Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) - what is it? & How to Fix it?

What is Blue Screen of Death (BSoD)?

Stop error which we also call Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) occurs when the Windows is messed up due to some major issue. It completely blocks the system with a blue screen.

The BSoD error is caused due to a driver or hardware related issue. Most of the error screen has a stop code on them which can help us figure out the root cause of the issue.

Note: In case your system restarted instantly after the Blue Screen of Death occurred, then you can directly jump to the final section of the article. But, to avoid any future occurrence we suggest you take a quick glance at the complete article.

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

Here’s how to fix the blue screen of death.

You can follow this troubleshooting guide to fix Blue Screen of Death for any version of Windows, including Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

The best approach you can follow to know the major cause behind the Blue Screen of Death error is to remember the last activity. 

It could be anything from installing a new program or a piece of hardware, install a Windows update, install a driver, etc.? If this is the case, then there's always a possibility that the changes made by you probably caused the Blue Screen of Death.

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• Use a system restore point to revert to the previous changes.
• Restore the last best-known configuration to undo recent driver updates and registry changes.
• Roll back to a version prior to your driver update.
• Make sure there's sufficient amount of free space left on the drive that holds your Windows Operating System. BSoD and other major issues, like data loss or corruption, can occur if the drive is running out of space or has insufficient space on the primary partition running Windows operating system.

Note: As recommended by Microsoft we must maintain at least 100 MB of free space but with that kind of low space you will come across various problems frequently. It's mostly recommended that Windows users spare at least 10% of drive's capacity at all times.

Run regular system scans. Viruses can also be the cause behind Blue Screen of Death, especially the ones that infect the master boot record (MBR) or boot sector.

Tip: If your system is outdated or you still face regular problems related to virus or advertisements. We recommend you to install Malware Crusher for better performance and security of your system.

Look for any available Windows and service pack updates and install them. Microsoft frequently releases patches and service pack updates for their operating systems that may contain fixes for certain issues.

Update drivers for your hardware. Most Blue Screens of Death are driver or hardware related, so updated drivers could fix the cause of the STOP error.

Check the System and Application logs in Event Viewer for warnings or errors that might provide more clues pointing towards the cause of the BSoD.

Reset 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. Customized hardware settings have been known to cause the Blue Screen of Death.

Return BIOS settings to their default levels. An overclocked or misconfigured BIOS can also cause all sorts of random issues, including BSODs.

Be assured that cards and other components are installed and placed properly. Hardware’s that are not firmly in place can cause a Blue Screen of Death, so try resetting the following and then check if the stop message still exists:

• Reset the memory modules.
• Reset all internal data and power cables.
• Test your system memory.
• Reset any expansion cards.
• Test your hard disk drive.
• Update your BIOS. In some situations, an outdated BIOS could cause a Blue Screen of Death due to certain incompatibilities.
• Run a diagnostic test on every hardware you can. It's most likely that the root cause of any given Blue Screen of Death is a failing piece of hardware: If a test fails, try replacing the hardware or the memory of the system.
• 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 successfully includes the motherboard, RAM, CPU, primary hard drive, video card, keyboard, and monitor.

Also Read: Why ILOVEYOU VIRUS is Considered as Worst Computer Virus?

If You have Identified a Hardware to be the main cause behind BSoD

1. Try one of these ideas.
2. Update the hardware's firmware.
3. Replace the hardware.
4. Check with the manufacturer for support information.
5. Make sure the hardware is on the hardware compatibility list.

If You've Identified a Software to be the main Cause behind BSoD

1. Reinstall the software.
2. One of these things should help:
3. Check for and install any available program updates.
4. Check with the developer for support information.
5. Try a competing program.
6. PC Is Restarting Before You Can Read the STOP Code on the BSoD
7. Most Windows PCs are configured to reboot immediately after receiving a serious error like a BSoD.
8. You can prevent this reboot by disabling the automatic restart on system failure option.