Buying a Laptop- Input needed.

[Xiahou]

So, should I be worried I received my first BSOD within two days of having my new machine? Why must computers be such a continuous nightmare? Why?

It's certainly not good. But, it depends what's causing it. I've seen antivirus programs that cause BSODs before. If you can host the minidump file somewhere I'll take a look if I get some free time.

[tibilicus]

It's certainly not good. But, it depends what's causing it. I've seen antivirus programs that cause BSODs before. If you can host the minidump file somewhere I'll take a look if I get some free time.

How would I go about doing that?

And, come to think about it. It did occur hours after installing some new AV and Firewall software. The fact the monitor started going "patchy" though made me think it was a graphics problem. Running a diagnostic found nothing however.

[Xiahou]

C:\Windows\Minidump

Microsoft Knowledgebase article
Another thing to try would be a free program called WhoCrashed.

I used WhoCrashed alot, but I eventually installed the Windows debugging tools on my work PC when, for awhile, it seemed like I was constantly troubleshooting BSODs for end users.

[rory_20_uk]

I've tried to "futureproof" one too many times in the past. It's a marketing gimmick to get to squeeze a few extra pounds out now when in the future it'll be a case you could stick a new module in the old case, but since everything else is faster you get new everything anyway.

I currently think that unless money is no object just go for things just behind the cutting edge where there is often c. 80%+ performance and often a 50% price reduction.

Things do wear out, and with constant use a 4 year old laptop is well worn.

[tibilicus]

C:\Windows\Minidump

Microsoft Knowledgebase article
Another thing to try would be a free program called WhoCrashed.

I used WhoCrashed alot, but I eventually installed the Windows debugging tools on my work PC when, for awhile, it seemed like I was constantly troubleshooting BSODs for end users.

I looked in the Minidump folder and no files exist there. I also downloaded WhoCrashed and that didn't find anything either. Running Hardware diagnosis also found no problems so I don't know what else to put the BSOD down to other than a red herring..

[Xiahou]

Well, if you never see it again, I wouldn't worry too much. But you might want to check your memory dump settings so you'll have a file should you crash again.

From the KB article I linked earlier:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Configure the dump type
To configure startup and recovery options to use the small memory dump file, follow these steps.

Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.
Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click System.
Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
In the Write debugging information list, click Small memory dump (64k).

To change the folder location for the small memory dump files, type a new path in the Dump File box (or in the Small dump directory box, depending on your version of Windows).

I believe those instructions are for WindowsXP, but the procedure is very similar under Vista/7.