How to troubleshoot and fix Windows 10 blue screen errors

The blue screen of death (BSOD) in Windows 10 is an error screen that pops up when your PC encounters fatal errors. The problem frequently occurs because of a hardware fault, an issue with the drivers, or an error regarding Windows itself. Seeing a BSOD error is never a pleasant sight, as it appear when Windows 10 encounters a critical error from which it can’t recover.

In this article, let's learn about the common causes of Windows blue screen errors and how to fix them.

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Blue screen errors explained: Causes and fixes

Of all the unpleasant surprises you can encounter while computing, few are more jarring than the sudden blue screen of death. What's almost as frustrating as losing your work is that you get hardly any information about why your computer suddenly stopped working. All you get is some cryptic error code.

Hence, here's a list of some of the most common bluescreen error codes, their meanings, and possible fixes.

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

IRQL stands for Interrupt Request Level, which usually means a program tried to access a memory. However, the operating system was protecting that memory for some important tasks. Since device drivers typically have to access these parts of memory as they interface with your operating system and the actual hardware, this error typically indicates a driver issue.

Try updating or reinstalling any drivers that might be problematic. This could also indicate a problem with the hardware, perhaps a graphics card that's aggressively overclocked.

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DATA_BUS_ERROR

If you see DATA_BUS_ERROR in the blue screen of death, you have an issue with your memory. So run a memory check utility like Memtest86+ or try pulling out one of your RAM sticks and then swapping for the other one to see if one has died. If that's not the issue, you likely have a driver or hardware problem elsewhere in your system.

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MEMORY_MANAGEMENT

This particular error can pop up if you've overclocked your RAM or it's not getting the proper voltage. It can often be resolved by entering your BIOS and ensuring your RAM settings are correct.

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MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION

This blue screen error is often caused by a CPU that is overclocked to the point of instability. Therefore, try bumping it back to stock speed to see if the error disappears. If you do choose to overclock again, make sure to be conservative.

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FAT_FILE_SYSTEM or NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM

Whether it's a FAT or NTFS file system error on the blue screen of death, it means you've got some problem with your hard drive or SSD. A driver issue could simply cause this, but there can be a more serious physical issue with your disk.

If you see this error, back up anything important and run a disk check utility, followed by a diagnostic utility from the manufacturer of your drive, to ensure that it is safe to continue to use.

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INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE

This blue screen error is another type of disk-related problem. A corrupt sector can cause it. So try to fix this by running Windows Startup Repair or simply choosing the wrong disk mode in your BIOS. If it's set to IDE, try to change it to AHCI and vice versa.

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SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED

Some errors don't have obvious causes, such as this blue screen error. If you see this common message, or another error code you don't recognize, see if your BSOD gives you a file name that you can note down before the PC reboots. This can give you a clue as to what driver or program is misbehaving so you can update, reinstall, or eradicate it.

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There can be many reasons for BSODs. It can be a Windows or third-party software bug, failing hardware, data corruption, drivers, and many more. Therefore, you need to troubleshoot your specific problem on your PC instead of trying random fixes.

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