How To Fix a Blue Screen of Death

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 Tip #3 at the bottom of the page.


Important: Below are general Blue Screen of Death troubleshooting steps.


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

Difficulty: Average

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

Here's How:

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 an 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.

2. Verify that a minimum amount of free space is available on your Windows partition. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Check the System and Application logs in Event Viewer (7/Vista | XP) for errors or warnings that might provide more clues on the cause of the BSOD.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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.

11. Update your BIOS. In some situations, and outdated BIOS could cause a Blue Screen of Death due to certain incompatibilities.

12. 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.

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

Try this:
- 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?
Try this:
- 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.

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How To Troubleshoot Stopping, Freezing, or Reboot Issues During Windows Startup

One particularly frustrating way in which your computer might not start is when you encounter an issue during the Windows startup process but have nothing to go on - no Blue Screen of Death or other error message.

Your computer might freeze on the Windows splash screen, in which case you'll have to restart it manually, only to freeze at the same place again. Or maybe your computer restarts automatically sometime after Windows begins to load, causing what's called a "reboot loop."

Sometimes your computer might even stop at a point where you can move your mouse around but nothing happens. Windows might seem like it's still trying to start but eventually you have to manually reboot your computer, only to see the same behavior again!

Note: If you see a blue screen full of information flash on the screen before your computer reboots, this is a Blue Screen of Death and your computer happens to be configured to reboot after one. See How To Troubleshoot Windows STOP Errors instead of this guide.

Important: If your PC is in fact booting to the Windows login screen, you see any kind of error message, or if you're not even getting past the POST.

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: Anywhere from minutes to hours depending on why Windows isn't starting correctly

Here's How: 

1. Restart your computer if you haven't already done so at least once since seeing this problem.

Many things go on in the background when Windows is starting up. Sometimes things don't work exactly as they should, especially after Windows has installed updates or there were other major changes to the operating system the last time it was up and running. A restart might be all Windows needs to get back on track.

  

2. Repair your Windows installation. A common reason for Windows to freeze up or reboot automatically during the Windows startup process is because one or more important Windows files are damaged or missing. Repairing Windows replaces these important files without removing or changing anything else on your computer.

Note: In Windows 7 and Vista, this is called a Startup Repair. In Windows XP it's referred to as a Repair Installation.

Important: The Windows XP Repair Installation is more complicated and has more drawbacks than the Startup Repair available in the other operating systems. So, if you're an XP user, you may want to wait until you've tried Steps 3 through 6 before giving this a try.

3. Start Windows using Last Known Good Configuration. If you've just made a change to your computer that you suspect might have caused Windows to stop booting properly, starting with the Last Known Good Configuration could help.

Last Known Good Configuration will return many important settings to the states they were in the last time Windows started successfully, hopefully solving this problem and allowing you back in to Windows.

4. Start Windows in Safe Mode and then use System Restore to undo recent changes. Windows could freeze, stop, or reboot during the startup process because of damage to a driver, important file, or part of the registry. A System Restore will return all of those things to their last working order which could solve your problem entirely.

Note: Depending on the reason that Windows isn't starting, you might not even be able to enter Safe Mode. Luckily, you can also perform a System Restore from System Recovery Options which is available from the Advanced Boot Options menu in Windows 7 and also from your Windows 7 or Windows Vista Setup DVD.

Important: Please know that you will not be able to undo a System Restore if it's done from Safe Mode or from System Recovery Options. You might not care since you can't start Windows normally anyway, but it's something I wanted you to be aware of.

5. Scan your computer for viruses, again from Safe Mode.

A virus or other kind of malware might have caused a serious enough problem with a part of Windows to cause it to stop starting properly.

6. Clear the CMOS. Clearing the BIOS memory on your motherboard will return the BIOS settings to their factory default levels. A BIOS misconfiguration could be the reason that Windows is freezing during startup.

Important: If clearing the CMOS does fix your Windows startup problem, make sure future changes in BIOS are completed one at a time so if the problem returns, you'll know which change caused the problem.

7. Replace the CMOS battery if your computer is more than three years old or if it's been off for an extended amount of time.

CMOS batteries are very inexpensive and one that is no longer keeping a charge can certainly be the cause of Windows freezing, stopping, or rebooting during startup.

8. Reseat everything you can get your hands on. Reseating will reestablish the various connections inside your computer and is very often a "magic" fix to startup problems like this, especially reboot loops and freezes.

Try reseating the following hardware and then see if Windows will boot properly:

• Reseat all internal data and power cables
• Reseat the memory modules
• Reseat any expansion cards

Note: Unplug and reattach your keyboard, mouse, and other external devices as well.

9. Check for causes of electrical shorts inside your computer. An electrical short is often the cause of reboot loops and hard freezes while Windows is starting.

10. Test the RAM. If one of your computer's RAM modules fails completely, your computer won't even turn on. Most of the time, however, memory fails slowly and will work up to a point.

If your system memory is failing, your computer may power on but then freeze, stop, or reboot continuously at some point during Windows startup.

Replace the memory in your computer if the memory test shows any kind of problem.

11. Test the power supply. Just because your computer initially turns on does not mean that the power supply is working. While it might not be common for your computer to get all the way to the Windows startup process with a damaged power supply, it does happen and is worth a look.

Replace your power supply if your tests show a problem with it.

12. Replace the hard drive's data cable. If the cable that connects the hard drive to the motherboard is damaged or not working then you could see all kinds of issues while Windows is loading - including freezing, stopping, and reboot loops.

Don't have a spare hard drive data cable? You can pick one up at any electronics store or you could borrow the one that another drive, like your optical drive, is using, assuming of course that's it's the same type of cable. Newer drives use SATA cables and older drives use PATA cables.

Note: A loose hard drive data cable can cause the same issues that a damaged one can but hopefully you checked for connection issues with the cable back in Step 8.

Important: Make sure you've tried your best to complete the troubleshooting steps up to this one. Steps 13 and 14 both involve more difficult and destructive solutions to freezing, stopping, and continuous reboot problems during Windows startup. It may be that one of the below solutions is necessary to fix your problem but if you haven't been diligent in your troubleshooting up to this point, you can't know for sure that one of the easier solutions above isn't the right one.

13. Test the hard drive. A physical problem with your hard drive is certainly a reason why Windows might reboot continuously, freeze completely, or stop in its tracks. A hard drive that can't read and write information properly certainly can't load an operating system properly.

Replace your hard drive if your tests show an issue. After replacing the hard drive, you'll need to perform a new installation of Windows.

If your hard drive passes your test, the hard drive is physically fine so the cause of the problem must be with Windows, in which case the next step will solve the problem.

  

14. Perform a Clean Install of Windows. This type of installation will completely erase the drive and install Windows again from scratch.

Important: In Step 2, I advised that you try to solve Windows-caused startup issues by repairing Windows. Since that method of fixing important Windows files is non-destructive, make certain that you've tried that before the completely destructive, last-resort clean install in this step.

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How to repair and revive Hard Disk Drives (HDD)

Loosing precious data due to hard disk failure is something that everyone never wanted to happen. That is why, we need, you need to constantly have a fresh backup of those precious data. But, in some cases where you were unable to perform backup and the drive gone bad, fear not, for you can still repair and revive your drive and perform data recovery before your drive would be totally unusable.
One software that i have been using for quite sometime now and never failed me so far is the HDD (Hard Disk Drives) Regenerator. This great software can do the following.

• Detect physical bad sectors on a hard disk drive surface
• Repair physical bad sectors (magnetic errors) on a hard disk drive’s surface
• It works with any file systems including NTFS and FAT, also with unformatted and unpartitioned hard disk drives
• Supports bootable regenerating floppy and cd to automatically start the regenerating process

I always use this software as the last resort for reviving my hard disk drives. regeneration takes a whole night for a 40gb drive, depends on the drive capacity that you are regenerating.
You can download the demo version of the software here.

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