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 Outdated, incorrect or corrupt drivers can cause the system to encounter a STOP error, resulting in the BSOD.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.
@geo – Did you try the memory test as recommended in comment #94?
Also try updating your video driver. Those are the 2 most common causes for stop error 0×00000050.
Stop 0×00000050
PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
what to do to fix this.
i have windows xp.
Stop: 0x00000050 ( 0xE3AA9000, 0x00000000, 0x80560F58, 0x00000001)
@SID – The easiest method to remove faulty software in your case is to change the active directory to Program Files and then the program directory for the software, and then delete all files there.
For example:
CD C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 8.0
DEL *.*
This would remove all Acrobat Reader program files, so it could not run anymore.
There might be entries in the Registry you need to remove after that, but the program should not be able to cause any problems anymore.
hey i have the bsd too. i cant run the pc in safe mode aswell.
but i have access to command prompt through startup repair.
how would i uninstall software i suspect is the problem
@erik – It could be a I/O address or memory range conflict as well, not necessarily a IRQ conflict. But those things should be addressed by the drivers…
Have you tried installing the original, older driver for the Wifi device instead of using the latest one?
>>
@erik – It could be that the wifi device is having a resource or compatibility conflict with another device. So since you already have the latest driver for the wifi, you could try updating the other drivers. Or, try to pinpoint the conflict by disabling other devices one by one…<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Anthony, thanks.
I disabled & enabled the devices one by one to arrive at the conclusion that the wifi device (or driver) was the source of the error. but How can i check what conflict it is having with other devices? they have all been disabled/enabled one by one after 12 hours each,
Also, wifi using IRQ 18 has no conflict. only one device using this IRQ.
@Muntaha Masood – Stop error 0×00000050 is a memory error, which can be caused by faulty memory, so try running a memory (RAM) scan with a program like memtest86.
Another common cause of this error is a problem with a video driver (video cards often use additional memory for processing). So try updating or reinstalling your video driver.
@Jeff – In rare cases blue screen errors can be caused by registry problems, so maybe that’s why the problem got fixed. I hope you won’t see it again!
I purchased “Win Cleaner” and installed last evening. So far, I have not had the blue screen. Things seem to be running much faster also! I hope this works, will let you know if blue screen comes back.
Stop 0×00000050 PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
well this is exactly my error which is in ur list as well.
please lemme know how to fix it.
its a system of dell wth windows vista.
@Jeff – Stop error 0×000000F4 is often related to a hardware problem indeed. It cam be the memory, so run a memory test to check for that. But also possible is a hardware misconfiguration. Loading the default bios settings can sometimes help there.
But it could also be that the CMOS battery (important for bios and settings storage), is faulty. If you have a Vaio desktop, you could open it up and reset the CMOS (there should be a jumper on the motherboard next to the battery, check your manual for that). In case of a laptop I would not open it, bring it to a repair center.
Although I have not seen this error as a result of a hard disk problem, you can always run a full disk check (use CHKDSK /R) or even replace the HDD.
Anthony,
Could you please help me on this?
I have been recieving the blue screen more frequently lately, at least once a day now. I have made sure all the updates are installed from Microsoft. My computer is a Sony Vaio with XP media center. The last error screen had these codes displayed. Also the computer makes a tapping noise sometimes….like the hard-drive arm is swinging back and forth?
Stop:0×000000F4 (0xc0000003, 0×86EBBA38, 0x86EBBBAC, 0×8060566E)
@erik – It could be that the wifi device is having a resource or compatibility conflict with another device. So since you already have the latest driver for the wifi, you could try updating the other drivers. Or, try to pinpoint the conflict by disabling other devices one by one…
Anthony,
I am aghast the blue screen stayed for 2 seconds & disappeared followed by the reboot……… all at sea. Maybe i should get a camera to take a picture of the error msg LOL. if i could shoot fast enough.
The event manager shows no fatal error…
I know for a fact it is the intel wifi driver/device – because when i disable this device – the system will never reboot. Once i re-enable the driver for this device – it happens intermittently – about every hour or 2. I have checked with Sony (Vaio) and Intel – this driver is the latest.
@erik – I have never heard of that. If the Automatic restart is disabled in the system settings of the control panel, the BSOD should show and not immediately be followed by a reboot. You could try pressing the Pause/Break button, that used to work on some older computers.
But you can certainly also look at the event manager and find out more about the blue screen error.
>>What do you do if the BSOD flashes too fast for you to see and then automatically reboots again and again and again (does the same for safe mode)
<<
Anthony,
I have the same problem & i followed your suggestion by not having the system reboot on error in control panel….. BUT still after the adjustment – the BSOD continues to flash too quickly. Strange, why haven’t it worked for me. I can confirm the settings have been saved in control-panel. system/advance/startup&recovery..
Oh okay I see thank you very much I wouldn’t have known what to do if it wasn’t for your help! You saved my back big time!!
@Paul – On the memtest86 website, go to the Free Download page and there you will see downloads for a CD (ISO), USB, and floppy, so you can use a CD-ROM or USB.
I guess it’s not the virtual memory that’s causing the problem and I wanted to make sure with the memtest86 but it said that I need a floppy disk for storage of the data but I didn’t really know what to do since my computer didn’t have a slot for the floppys like the old computers.. Is there a way to still use memtest86 without the floppy for example like memory sticks and usbs? Thank You.
@fred – Really the best thing to do is to boot from a clean Windows CD/DVD and reinstall from there. Delete any partitions on the hard disk, recreate them and do a full format. That way you are sure any viruses are gone.
Cleaning up a Windows PC in that state is going to be a nightmare…
@Paul – Most likely it is due to a driver problem or a memory problem. So update your device drivers and run a memory test to check you RAM (memtest86 can be used).
Apart from that you could recreate your page file to make sure the virtual memory is not causing the problem (just set you page file size to NONE, reboot, and then set it back to the previous value which should be about 1.5 times your RAM size).
Hi I started getting the BSOD almost everytime I start my computer and I’m not sure what is causing the trouble but it always starts with STOP: 0x000000D1 and it says IQRL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.. I don’t know what to do and I wish to get rid of it A.S.A.P. I’m glad I ran into this site in my attempt for trying to find a cure.. and I had my computer for about 3 years now… please help because it would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.
Anthony,
A friend asked me to take a look at her laptop which she tried downloading movies onto, you know what happens next right. She proceeded to get multiple viruses implanted onto her laptop, spyware, etc. When booted up it gets a BSOD irql_not_less_or_equal error. Ive booted it into safemode to try and see if she had any virus software installed and it seems as though she doesnt. Also when it boots up it has a black screen with nothing on the desktop, its just black, It does say its in Safemode but theres no startmenu or hotkeys available to click on. I can cntl/alt/del and the task manager pops up and i can run some programs but most of them have errors and wont start. How do i go about fixing this laptop.
@mickey – Yeah, I have had my own share of BSOD errors ;)
Considering what you have tried already, the only I can suggest is to load your default bios settings. It appears that the SP3 update installed some incompatible update in your system. If your PC worked fine before SP3, then I don not think your motherboard is suddenly faulty.
Hi Anthony,
Looks like you have done expertism in BSOD eroors.
I also have one for you.
I was installing XP SP3 but at the time it shows “Setup is Starting WIndows” a blue screen appears says DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL sometime it says IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL. I have two RAM sticks of 512MB each. I have tried everything from my side. I have tried swapping RAM with the slots, I have removed network adapter from Motherboard. I have formatted my whole HD through Partition Magic but still i am geting the same errors. I have contacted various Hardware engineers and they all are saying i have to change my Motherboard. It’s quite expensive to change motherboard.
Request you to help me out. Thanks in advance.
Anthony – I had some success last night. Mine is a Dell Dimension 9200 and I did a search regarding my latest blue screen error and Dell and Vista. Results seem to indicate It is possibly unrelated to the previous errors as there seems to be some issues with the Sata controller driver with Vista (surprise surprise) the work around is to go into Bios and on the Sata Drive options you can set it to “Raid On”, or “autodetect”. Setting to autodetect means you don’t need to install sata control drivers during a fresh install of vista. Doing this I got vista to install. I have tried briefly to get Vista to see my 2nd hard drive but no joy there yet, I think I may now have to install those Sata drivers and hope it doesn’t drive vista crazy again. Unfortunately, I still don’t know what the root cause of my initial blue screen was so I can’t really offer any help to others out there with the same issue. Thanks for your help.
@Neil – If a fresh installation of Vista does not even work, then you definitely seem to have a hardware problem. From your description so far I am beginning to fear it might be a motherboard problem.
If you cleaned the hard disk, reset the bios and tried a fresh Windows installation, I am not sure what to recommend anymore. The new error you reported does not really help me there. Is it an older motherboard or a recent one?
@Sean – I suggest you run a memory test to make sure you do not have faulty RAM.
Also make sure your Windows and device drivers are up to date, many of such problems are caused by driver problems.
It could also be a temperature problem. If it is a desktop, try running it without the cover for a while to check if it is. You might need to clean the inside of the PC to restore the airflow.
The system restore can indeed be disabled. You can turn it back on, but that won’t help you now. Better to do that once it is running fine again.