, I had to install Win98SE (full CD)over my Win98 system. Since the install of SE, I have had far too many shut downs with the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). I was wondering if anyone can help me narrow the reasons for these shutdowns.
Is the BSOD usually caused by OS, Hardware, Mainboard & CPU, or a combination of the lot???

System:
MSI 6309
Cel 566 (sometimes OC'd to 800)I OC when I play certain games only
CPU voltage 1.55 (OC'd votage 1.6 - 1.65)
Win98SE
128 RAM
GeForce Tornado 256 SDR
2 NIC's
SoundBlaster Live! Value
Zoom 56K Voice Modem

I have a copy of WinME but have not heard enough good things to chance the upgrade. Has anyone else had any good luck with ME??

 

[Double Trouble]

BSOD's can be caused by a whooooooole bunch of things. Has your system ever worked stably? In that case, you can go back and try to figure out what you might have added/changed to make the system unstable. I've had bad memory cause BSOD's, drivers, programs, faulty CD roms, overheated chip, unstable motherboards, bad video cards, you name it, it can cause the BSOD.

Most of the time though, I've found that BSOD's come from mismatched or old drivers for devices. It may be a bit drastic, but you could consider simply blowing away windows altogether, and then reinstalling it from scratch. Before you do that, make sure you go out on the web and get all the latest drivers and the latest bios updates for all your devices.

 

[CopperHead]

It's always better to a clean install rather than an upgrade. It's a pain but in the long run you'll end up with a much more stable system.

 

[Howard]

Windows 2000 won't give you a lot of BSODs, unless you are overheating.

 

[Davegod75]

main cause of BSOD in win2000 is drivers. If you install bad/the wrong/or conflicting drivers you will get a BSOD. Also OCing and heat will give you BSOD's. I've never gotten caused by the OS itself.