Issue with MacHALDriver.sys on Windows 8

I found a solution to my Bootcamp issue. My windows 8 install would crash once I tried changing the screen brightness either using the keyboard keys or trying to open up the bootcamp control panel. So I disabled the Generic PnP Monitor driver and I haven't had any issues since. I also put the Bootcamp.exe in windows 7 compatibility mode just in case. Edit: I also had the MacHALDriver.sys issue. This fixed it for me.

Subodh Adhikari wrote:

I recently installed Windows 8 Pro 64-bit, through Boot Camp, on my early 2011 MacBook Pro 15". I used the drives Apple provides for Windows 7. Everything works fine except I ocassionally get a BSOD. I had my dump files analyzed and the problem was with MacHalDriver.sys. More information from the dump file is available at this link: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-hardware/badpoolheade r-0x19-causing-bsod-on-windows-8/d6bafd0e-e759-4130-99fc-2f56a77d2d4a . Anyways I was wondering if anyone else was having this problem and if there was a solution to it.

"Everything works fine except I ocassionally get a BSOD."

BSOD is not normal. How can you say everything works fine? The issue is likely because there are no Windows 8 Bootcamp drivers. Some have said that the Windows 7 drivers work, others have said they do not.

Your Windows 8 installation is not "fine".

FYI only, you are not alone. This is also affecting my early 2011 Macbook Pro 15". Same blue screen.

I have been running Windows 8 since the early release of RTM without issue. My machine started BSOD'ing around mid last week out of the blue.

I get BAD_POOL_ERROR as well as SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION BSOD's. Typically when I first boot the computer and log in, I get a BSOD and it reboots. The second attempt throws up the error and then runs ok. It will no longer resume from sleep without BSOD'ing.

Memory and HDD tests return no faults and OSX runs without issue.

Looks like we are in need of a BootCamp update. I am very curious to know why it worked for some 6 weeks or so and just started out of the blue.

I'm getting BAD_POOL_HEADER on login as well (iMac 27", Late 2011).

I've unplugged my external speakers and it seems to have alleviate it most times. Sometimes I'll login, BSOD, sometimes it doesn't.

Like Pre10der says, probably just a matter of waiting for compatible audio drivers.

FYI, I have also prevented further BSOD's (for now) by reinstalling the BootCamp support back over the top of the original install. I am yet to have a BSOD.

I could always replicate it by sleeping the machine or changing the brightness. I cannot replicate a BSOD now.

I'l see how that goes for a while...touch wood.

How do you disable the Generic PnP Monitor driver or even reinstall the bootcamp drivers? I get the BSOD seconds after logging in so I'm wondering how this can be done.

Also, does anyone know how to start Windows in safe mode? I know it's shift + F8 but i'm not sure at what point i'm supposed to hit those keys.

many thanks.

Disable the monitor driver dont work for me.

I just simply disable the bootcamp.exe from startup item and it work, no more BSOD

Crit + Alt + Del -> Task Manager -> Startup -> Boot Camp Manager -> right click disable

i think i found a correlation with this BSOD and use of the latest catalyst drivers. It could be Catalyst Control Center (CCC). On a clean install of windows 8 if you install the bootcamp drivers in compatability mode essentially everything works perfectly. I noticed that as soon as I went to the latest catalyst beta drivers which installed CCC & several beta drivers this BSOD came back. After i backed out the beta catalyst drivers completely and switched to the latest release drivers (which do not include CCC, meaning effectively uninstalled CCC) the BSOD was gone again. Something to think about if you also have catalyst installed on your win 8 system.

I also had less BSODs (not eliminated, but less frequently) by setting up maximum brightness on Mac, disabling the dynamic brightness, and disabling dynamic video card switching.

On windows I changed power management to not change brightness on plugging/unplugging to AC, and set brightness to 100%.

Will try disabling the PnP monitor to see if it helps.

YOU. ARE. MY. HERO.

Disabling the PnP driver in Monitors within Device Manager did the trick.

YOU HAVE JUST SAVED ME FROM WEEKS OF BSODS AND FPS/DPC STORMS. I've been doing everything imaginable, took it to able, submitted dumps, I've had over 30 BSODs in the last week. I am so grateful to you for posting this. I cannot thank you enough.

Happy Holidays & New Year!

Best,
Philip

Disabling the Generic PnP driver actually made my MBP 2009 worse. My screen faded to black twice and now I can't get past the boot logo where Windows 8 freezes. The partition does however still work in VMWare where I can make changes.

How to chance the brightness in windows when disabling the PnP Display driver?

When will Apple fix this nasty bug? On Developer Version of windows 8 i do not have any problemes with brightness and bootcamp 😟

Update: 2013-04-11

Upgraded my Mac Book Pro's HDD to a Samsung 840 Pro SSD and decided to do a clean re-install of both OSX and Windows 8 via Boot Camp.

After re-installing Windows via Boot Camp and installing the latest Boot Camp v5.0.5033 drivers on Windows, I can report that the issue described in this thread appears to have been fixed - you no longer have to disable the "Generic Pnp Display" in Device Manager.

However, my MBP's clock no longer reports the corrct time and (for some reason) always reports the time in the time -8 hours from now! I'll start THAT discussion in another thread.

Same problem here, keeps crashing Win8 shortly after logging in. Sometimes it keeps going and runs ok.

Let me know if you find a solution.

Thanks.