Fix a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)

 

A Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) is usually hardware or software related. Most of the BSODs show a code (see the content in red rectangle) that can be used to figure out the root cause of the Blue Screen of Death. 

The blue screen is most commonly encountered and associated with a computer running Microsoft Windows. However, other operating systems such as the Apple Macintosh may also get a blank blue screen, which is also referred to as a BSOD. Apple computers that have a blank blue screen indicate that the hard drive is bad in that computer.

Many people think of blue as a calming color; however, when it comes up on your computer screen with a bunch of white text, it probably has the opposite effect. The blue screen of death (BSoD or STOP Error) may appear to be one of the scariest computer problems you'll come across. However, all your computer may need is for you to reboot it.

Why does Windows give BSOD errors?

The Windows blue screen errors occur when a program encounters an error. Typically, these errors are caused by errors in the programming such as trying to call something that does not exist or do something that is not allowed. These errors can also be caused when the hardware in the computer encounters a problem or is bad.

some times this STOP error appears on your screen for a variety of reasons: failing hardware, damaged software, corrupt DLL files, problems with drivers and more. The remedy for a blue screen of death depends on the original problem. The screen provides you with codes that can help you identify and fix your computer problems.

What should I do when I see a blue screen error?

Write down the important parts of the error message. These error messages are usually long because they point to the locations of the error, which usually are not necessary. Write down any of the information mentioned below that is found in the blue screen error.

Tip: You do not have to write anything down if you have a digital camera or smartphone and can take a picture of the error message.

• If it is an exception error like the first picture (above), write down the error and the first location. For example, "An exception 06 has occurred at 0028:c183ADC" is what is shown in the first example.
• If the error has text with an underscore write down the underscore message. For example, in the second picture "BAD_POOL_HEADER" should be written down.
• If it has a STOP: error, the first portion of the STOP: error should be written down. For example, "STOP: 0x00000019" as shown in the second picture.
• Unless there are dozens of files listed, write down any mention of .SYS, .EXE, .VXD file in the error message.

How can I reboot the a computer that has a blue screen error?

If the computer does not automatically reboot when encountering a blue screen error press and hold down Ctrl + Alt keys and then press the delete key multiple times to reboot the computer. If the computer does not respond to these keys then press and hold down the power button for a few seconds until the computer turns off. Once the computer is off you can turn the computer back on to restart the computer.