HWiNFO64 4.34 Freezes System

[Squeeky]

This week, after I upgraded HWiNFO to ver. 4.34, I found that whenever I would try to run HWiNFO, it would totally freeze my system.

HWiNFO has never frozen my system before, and the new behavior may be due in part to a recent driver upgrade.

OS: Win7/x64, fully patched.

HWiNFO *will* start (without causing a freeze) in debug mode. The debug file is attached.

I have a generic SATA3 controller (plugin card) to which my SSD (which is my system drive) is attached. The controller card is built around an ASMedia 1061 chip. On 15 Feb, I upgraded the ASMedia driver from version 1.4.1.0 to version 2.0.4.0. The Samsung utility (for the SSD) reports that I am in AHCI mode (as I should be), and that I am correctly configured for SATA3. But now my system totally locks up when I run HWiNFO (and, fortunately, ONLY when I run HWiNFO).

The freeze always occurs at the point where the HWiNFO progress ticker reads "Detecting IDE/SCSI drives". Sometimes (twice) it caused a BSOD. I have not previously experienced BSODs with this system.

I have not tried to reinstall the older driver (which I deleted from my system). While that might validate the diagnostics, it isn't a desirable fix, of course.

Suggestions please.

[attachment=928]

 

[Martin]

This is interesting and not easy to diagnose when it works with Debug Mode enabled, which is the best way how to diagnose such issues.
Please try to disable the "IDE/(S)ATA Drive Scan" option to see if the problem is really related to the storage controller/driver and let me know the result.

 

[Squeeky]

This is interesting and not easy to diagnose when it works with Debug Mode enabled, which is the best way how to diagnose such issues.
Please try to disable the "IDE/(S)ATA Drive Scan" option to see if the problem is really related to the storage controller/driver and let me know the result.

With the "IDE/(S)ATA Drive Scan" disabled, the program started virtually instantly ... maybe 1.5 seconds. It did not freeze/lock my system.

 

[Martin]

Then I believe the ASMedia driver update is the cause of the issue.

 

[Squeeky]

Then I believe the ASMedia driver update is the cause of the issue.

OK, but that doesn't tell me whether ASMedia's code needs tweaking, or yours does (or perhaps both). It is easier for me to deal with you! ;-)

 

[Martin]

Heh
HWiNFO uses standard queries to storage components, so if this crashes the system, I believe the driver is the bad guy.
Also, without a Debug File capturing the crash, it's very hard for me to determine exactly what's going on there.

 

[red-ray]

OK, but that doesn't tell me whether ASMedia's code needs tweaking, or yours does (or perhaps both). It is easier for me to deal with you! ;-)

You said you got some BSODs. Are there dump files from these in C:\Windows\Minidump\? If you upload these then either Martin or I may be able to tell exactly what caused the BSOD. Matrin, can I have the 4.34 driver .PDB file?