Windows 10: MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION error

After hearing all the buzz about Windows 10, I finally jumped into the bandwagon. But I hit a snag during installation. Initially I did not give a thought about it, thinking maybe it was a one off thing. Good thing is that the installation was smart enough to restore everything back after I had to hard reset the computer. So I launched the second time installation. No luck as it encountered the same problem. And so my endless install, reboot and re-install cycle began.

My PC is a self built desktop which passed all the requirement checks done by Windows 10 installation. I never had hardware failure nor crashes (BSOD) before during my last 2 years of running Windows 8. But every time I try to upgrade to Windows 10, it will always crash (BSOD with a sad smiley face) and shown together with the error code of MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION. It always happens during the "Copying file" stage and overall progress at 22%. At this junction, the computer will not restart or do anything. I have to hard reset it and let the computer reboot back to Windows 8.

So I googled up regarding this error code. It returned many results for all the previous Windows versions, but not a single result for Windows 10. Really? No one else has had this problem in their Windows 10 installation? I must be the damn unlucky one. I read up on this specific MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION error code and understand that it generally means there may be a hardware failure itself or caused by other factors like overheating. I recalled back the sequence in my installation and it always crashes during "Copying file" stage. So I presume it may be problems with my RAM, or overheating of motherboard chipsets or hard drive (as huge chunks of data are being copied before it crashes). With this diagnosis, I tried the installation one more time, but pulling out a stick of RAM (making it single channel), pulling off my unnecessary DVD and extra hard drives and then blasting my room air-conditioning to max. Voila! It worked and the installation proceeded smoothly.

Windows 10 works so beautifully now. When I logged in for the first time, everything was intact where I left off in Windows 8; down to the very icons and their placements in the desktop. All programs, games and apps work as they were in the old version. The best experience is the new Internet Explorer called the Edge browser. It is giving Google's Chrome a run of its money. Apart from the installation issues, I am all praises for this new Windows 10. I do not blame Microsoft for it because they really did a good job in the OS. The installation issue is just a one off thing. With so many different hardware parts in the PC market, it is beyond Microsoft's control to make it compatible with all machines; unlike Apple who only has one type of hardware to play with. So it will be unfair to compare.

I hope this sharing will help others who encounter the same problem like me. Do not fume if you encounter it. We do what we PC geeks do best. Troubleshoot and solve it. It's the fun and privilege that Apple users do not enjoy. And lastly, enjoy Windows 10. It's worth to upgrade.

The Best Surface Yet

Confession of a geek: I'm a total sucker when it comes to PRACTICAL and cool looking new gadgets. When Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 3, I had been following very closely to the development and specs of this machine. After all, I use the Surface Pro 1 and never been happier after switching from tablets.  For me, tablets are just another marketing gimmick to milk more money from people. Tablets are just an oversized phone running kiddy apps. Sure you can watch movies and play games on an oversized phone but when it comes to productivity, it's just a waste of money owning such device. There are many limitations to what a tablet can do especially desktop computer oriented tasks and even simple desktop web tasks.

It was a gamble for me to switch to Surface Pro 1. I'm glad I made that decision. It opened up a whole new world to me in terms of mobility. In the past, even if you own a tablet, you need to run to the desktop computer or laptop once in a while for heavy tasks which tablets cannot do. With the Surface, I broke free from the shackles of desktop and laptop when I'm travelling. I travel in style by carrying a desktop powered device in the form of a tablet. Sure the first version of Surface is not perfect. The battery life suffers because the chipset used was not advanced and matured back then.

Now with the Surface Pro 3, I would say Microsoft finally perfected the art of hybrid PC. With an 11 inch screen, thinner and lighter form, and more than 8 hours of battery life, this is the best Surface yet. Packing in a Core i7 and 8GB RAM into the machine, this is even more powerful than desktops built for gaming. This is really a revolutionary device that can replace a desktop and laptop. Forget about MacBook Airs. Those are ancient with chunky keyboard attached. It's like carrying bricks. Forget about tablets and ipads. Those are only look cool devices running kiddy apps and cannot do simple task like running Flash player in a web browser. Worse still, many websites are broken or even inaccessible when viewed on a tablet.

Click on the image for picture gallery