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 Outdated, incorrect or corrupt drivers can cause the system to encounter a STOP error, resulting in the BSOD.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.
Yeah, I loaded the default settings in the BIOS and tried reinstalling windows and still got the same problem. Also, I tried pressing F9 for the recovery on the computer but when I press that, it just resets the computer and shows the logo again so that didn’t work either. Tried going into safe mode and still got the screen. Tried the test for RAM and said it was fine, not to mention I replaced it as well. Starting to think it’s the CPU that’s screwed up.
@Alex – One thing you could still try is to load the default BIOS settings in the BIOS.
Also try completely removing the power for a few minutes.
@Marilyng – I hope you did not install a virus ;)
But did you try uninstalling the software you just installed?
A virus can be checked with an updated antivirus program (there are plenty of free programs, like AVG, but I use Avira).
Yeah, I tried that and I switched the RAM modules so I know the RAM isn’t the problem. Looked online and it says it’s the CPU or the Network card but when I log on the computer, in Safe Mode, I still get the blue screen…
Hey evertime I even start my computer the blue screen of death comes on. I think it might be because I installed a new anti virus in the computer. Or maybe it’s a virus. I would really appreciate it if you could help me.
@Alex – If you did a fresh install of Windows 7 and the stop error 0x0000000A comes up right away when logging in, it is most likely a driver issue or a RAM issue.
Try booting in Safe Mode and see if that works. The video driver and network driver are not loaded there, so if that works, one of those could be it.
But to me it would be more likely a RAM issue. Try using memtest86 to run a full RAM test.
What if I get the Stop 0x0000000A IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
screen and at the bottom it says to contact your system administrator or a technical group for further assistance? Is that something that can’t be fixed or what? What causes it? I reinstalled W7 HP and as soon as I it boots into the OS, it crashes and I get the same BSOD.
@Deena – You can try rolling back the driver on the wireless network connection in the Device Manager (maybe a recent update caused this problem).
Another thing to try is to (re)install the original wireless network driver. This would normally be available on the original CD that came with the system (or you can create it from the factory installation in a menu option).
But if this was not the case before, it would be best if you can figure out what changed, because that way you can prevent it happens again once you get it fixed.
I got the blue screen when I tried to access my wireless for web access. Same spot each time. But as long as I dont attempt to open the web I can use it for everything else. How do I fix this if I cant access the web? grrr
@Louis – If the video driver software shows in the Control Panel->Uninstall option, then you can try that. If not, try uninstalling the video device and select the option to remove the driver files.
@Paul – Hard disk or NTFS problems causing a BSOD generally require that a chkdsk or fixmbr command is executed from the recovery console. That means you need to boot from a CD or DVD and then select the recovery or repair option in the setup, which should give you the command prompt where you can execute those commands.
Hi, i got this bsod message?
Stop 0×00000024
along with a lot of other reasons wy this happened after a power cut.
below this error was,
0x00190203
0x89befa98
0xc0000102
0x00000000
from what i understand so far it’s a NTFS problem, how can i recover from this.
Thank you all
Every time I starting safe mode it tells me to restart because it cannot install during safe mode.
I have a pj ute of my blue screen and it isn’t changing, I just don’t know what info is shown.
How can I uninstall my video drivers
@Louis – If you start in Safe Mode, you can go to the Control Panel-> System and configure the system not to automatically reboot on system errors. That way you might be able to read the actual error on the blue screen when it happens.
But since you mention the issues with the monitor and the resolution, you can also try changing the display settings to be default VGA (640×480) or SVGA (800×600) and set the color depth to 8 or 16 bit. That way you are certain that any monitor should be able to handle that resolution when starting in regular mode.
If that does not work in Safe Mode, try uninstalling the video driver, so that Windows will have to default to the standard VGA driver in regular mode. If that works, you can start changing it again and find the cause.
Any ideas?
@Anthony If I start in regular mode, or last known configuration, it will go half way through the screen where it says loading windows, then the blue screen pops up
I cannot copy a pic to this but if u give me ur email I can send it to u… I pressed f12 and went to system symptoms, tested for fan, blue screen shutdowns and video corruption(not one of the tests in video corruption passed), and it told me my monitor cannot handle the graphics my computer can produce( but I have been using this monitor for more than 5 months
@Tim – The stop 0x0000008E error means that there was a problem in the kernel mode, and in combination with the SCSIPORT.SYS filename, that indicates there is a problem with the SCSI driver. This is a hard disk controller driver.
Most end-user systems don’t use SCSI disks, they are commonly used in servers and RAID configurations.
But it is also possible to use other devices, like CD/DVD drives on SCSI interfaces.
Did this error happen only once? If it is happening more often, you should try to identify what changed, or what task you are performing when it happens. Reinstalling the SCSI drivers is always an option, but if something else changed on the system, it could also be a conflict with a new driver.
@alex – Yes, windbg takes a little time to get used to. Once installed, you might need to load additional symbol files depending on the operating system.
But basically, the primary steps are to start WinDbg from the Start menu, and in the application select Open Crashdump (Ctrl+D). That should result in showing you the analysis (takes a moment to process).
@Louis – The only options I see is to:
– recover the original Windows version using a system recovery (if available).
– start the Windows installation from a setup CD or DVD.
What happens when you do not start in Safe Mode btw? What does the blue screen show?
I got the blue screen of death and I haven’t been able to turn my comp on in safe mode because was downloading windows 7 and it tells me I cant install in safe mode so I have to restart, vie taken out the windows disk and vie tried using different versions of safe mode…help please
@Anthony thank you for replying, i have not updated any drivers or hardware, i installed windbg but i have no idea how to use it. :(
@alex – Stop error 0x0000000A is a IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error, which is often caused by device drivers. Is there a .SYS file name listed on the blue screen when it shows?
It is also possible to open the minidump file with windbg, but you need to install that first. Once you open it with that, you can also see the file that is likely causing the error.
Did you change hardware, or update a driver when this error started happening?
Blue screen issue…can someone give me some help?? Computer boots up but goes to BSOD within 1 minute of startup. Here is the BSOD codes…
***STOP: 0x0000008E (0xC0000005, 0xF749A457, 0xF78CE48C, 0x00000000)
***SCSIPORT.SYS – Address F749A457 base at F749A000, Datestamp 41107b4b
?????????? really need some help…
Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2057
Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: a
BCP1: B6EB0848
BCP2: 00000002
BCP3: 00000001
BCP4: 82A508DC
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1
Files that help describe the problem:
C:\Windows\Minidump42607-33852-01.dmp
C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-73694-0.sysdata.xml
i have windows 7 and this is what it says when i turn my laptop back on from a blue screen
@Peng – WoW has been causing problems like bsod for many people. Make sure you try the latest version, and update the video and sound drivers. Depending on your Windows version, you could also have a look at the DirectX configuration.
@Omar – Thanks for sharing your experiences. Problems with the hard disk and boot issues can indeed often be solved with the commands you mentioned. Especially Stop 0x0000007B INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE can be caused by a corrupt boot section on the disk.
I had the same problem and I finaly fixed it follow my steps .you can fix this problem by booting from your windows repair disc and go to command prompt and type:
“bootrec.exe /fixmbr” and hit enter
“bootrec.exe /fixboot” and hit enter.
I hope it worked for you.
GooD LucK
So after reading up many solutions on how to solve blue screens, I rebooted my whole computer because nothing seemed to work. I reinstalled one of my game which is WoW and I think that seems to be causing the problem. Not too sure. Before I rebooted my whole computer, every time I would get on WoW, blue screen would pop up every few minutes. But if I was to just go on the internet, nothing would happen. Well I stumbled onto this page and tried doing some stuff that you said could resolve the blue screen. So lets hope this works.
@paraskevas – If blue screen errors happen randomly and with different error codes, it is often caused by memory (RAM) errors. Try booting in Safe Mode if that works and run a memory test. You can also use memtest86 to create a boot image for a memory test.
And make sure you try the default BIOS options, to ensure the default system clock timing is used.
guys really i’m getting very tired with this story every time bsod and bsod and when it appears it has every time a diferent error code what can i do? :( my screen its freezing it crashes every time and a lot more things help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!