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 Outdated, incorrect or corrupt drivers can cause the system to encounter a STOP error, resulting in the BSOD.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.
i forgot to mention that i cant do a system restore anymore- it comes up with a message saying that somebody turned it off
Hi anthony i was curious if you could help me.
my blue screen of doom is the one that is in the screenshot at the beginning of the article
i did go in the bios and try switching it and defaulting it and it did work for about 15 minutes and then boom it bsod’d again
and it keeps on doing it. i cannot run the computer for mmore than 5 minutes without getting yet another blue screen.
i’m thinking a complete reinsall of the OS will do this. or am i going to have to invest in a new computer.
Anthony – I have tried different hard drives, same result = blue screen. I have used military of defence program to wipe the HD’s so I am happy all partitions etc are now gone. I used chkdsk/r to check all HD’s and got no errors. I tried something else. I got hold of a vista disc, tried booting from it and installed updated vista sata controller drivers and got the following blue screen
Worker_Thread_Return_at_Bad_IRQL
Stop: 0x000000E1 (0x888070A1, Ox00000002, 0x00000000, 0x8892D260)
Does that new error point in a new direction?
@Neil – One option I see as possible is a boot sector virus. Did you really boot from a virus-free Windows CD when you reinstalled? If so, make sure to do a full NTFS format, not a quick format. I would even suggest you remove the existing partitions and recreate new ones.
Apart from that your problems really point at a problem with the HD indeed. Did you do a full CHKDSK /R to check for bad sectors? If possible, try using a different HD as your system disk.
This is a really useful site – thanks. Unfortunately I too am having blue screen error. I tried to restart my pc while back and got an error ntoskrnl.exe missing. When I tried to boot into recovery disc I got a blue screen. I used a windows slipstream to get into my harddrive and found that every file in windows/system32 beginning with “m” to “z” had been deleted. I replaced all files and tried to reboot. Ntoskrnl error was gone but now instead I got blue screen again. Did memory test and found one suspect dodgy stick of Ram which I removed – still blue screen. Backed up my HD using slipstream and wiped the HD and tried reinstalling windows. Still I get a Blue screen. Finally reset Bios to factory settings and still get the same Blue Screen error. The error states ***stop: 0x0000007B (0xF78D663C, 0XC0000034, 0X00000000, 0X00000000). It must be hardware problem as HD is now wiped but that doesn’t explain the System 32 folder being semi deleted. Has me totally stumped. Any help appreciated.
Thanks a lot.
I’ll look into it and see what I can unearth! It won’t be so bad if it’s a memory chip as that’s easily replaced. Hopefully I wont have to mess around with the bios.
@Jesse Cooper – Error 8E that you are reporting means a not handled kernel level exception error. Combined with the 1st parameter, the c0000005, this most likely is due to a memory error.
There are a few things you can try:
– a memory test (RAM), using a program like memtest86
– load the default bios settings (or check if any memory options like memory caching are active and disable them)
– update the bios to the latest version
The printer and printer driver should not be the problem, especially since you use the same on other systems.
There is one more option, which is a virus, but that would not be the cause if you run up to date antivirus software.
Hello, thanks for your website!
I get a BSOD error when trying to print to an HP network print adapter. It works fine on all other machines though.
The error code is 1000008e parameter1 c0000005, parameter2 ba93dcc4, parameter3 acd8aad8, parameter4 00000000
Event Category(102) Event ID:1003
I have tried to uninstall and reinstall the network print adapter software twice, but that hasn’t worked. Any other ideas, or will I be forced to use another printer =:( ?
Thank you
@Deborah – If you can not even partition or format the drive, there is certainly something wrong with the hard disk or its setup. If it is a new disk as you say, I would take it back and have it replaced or have them test and format it for you.
Hello, I have a BSOD error Machine_Check_Exception stop:0x0000009c (ox00000000,0x808855F0,0xA2000000,0x84010400) won’t let me partition the hard drive so I can’t load winXP. I am on a laptop. My hard drive is 160GB my memory is 1GB. Tried chdsk/P and R – say I have bad sectors unrepairable only does 50% of hard drive then freezes. By the way this is a new hard drive. Can anyone help me. Thanks
I finally fixed my blue screen problem with your great information. Thanks it was a terrific help.
Michael
@Alberto – Try loading the default bios settings.
Another option to try is to disable the hardware acceleration of the video card.
Did you see any file name on the blue screen (xxxx.sys or something)?
“but i couldn’t because i cant connect to the internet in the safe mode so i couldn’t update the drivers.” What i mean by this is that i couldn’t update the drivers because i cant connect to the internet in safe mode even thought i put safe mode with network. Also, i did try the registry fix like Reg cure.
Hi there, i tried doing several things in fixing my blue screen of death but none worked. I tried the spy ware in safe mode but that didn’t work, but i couldn’t because i cant connect to the internet in the safe mode so i couldn’t update the drivers. Anyways my error says only this:
Stop:0x0000008E (0xc0000005, 0x00000000, 0xA018CA48, 0x00000000)
If anyone can help me i would really appreciate it.
@amir – viaudio.sys is a driver file for a Via Technologies PCS audio device and yes, it can stop a game from running and restart your PC.
Try the Via website for an updated driver.
What causes viaudio.sys error? And does a sound driver can stop running a game & restart Win???!!!! ((( I ran sfc /scannow some days ago does it depend on my problem??? thx.
@ adhi darmawan – I am not sure Alcohol 120% is compatible with Vista. Try MagicDisc instead, that I know works for sure.
But these tools use virtual drivers to simulate a drive when mounting an image, so there is probably where your friends system now fails. Did you try starting in Safe Mode (F8 during boot) and then uninstall Alcohol 120%?
@amir – stop error 0x0000007E is related to the Via audio driver in your case. You should try updating the driver or uninstalling and reinstalling it in the Device Manager.
My problem is 0*0000007E Viaudios.sys how can i solve it?
When i want to run games it reboot after BSOD.
Hi, sorry for intruding…
I tried to install alcohol 120% to my friend’s vista and now it’s look like something is broken… still it’s said that is when BSOD occurred it said something like dumping data or kinda like that and keep looping when the windows started so I can’t uninstall the apps and stuck there doing nothing… (T_T) please help me!!!
@LaptopUser – Thx for sharing. a broken power supply will give you very random BSOD errors indeed.
@tammy – If you can not start the computer with the setup disk, then the cause of your stop error c0000218 is most likely not a corrupt registry, but some hardware problem. If you have changed anything on the computer recently, try changing it back (like adding external devices, adding memory, etc.).
Are you sure the computer is starting from the CD/DVD? You can check the Bios setup to make sure that is the case. Press F2 during startup to get into the Bios and then check the startup or boot settings. You can define the sequence of boot devices, and need to make sure the CD/DVD drive is the first in the list.
If all this does not work, I’d suggest you bring the PC to a repair shop, as most likely a component is defect.
My daughters computer has the blue screen of death error stop:c0000218 registry file failure. we tried the f8 during reboot and it returns to blue screen. We also tried to restart with the disks and still back to blue screen. Please help!
I have a problem that made BSOD by Power Supply Broke. Someday ago, while I had used my PC perfectly, after I booted my comp it appeared BSOD but I could not found the source of this problem. I tried to reinstall windows, clean RAM and cards, reset bios but BSOD hadn’t be disappeard. I’m very tired to fix my computer. I asked my friend , he suggested me to change power supply and that’s resolve my problem.
@Andy – Hope it works! And yes, I do expect that the BSOD errors would be gone if you revert back to XP.
Hi Anthony,
Thanks for the reply :) ill try downloading the omega drivers and ill give it a go. But just another question.. from what you said previously about Nvidia drivers clashing with Vista/Windows 7, does that mean that if i reformat my laptop back to windows XP, it will be fine? or do you think it is hardware issues thats causing my BSOD?
Cheers,
Andy.
@stanly – If you have seemingly random blue screen errors like that and have even reinstalled Windows already, it is probably faulty hardware or a hardware configuration problem (could even be caused by timing issues and temperature).
First try loading the default bios settings, so the motherboard setup is standard.
Also test your RAM with memtest86 to make sure the memory modules are not defective.
The internet connection would not cause such errors, unless you have problems with your network controller.
I am assuming here that you have a firewall active and are running antivirus software… coz a virus could also cause this.