What Causes the Blue Screen of Death?

Posted: March 11, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: blue screen of death, windows error messages | Leave a comment »

 

The Blue Screen of Death (aka BSoD, or ‘blue screen’) is a Windows error message that occurs when the Windows Operating System is forced to stop suddenly.

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The blue screen can be caused by anything, such as:

  • a bug in an individual program
  • a problem in windows
  • a device in the computer failing

The blue screen is a safety feature in Windows to prevent that error from causing other issues, such as data corruption, or hardware failures.

Often times the best way to narrow down the cause of the blue screen is to pay attention to the details that the blue screen presents and when it occurs:

  • If it specifies a particular file, that file or a device related to the file may be at fault.
  • If the blue screen occurs only when a particular program is running, it may indicate a problem with that program which may be fixed with a patch.
  • If the PC won’t start due to a blue screen, it may indicate a problem with a Windows file that needs to be repaired.
  • If it occurs randomly and identifies different sources, it may indicate a problem with the memory or hard drive.

Some blue screens generate what’s called “Memory Dumps” or “Minidumps”, files which contain a snapshot of the activity in the memory as the error occurred. Certain utilities may be able to analyze these dump files and help find a common cause. Often enough, it’s a combination of analyzing crash files, noting the circumstances surrounding the crash, and testing hardware which can help narrow down the cause.

If you have received the blue screen of death in the past and want to learn more about it, please contact our computer technicians today!