How To Fix a Blue Screen of Death

By
Admin
-
68
1892

A Blue Screen of Death, also called a STOP Error, will appear when an issue is so serious that Windows must stop completely.

A Blue Screen of Death is usually hardware or driver related. Most BSODs show a STOP code that can be used to help figure out the root cause of the Blue Screen of Death.

Did your PC restart after the BSOD? If the blue screen flashed and your computer rebooted automatically before you had time to read anything, see the tip at the bottom of the page.

Important: Below are general Blue Screen of Death troubleshooting steps. Please reference my List of Blue Screen Error Codes for individual STOP code troubleshooting steps. Come back here if I don’t have a troubleshooting guide for your specific STOP code or if you have no idea what your STOP code is.

Note: Some of these steps may require you to start Windows in Safe Mode. If that’s not possible then skip those steps.

Don’t Want to Fix This Yourself?

If you’re interested in fixing this BSOD problem yourself, continue with the troubleshooting in the next section.

Otherwise, see How Do I Get My Computer Fixed? for a full list of your support options, plus help with everything along the way like figuring out repair costs, getting your files off, choosing a repair service, and a whole lot more.

How To Fix a Blue Screen of Death

Time Required: It might take you several hours to fix a Blue Screen of Death, depending on the STOP Code.

Some steps are easy while others might be a little more complicated.

Applies To: Any version of Windows, including Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.

  1. The most important Blue Screen of Death troubleshooting step you can take is to ask yourself what you just did.Did you just install a new program or a piece of hardware, update a driver, install a Windows update, etc.? If so, there’s a very good chance that the change you made caused the BSOD.Undo the change you made and test again for the STOP Error. Depending on what change you made, some solutions might include:
    • Startup using Last Known Good Configuration to undo recent registry and driver changes.
    • Use System Restore to undo recent system changes.
    • Roll Back device driver to version prior to your driver update.
  1. Check that there’s enough free space left on the drive Windows is installed on. Blue Screens of Death and other serious issues, like data corruption, can occur if there’s not enough free space on your primary partition used for the Windows operating system.Note: Microsoft recommends that you maintain at least 100MB of free space but I regularly see problems with free space that low. I usually advise Windows users to keep at least 15% of a drive’s capacity free at all times.
  2. Scan your computer for viruses. Some viruses can cause a Blue Screen of Death, especially ones that infect the master boot record (MBR) or boot sector.Important: Make sure your virus scanning software is completely up to date and that it’s configured to scan the MBR and boot sector.Tip: If you can’t get far enough to run a virus scan from within Windows, use one of the programs I’ve highlighted in my Free Bootable Antivirus Tools list instead.
  3. Apply all available Windows service packs and other updates. Microsoft regularly releases patches and service packs for their operating systems that may contain fixes for the cause of your BSOD.
  4. Update drivers for your hardware. Most Blue Screens of Death are hardware or driver related so updated drivers could fix the cause of the STOP error.
  1. Check the System and Application logs in Event Viewer for errors or warnings that might provide more clues on the cause of the BSOD.
  2. Return hardware settings to default in Device Manager. Unless you have a specific reason to do so, the system resources that an individual piece of hardware is configured to use in Device Manager should be set to default. Non-default hardware settings have been known to cause a Blue Screen of Death.
  3. Return BIOS settings to their default levels. An overclocked or misconfigured BIOS can cause all sorts of random issues, including BSODs.Note: If you’ve made several customizations to your BIOS settings and don’t wish to load the default ones then at least try returning clock speed, voltage settings, and BIOS memory options to their default settings and see if that fixes the STOP error.
  1. Make sure all internal cables, cards, and other components are installed and seated properly. Hardware that’s not firmly in place can cause a Blue Screen of Death so try reseating the following and then test for the STOP message again:
    • Reseat all internal data and power cables
    • Reseat the memory modules
    • Reseat any expansion cards
  2. Perform diagnostic tests on all hardware you’re able to test. It’s highly likely that the root cause of any given Blue Screen of Death is a failing piece of hardware:
    • Test your system memory
    • Test your hard disk drive

    If a test fails, replace the memory or replace the hard drive as soon as possible.

  3. Update your BIOS. In some situations, and outdated BIOS could cause a Blue Screen of Death due to certain incompatibilities.
  4. Start your PC with essential hardware only. A useful troubleshooting step in many situations, including BSOD issues, is to start your computer with the minimum hardware necessary to run the operating system. If your computer starts successfully it proves that one of the removed hardware devices was the cause of the STOP message.Tip: Typically, the only necessary hardware for starting your PC through to the operating system includes the motherboard, CPU, RAM, primary hard drive, keyboard, video card, and monitor.

Find that hardware is the cause of your Blue Screen of Death?

Try one of these ideas:

  • Replace the hardware.
  • Update the hardware’s firmware.
  • Make sure the hardware is on the Hardware Compatibility List.
  • Check with the manufacturer for support information.

Find that a software program is the cause of your Blue Screen of Death?

One of these things should help:

  • Reinstall the software.
  • Check for and install any available program updates.
  • Check with the developer for support information.
  • Try a competing program.

Is your PC restarting before you can read the STOP Code on the Blue Screen of Death?

Most Windows PCs are configured to reboot immediately after receiving a serious error like a BSOD.

You can prevent this reboot by disabling the automatic restart on system failure option.

Still Can’t Fix Your Blue Screen of Death?

See Get More Help for information about contacting me on social networks or via email, posting on tech support forums, and more. Be sure to include the STOP code you’re getting, if you know it.

   Send article as PDF   

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

68 COMMENTS

  1. Good Day I am so Happy I Found your Website,
    I Found you by Mistake, While I was Searching on Aol for Something else,
    Anyhow I am here now and would Just Like to say many Thanks for a Remarkable Post and
    an all round Entertaining Blog I don’t have Time to read it,
    all at the moment But I have BookMarked it and
    also added in your RSS Feeds,
    So When I have Time I will be Back yo Read More,
    Please Do Keep Up the Fantastic Job.

  2. It іs perfect time to make ѕome plans fоr tһе ffuture and it’ѕ time to ƅe hаppy.
    І hаve reazd tһіs submit and if I may jᥙst I desire to recommend yyou feww fascinating tһings oг tips.
    Maybe yoᥙ cаn write subseqquent articles referring tⲟ this article.
    I desire tⲟ гead eѵｅn more issues aout it!

  6. Hi I am so happy I found your website, I really
    found you by accident, while I was browsing on Bing for something else, Anyways
    I am here now and would just like to say many thanks for a incredible post
    and a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design),
    I don’t have time to go through it all at the minute but I have saved it and
    also included your RSS feeds, so when I have
    time I will be back to read a lot more, Please do
    keep up the great work.

  7. Hi there to every , for the reason that I am really keen of
    reading this web site’s post to be updated
    on a regular basis. It includes fastidious information.

  12. naturally like your website but you need to take a look at the spelling on quite a few of your posts.
    Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I
    find it very troublesome to tell the reality
    then again I’ll definitely come again again.

  13. What you composed was very reasonable. However, think about this, what if you added a little content?
    I am not suggesting your information isn’t solid, however suppose you added a
    title that grabbed folk’s attention? I mean How To Fix a Blue Screen | Building Information Niche
    is a little vanilla. You should look at Yahoo’s front page and
    note how they create article headlines to grab viewers interested.
    You might add a related video or a picture or two to grab people interested about everything’ve
    written. In my opinion, it could bring your blog a little livelier.

  15. Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites
    I stumbleupon everyday. It will always be helpful to
    read articles from other authors and practice a little something from other sites.

  49. 786548624 74453245 This article is great. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. If you are interested in the game, suggest to visit this website. 7447865

  51. 7414786 4786541 Other online football websites have been popular and widely liked by players. We know the advantages of football betting, in order to be a way for those who want to bet on football easier to make decisions. 74785324

  53. 63247865 741245 Sport betting Make extra money Having said that, online football betting can be added to your income as well. Just as you know to plan football. Study guidelines and control the game. 624789654

  57. hello!,I really like your writing very much!
    percentage we keep up a correspondence more approximately your post on AOL?
    I need an expert on this house to resolve my problem. May be
    that is you! Taking a look ahead to peer you.

  58. I’m not sure exactly why but this web site is loading incredibly slow for
    me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end?
    I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.

  59. Good day! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after reading through
    some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyhow, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back often!

  60. I am really enjoying the theme/design of your website.
    Do you ever run into any internet browser compatibility problems?

    A number of my blog readers have complained about my blog not
    working correctly in Explorer but looks great in Opera.
    Do you have any solutions to help fix this
    issue?

  61. With havin so much content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright violation?
    My website has a lot of unique content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my permission. Do you know any solutions to help prevent content from being
    stolen? I’d really appreciate it.

  63. It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d definitely donate to this excellent blog!
    I guess for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.

    I look forward to fresh updates and will talk
    about this website with my Facebook group. Chat soon!

  64. Hi, Neat post. There’s an issue with your web site in web explorer, could check
    this? IE still is the market leader and a good component
    to other people will omit your wonderful writing due to this problem.

  65. Hey There. I found your weblog the usage of msn. That is an extremely neatly written article.

    I’ll be sure to bookmark it and return to read
    more of your useful information. Thanks for the
    post. I’ll definitely comeback.

  68. Wonderful beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your website, how could i subscribe for
    a blog site? The account helped me a applicable deal.

    I have been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast
    offered vivid clear concept cheap flights yynxznuh

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

eleven − eight =