> When Experiencing BSOD

[Bugsy]

If you experience BSOD below i have listed just a few basic checks to complete before seeking additional help & advice.

(PLEASE NOTE I AM NOT A BSOD ANALYST BUT THESE BASIC CHECKS ARE FOR EVERYONE & SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT BEFORE MORE TECHNICAL ADVICE IS NEEDED)

These are just a few basic checks to do first – eg memory test and hard drive test. And test them thoroughly.

You should eliminate any programs/software that you may have an idea that might just be the reason behind the BSOD. eg The famous AVG. But dont get me wrong they are many other AV softwares/AV updates that can cause bsod and other things like corrupt or incorrect DRIVERS/SOFTWARE/GENERAL UPDATES/OTHER HARDWARE/etc.. it is always best to start with the easiest solution first by totally removing newly installed programs/softwares/Drivers.

Check and double check ALL DRIVERS are upto date, including video drivers and that you have the correct driver's installed! Also making sure that your using the latest BIOS.

Check the DEVICE MANAGER for any issues showing up there, i.e YELLOW EXCLAMATION MARKS.



Consider running chkdsk on all partitions. Let chkdsk complete ALL partitions and see if that helps.

Also consider running SFC /SCANNOW from elevated command prompt from normal mode & safe mode.



Consider testing memory with Windows Memory Diagnostic or memtest86.

Note that memory that passes tests is not necessarily good memory! it just hasn't failed a test.

Consider systematically eliminating RAM from the system, Run with a couple of sticks for a while, and see how things go. Also switch them about too.

If you boot into safe mode, do you still experience bugchecks? What about if you do a clean boot, or device clean boot?

It can be helpful to use Driver Verifier;
To enable Driver Verifier... start > verifier.exe > OK > Create standard settings > Next > select driver names from a list > Next > sort by Provider > select all non Microsoft drivers > Finish, and OK.

Then, reboot and use the system as you normally would, and wait to see how you go. In the event that the system does not boot completely after enabling driver verifier, boot into Safe Mode and run driver verifier, and tell it to delete the changes!!

Now remember these are just a few basic checks to consider performing before seeking more technical advice, as this will save time, so if you were unable to solve the bsod issue,

when seeking more advice please state all checks you have performed and you full system specs and if requested mini-dumps in your post, very important!


Hope you find this useful!

[Sam]

Useful information with a nice layout, thank you for sharing this Bugsy.

[Bugsy]

Thanks Sam, could i just say that i also took the liberty of starting a new thread for windows software for members to post their recommended programs/softwares.... dont want to step on anyones toes.

[Sam]

? Make what threads you'd like.

[Modest]

I find nothing wrong with restarting my computer and forgetting about it

[Spooony]

why not use bluescreenview and check what dll is causing the problem?
The stop code. Every string os zeros are a stage in the boot process.
Its simple BSOD can boot into safe mode - driver issue
BSOD cant boot into safe mode - Hardware or corrupted OS file

[Bugsy]

If you have worked on a lot of pc/laptop that have experienced bsod then you will know that it is NOT that simple to suggest its hardware issues although 85% of the time it is, however there are many software/programs out there that cause almost identical symtoms through conflicting with or software etc, this is why i have posted a few easy SIMPLE things to check before delving into other more technical things, what you have to understand is most people that visit forum for advice dont have the know how or where to start when they encounter these issues, so my advice is to keep it as simple as possible for them and always start with the easiest solutions first.

Bluescreen very good.

or you can set windows onto "enable memeory dumps" and unchecking auto system reboot is quite handy too.

Just remember when people visit the forum looking for advice they generally want advice that is simple to follow as in the past i have seen people leaving to go to other forums looking for other advice, not everyone is very experienced in diagnosing or fixing computers.

@modest - ignoring things like this isn't the most sensible of things to do or even you suggest you are doing this on the forum as this can be seen as advice to others which does not look good for the rest of us and i dont advise anyone else to look at this as a solution.

[Deltron]

why not use bluescreenview and check what dll is causing the problem?
The stop code. Every string os zeros are a stage in the boot process.
Its simple BSOD can boot into safe mode - driver issue
BSOD cant boot into safe mode - Hardware or corrupted OS file

Agreed. BlueScreenView also mark the drivers that their addresses found in the crash stack, so you can easily locate the suspected drivers that possibly caused the crash.