[Dx4win] Windows 7 64-bit BSOD Resolved

[Byron Peebles]

It's been quite some time since I was satisfied with my DX4WIN host,
a 64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate install.  Although I had all the latest patches,
and quite a few amulets, I just could not get away from experiencing the
infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) and a similarly annoying pause
that seemed to happen at all the wrong moments, like when I was just
about to acknowledge a call back from some rare DX station who was about 
to QRT.

Tonight I was about to throw in the towel and punt.  I had done all kinds of
system upgrades, bought "better" keyer interfaces, improved the 
USB-serial hardware,
and installed everything there was to install, and more, and more than once.

In one last moment of "try anything - it can't get worse" I was down to 
the point
where only the keyboard and the power button worked, neither of which 
are USB.

So, I connected my USB mouse to a port it had never been connected to 
before.
The system thought a minute, installed the drivers and the mouse lit.  
It worked.
I repeated this process with each item, the Fast Serial interface, the 
WinkeyUSB,
the label printer, the UPS.  They all worked.  So, I rebooted.  Repeatedly.
I rebooted more than I'd been able to reboot without a BSOD in, well, 
forever.
No problem.

There was one item on the desk that was no longer connected.  A 
bargain-priced
Rosewell 7-port USB hub.  I had noticed that connecting an FTDI-based 
device to
port 4 of this thing caused an instant BSOD, so I left it disconnected.  
Forever.

After the job of again working DX without worrying I'd access my log again,
I did a little search engine exercise and found other people describing 
the same
scenario that included this hub.  It was a common thread in the 
descriptions,
and it was common to two computers that had a similar problem.

So, I see the occasional posting here about BSOD, so check the USB hub.  
Might be a hit.

73, Byron

PS.  Yes, the downside is that box is still running Windows.  :-)