Computer info:
Windows 7 64-bit
AMD Athlon II X4 Processor (4 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
4096MB RAM
DirectX 11
NVIDIA GeForce GT 240
Driver version: 8.17.12.7061
Now, Windows Event Viewer highlights a serious issue upon start-up, shutdown, and during BSOD events - that is, harddrive\dr0 has a bad block. It seems to happen all of the time now from a few months ago. Tested with SeaTools for Windows (Samsung harddrives), and one of the harddrives comes back as failing all but the SMART test (the other drive passes all - Short DST, Short Generic, Long Generic, SMART). I have run chkdsk /r on all drives to no avail (before the SeaTools diagnostic). However, I'm not entirely certain the harddrive is to blame - I tested both Stalker and Empire Total War, and they lasted longer than Skyrim now does (complete without any BSOD). I do understand not passing those tests means the harddrive has issues, but still...
The BSOD doesn't always happen in-game. It has happened on Saturday *outside* of the game (shortly after a BSOD). I had logged back in, and started surfing the internet for info on the issue - bam, it strikes. Yesterday, after a BSOD in Skyrim, it happened when I got back to the login screen - typed in password, and bam, it strikes again. BSOD on Friday when nobody was in the house, and Skyrim certainly wasn't running. BSOD on Thursday after the Creation Kit hung on closing - click for Windows to find a solution (not really, I want to close the darn thing, but it always tries to find a solution anyway), and bam. Last time before that was Christmas Day, when I'd installed Skyrim (about 5 hours after, and I recall it wasn't loaded up, everyone was downstairs watching Dr Who). The earliest dump file was the 19/12/12, in the morning (before Skyrim), and the only other dump file is from waaaay back in May 2012.
PFN_LIST_CORRUPT (0x00000004e) appears 5 times in the 11 dump files, along with MEMORY_MANAGEMENT (0x00000001a) twice, IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0x0000000a) and DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0x0000000d1) and BAD_POOL_HEADER ((0x000000019) each once. One error has no Bug String Check, but Parameter 1 is 0x0000010e.
The BAD POOL HEADER would have been when on the internet, so game not loaded. The IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL when no one was in the house. One of the PFN_LIST_CORRUPT errors was with the Creation Kit, and the final one on the login screen after another BSOD in-game. All errors point to ntoskrnl.exe as Caused By Driver, save for the one without a Bug String Check (watchdog.sys) and DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (dxgmms1.sys). All errors list ntoskrnl.exe as the Crash Address, though.
Only 'mods' are the Unofficial Skyrim Patch, Unofficial Dawnguard Patch, Skyrim Speeds, and When Vampires Attack. All loaded in the correct order.
EDIT: Just checked, it appears the harddrive\dr0 has a bad block error started back on 22/9/12, after these...
Error - The file system structure on the disk is corrupt and unusable. Please run the chkdsk utility on the volume \Device\HarddiskVolume2.
Warning - The file system structure on volume C: has now been repaired.