In the IT industry, I’ve encountered a number of strange STOP errors in Windows that can only be fixed by doing something ridiculously incomprehensible! I recently discovered another STOP error which is very obscure but quite easy to fix! Well, at least it was an easy fix for me.
Here is the error on the corresponding blue screen when I work on a faulty computer:
Stop: 0x000000F4 (0x00000000003, 0xFFFFFADF50, 0xFFFFFADF50EC32A8, etc.)
To fix this I tried anything before contacting Dell support like replacing memory, disconnecting graphics cards, replacing the motherboard, running all kinds of hardware and memory diagnostic tools, etc., etc. Unfortunately , nothing helped!
We knew this was not a software problem because we have several of the same machines with the same software configuration. Consequently, we had to call Dell technical support.
Please note that we recently installed a new hard drive in the computer and after a few days started getting these blue screen errors. During a conversation with a Dell rep, he made me do different things!
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First, I had to unplug the computer and unplug the monitor, keyboard and mouse cords. After that, they removed all the memory, reconnected everything and rebooted. The same blue screen!
We then took out and replaced other parts of the computer, restarting and shutting down the computer every time we removed or reinserted something.
Finally, I took out the CMOS battery (the small circular battery on your motherboard), rebooted, then reinstalled it, and rebooted the machine again. This fixed the problem! So this STOP error is either due to a discharged CMOS battery or simply to be removed and reinserted.
The next time you add new hardware to your computer, you may receive this error if the components are not configured correctly during installation. Removing and reinstalling the hardware will ensure that everything is set up and working correctly.
It’s worth noting that removing the CMOS battery is also one of the ways to reset the BIOS password on your computer. If you have any questions, please leave a comment. Enjoy!
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