A computer blue screen error is one of the scariest and most annoying problems that you’ll ever encounter. These errors come out of nowhere (or, as it were, out of the blue), and usually don’t offer too much in the way of information.
So, if you experience a blue screen of death, what should you do? How can you attempt to fix this irritating PC problem?
In this guide, we’re going to take a look at how you can solve a blue screen error and get your computer back to normal. Are you ready to learn more? Then read on!
Table of Contents
1. Uninstall Any Recently Installed Software
When you experience a blue screen error, think about whether you’ve installed any software recently. Have the errors only begun since you installed a certain bit of software? If that’s the case, your first port of call should be uninstalling this software.
To uninstall it on Windows, you should open up Control Panel and go to “add and remove programs.” Give it a moment to compile a list of installed software, then find the software you need to uninstall. If this doesn’t fix the issue, you may want to try using another program like CCleaner to completely wipe out any leftover files.
If a blue screen is stopping you from getting into Windows to remove the program, you should try booting into safe mode. This is a special mode that loads only essential software.
To boot into safe mode on Windows 10, go to the start button, then the power options, hold down shift, and click restart. On the menu that comes up after restarting, go to troubleshoot, then advanced options, then startup settings. Once you’re in safe mode, try to uninstall the software as we outlined.
2. Run a Virus Scan
Sometimes, malware can cause a blue screen error. There are nearly one million new pieces of malware released every day, so it’s pretty common to get an infection.
Try using your antivirus software and Malwarebytes Antimalware. If they come back clean, you’re probably safe.
If you can’t run a virus scan at all, you’re very likely infected already. Boot into safe mode and try to scan from there. If this doesn’t work, you should create a rescue USB and boot into that, instead.
3. Run a Memory Check
Your RAM is divided into sectors and if one of these sectors goes bad it can have serious consequences on your machine’s stability. Thankfully, there is a way to check whether your RAM is okay or not.
To check whether your memory is working or not, you should pull up the start search box and search for Windows Memory Diagnostic. Click on this and follow the instructions. You’ll need to restart for the tool to start checking your RAM.
When your PC restarts, go back to the search box and look for event viewer. Here, click on Windows logs and then “find,” then look for “memory diagnostic” to find your results.
RAM isn’t the only type of memory that can cause a blue screen error, a problem on your hard drive could also be responsible. To find out, load up “my computer,” then right-click on your hard drive. Go to properties, then tools, then error checking, and click on “check.”
4. Remove Any New Peripherals
Sometimes, peripherals like mice or keyboards can cause issues on computers, due to driver incompatibilities. If your blue screen errors have only recently started appearing, it could be worth unplugging any new peripherals and seeing whether the errors stop.
If they do, the problem came down to your drivers, so return the device and get another one.
5. Roll Back to a Restore Point
If the errors have only recently started and nothing else has fixed them, you may need to roll your computer back to an earlier point. Your computer periodically makes “restore points,” which essentially save that PC’s configurations, so that you can flip back to an earlier version of your machine when everything was working.
To roll back to a restore point on Windows, do a search for “system restore,” then follow the instructions. The process on Mac is easy too thanks to the Time Machine software.
On either, it’s worth keeping your eyes on your machine while it rolls back, as both a system restore and Time Machine backup stuck error will necessitate you starting it all over again.
6. Reinstall Your Operating System
If none of these solutions have worked, you’ll need to take drastic action. This means formatting your hard drive and reinstalling your operating system.
If you can get onto the machine, make sure that you back up any important files, then load up a bootable USB or DVD and start the reinstall process. This shouldn’t take too long and should fix most common blue screen issues.
7. Go to a Repair Shop
If the blue screen errors persist, even after you’ve tried all the listed blue screen fixes and reinstalled your operating system, there’s likely a hardware fault causing issues. Diagnosing this over the internet is impossible, so it’s worth taking your PC into a repair shop for professionals to have a look at.
Has This Fixed Your Computer’s Blue Screen Error?
We hope that this has fixed the computer blue screen error that you encountered. These tips should solve almost every cause of a blue screen error, so if you’re still having issues, you need to see a professional technician.
For more informative articles like this one, check out the rest of our blog.
