Difficulties fixing blue screen death for Windows 10.
The horrible BSOD or Blue Screen of Death has been around since the inception of Windows 95. It’s a horrible error screen that pops up with little or no warning, telling you that something went wrong on your computer, that you’ve reached the End of the Road.
Often the problem goes away forever after a simple reboot, but intermittent or frequent BSODs can indicate anything from a serious software bug to problems with the actual computer hardware. However, BSODs do not cause panic. Your computer will not explode, you just need to analyze the content of the BSOD error and then find possible solutions.
What Is a BSOD on Windows 10 Exactly?
You probably guessed that Microsoft itself does not officially refer to this error as a blue screen of death. So the user community has been giving this problem over the years. The correct term for this error is “stop error” or “exception error”. Both of these types are fatal system errors. Better known as a system crash.
When an application running on a computer encounters a fatal error, it usually displays an error message and then exits. However, what if the error or problem causing such a severe error happens to the operating system itself? This is BSOD and the computer needs to be restarted.
If it weren’t to stop errors like these, you would risk serious malfunction or data loss. Thus, BSOD is a way to protect your computer from damage.
First, Take a Photo!
Since your entire operating system practically stops when BSOD occurs, it is advised to take a quick screenshot using your smartphone. As you will see, an internet-connected smartphone is truly your best friend when troubleshooting BSODs, as in many cases, you will most likely not have internet access on the affected computer itself.
Microsoft actually changed the way Windows 10 blue screens look in recognition of this fact. You will understand what we mean in a minute, but it is better to first take a look at the anatomy of Windows 10 BSODs in general.
Common BSOD Errors
There are many potential BSOD errors. However, some of them are much more common than others. So it’s worth at least a glimpse of the most common break codes you’ll see as a normal Windows user:
- PAGE_FAULT_IN_NON_PAGED_AREA – Windows cannot find important data in the protected part of RAM that is not part of the paging file. This could be faulty RAM, a corrupted Windows file, or an application incorrectly writing to memory.
- IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL. This is usually a driver problem. Rollback recently installed drivers, reinstall the current ones, or install the latest ones.
- NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM or FAT_FILE_SYSTEM – Scans hard drives for errors, probable disk problems, or corruption of critical data on the disk.
- OUT_OF_MEMORY – Check your RAM, this may indicate a failure. Alternatively, it could be due to a memory management bug.
- BAD_POOL_CALLER – Something accessed memory without proper permissions. This is most likely a bad driver.
- UNABLE_TO_LOAD_DEVICE_DRIVER – One of the drivers on your system is bad. Install the latest version or roll back the system to the previous driver.
- KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED – Bad software forced Windows to shut down. Uninstall the latest software or update your current software to the latest version. If this error shows that the .sys file is the culprit, you need to run the System File Checker tool.
This handful of common BSOD errors also serves as a good example of what BSOD errors look like and what problems and solutions each entail. After all, there are really only four main reasons for BSODs:
- Bad hardware
- Corrupted Windows installations
- Bad drivers
- Â Rogue software applications with bugs
The real trick is figuring out which is which!
Rare Yet Specific BSODs
Obviously, there are many fixes and tips available on the internet in common BSODs. However, there are some relatively rare issues that can be difficult to fix. The good news is we have already taken the trouble to write guides for the most egregious ones.
System memory errors are fairly common, mainly due to the fact that RAM hardware does not tolerate errors well, and Windows itself has a serious approach to software tampering with a memory that it shouldn’t. However, memory management BSODs do not occur very often. Check out our BSOD guide “How to Fix Windows Stop Code Memory Management” to fix a rather rare version of this problem.
Another rather rare error is an unexpected store exception error. Despite the name of this error, the actual cause is usually a hardware failure. You can find out all about it (and how to fix it) by reviewing How to fix an unexpected Store Exception error in Windows 10.
The last rare but still fatal system service exception stopping code is tricky because it has so many potential causes. How to fix system service exception stop code in Windows 10 will help you find the real culprit.
The last BSOD nobody wants to see is the Critical Process Died error. This is a rather nonspecific question, but if you look at how to fix a critical code stopping BSOD, you’re in luck and you’re in luck.
BSOD Memory Dumps
Sometimes you need to seek the help of a professional to figure out exactly what went wrong when a BSOD occurs. Fortunately, in most cases Windows will dump all of your memory when a Stop error occurs. They are usually saved as “.DMP” files. By default, you will find them in the Windows folder.
If you manage to boot into Windows again, or otherwise access the system drive, it’s worth saving these dump files to something like a USB flash drive and then saving them in case the problem reoccurs. Microsoft, hardware vendors, and software developers can use these dumps as a way to find out what was going on when something went wrong.
Basic BSOD Fixes in Windows 10
This is a wealth of information that we all hope to avoid entirely. Moreover, sometimes it may seem that BSOD is a thing of the past. After all, they are so rare these days. However, if you’re looking at one of these, it’s worth considering a basic, general troubleshooting process to get your computer back on track:
- Take a picture of the BSOD with your phone in case you need to send it or find information about it.
- Google stop error code or any specific files mentioned in BSOD.
- If your search finds specific fixes, please run them first.
- If the error is related to a general area of ​​your computer (for example, RAM), then focus on troubleshooting first. …
- If something has recently changed on your computer, undo the changes.
- Use Windows recovery options such as System Restore or System Reset. In the worst case, you might have to completely format the system drive.
- Disconnect any unnecessary devices from your computer to see if this resolves the problem.
- Update the software of any hardware device that is associated with a BSOD error code (such as your GPU).
- If everything is okay in terms of software and you are using a desktop system, consider checking if everything inside the computer is properly connected and installed.
- If you are overclocking or using other BIOS settings that may cause instability, reset the BIOS to default for troubleshooting.
When all else fails, don’t be afraid to seek help from a professional or ask for help on technical forums. It’s often better to spend a little money on tech support than to spend hours of your precious time trying to figure out what’s causing a seemingly random BSOD.
Difficulties fixing blue screen death for Windows 10