3 easy way to fix a windows blue screen error (BSOD)
It can be somewhat of a frustrating experience if you've never encounter a Windows Blue Screen before and seeing it for the first time. What caused it and why is it doing that?
In fact, depending on the type of user you are, you probably might have never encountered a Windows Blue Screen error before. Microsoft Windows, all things considered, is a pretty stable computer operating system. So if this is your first time encountering a Windows Blue Screen, don't fret because we have you cover.
But first, let's take a look at what a Windows Blue Screen error is and why is it so infamous. Then we'll dive right into 3 easy solutions that'll hopefully get rid of your Windows Blue Screen error.
what is a windows blue screen error?
A Windows Blue Screen error is often referred to as a BSOD or a Blue Screen of Death.
A BSOD is literally a blue screen filled with semi cryptic information that Windows displays whenever it encounters a serious problem. And by serious problem, we mean a hardware/software failure that caused Windows to malfunction internally. So to protect further damage to the system (i.e. data corruption), Windows chooses to shut itself down and let us know the possible problem it encountered. It displays that information on a blue screen. And thus, the blue screen error.
Windows' BSOD has been part of the Windows experience since even before Windows XP. And if you don't know or too young to know, Windows XP is a version of Windows released back in 2002-ish days.
Ok, so now that you know what a BSOD is and it's purpose, let's take a look at 3 easy solutions to get rid your of BSOD issue.
remove / uninstall / update recent system changes
If you are able to log onto your Windows account, try reversing recent changes you've made on your system before the BSOD occurrence.
If you've upgraded your system's memory, for example, remove the newly installed RAM modules from your computer and then restart it to see if the BSOD goes away.
Similarly, if you installed any software prior to the BSOD occurrence, uninstall them and then restart your computer. If that fixes your BSOD issue, then the software is most likely the culprit of the BSOD.
One of the most common cause of BSOD is hardware failure or bad device drivers. A device driver is a type of software that can be installed onto your computer to interact with hardware that is connected to it.
The good thing about device drivers is that if there is an updated version of your device driver available, you can try to update it to see if it'll fix your BSOD issue. A printer software, for example, will likely include device drivers in its software installation package. But the installation package might contain outdated device drivers and sometimes all it takes to fix a BSOD is to do an update of an outdated device driver.
With device drivers, it is especially important that you take care to check if they are appropriate for your system. An incorrectly installed or buggy device driver for your GPU or graphics card, for instance, is guarantee to cause a BSOD. So always check and make sure the device drivers you install on your system are the right one for it.
use automatic repair in advanced startup options
If your computer throws a BSOD every time you turn it on and that prevents you from logging onto your Windows account, then the previous solution will not work for you. In that case, you should use Windows' Automatic Repair tool inside the Advanced Options menu to try to fix your BSOD issue.
There are a few different ways to load the Advanced Options menu (which is also blue by the way). But we're only going to focus on 2 methods. Both methods will get you into the Advance Options menu when you cannot log onto your Windows account. You may choose to use whichever method you feel more comfortable to perform.
When your computer does 3 power up cycles without booting into Windows, Windows will assume there is an issue that is preventing it from starting up. On your computer's next power up cycle (4th restart), Windows will run a diagnostic test and will automatically attempt to repair any problem it thinks that is preventing it from booting. The 3 power cycles can be performed manually or by BSOD to force Windows to launch this automatic repair.
If you don't want to wait for BSOD to show and then shuts the computer down for you, you can press and hold down the power button immediately when you see the Windows loading screen to manually shut your computer down.
Then turn your computer back on. Wait until you see the Windows loading screen again and then immediately press and hold down the power button until the computer shuts off. Repeat this process 3 times to perform 3 power up cycles.
On the 4th power up cycle, Windows will launch and run a self diagnostic test and will automatically attempt to repair any issues it can find.
Once Windows finishes the diagnostic test and automatic repair, it will give you the option to Restart or to launch Advanced Options. You can choose the Restart option here and see if Windows fixed the BSOD issue or you can attempt another Startup Repair by going into Advanced Options. We find that when dealing with BSOD, sometimes you need to perform 2-3 Startup Repairs to resolve the issue.
Select Advanced Options.
Select Troubleshoot.
Select Startup Repair.
Insert a Windows installation Disc or USB drive into your computer and boot from it.
After you enter into the Windows Setup screen, choose your computer language and other preferences and the click Next.
Click Repair your computer.
Select Troubleshoot.
Select Advanced Options.
Select Startup Repair.
use system Restore
If your BSOD isn't caused by hardware issues, then using System Restore should fix the BSOD error most of the time. By using System Restore, Windows can roll back to a functional state before you encountered the BSOD. The idea of System Restore is that if your computer was working fine before the error occurred, restoring Windows to that point in time should remove the error.
An important thing to know is that System Restore will only restore system files and settings and does not delete your personal data files on the computer. It may, however, remove programs you've installed after the restore point. Also, any device drivers you installed after the restore point will be removed.
You can access System Restore via your Desktop (if you can log onto your Windows account) or via the Advanced Options menu (if you cannot log onto your Windows account). If you cannot log onto your Windows account, then follow Solution 2 from above to get into Advanced Options.
Find the search box on the lower left corner of your Desktop and type in the word "recovery" (without the quotes) and select the Recovery option.
Select Open System Restore.
You may choose the Recommended restore option. But if you'd like to see other restore points, select Choose a different restore point and then click Next.
Select a restore point and click Next. We recommend choosing a restore point that's dated back the furthest if you have no idea what's the cause of your BSOD error. Keep in mind that any software you've installed after the date of your restore point could be remove.
Click Finish to confirm your selection.
You will receive a final warning before System Restore proceeds. Click Yes to start the system restore process.
Follow either Option 1 or Option 2 from Solution 2 (see above) to get to the Advanced Options menu.
Select System Restore.
Select your Windows account.
Enter your password for your Windows account. Then click Continue.
Click Next.
You may choose the Recommended restore option. But if you'd like to see other restore points, select Choose a different restore point and then click Next.
Select a restore point and click Next. We recommend choosing a restore point that's dated back the furthest if you have no idea what's the cause of your BSOD error. Keep in mind that any software you've installed after the date of your restore point could be remove.
Click Finish to confirm your selection.
You will receive a final warning before System Restore proceeds. Click Yes to start the system restore process.
i'm still getting a blue screen error
If you’ve tried all 3 solutions and still unable to fix your BSOD error, then it might be time to consider resetting or reinstalling Windows.
There is an option inside the Advanced Options menu to reset your PC. But we recommend reinstalling Windows entirely if you decide to start with a clean slate. But unlike system restore, reinstalling Windows will remove ALL DATA from your computer; yes, that includes personal data files.
There are other ways you can try to fix the BSOD error, but we only want to show you 3 quickest and most effective way to rid your BSOD in this guide.
Other methods include:
But bear in mind that these methods require you to rule out the exact cause of the BSOD error. It could take a considerable amount of time and work.
One last thing, if you decide to reinstall Windows and you get a BSOD on that brand new installation, then the cause of your BSOD is most likely from a hardware issue and you will need to replace the hardware in order to resolve the BSOD error.
We hope the 3 solutions we provided you in this guide will help you fix your BSOD error.
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