How to Fix Blue Screen Errors
Blue screen errors, or blue screen of death (BSOD) errors, are the most severe errors Windows can encounter. Since Windows can not recover from this kernel level error, a blue screen is displayed with the error details. The error details contain a STOP error code, which indicates the type of error.
There are a lot of possible causes for blue screen errors, but most of them relate to the computer hardware. The cause of a BSOD error can be a temperature problem, a timing error, a resource conflict, hardware failure, a corrupt registry, a virus or simply a device incompatibility or driver error.
How to analyze blue screen errors
The first thing to do to analyze a blue screen error is to check the meaning of the STOP error code. You need to stop Windows from rebooting when a STOP error is encountered. Once the blue screen of death is shown, you can check the meaning of the STOP error code. Together with the filename of the driver or module, this will give an indication of the error cause.
Another option to analyze the cause of the blue screen error is to look at the Windows system event log or to debug the memory dump (minidump) that Windows created when the error occurred. The event log can be viewed using the event viewer. Right-click Computer in the Start menu, and then select Manage. In the Computer Management window select Event Viewer. The information in the event log can be of great help to isolate the cause of the blue screen error.
Within the Event Viewer, use the right-hand pane to create a custom view and select a date range or specific event category to nowwor down the events relating to the blue screen error.
Windows can also be configured to create a minidump of the current state when a critical error happens. Reading the minidump requires a bit more technical knowledge, but Microsoft has tools to read the minidump. Read more about how to analyze Windows minidump files if you want to use the crash dump file to find the cause of a Windows stop error.
The most common cause of blue screen errors
In reality, the most common cause of blue screen errors is a device driver problem. Outdated, incorrect or corrupt drivers can cause the system to encounter a STOP error, resulting in the BSOD.
So the easiest way to try and fix a blue screen error is to reinstall and update your system’s device drivers. This will ensure that all driver bugs are fixed and that all hardware has the correct driver.
If you know which device caused the error, you can update or reinstall that driver first. The file name in the blue screen of death can help identify the driver. Look for a file with the .SYS extension and search for that file name.
If you do not have the drivers for all devices, or are not comfortable updating your PC’s drivers manually, you can use a driver update tool to find, download and update all device drivers for you. Such tools will accurately identify your computer hardware, including any device causing an error, and automatically install the latest drivers for it.
In most cases updating or reinstalling drivers will solve your blue screen errors.
Other causes of blue screen errors
However, if updating device drivers does not fix the blue screen error, there are a number of additional things to try:
- Load the default BIOS values – resource conflicts and timing issues can be caused by incorrect BIOS settings.
- Update the BIOS – especially after adding new hardware or installing a Windows service pack this can help fix issues.
- Update Windows – missing updates, including service packs can be a source of stop errors.
- Check your system – run a virus scan after updating your definition files.
- Run a memory test to check your computer’s RAM. Memory faults can easily cause blue screen errors, so see if your RAM is error free. Vista and later Windows versions have a built-in option to test the memory, for XP you can use a program called memtest86.
- Driver rollback – if you have recently updated a driver, you can use the driver rollback to revert back to the previous driver version.
List of STOP Errors Causing BSOD:
- Stop 0x00000003 UNSYNCHRONIZED_ACCESS
- Stop 0x0000000A IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
- Stop 0x0000001E KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
- Stop 0x00000023 FAT_FILE_SYSTEM
- Stop 0x00000024 NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM
- Stop 0x0000002E DATA_BUS_ERROR
- Stop 0x0000003F NO_MORE_SYSTEM_PTES
- Stop 0x00000044 MULTIPLE_IRP_COMPLETE_REQUESTS
- Stop 0x00000050 PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
- Stop 0x0000006B PROCESS1_INITIALIZATION_FAILED
- Stop 0x00000073 CONFIG_LIST_FAILED
- Stop 0x00000074 BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO
- Stop 0x00000076 PROCESS_HAS_LOCKED_PAGES
- Stop 0x00000077 KERNEL_STACK_INPAGE_ERROR
- Stop 0x00000079 MISMATCHED_HAL
- Stop 0x0000007A KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR
- Stop 0x0000007B INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE
- Stop 0x0000007E SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
- Stop 0x0000007F UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP
- Stop 0x0000008E KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
- Stop 0x0000009C MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION
- Stop 0x0000009F DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE
- Stop 0x000000BE ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY
- Stop 0x000000C2 BAD_POOL_CALLER
- Stop 0x000000C4 DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION
- Stop 0x000000CA PNP_DETECTED_FATAL_ERROR
- Stop 0x000000CB DRIVER_LEFT_LOCKED_PAGES_IN_PROCESS
- Stop 0x000000CE DRIVER_UNLOADED_WITHOUT_CANCELLING_PENDING_OPERATIONS
- Stop 0x000000D1 DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
- Stop 0x000000D5 DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL
- Stop 0x000000D8 DRIVER_USED_EXCESSIVE_PTES
- Stop 0x000000DA SYSTEM_PTE_MISUSE
- Stop 0x000000EA THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER
- Stop 0x000000ED UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME
- Stop 0x000000F2 HARDWARE_INTERRUPT_STORM
- Stop 0x000000F4 CRITICAL_OBJECT_TERMINATION
- Stop 0x000000FC ATTEMPTED_EXECUTE_OF_NOEXECUTE_MEMORY
- Stop 0x000000FE BUGCODE_USB_DRIVER
- Stop 0xC0000218 UNKNOWN_HARD_ERROR
- Stop 0xC000021A STATUS_SYSTEM_PROCESS_TERMINATED
- Stop 0xC0000221 STATUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MISMATCH
- Stop 0xC0000244 STATUS_AUDIT_FAILED
A complete list of error codes can be found on the Microsoft MSDN website.
Please share your own experiences with blue screen of death errors, including possible solutions. New insights can help others, or maybe we can help you with specific STOP errors.
Help! This is the BSOD that I receive:
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
Technical Informaion:
STOP: 0x000000D1(0x55B8840A,0x000000020x00000001,0xF8443E9F)
NDIS-sys-Address F8443E9F base at F842B000,DateStamp 48025d03
I currently have the blue screen error. I have ran the windows memory diagnostic tool and it did not read any problems. The following is the information on the error:
OS VERSION: 6.0.6002.2.2.0.768.3
LOCALE ID: 1033
BCCODE: 1000007e
BCP1: C0000005
BCP2: AF9A1976
BCP3: 8B36F71C
SERVICE PACK: 2_0
PRODUCT: 768_1
Thanks for your help!
@denise – Stop error 0x0000001a is a memory management error. You are running Windows 7 I see, so you can use the memory diagnostic tool in Window 7 to check your memory.
If that shows an error it is really memory.
If not, then try booting in Safe Mode (F8 key during startup) and see if the BSOD happens there as well.
Hi Anthnoy,
please help me as i also experience the blue screen but my computer is pretty new, it only 3 week since i just bought it.
the error is as shown:-
Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.768.3
Locale ID: 18441
Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: 1a
BCP1: 00041790
BCP2: C08020DC
BCP3: 0000FFFF
BCP4: 00000000
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 768_1
Files that help describe the problem:
C:\Windows\Minidump40210-27518-01.dmp
C:\Users\denise\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-91572-0.sysdata.xml
Read our privacy statement online:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=104288&clcid=0x0409
If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:
C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt
@troy – Haven’t seen that before. Are you certain you use the right key to get in the Bios? Most common keys are F2 and Del, but F1 and Esc are also possible.
Sometimes the timing is a bit critical, but just keep pressing it at boot and it should work.
what if you cant get to the bios screen? Any ideas
Uhh dont worry my computer just fixed itslef.
Hmm I done a memory test. My compputer restarted I logged in then BSOD(BSOD appears everytime I log in normally) appeared, restarted computer went safe mode then found that there wasn’t any result notification. If it helps while the test the STATUS: always appeared as No problems have been detected yet. What should I do?
Thanks for the help.
Anthony good day to you…I am glad…Or not :) to tell you I found the problem. Glad that after 8 months i Finally realized what it is. I did a mistake not checking the Memory DDR again. Corssair Dominator DHX> At 1st when I bought them they passed memtest. But probably somewere after one kit …malfunctioned. So there was the problem over 25 errors in memtest…Got some OCZ froma friend. Left the pc running NONSTOP for 30 Hours and not one BSOD. So problem solved…partially…All I have to do is send the memory back and ask for new ones. Thx for everything Anthony and have a fantastic week.
@Nat – Yes of course you can. I actually just posted an article on how to test your memory in Vista using the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool :)
Can I use Memory Diagnostics Tool that comes with Windows Vista?
@Nat = Stop error 0x0000008E can have a few causes, one being bad memory. So try running a memory test first (memtest86).
hey,someone pliss help me,this thing just made me really annoying when im having my great game.then,suddenly the system restart with the blu screen.this is my problem:
Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 1033
Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: 1000008e
BCP1: C0000005
BCP2: 9949FF51
BCP3: 8D1A9C54
BCP4: 00000000
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1
Files that help describe the problem:
C:\Windows\Minidump32710-15116-01.dmp
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-240475-0.sysdata.xml
Read our privacy statement online:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=104288&clcid=0x0409
If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:
C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt
Well my first BSOD I posted seemed to fix itslef but now recently one of my family member accidently flicked off the power for the computer on the power point while it was on, then I rebooted and started to get BSOD again. Here a some STOP ERRORS.
STOP:
0×0000008E(0xC0000005,0xA726E47C,0xAD897B8C,0x00000000)
STOP: 0×0000008E(0xC0000005,0xAA96747C,0xAB98FB8C,0x00000000)
STOP: 0×0000008E(0xC0000005,0xA704B47C,0xA5947B8C,0x00000000) STOP:
0×0000008E(0xC0000005,0xAAE9247C,0xABF4FB8C,0x00000000).
And im sure the list keeps going. What can I do?? I’m in safe mode atm.
Thanks for the help.
@melanie – Does this happen consistently when you reboot Windows?
A few things to try are:
– run a memory test with memtest86
– type “sfc /scannow” at the command prompt to check and correct the system files
– boot in Safe Mode (F8 during startup) and do a system restore using the latest restore point
@Andybest – I am not familiar with the problem of damaging your card if you use the second slot. That would actually rather surprise me. As long as you are careful when handling the card, as the memory on the card, like normal RAM will be sensitive to static electricity.
If you want to upload the memory dump files, that should be to Microsoft.
@steini veigars – First go to the Control Panel and open the System settings. There is a settings regarding error handling that allows you not to reboot when a critical error occurs (by default it is set to reboot automatically). The you can see the actual BSOD error code.
every 2 hours my pc restarts and some blue screen come’s for like 1 sec dont know what is say and its gettin me crazyyyy ! can you help me ?
My last Blue screen shows something like this based on what Win sollution say’s.Is it enough or should I send you minidump files? :(…
Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 1048
Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: 3b
BCP1: 00000000C0000005
BCP2: FFFFF80002C8C170
BCP3: FFFFF8800A86B920
BCP4: 0000000000000000
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1
Anthony thank’s for the advice. Since my last post I have thought of something new. Since I have 2 PCI expres slots on my motherboard how about i swap slots? I mean they are both PCI express 2.0 16x so there sure be no difference right. Also if it works and i get rid of these BSOD it’s clearly the 1st slot is broken or there is incompatibility. My concern is if it’s safe because some people say u can burn or damage you’re VGA if u put it in the second slot. Still I see no real danger but I’m asking you now is this safe to do?
PS: About the Asus software. It’s unistaled ever since I last installed this Win 7. The only thing I have is Asus Flash bios software tahts all and Asus express gate.
PS2: If I still have BSOD I will change my VGA 4870×2 with a 9800gt and see how it goes. Please can u help me step by step in finding and uploading my minidump files to microsoft or maybe to rou by e-mail so maybe you can read those and see exactly what is the problem?
MY e-mail is Andybes_team@yahoo.com If you send me a message I will be rather gratefull to you.
Anticipated Thanks Anthony.
what it is i put the laptop on it loaded up and then the blue error came up saying
stop;c000021A {fatal system error}
the windows subsystem system process terminated unexpectedly with a status 0x c00000005 ( 0x7c9101b3 0x0361ed04)
the system has been shutdown
beginning dump of physical memory
physical memory dump complete
contact your system administrator or technical support group for further assistance
PLEASE COULD YOU HELP ME AND ADVISE ME WHAT TO DO THANKS
@Andybest – The only additional thing I suggest based on seeing your motherboard is to test with changing the setting regarding the automatic power saving feature (EPU). It seems that Asus boards have had issues with that since the start, and although I do not know for sure where it is at currently, there are a lot of people who choose to uninstall the EPU and AI related software. Some even disable the SpeedStep in the Bios.
Automatically changing voltages and frequencies to save power sounds nice, but is not when it affects the system stability. You board has the EPU-6 engine, which can change the CPU, video card, memory, hard disk, chipset and fan speed.
Try setting everything to a fixed setting and uninstall the Asus software, and then see how it runs.
Sorry for posting a third time just like I said (desperate)…
I have looked in Win Event viewer and looked in Critical event type. I have 45 of these
Source: Kernel Power
Event ID: 63
Number of events :45
Hope it helps…:(
If you want I can tell you what code these Bsod have. But it isn’t one specific… From 109 to 5b to 000001 to all sorts of code…but anyway I can look into archive and upload or something if it helps.
Anticipated Thanks!
Hello Mr. Anthony I find this site very interesting and i love the fact you answer to each problem…I also have a problem. It’s been 4 months now since I am trying to solve this damn problem but still I can’t fin the sollution.
1. My PC config: intel Core 2 Quad 9550, 2.83 Ghz Asus P5QPRO, 4gb Corsair Dominator , Power Suply Chieftec 750 wats, 2 Hdd WD and Seagate, Video Card 4870 X2.
2. Since I bought this PC 1 year ago aprox. i have been experience a lot of Bsod. :(
3. I tryed to install different windows Vista, 7 different versions, changed the HDD tryed to reinstall but no good.
So lets speak abouth the last month. I have installed Win 7 last tim in 15.02.2010. Imagine I allready have 49 Bsods…since :(
I gest these Blue Screens with no reason …playing, exploring internet or even just staying in sleep mode … or just watching a movie.
I have heard about this problems of incompatibility with ati and intel components or motherboard. I can say that my Win solve Pc issue says it’s a video hardware problem. My GPU is not broken since I tested it on different PCs. My hdd is not broken since i tryed different ones on my PC. My memory can’t be since it passes memtest and win diagnotic memory. My power suply cand know for sure but I don’t think so. All that remains is motherboard or hardware incompatibility…
pls WHAT CAN YOU ADVICE ME Sir?….I am desperate right now:((
@Todd – I have not seen that error in context of a network connection problem like you describe, but are you using wireless? If so, you could try changing the wireless connection settings. The wireless network device often allows you to change the settings, like only support the 802.11 b standard instead of a/b/g together when the router only allows b. This can help improve the quality of the connection.
Other settings that can be changed are the power saving mode and the channel used.
If it is really a wireless network issue, changing the settings could help.
You have of course already checked and reinstalled the network drivers I hope?
@Nat – First try running a memory test (memtes86) to make sure the RAM is okay. Then you can try a “sfc /scannow” command at the command prompt (with admin rights) to check and correct the Windows system files.
I’m recieving a Stop error of STOP:0x0000008E(0xC0000005, 0x9CA9A47C, 0x8DE13B8C, 0x00000000). And I dont know want to do. At the moment I’m in safe mode with networking at can’t go on normal mode because of BSOD.
Thanks for the help.