With Windows 98, blue screens (of death as some add) became common in all versions of Windows. And by usual, I do not mean that it is an error that is displayed continuously, but a critical system error which uses the color blue (there are also critical errors shown in white) to report the type of error.
This type of error is displayed when our equipment does not work properly, either due to the malfunction of a component of the equipment (we have to replace it if or if) or to the instructions of the drivers of a component of the equipment, so in the end, they are always related to some hardware component of our team.
These blue screens are continuously displayed until we find a solution on the computer, so dand nothing is worth formatting the hard drive and start from scratch.
When is the blue screen displayed?
This type of screen is displayed when the equipment registers the STOP Error instruction, an instruction that completely stops the team restarting being the only way to get out of this screen. This screen is usually accompanied by some of the following error codes:
- CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED
- SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
- IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
- VIDEO_TDR_TIMEOUT_DETECTED
- PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
- SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION
- DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION
In addition to these error codes, they can also be displayed in hexadecimal format like 0x0000000A, 0x0000003B, 0x000000EF, 0x00000133, 0x000000D1, 0x1000007E, 0xC000021A, 0x0000007B, 0xC000000F… Most errors always have the same solution, so below we will show you how to proceed.
These error codes allow us to identify in a simpler way what kind of error it is. Another aspect that we must take into account is when the problem occurs: when installing a new update or while using our device on a regular basis.
How do I fix Windows 10 blue screen?
As I have commented previously, the problems related to this obnoxious screen in 90% of the cases, is related to some hardware probleme or associated drivers.
This is because Windows 10 takes care of find and install the necessary drivers for the hardware available on the computer, so it is likely that on some occasion it will not be with the specific model, and when installing the wrong drivers, the hardware will not work correctly.
After installing an update
This problem is one of the most common, since with each new update, Microsoft adds new functionalities that can affect the operation of some components, although it is not usual.
However, if after installing the latest Windows update, our computer does not stop showing us the blue screen, we must enter Windows recovery mode to proceed to uninstall it.
To find Windows recovery, we must turn on our computer and start Windows, we turn it off (we hold down the start button for several seconds until it turns off). We carry out this step 2 times.
Then we turn on the computer once more and let it start. Windows will have detected that there is a problem and will show us three options:
- Continue. Exit and continue to Windows 10
- Solve problems. Reset your computer or view advanced options.
- Turn off the computer.
We select the second option: Solve problems.
Two options will be displayed in this section:
- Reset computer. Allows you to choose between keeping or removing personal files and then reinstalling Windows.
- Advanced.
We select the second option: Advanced.
Here are 6 new options:
- System restore. It allows us to go back to the previous restore point to restore Windows.
- Back to the previous version.
- System Image Recovery. Recover Windows with an image of the system that we have in a unit.
- Startup repair. Fixes issues that prevent Windows from starting.
- Command Prompt. Displays the command prompt to troubleshoot startup problems.
- Startup configuration.Change Windows startup behavior.
We select the last option: Startup configuration.
Below are all the options that we can set when Windows starts again. It is recommended to use the Safe Mode with Networking option. Once we have started our team, we go to the search box and type control Panel.
Next, click on Uninstall a program. Then we press View installed updatesThese are shown ordered by date, so we just have to find the last one that has been installed and right-click on it and select Uninstall.
Once uninstalled, we must restart the computer so that it is completely removed from our computer. If the reason for the blue screen was the last Windows update that we had installed, this will not show again. What we must do next is disable the installation of automatic updates, until Windows launches a new one that solves the problem.
Using my equipment regularly
If the problem occurs sporadically, we have three solutions to prevent the blue screen (of death) be shown again on our team.
Uninstall recently installed software
Antivirus software is often the most troublesome application in Windows with blue screens. If you have installed a new antivirus or any other application from a little or no known developer, it is likely that it is causing performance problems in the hardware controllers of your computer, so the best thing we can do is uninstall and retest if the blue screen reappears. If so, we will move on to the next point.
Uninstall the latest installed drivers
Graphics and sound cards, as well as some memory and hard drives can have some kind of drivers associated. If these drivers have been updated recently, it is likely that the blue screen problem is in them and not in the hardware itself.
To clear up doubts, we must uninstall the controllers and install what the manufacturer offers us directly and not the ones that generically installs Windows when it detects that they have been updated. By always installing the manufacturer's software, we will never have operating problems.
Disconnect external hardware connected to the computer
Sometimes the solution to the blue screen problem is through disconnect any hardware device that we have connected to our equipment, be it a hard disk, an external graphics, a video capture device, a pendrive, a mouse or even a keyboard, although these last two must be left until last unless we have another keyboard and mouse at home.