Fix the Blue Screen of Death on Windows

A Blue Screen Error or STOP error, also known as the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), can be a frustrating experience. The error message almost never clearly states what is wrong, and they seem to strike at random. To fix the Blue Screen of Death on Windows, you'll need to diagnose the problem by testing common culprits like the RAM, hard drive, and temperature. Depending on the problem, you may need to run a virus scan, perform a repair installation, clear up hard disk space, or repair faulty hardware, among other fixes.

Steps

Diagnosing the Problem

  1. Determine if you changed anything recently. The most common cause of the Blue Screen is a recent change in your computer’s settings or hardware. This is often related to new drivers getting installed or updated. Drivers are software that allow your hardware to communicate with Windows. If you have a restore point, try to load it and see if it helps, it may or may not.[1]
    • Because there are essentially an infinite number of hardware configurations possible, drivers can’t be tested for every possible setup. This means that sometimes a driver will be installed that causes a critical error when communicating with the hardware.
  2. Check your computer’s internal hardware. Sometimes, a poor connection inside the computer can cause a Blue Screen. Open your case and check to make sure that all the cables are firmly connected and that any cards are seated firmly in their sockets.
    • This is more difficult for laptops. You can check the hard drive and the RAM to make sure that they are connected properly. Remove the panels in the back that cover the hard drive and RAM with a small Phillips-head screwdriver. Press the components firmly into their connections.
  3. Check your computer’s temperature. Overheating can lead to your hardware malfunctioning. One of the most common components to overheat is the graphics card. The second most likely culprit is the CPU.
    • You can check temperatures in most BIOS menus, or through software in Windows.
  4. Test your RAM. A common culprit in system crashes is a bad stick of RAM. When RAM fails, it causes the system to become unstable. You can test your RAM by using a program called “memtest86”. This program is available for free online, and is run by burning it to a bootable CD.
    • Reboot your computer and run the program. The memtest software will automatically begin running tests on your computer’s RAM. This may take several minutes to complete. For best results, allow several passes of the test to be completed. Memtest will run indefinitely until you stop it yourself.
  5. Test your hard drive. Run the “chkdsk” function on your hard drive to scan for errors and fix potential problems. A failing hard drive can cause Blue Screens due to corrupted files. To run chkdsk, open Computer/My Computer and right-click the disk that you want to scan. Select Properties.
    • From the Properties screen, select the Tools tab.
    • Click Check Now in the Error Checking section. Your computer will prompt you to restart in order to scan the disk.
  6. Strip your computer down to the essentials. One way to narrow down what is causing the problem is to remove everything that is not essential for the PC to run. This way, if the error goes away, you know that it was one of the pieces that you disconnected.
    • A desktop computer needs the motherboard, CPU, a hard disk, power supply, RAM, and a keyboard. Plug your monitor into your motherboard’s monitor port (if it has one) so that you can disconnect the graphics card. Everything else can be removed during the diagnostic process.
    • If the computer runs fine after stripping it down, add one part back at a time until the error message appears again. This will let you know which device is causing the computer to crash.
    • This method does not apply to laptops, as you cannot strip it down.

Analyzing the Crash Report

  1. Set your computer to stop on a Blue Screen of Death. Oftentimes the computer will reboot before you have a chance to examine the contents of the Blue Screen. You will need to set your computer to stop on Blue Screens so that you can copy the necessary information.
    • Open your System Properties. In any version of Windows, press Windows+Pause/Break on your keyboard to open the System Properties window.[2]
    • Click Advanced System Settings. Windows XP users will already be in the Advanced System Settings.
    • Click the Settings button in the Startup and Recovery section of the Advanced tab.
    • Uncheck the “Automatically restart’ option under the “System failure’ section. Click Apply to save the changes. The next time the computer experiences a Blue Screen of Death, the computer will display it until you manually reboot the system.
  2. Wait for your system to crash again. When the Blue Screen appears again, jot down the following information from the display.[3] Input the data into a search engine to see what hardware or program the error might be originating from:
    • ”The problem seems to be caused by the following file:” Make note of the file displayed as well as the error message printed below it
    • ”STOP:” Copy the first code after the STOP message.

Fixing the Problem

  1. Boot into Safe Mode. If Windows won’t start because of Blue Screen errors, try booting into Safe Mode try fixing the problem. As the computer is booting, repeatedly hit the F8 key until the Windows boot menu appears. Select Safe Mode with Networking to boot into a stripped down version of Windows. This will allow you to access your Device Manager, the internet, and other system tools.
  2. Run a virus scan. Sometimes viruses and malware are at the root of a Blue Screen problem. Make sure that you have the latest antivirus software installed, and perform a full system scan to find anything that could be causing problems.
  3. Perform a Repair Installation of Windows. This is a quick alternative to completely reinstalling Windows, as it only copies system files to your computer. This is useful if an essential file has become corrupt and is causing your computer to fail.
    • To perform a repair installation, insert your Windows disc and boot from it. In the setup menu, select Repair Installation. Windows will delete old Windows files and copy new ones. You will not lose any personal data.
  4. Roll back your drivers. If the cause of the problem is hardware, the first thing you should try is rolling back drivers. This process will install an older version of the driver software, potentially getting rid of the conflict.
    • Open the Device Manager. You can access this by opening the Start Menu and right-clicking on Computer/My Computer. Select Properties, then Device Manager. In Windows 8, press Windows+X and select Device Manager from the list.
    • Select the hardware that you want to roll back. You may have to expand categories to find it. Right-click on the icon and select Properties.
    • Click the Driver tab. Select Roll Back Driver and confirm that you want to roll it back.
    • Continue using your computer as normal. Once your driver has been rolled back, continue to use your computer to verify that the error does not occur again. Do 'not' update the driver again until a newer version is released.
  5. Roll back Windows updates. If rolling back the driver did not fix the problem, consider restoring to an older, working installation of Windows. This will let you determine if the Windows updates are responsible for your Blue Screen.[4]
    • Open System Restore. You can find System Restore by searching for it in the search bar in the Start menu. Open the program, and select a date from the calendar before you started experiencing errors.
    • This will reset all of the updates and settings to that date, effectively removing any updates added afterwards. Use this to determine if a specific Windows update is what caused your malfunction.
  6. Clear up hard disk space. If Windows does not have enough space on the disk it is installed on, it can cause system failures. Remove unnecessary files and programs if you have less than 15% of your hard disk free.
  7. Apply new updates and drivers. If rolling back drivers and updates didn’t work, installing the newest versions and updates (if they weren’t installed already) may fix your problem. Check your Windows Update program to see if there are any new system and hardware updates available.
    • Click Start and search for “Windows Update”. In Windows 8, tap the Windows key and then start typing “Windows Update”.
  8. Reinstall Windows. If you cannot track down the error, you can try a full reinstallation of Windows as a way to reset your computer. Make sure that you have all of your important files backed up before doing so, as your hard drive will be formatted for the install process.
    • If the Blue Screen is being caused by a failing piece of hardware, reinstalling Windows will not fix the problem. You will need to find and replace the piece of hardware that is causing problems.
  9. Replace faulty hardware. If driver and update rollbacks do not solve your problem, you may need to remove and replace your hardware. Replacing anything other than the RAM or hard drive on a laptop can be difficult and expensive.
    • If the RAM test shows that you have faulty memory, you will want to replace the failing stick as soon as possible.
    • If the hard disk scanner is returning disk errors, you should back up your data and install a new drive. This will require reinstalling Windows if the drive has your Windows installation on it.
    • If your graphics card is failing, replacing it could get expensive. This is almost impossible to fix in most laptops. For a desktop, open your case and swap out the old card for a new one.

Last Known Good Configuration

  1. Whatever you're doing, save EVERYTHING and turn off your computer.
  1. Now turn it on, but hold F8.
  1. Go to Last Known Good Configuration with the arrow keys and press Enter.
  1. Your computer should now boot up just like the last time it booted up without any Blue Screens!

Tips

  • When the STOP error appears, first try to start the computer using the essential hardware only. If your computer starts successfully, then try to troubleshoot the hardware driver by reinstalling or updating firmware.

Warnings

  • Backup your data to an external drive in Safe Mode before restoring last known good configuration or running repair diagnostics.
  • Do not edit the registry or the start-up programs without technical assistance or how-to.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/what-is-driver#1TC=windows-7
  2. ↑ http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2010/11/21/tip-of-the-day-how-to-quickly-open-the-windows-system-properties-window/
  3. ↑ http://www.ghacks.net/2012/01/29/diagnosing-a-blue-screen-of-death-error-in-windows/
  4. ↑ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/resolving-stop-blue-screen-errors-in-windows-7
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