Windows Stop Error (Blue Screen)

One of the most annoying things with a Windows based computer can be the "Blue Screen of Death" formally known as the "Windows Stop Error" This can be caused by numerous computer issues but is more often than not caused by a bad device driver.

A device driver is a small amount of computer code that allows the operating system (Windows) to recognize and communicate with all the hardware devices installed in your computer. Sometimes this code can become corrupted or if a new device driver is installed it may be incompatible with your system.

I have included a graphic of what a typical "Blue Screen" looks like below.

Blue Screen:

Recovery from a "Blue Screen" can range from relatively easy to fairly complicated. I have outlined below the initial steps you need to take to correct this error on your own and get your computer running normally again.

I have also included an image of a typical boot menu that you will encounter during the recovery process. You can use this as a guide as you navigate through recovering your computer. Once you initially get a "Blue Screen" you may or may not have the option to reboot from the error screen, if not you will have to do a "hard boot" of the computer (hold the power button between 5 and 10 seconds until it powers off). Once the computer starts the reboot process then follow the steps below to begin recovery.

1. Reboot computer as described above.
2. Locate and press the F8 key during the reboot process.
3. Review the boot option menu as shown below.
4. Select a boot option to correct the error. (My recommendation is to select "Last Known Good Configuration" before you attempt any other options.
5. If this doesn't correct the problem after the reboot then boot into "Safe Mode w/Networking".
6. Once the computer successfully boots into "Safe Mode" then you can start to troubleshoot what is going on.
7. If you know that a particular device driver is causing the problem then you can attempt a rollback of that driver. This will restore the original driver and should correct the problem. If this doesn't work then you will have to review the event logs to pinpoint a cause.

Recovery Mode Boot Options Menu:

Press F8 during reboot

Select Boot Option

I have included several screenshots of the device driver menu and Windows event logs and the steps you need to follow to find these:

Computer Management:

Right click My Computer

Select Manage

Device Manager:

Right click My Computer

Select Manage

Select Device Manager

Right Click specific device

Select Driver Tab

Windows Event Logs:

Right click My Computer

Select Manage

Select Event Viewer

Select Windows Logs

Select System

I have also included some links below to give you a more detailed explanations of the recovery process.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/start-computer-safe-mode#start-computer-safe-mode=windows-vista

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/start-computer-safe-mode#start-computer-safe-mode=windows-7

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/windows-startup-settings-including-safe-mode