IRQL Not Less or Equal Error-Thumb Drive issue (ideas?)

[iladelf]

Well, here's one that should stump all of you; has me.

Customer's Dell Dimension 4600 constantly throws up this BSOD:

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

0x0000000A (0x00000188, 0x000000FF, 0x00000000, 0x804E35E9)
or
ditto (0x0000B6C0, ditto, , ditto , ditto )


This happens immediately after you use "Safely Remove Hardware" to eject ANY USB thumb drive from the USB ports. Here's what I've tried:

1. IRQs for two of the USB ports are the same as the NVidia video card (IRQ 16), but there's no way to manually change the IRQs in XP Pro (that I know of), so...

2. Tried installing a different USB 5-port PCI card, and STILL this goofy error occurs.

Can't seem to find any info regarding this specific error online; wondering if it could be leftover junk from Norton 360 that I uninstalled with the Norton Removal Tool, perhaps a real-time scanner "looking" for the drives, then throwing craps when it is removed. Other ideas:

-Memory. Sticks tested ok.
-Vid card
-Vid card driver
-Mobo itself
-BIOS update

Got no clue folks. Nothing like a headache to finish the week.

[Bryce W]

This problem is usually either CPU overheating, bad ram or bad drivers. Given the fact that it only happens when plugging a USB device in. Id say its bad drivers.

Perhaps try uninstalling all USB device drivers (and I mean EVERYTHING USB, usb root hubs, USB printing support, mass storage device, composite device etc..) under Device Manager and reboot the computer. Windows should reinstall all these drivers for you.
Give that a shot, hopefully it clears out any bad USB drivers.