How To Fix Blue Screen Of Death Error In Windows 10? | Get Rid Of The “STOP Error” In Windows
Seeing a Windows 10 blue screen is not surprising to users anymore. The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), also known as Stop Error, is undoubtedly one of the most famous screw-ups among the Windows community. Besides blue, this error also comes in other colors such as red, green, yellow, etc.
Our earlier posts had described what the blue screen of death is, and the times when it embarrassed Bill Gates. You might have also read about playing BSOD pranks and some public places where this error made an appearance.
What Is A Blue Screen Of Death?
The BSOD is an infamous error screen that shows up when Windows runs into a serious hitch, causing the system to crash. The blue screen shows a stop code, such as “MEMORY_MANAGEMENT,” that can be referenced to understand the root cause of the problem.
By default, Windows automatically performs a restart when a BSOD occurs, and sometimes, it is effective as well. As obvious, it is no big deal to run into a blue screen every once in a long while. However, if you’re facing frequent such errors or are unable to get past the blue screen, it most likely suggests a vital hardware/software failure.
Now, what if you encounter a BSOD on your computer? How to get rid of the stop error? No worries, there are a few ways to fix the blue screen error that haunts users periodically.
Things To Do First – Repair Blue Screen
Before proceeding with the advanced methods, there are a few basic things you need to strike off from the list. Making sure you perform the following tasks helps you narrow down your search for the root cause.
Disable Automatic Restart
In most cases, Windows 10 is configured by default to restart automatically when the Stop error occurs. In that situation, you don’t get enough time to note down the error code related to the BSOD. So, to initiate your process of fixing the Windows 10 blue screen error, you need to hold the Stop error screen for some time. Here is how to do that:
- Right-click This PC.
- Go to Properties.
- On the left-hand side, click Advanced System Settings.
- Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.
- Now, under System Failure, untick the checkbox that says Automatically restart.
- Click Ok to save and continue.
Check For Viruses
One of the causes of BSOD showing upon your Windows 10 PC is data corruption. Other than regular scenarios, the data on your computer might get corrupt due to some malware.
So, if you experience a blue screen in Windows 10 more than what you can call usual, you should use some antivirus software to do a full scan of your system. Windows Defender, the default antivirus in Windows 10 can also be a good option to scan your system and repair the blue screen.
Next, Comes Windows Update
You should make sure that your PC is regularly updated with the latest security patches and other updates. This is one of the essential things in order to fix blue screen errors or even prevent them from appearing in the first place. Users running Windows 10 don’t need to do much as updates install automatically and there is only a little you can do to stop them.
Update The Hardware Drivers And Firmware
Faulty drivers on your PC can cause the blue screen of death to appear on your computer screen. So, updating or repairing them would also help you get rid of the BSOD devil.
Universal Windows drivers take care of most of the hardware nowadays. But still, it isn’t all-inclusive. For the drivers that Windows can’t update automatically, you need to do it manually by downloading them from the manufacturer’s website.
Also, you should keep the firmware of your computer, i.e., BIOS or UEFI to its latest version. Don’t forget to check whether the hardware components on your system are facing increased heat levels. You can use some software like Piriform’s Speccy.
Higher temperatures might be due to dust clogging up the fan. To prevent this, you should clean your machine regularly. Also, you should remove external non-essential hardware such as USB storage drives, printers, gamepads, etc. to see if they’re causing BSOD. Read our guide to preventing a computer from overheating.
How To Fix Blue Screen of Death In Windows 10
If the basic fixes didn’t help your cause, it is probably because the underlying problem is more complex than usual. The culprit behind the blue screen error could be a specific defective hardware component or a misconfigured software driver. Try the following fixes to find out which one it is exactly.
Boot To Safe Mode
For years, Windows users have used Safe Mode to find the cause of various problems that exist on their computers. And the blue screen of death is no exception. You can fix blue screen errors in Windows 10 or older versions using the Safe Mode.
When you boot to Safe Mode in Windows, only the essential Windows services, and drivers load. If you don’t see any BSOD, then you can accuse some third-party driver of putting the BSOD on your computer.
How To Use Safe Mode In Windows?
Earlier, in the case of Windows XP and 7, you could use the msconfig utility to boot into safe mode or press the F8 key when you start the machine. Windows 10 has added another more comfortable option to access the Safe Mode.
- Go to Settings > Update & Recovery > Recovery.
- Under Advanced Startup, click Restart Now. Wait for the Advanced Startup options screen to appear.
- Click Troubleshoot.
- On the next screen, click Startup Settings. Click Restart to boot to Safe Mode.
Use System Restore
By including System Restore in Windows, Microsoft has given you a way to undo serious mistakes. It can help if the blue screen of death is occurred because of some software or driver you recently installed.
You can find various settings related to Windows 10 System Restore in Control Panel > Recovery. To roll back Windows to an earlier point in time, click Open System Restore and follow the steps. To add a restore point, click Configure System Restore > Create. Chances are high that the blue screen will get fixed if it’s due to some recent change on your computer.
Use SetupDiag To Fix BSOD During Windows Update
If you are facing a blue screen error while trying to update your Windows, then the SetupDiag program could help. This Windows utility is available for download on Microsoft’s website. It analyzes the Windows Setup log to find out what is causing problems and preventing the Windows Update.
Once you have downloaded “SetupDiag,” you can run the program and follow the on-screen instructions to detect the cause of the BSOD. After the process is complete, you can check the results, saved in the same folder, by opening the “SetupDiagResults.log” file using Notepad.
Windows 10 Blue Screen Troubleshooter To Repair Blue Screen
If you are running the Creators Update or later, Microsoft has got you covered in case a Windows 10 BSOD occurs. You can fix the blue screen of the death using the built-in troubleshooter. Go to Settings > Update and security > Troubleshoot.
Under the heading Find and fix other problems, you can see the Windows 10 Blue Screen troubleshooter.
Delete The Faulty Windows Update
It’s not uncommon for Windows Update to break during installation. And such incidents can cause the blue screen to appear. The easiest way to fix Windows 10 blue screen would be by uninstalling the faulty update. Similar would be the case of some apps which might have corrupt important files on your Windows PC.
You can remove Windows Update by visiting Settings > Update & Recovery > Windows Update > Update history > Unistall updates.
Reinstall Windows To Fix Blue Screen Of Death
Clearly, the last resort to kick the blue screen of death off your system is to perform a clean install of the Windows. For users running Windows 10 or 8.1, there is a built-in option for clean installation which doesn’t require you have dedicated installation media. For Windows 7, you’ll have to reinstall the operating system using a bootable USB or optical disk.
If it’s not some hardware-related issue, then you should be able to fix Windows 10 BSOD errors using the methods and tips mentioned above. Otherwise, you’ll have to approach some store for the replacement hardware to get things done.
How is your experience with BSODs so far? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
FAQs
When a blue screen error occurs, your Windows PC would restart by default and record the event in the log. The next boot might not face the same issue, so, in a way, your system sometimes fixes the error by doing a simple restart.
Getting a BSOD once in a long time is not a concern. But, if you are getting this error often, then your computer might have a serious issue. Make sure to note down the “Stop Code” mentioned in the BSOD to find out possible causes for it.
