uTorrent crashes my whole computer constantly

[Switeck]

NOD 32 AV seems to be the problem-causer at least for some of the posters here.

Try uninstalling it to see if that helps.

[HexusOdy]

I have exactly the same fault as most who have posted here.

System runs perfectly without uTorrent running but when it is it crashes intermittently with Page Fault in Nonpaged Area BSOD's.

Nothing I am running with uTorrent is on the list of incompatible software, and for the record I am running the following.

Bitdefender

ZoneAlarm

Cfos Speed

I have less max Half Open Connections and less Global Connections that I did when using Bitcomet, and I'd really like to continue using uTorrent as I thik its a great bit of software.

Is the concensus that its TCPIP Connections causing it to crash? If so it doesn't do it in any other program so surely its a uTorrent bug that needs fixing?

[DreadWingKnight]

ZoneAlarm

As much as it isn't on the incompatible list, it needs to be.

[HexusOdy]

Ok, lets say it is ZoneAlarm. Its a program I've used for years with no problems. If there is a problem with it and uTorrent is it something that can be looked into?

I'd also suggest that as this thread has only 70 posts put over 10,000 views that other people have been having similar problems.

[Switeck]

The Zone Alarm program you started using years ago probably isn't the one using now. It's no doubt been modified by updates. There have been specific versions of Zone Alarm that were rightly called "hopeless" for file-sharing by pretty much ALL involved parties.

Maybe the current version doesn't like mass quantities of UDP packets, such as µTorrent uses for DHT, resolve ips, and show country flags? (...so have you tried disabling that?)

[HexusOdy]

I have DHT and country flags off, not sure about resolve IP's.

I dont want anyone getting defensive over uTorrent here. I'm here because I like the program and want to carry on using it, otherwise I would have just switched back to Bitcomet or Azureus.

I'm here because Im hoping its something that can be fixed or at least come up with a work around or settings change to stop it. It doesn't look like its only me with the problem.

ZoneAlarm has indeed been updated many times, but I use with everything else with no issues, including BitComet. So just want to find out what the difference is so I can fix it.

[Switeck]

And with multiple moving targets (Zone Alarm changing and potentially µTorrent too...and no doubt even key system components being updated), it is difficult indeed to localize problems. Worse still with it's combinations of things. I call it the house of cards -- you can slowly add more to the top and even take a card or 2 out of the bottom or middle, but sooner or later it all comes crashing down and you need to restart from scratch.

It's not unheard of for programs when they update to incorrectly leave old portions behind (because they were running at the time and couldn't be deleted.) This is why I recommend uninstalling, testing, and reinstalling the latest version of Zone Alarm.

[HexusOdy]

Its not ZoneAlarm. Ran uTorrent for a while with ZoneAlarm exited and it crashed again.

Now trying it without BitDefender 9.

[insmod]

Hi,

I'm having the same problem too. When I run uTorrent, in 20min-2hours my computer crashes. It just freezes, no BSOD, no auto-restart, nothing.

I've checked your Incompatible Software list, and I only have installed BitDefender 9 Professional Plus.

Maybe it's not an uTorrent problem, but it only happens when I run it.

I'm running WinXP SP2.

My machine:

AMD Sempron 3100+

ASUS K8V-X

512MB RAM TwinMos

ATI 9600 128MB

Seagate 80GB

Anything else you need to know, just ask :-)

Thank you for your attention.

[Switeck]

You could try to post a process explorer list...we might spot conflicting software or even a virus/trojan!

[HexusOdy]

I posted a process list in my original thread here - http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=23389

But nobody replied to me.

It not ZoneAlarm, still crashed with ZA completely shut down.

Its not BitDefender 9, still crashed with all BD processes gone.

No other major apps running, just little things.

I've read numerous threads on here regarding uTorrent and BSODs or Fatal Errors. Alot seem to be tied to firewalls or occur when downloading multiple files at once.

Personally I think its a port issue. Certainly something networking. And it can't be another program conflict, if you seach the forum for page faults, crashes and BSODs there are tons of posts where its identified as conflicting with many different types of firewall from many different producers. That can't be blamed on another peice of software.

As great as I think uTorrent is I think thats causing the problem I'm afraid.

1) All I can say is it never happens right away, it always takes at least 20-30 minutes to crash, so its something thats taking time to build up ie open ports/connected peers.

2) Its worse with many torrents seeding and happens more when uploading than downloading. It can still happen witha couple of seeds but takes longer.

3) The fatal error is a page fault in non paged area which is also mentioned earlier in this thread and on many others.

I'm not trying to trash uTorrent, I love it. Which is why Im here hoping for a fix and not uninstalling it. I've worked in IT for over 10 years and just really believe the fault is with uTorrent from what I have read on many threads here and from my own experience. I'm here because I'm trying to help.

[Switeck]

Nobody replied to you probably because we're overwhelmed by it.

Do note that a developer asked you for that and even HE didn't reply back YET.

We were expecting the abbreviated list in the form that Process Explorer gives it - 1 line per item/dll/program. Typically 50 lines tops, and 20+ of them are redundant Microsoft stuff that basically everyone that's running Win XP has.

You gave us 1,000+ lines -- though they're mostly empty filler. On a per-line basis, I know I don't write that much in a day.

So that's a lot to digest in 1 day. And not really my job, so don't expect a good one.

If you've been in IT for 10 years, you'd know your box isn't ordinary by any stretch.

To really go over it with a fine-toothed comb will take me HOURS.

The designers of µTorrent have said that µTorrent cannot trigger a BSoD at least by itself. I don't know if that applies to all fatal errors/page faults as well, but I'd imagine they're tyically BSoDs.

Just knocking out all the Microsoft and ATI stuff, which I am assuming is common enough to not be the problem-triggering software...even if the underlying bug/s is in µTorrent.

The jury's still out on BitDefender too, as I am very wary of any software that messes with networking. Always some company that thinks security can be made better by thinking outside the box...such as using undocumented system DLL calls. Except Microsoft likes to change their undocumented system DLL calls without warning...and they usually don't document that either.

My ignorance on some of this is painful.

What's this?:

C:\Program Files\Red Chair Software\Anapod Explorer\anamgr.exe

I take it that this is what you used to make this list?:

C:\Documents and Settings\Steve\Desktop\CProcess.exe

I'm surprised these guys are still in business:

C:\Program Files\Diskeeper Corporation\Diskeeper\DkService.exe

I've got this too: (is it contagious?)

C:\PROGRA~1\MOZILL~1\FIREFOX.EXE

No clue: (seems pretty old at 2003)

C:\WINDOWS\system32\gearsec.exe

Not a recent addition either (11/16/2005)...but if I saw such a filename on my computer I'd be worried if I didn't recognize it:

C:\Program Files\MIC\HAWAII\Hawaii.exe

eFax Messenger by j2 Global Communications, Inc. ...ok, possibly messes with networking and that's vaguely the sort of thing that causes µTorrent grief. But it's pretty recent (7/14/2006) and probably up-to-date.

C:\Program Files\eFax Messenger 4.2\J2GDllCmd.exe

C:\Program Files\eFax Messenger 4.2\J2GTray.exe

LogMeIn Desktop Application -- LogMeIn, Inc. Another recent program (8/11/2006).

C:\Program Files\LogMeIn\LogMeIn.exe

C:\Program Files\LogMeIn\LogMeInSystray.exe

C:\Program Files\LogMeIn\RaMaint.exe

Almost looks like a key Microsoft Windows XP component: (better double-check that one, that's a favorite trick of viruses and trojans!)

C:\WINDOWS\system32\dns\bin\named.exe

Picasa by Google Inc. I'll wager this one doesn't have anything to do with modern art either. If it's a toolbar or media bar, it's probably adware or worse.

C:\Program Files\Picasa2\PicasaMediaDetector.exe

Realtek HD Audio Sound Effect Manager (probably ok, doesn't sound network-related, though a tad old 6/29/2005.)

C:\WINDOWS\RTHDCPL.EXE

SCRU-watcher v0.4 (WinFSW?) VERY new...and modified on 4/11/2007 before it was created on 5/2/2007.

C:\SCRU\scruw.exe

Soft Modem by Smart Link. Yet another modified 8/4/2004 before it was born 8/8/2006 program. I guess that's just normal for reinstalled-from-backup software. Kinda bugs me. Sounds like the software side of the lobotomized 56k "win" modems. And that's something I would not want near µTorrent. Either that or VPN/proxy software...which may not be any better.

C:\WINDOWS\system32\slrundll.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\slserv.exe

ZNS MicroSAN Service by Zetera Corporation. Just a guess...something to do with NetGear?

C:\Program Files\NETGEAR\SC101 Manager Utility\ZeteraService.exe

Ok, probably every one of these programs is regularly used by you. You probably know what they all do as well. It's not neccesary to tell me in any detail or at all. But those would be the "usual suspects" that I'd be uninstalling to see if µTorrent magically fixes itself. And even if it does, you'll probably never be able to confirm if the problem is caused by a bug in µTorrent...or in the "offending" program...or just Microsoft itself refusing to multitask network tasks properly.

[Firon]

You actually have to uninstall the anti-virus and firewall, not disable it and/or kill processes.

[HexusOdy]

What's this?:

C:\Program Files\Red Chair Software\Anapod Explorer\anamgr.exe

Its an iTunes alternative. Lets me drag and drop files to an iPod instead of using bloated iTunes.

I take it that this is what you used to make this list?:

C:\Documents and Settings\Steve\Desktop\CProcess.exe

Yes it is )

No clue: (seems pretty old at 2003)

C:\WINDOWS\system32\gearsec.exe

Its part of my DVD burning software. Cyberlink Power2go

Not a recent addition either (11/16/2005)...but if I saw such a filename on my computer I'd be worried if I didn't recognize it:

C:\Program Files\MIC\HAWAII\Hawaii.exe

Its part of the drivers for my Mobo. Runs a Media Panel built into my case.

Almost looks like a key Microsoft Windows XP component: (better double-check that one, that's a favorite trick of viruses and trojans!)

C:\WINDOWS\system32\dns\bin\named.exe

This is Treewalk DNS.

Picasa by Google Inc. I'll wager this one doesn't have anything to do with modern art either. If it's a toolbar or media bar, it's probably adware or worse.

C:\Program Files\Picasa2\PicasaMediaDetector.exe

This is just part of googles Image editor called Picasa. This component just detects any new images put on the PC.

SCRU-watcher v0.4 (WinFSW?) VERY new...and modified on 4/11/2007 before it was created on 5/2/2007.

C:\SCRU\scruw.exe

This is an Unrar util. Its only a small basic script with a GUI for auto unpacking torrents when they have finished. Ive checked this one and none of the crashes coincide with anything close to when this runs or a torrent finishes.

Soft Modem by Smart Link. Yet another modified 8/4/2004 before it was born 8/8/2006 program. I guess that's just normal for reinstalled-from-backup software. Kinda bugs me. Sounds like the software side of the lobotomized 56k "win" modems. And that's something I would not want near µTorrent. Either that or VPN/proxy software...which may not be any better.

C:\WINDOWS\system32\slrundll.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\slserv.exe

These I could do without but are just a legacy from the built in modem. Shouldnt cause a problem?

ZNS MicroSAN Service by Zetera Corporation. Just a guess...something to do with NetGear?

C:\Program Files\NETGEAR\SC101 Manager Utility\ZeteraService.exe

Yep this is the software for a Netgear SC101 Network Attached Storage device.

To Firon.....

I would uninstall ZA and BitDefender is I knew what to replace them with. I could possibly get away without ZA and just stick with the hard firewall, but I need an AV app. I spent an hour reading through the forum yesterday and there seems to be a problem with most on various threads. Which again makes it a uTorrent problem not something else no?

[Switeck]

It's possible that µTorrent tries to tie into the wrong network adapter due to a temporary internet 'hiccup', so disabling the modem in your BIOS and removing the legacy drivers would probably be a good idea if you never use it anymore.

Uninstalling the AV and ZA for an hour or so for testing purposes should not put you at any significant risk. That is IF your router only has the 1 port forwarded for µTorrent.

[HexusOdy]

Unistalled ZoneAlarm and it works fine. Installed Comodo Firewall and its been running for a couple of hours so far no problem.

I always believed it wasn't uTorrent pulling the trigger, but it is hiring the hitman!

[winchie]

I have a similar problem in that when utorrent is running my computer does not crash but the processes slow right down to the point where it can take several minutes to start Outlook and the like. Even trying to stop utorrent can take up to five mins.

A few bits of info.

I am NOT computer literate, and have absolutely no idea what people mean when they use strange anacronyms and strings of letters/numbers. Therefore I would really appreciate any replies to be put in PLAIN ENGLISH pls.

Basic syatem info.

1 2Gb processor

2/ 512 Mb RAM

3/ 160Gb (2X80) Hard drive.

4/ Windows XP Home sp2

5/ AVG 7.5 Internet Security(2 yr licence paid for)

6/ uTorrent 1.6.1 (build 490)

7/ Bit Comet .87

I used to run an older version of utorrent and all worked fine (fastest download rate of 596kbps) and it was possible to use the computer in the normal way with no slowing down. Since upgrading to my current version of utorrent, my problems started. Even going back to the older version made no difference. By way of comparison I also use Bit Comet 0.87. and have no problems whatsoever, except for the snail pace of downloads.

As everything was fine before the upgrade, and there have been no system updates since the upgrade, I can only assume that the problem lies with the utorrent program itself.

That's rant done. Hope someone can help.

Winchie

[scorchisio]

i would like to add a similiar tale guys, i am not a noob i have been using pcs for 7 years and consider my knowledge average in most areas, current pc is a 3500_+ amd 64 with 2gb ram windows xp sp2, no malware or viruses i run a very well protected and clean pc, my pc is fast and runs well with no issues whatsoever when i am not using utorrent it has actually been on for many days at a time with no heating issues or crashes as it is very well cooled.

For around 6 months now whenever i get some really nice speeds with several torrents going at once my pc would just freeze entirely, cant move cursor, all activity is ceased and its just sat in a totally frozen unusable state until i power it off at the mains, this can happen several times an hour so i did some looking around on the net (obviously i was getting extremely frustrated by this issue because utorrent was the fastest and easiest torrent client i have ever used and i have tried the lot) i found a site that said to update my router firmware which i thought that cant be linked however i am an optimist so i got the latest firmware and lo and behold it actually seemed to crash more often lol, this totally peeved me off as it was the only lead ive had.

I searched again today and found this forum and theres nothing on here that ive been able to try as i dont use zonealarm anyway. Just wanted to let some of you know that your not alone in this very annoying problem and it is certainly an issue with utorrent as my computer has never locked up once when utorrent isnt running

Anyway i recently have tried something else, i set all downloads to go into my d drive which is purely for storage and in the preferences within utorrent under advanced- disk cache i changed the cache size to 5000mb, since i did this i have had no lockups or problems so i suggest everyone do the same. All the best

[efrancesco]

Thankls scorchisio for sharing your experience. Just thought I share my solution with others. I had the same problem using ZoneAlarm and utorrent together. ZoneAlarm would crash and then BSOD. As I'm using many networking softwares I turned off each one and allowed the computer to run but at the end the culprit turns out to be utorrent/ZoneAlarm combo. Since I had 2GB RAM, I suspected that perhaps one of the RAM set have gone bad so I ran the some over night RAM tests but nothing was wrong. So I turned to hardware incompatibility, I updated all the drivers but the problem persisted. I turned to computer logs to look deeper into the problem [Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer]. Turns out I was getting waring signs for my tcpip "TCP/IP has reached the security limit imposed on the number of concurrent TCP connect attempts". I knew the 10 connection limit on windows but I had to see what was happening. So I started monitoring tcpip connections... man wasn't I surprised or what!

I established more or less 7 connections just at Computer Startup. Programs like Network Magic or NetOP did the trick. By the time utorrent/firefox started there was barely any room left and tcpip was juggling between connections to maintain the limit. On the same time utorrent is asking for new connections to be made and keeps making more, as that's what it suppose to do. Finally, tcpip.sys records the problems in Event Viewer and then asks the firewall to stop utorrent, ZoneAlarm is configured to give utorrent full access so it does tries to restrict utorrent from accessing the computer resources, utorrent continues doing what it does best and ZoneAlarm resorts to crashing since it's getting too much of warnings from tcpip.sys, hence taking down the system with it.

So the solution is pretty straight forward patch the tcpip.sys by applying the Lvllord's patch. Can be found at: http://www.lvllord.de/?url=downloads〈=en

Just so that I give a good problem solving workflow

1. Check the Event Viewer if your tcpip is getting any errors.

2. If it is apply the patch mentioned above and thing would be stable after that.

3. Make sure you allow the "Send Mail" access in Program Control for utorrent.

I see how scorchisio's solution works since ZoneAlarm only tires to restrict access to local drive, an external drive lives in harmony with tcpip juggling.

And if you would like to monitor your connections, try http://www.glocksoft.com/network_status.htm

oh by the way I have informed ZA about this problem and hopefully they would have a solution for it in the next release.

[photonboy]

* SOLUTION TO CRASHING:

This is not only a solution to fixing the uTorrent problem, but also any software problem of this nature. My computer has run every version of uTorrent for almost two years with no issues and now I get the freezing and crashing/rebooting as described here. I assume it is software that I have installed. (You should, at the very least test your memory with "memtest" http://www.memtest86.com/ which should be run as a pre-Windows test. You should test your other main components as well. Hard Drive manufacturers have diagnostics tests (pre-boot is best). An insufficient or faulty power supply might only fail in Windows when the drain is sufficient to destabilize your system. Cheap power supplies are the most common source of hardware issues and can cause everything from hard crashes to corrupting data without your knowledge. CPU's are generally the most reliable component despite their complexity. Hard Drive failure is unlikely to account for this fault. It's almost certainly a software issue, but that doesn't mean you don't have MULTIPLE issues.)

The solution is to go to: "Start->Run->msconfig" (just type in "msconfig", no quotes)

Choose "Diagnostic Startup."

If you have a good hunch as to what software could be causing it then disable it and reboot.

Another method is to disable EVERYTHING which still enables you to run uTorrent then add in half of the remaining software at a time. It's a pain because it can take a few hours before failure but it really is the best solution. Pick a method that's easy to keep track of. The FASTER your uTorrent crashes, the EASIER it is to troubleshoot.

You might want to first go to Add/Remove Programs and see what's new since uTorrent started crashing.

Other:

In regards to backing up and troubleshooting, I use the program "Acronis True Image" and make a backup IMMEDIATELY after installing Windows XP (no drivers). DVD's are cheap. I then make ANOTHER backup after my drivers, then after more software. I have FIVE DVD's. I keep all my important files in folders within "My Documents", so if I need to troubleshoot I backup my e-mail, then backup my "My Documents" to a 2nd hard drive, reinstall a DVD and there I go. I find a lot of "crap" gets on my PC no matter what I do so I RESTORE to a previous DVD every six months. This is the very best solution I believe. (FYI, ReWriteable CDs and DVDs have their uses but they can quickly become unusable with scratches. Now that USB flash drives are cheap, I'll invest in a quality 2GB USB flash drive as well as backing up to my hard drive and periodically a DVD-R. Don't trust just DVD's for your critical data.)

Again, using Msconfig to disable software to put your computer in a STABLE STATE, then add back software until failure is a really amazing tool for troubleshooting; also, creating Acronis RESTORE discs and regularly backing up to a 2nd hard drive will save you a tonne of grief.

*I'll report back if I find out what caused the issue in my computer.

[tracert]

I have arrived here as a result of my search for an answer as to why my computer is locking up too. I had Vista on it and it was locking up whenever I multi-task with utorrent running. Now with a fresh install of XP - same thing.

Now anybody can say what they want, I have read all the responses on this post, call it what you want, hardware or otherwise, the problem lies directly with an incompatibility with utorrent and hardware. My guess is that the TCP/IP buffer gets flooded, the squelch signal gets sent but gets lost intermittently, and there is no compensation for it in the software because it is written to run wide open.

I have to laugh at the posts, because it is very funny that 90 people all of the sudden start experiencing major hardware issues, when the one thing we all have definitely in common is: we are all running utorrent.

Now please do not misunderstand me, I think utorrent is the bomb. I switched from bitcomet awhile back. However-- fact is fact, and I never have any problems with my computer unless utorrent is running. Now I do not know if it is worth the headache of always having to force a recheck on 10 or 20 torrents everytime my system locks up.

[erafy]

Hi, i couldn't read all the messages (really really lazy right now, so sorry if this has already been answered), i also got the same problem and kinda figured the cause of it if u have nod32. there seems to be a problem with utorrent and nod32 version 2.7 or above, so i uninstalled it and then installed nod32 v2.5 and my comp runs smoothly again.

Hope that helped.

[Ultima]

Not sure what to say about that, as NOD32 2.7 works fine for me :/ You did configure the IMON component to exclude µTorrent, right?

[ssregitoss]

ok guys.i have the same problems.i was using azureus for 2 years.before 2 months it started to dissapear.so i thought to switch to utorrent.utorrent was working fine.now it give bosd errors random.i have very strong hardware.only my adsl modem is old it is a usb modem zoom.i think the problem is about disk.cause i was reading the errors in azureus it was always write disk cashe errors.my english is poor sorry guys.i like utorrent very much.i am just trying to cashe limit to 400 mg.we will see if it crachs again.my max connecting is default 10.i dont use any kind of antivirus or firewall program.i dont run any kind of program.after crash u torrent trys to check the torrent files.while checking it crashed again again and again.i made a fast move to close utorrent.i opened it in safe mode and deleted all torrent.at last my winxp sp2 started normal.in event logger i get an dhcp error too.

[wiangube]

Hi HexusOdy,

While downloading torrents, do you plug any USB flash drive to your PC? Because I had that kind of problem with my SanDisk 1GB (1024MB) Cruzer Crossfire bough in here:

http://www.compuplus.com/ps-products-comboid-417~.html

it seems my torrent client keep searching in it....