Difference between revisions of "Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)"

Revision as of 22:06, 20 February 2019

Blue Screen of Death in Windows 8, including a sad emoticon

Key points

BSODs are usually caused by third-party drivers or hardware problems.

Do a web search with the name of the file and the STOP error to find solutions.

General information

BSOD article on Wikipedia

STOP errors on the Lunarsoft Wiki

Disable automatic restarts

Windows often restarts instead of showing a BSOD. The steps below will override this, allowing you to see the BSOD when it happens.

Disable automatic restarts
Open System Properties: Open the Start screen/Start menu, type `SystemPropertiesAdvanced.exe` and press `↵ Enter`. Windows XP: press `⊞ Win`+`R`, type `sysdm.cpl` and press `↵ Enter`, click the Advanced tab. Under Startup and Recovery, click the Settings button. Under system failure, uncheck automatically restart. Press OK to save the change then close the remaining windows.

Troubleshooting

Download and run BlueScreenView to examine the BSOD minidump. The highlighted files (if any) give an indication of which drivers contributed to the crash. Doing a web search for the Bug Check Code will often lead to someone with the same problem and hopefully a solution. Searching for the STOP values is also helpful.

If the file that caused the crash is part of a third-party driver or program, consider reverting it to a version that was working in the past or updating to a newer version if one exists. If that doesn't resolve the problem you could also try uninstalling it altogether.

If the different Microsoft websites don't show up in your search, it might help to search Microsoft Docs for your error name.

Finally, if you are unable to find any info on your specific situation, your next best bet is to find a reputable and thriving tech website with a forums, or a website focused on troubleshooting computers. Start a thread, outline your specific BSOD, current rig, and hope that somebody will help you.

RAM automatic clock incorrectly set

Manually setting the RAM's clock value in the BIOS might stop any BSODs from happening.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:Windows XP BSOD.png|200px|thumb|right|A Windows XP BSOD showing a Page Fault]]
+[[Image:BSoD_in_Windows_8.png|300px|thumb|right|Blue Screen of Death in Windows 8, including a sad emoticon]]
-A Blue Screen of Death (a.k.a BSOD or Bluescreen) is an error screen that Windows produces when it encounters an error that it cannot recover from. They can be caused by any number of problems, and can be problematic to troubleshoot. Thus, knowing the different parts of a BSOD can aid you in figuring out the cause.
+'''Key points'''
+{{ii}} BSODs are usually caused by third-party drivers or hardware problems.
+{{ii}} Do a web search with the name of the file and the STOP error to find solutions.
-==Enabling BSODs==
+'''General information'''
-By default, most current versions of windows won't show a BSOD at all. They will simply reset upon experiencing a showstopping problem. This is fine if the PC is working great, but is annoying if a system is experiencing repeated problems. To prevent Windows from starting automatically and display the BSOD, follow these steps:
+{{mm}} [[Wikipedia:Blue Screen of Death|BSOD article on Wikipedia]]
+{{mm}} [http://wiki.lunarsoft.net/wiki/STOP_errors STOP errors on the Lunarsoft Wiki]
-'''Windows XP'''
+==Disable automatic restarts==
-Navigate to the Start Menu, and open the Control Panel. Go to System, open the Advanced tab. Under Startup and Recovery, Click settings. On the window that comes up, make sure that the box next to Automatically Restart is unchecked, then click Ok.
+{{ii}} [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] often restarts instead of showing a BSOD. The steps below will override this, allowing you to see the BSOD when it happens.
-'''Windows Vista/7'''
+{{Fixbox|description=Disable automatic restarts|fix=
-Navigate to the Start Menu, and open the Control Panel. Go to System, and choose Advanced system settings on the left side. Under Startup and Recovery, Click settings. On the window that comes up, make sure that the box next to Automatically Restart is unchecked, then click Ok.
+# Open System Properties:
+#* Open the Start screen/Start menu, type <code>SystemPropertiesAdvanced.exe</code> and press {{key|Enter}}.
+#* Windows XP: press {{key|Win|R}}, type <code>sysdm.cpl</code> and press {{key|Enter}}, click the Advanced tab.
+# Under Startup and Recovery, click the Settings button.
+# Under system failure, uncheck automatically restart.
+# Press OK to save the change then close the remaining windows.
+}}
+==Troubleshooting==
+Download and run [http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html BlueScreenView] to examine the BSOD minidump. The highlighted files (if any) give an indication of which drivers contributed to the crash. Doing a web search for the Bug Check Code will often lead to someone with the same problem and hopefully a solution. Searching for the STOP values is also helpful.
-==Parts of a BSOD==
+If the file that caused the crash is part of a third-party driver or program, consider reverting it to a version that was working in the past or updating to a newer version if one exists. If that doesn't resolve the problem you could also try uninstalling it altogether.
-'''Caused by'''
-In the picture above, the second section of text says "The problem seems to be caused by this file:". If windows is able to detect which file the problem occurred in, it may list that file here. This does not always show up in a BSOD, and doesn't appear to show up in BSOD's for Vista or 7 at all.
-'''Error Name'''
+If the different Microsoft websites don't show up in your search, it might help to search [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/blue-screen-data Microsoft Docs] for your error name.
-In the picture above, the third section of text says "PAGE_FAULT_IN_NON_PAGED_AREA". This section is the error name, and can help give you a better example of what caused the BSOD. This part of a BSOD shows up in every BSOD from XP and on.
-==Troubleshooting Suggestions==
+Finally, if you are unable to find any info on your specific situation, your next best bet is to find a reputable and thriving tech website with a forums, or a website focused on troubleshooting computers. Start a thread, outline your specific BSOD, current rig, and hope that somebody will help you.
-What can be maddening about BSODs is the fact that even if you are given both a 'caused by' and 'error name' on the BSOD, it can prove to be annoying to research.
-Your first step is to google the 'error name' and the 'caused by'. There is a good chance that someone on the internet has encountered at least a BSOD with the same error name. This will lead you to a bunch of websites. Attempt to find one that describes both the type of BSOD you experienced, as well as a similar build. You may luck out and find out the exact solution to your problem.
-If the different Microsoft websites don't show up in your search, it might behoove you to search [http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/ Technet] for your error name, and the [http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware MSDN] might have info on your problem as well.
-Finally, if you are unable to find any info on your specific situation, your next best bet is to find a reputable and thriving tech website with a forums, or a website focused on troubleshooting computers. Start a thread, outline your specific BSOD, current rig, and hope that somebody will help you.
+===RAM automatic clock incorrectly set===
+{{ii}} Manually setting the [[Glossary:RAM|RAM]]'s clock value in the BIOS might stop any BSODs from happening.
-[[Category:Tip]]
+[[Category:Troubleshooting]]