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 Outdated, incorrect or corrupt drivers can cause the system to encounter a STOP error, resulting in the BSOD.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.
@ResR – If a hard disk has that many bad sectors, you should consider replacing it. The time and effort spend on dealing with the problems resulting from bad sectors is not worth it anymore.
@Abhishek – I think it is not possible to mention all steps anyway. There are too many causes of blue screen errors in Windows, and analyzing and fixing BSOD error will be different depending on the scenario.
Why don’t you let me know what your stop error code on the blue screen is, and I’ll see if I can help you further?
I read this article carefuly but still my lapi sufferd blue screen problen,an unexpected shutdown,i think clearly all steps are not mentioned.
My computer, 5 years old Ordi Enduro laptop, gives error Stop 0x000000ED UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME, my 160 Gb hard disk drive has over 20Gb of bad sectors, every time it gives the error, I need to format and reload XP on or otherwise I can’t boot it at all.
@Dina – Assuming this is a desktop computer, you should check all the cabling first (power and disk cables particularly). If the monitor still does something, then try to boot into the BIOS (Del or F2 key in most cases), and load the default BIOS settings.
Then see if Windows will boot up in Safe Mode (F8). If not, try a Windows setup CD to boot from.
motherboard lights up though
Blue screen and now the computer won’t start at all. Help!
@Alan G – If you want Windows to auto-reboot, you should first check the settings in the Control Panel. The auto-reboot on critical errors can be configured in the advanced system settings. If that is enabled and it still doe snot happen, the BSOD is apparently preventing the boot to happen at all.
Is there are .SYS file name shown on the blue screen? That would confirm that a driver is the cause and can also point you in the right direction as to which driver.
@scorpion – You need to complete at least one pass, but it is better to have memtest86 run for a few hours. If you can, just run it through the night and see if any error comes up.
Anthony thx for answer. How long I must test with Memtest86?? thx
sry for my english :D
Anthoney – I have now experienced another BSOD. You will recall that it is not the crash that concerns me, rather the fact that the PC will not auto reboot. In this latest crash, the STOP CODES are as follows….
0X0000001A (0X00041284, 0XDEABC001, 0X00006FD3, 0XC0883000)
For the record, a windows report advice tells me it is a ‘Device or Driver’ issue. As stated earlier, my problem rests with the fact that it will not auto reboot.
Can you shed further light? Many thanks and regards
Alan G
@Thomas – Starting in Safe Mode is the first thing to try. Press the F8 key during startup so the boot menu will come up.
@nocp – Same thing, try booting in Safe Mode. If that does not work, you will need a boot disc (CD/DVD). If you use a Windows setup CD, you can use the Repair option to try and resolve the problem.
@scorpion – Stop error 0x0000008E can have a few causes. The most common ones are memory problems and device driver problems. You can try running a memory test (Vista and Windows 7 have the Memory Diagnostics Tool). Memtest86 is something you can use for any Windows version. You can even create a boot image from that.
If the blue screen error shows a driver file name (.SYS extension), then the cause is more likely to be a device driver error. Reinstalling or updating the driver can help in that case.
How can I fix this bsod error : Stop 0x0000008E?? help
thx
when trying to relooad XP before i go anywhere to check disk the bsod appears.no no hardware were installed it started by getting into a loop when booting
anyone to help please
I have a friend whose computer has just come to me with the BSOD and would like to know the best way to resolve the issue; by that I mean, which is the best way to get past the BSOD to best look at the system without windows starting?
Thomas
@Anthony – Thank you for the pointer. From the Dump file of the last crash, I belive the codes you are needing are as follows….
BugCheck 1000008E, {c0000005, 80637612, b134a868, 0}
Please let me know your thoughts. Many thanks. Alan G.
@Alan G – You can check the minidump that is created on a system error by Windows. Check the Advanced System properties for the location of the minidump, but by default it is %SystemRoot%\MEMORY.DMP, so C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP
Using the Windows debugger that is part of the SDK, you can analyze the dump file and find out the error code as well as possible further relevant details.
Hi Anthony. Thanks so much for the reply. At this time I really can’t recall what the code was. As stated, the BSOD doesn’t occur that often. If you can bear with me, as soon as the next one occurs, I will notify you. Unless, of course, you know if XP records this info, and where I might find it on the PC?? Many thanks. Alan G.
@Alan G – Some BSOD errors are blocking and won’t let the computer reboot at all. If that is the case, the setting will not matter as it will run into the error every time.
What is the BSOD stop error code in your case?
Hi, I wonder if you are able to assist with this one. Most people have a problem in reading the BSOD before auto restart, and need to be told how to turn that off. Mine is the opposite, in that although the XP Pro SP3 (and all updates) is set to auto restart, it just hangs on the BSOD.
My concern is not with the BSOD in itself (I’ll deal with the cause of that at a later time – it doesn’t happen often). But I need the PC to restart on the odd occassion it does fail to allow me remote access when I’m away from home, and also to answer my landline voicemail.
The odd thing is that it always used to auto start OK but, for some reason, now will not!
Are you able to assist please? Many thanks. Alan
I made the blue screen of death go away by using the bootable diagnostic CD that I made with PC Doctor5. It came pre-loaded on my Compaq SR2041 desktop PC, but I used it successfully on a Fujitsu Lifebook S.
Good luck and thanks for all the fish!
this whole BSOD thing started when i updated windows 7 .
a clean install on a unpartitioned space works fine ,, but dont update ,so for mi it means microsoft made a blunder some where.
i tride every thing regclean, driver updates, disabeld shadowmem in bios ,,and so on
#
Anthony says:
February 5, 2011 at 5:34 am
@Gary – stop error 0×00000024 is a NTFS (disk file system) related error. So if you cannot start your PC anymore, that means there is a serious problem with your boot drive.
Only option you have is to boot from a CD or DVD and try the Windows repair options. In the recovery console you can run chkdsk and other disk checking and fixing tools.
Hi there,
have try to boot from cd or used recovery console but the blue screen still appear b4 i can do anything
@Gary – stop error 0x00000024 is a NTFS (disk file system) related error. So if you cannot start your PC anymore, that means there is a serious problem with your boot drive.
Only option you have is to boot from a CD or DVD and try the Windows repair options. In the recovery console you can run chkdsk and other disk checking and fixing tools.
I can’t do any fixes as I cannot access computer start=up.
I get the following error code and can’t reboot in any modes (safe, normal, etc.)
0x00000024 (0x00190203,0x8A804138,0xC00000102,0x00000000
If any one has any advice please email me.
Thanks,
GB
@Sandra Leung – Not sure what relation your problem has to the blue screen error. Please provide more detail about the problem.
@Shed – If you can’t do a System Restore using a previous restore point in Windows (using the boot menu options), then the best way to restore your system is often a fresh XP install. Cumbersome, but once things are messed up with drivers and services like that (linked into the Windows registry), it is very difficult to clean things up again.
Of course normally installing all the right drivers should do it, but it often does not work like that, because system files can be in use, or drivers need to be uninstalled before they can be reinstalled, etc.
@stuart – Well stop error code 0x00000050 means PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA, which is a memory related kernel error. Can be internal memory (RAM), or video memory, or the paging file (hard disk based virtual memory). Try a chkdsk /f to verify the hard disk, and you can use memtest86 to verify your RAM.