The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) scares the living daylights out of everyone using the Windows Operating System. It is the result of a Windows critical system error occurrence, which consequently forces the PC to shut down to avoid further damage. Ever got a feel of a blue screen with white text? Annoying right. In the following, you will learn about the BSOD, its causes, the troubleshooting guide, and the ways you can prevent it in the future.
What Is the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)?
The Blue Screen of Death is a stop error screen displayed by Windows upon encountering a critical system error that it cannot resolve. On the screen, you usually see a sad face emoji, the error code, and the message that your computer has shut down to prevent any damage to your computer.
Common Causes of the Blue Screen of Death
The BSOD error can be evoked by diverse hardware and software problems. These are the most common culprits:
- Hardware Failures
- Bad memory or hard drives.
- The cooling parts, like the CPU or GPU, are becoming too hot.
- The power supply is the problem.
- Software Issues
- The system files may be corrupted.
- Drivers that are incompatible or expired.
- Driver updates that were done recently but were not supposed to be done wrong.
- Malware or Virus Infections
- Malicious software can be the main reason for the damaged system files or CPU instability, resulting in BSOD.
- Overheating
- If the computer fails to cool, the overheating may be a problem that occurs due to the fact that vital hardware components may start to misbehave.
- Incompatible Third-Party Apps
- Some third-party applications installed may be the reason behind system conflicts, resulting in system instability.
How to Troubleshoot and Fix the Blue Screen of Death
If you encounter a BSOD, do the following to diagnose and fix the issue:
1. Check for Windows Updates
- Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and install the latest updates. Usually, Microsoft expects some specific glitches and, accordingly, releases a patch to fix them.
2. Check Hard Drive Space
- Check if your hard drive has the needed free space. Your system may have issues due to the lack of space on the disk.
3. Remove New Hardware
- Is the problem due to new hardware? If you just added hardware like RAM, a hard drive, or a new printer, then take it out and confirm if the issue is resolved.
4. Boot into Safe Mode
- Restart your computer and boot into Safe Mode. Doing this will help you to run Windows using essential drivers and services only to find a third-party app or driver that is the reason for the issue
5. Run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter
- Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters, and then the Blue Screen Troubleshooter will be launched.
6. Restore Windows
- Prefer a System Restore operation, which is the best way to move your computer back to a point in time when it worked well. Control Panel > System Center Configuration Manager > Restart the System.
7. Uninstall Incompatible Updates or Drivers
- When the problem develops immediately after you have installed an update or a driver, simply remove it. Manage Device, right-click the driver, and then choose Uninstall.
8. Roll Back Drivers
- If the issue was caused by the driver update, just return to the preceding one. Access Device Manager, right-click the device, and go to Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver.
9. Use Windows Startup Repair
- Insert a Windows installation USB stick or DVD, reboot from it, and then press the Repair your computer button, go to Troubleshoot, and then Advanced options > Run Startup Repair.
Tips to Prevent the Blue Screen of Death
- Keep Your System Updated
- Regularly install Windows updates and device updates to make your system always at the latest stable version.
- Monitor Hardware Health
- Utilize Windows Memory Diagnostic for the RAM check, and for the hard drive’s health, make use of CrystalDiskInfo.
- Malware Detection
- Eliminate a malicious program from your computer. Also, it is advisable to use a strong antivirus program for this purpose.
- Save your data
- You can avoid data loss by regularly backing up important files you have to an external drive or a cloud storage drive in case of a BSOD.
- Excessive heat is harmful
- Rundown your system, warming down the account that keeps your cooling system in a good state. Remove particles and dust by doing this. Furthermore, you should ensure that proper airflow exists on your device.
Final Thoughts
It is frightening to experience a blue screen of death, yet it is often corrected by performing the right troubleshooting steps. With a deeper understanding of what causes this problem and the safety measures of BIOS, you can ensure stability of your system by facing minimal BSODs.