What You Need to know about the Blue Screen of Death
There’s nothing more terrifying than opening your computer and seeing nothing. Well, nothing but blue. The term blue screen of death may sound dramatic, but it’s pretty appropriate for the feeling of dread it can inspire.
For anyone that spends any significant amount of time working on their computers, you already know how stressful and anxiety-inducing an unflinching blue screen can be. It's one of the most frustrating system errors ever.
Today, we're going to discuss the essential things you need to know about this error. In terms of fixing it, there’s no one size fits all fix for this problem. But there are a few standard solutions.
Here's what you need to know:
What is the Blue Screen of Death?
The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) occurs when your computer crashes and immediately reboots. While that might sound like a minor inconvenience, it's a severe problem that means your computer suffers from a major issue.
Nearly all Windows operating systems are susceptible to this error. Additionally, this error has been reproduced under Linux, Android, and Windows Mobile platforms. While the error itself is the same, the name may be different, depending on the operating system.
What Causes the BSOD?
Although the BSOD happens during a computer error, it’s not technically an error in and of itself. The BSOD occurs when your computer crashes and reboots without passing through an operating system. The reason it usually occurs is because of a driver or hardware failure. While this is the most common reason, it isn’t the only cause. Some other possible causes of computer crash leading to the BSOD include:
A power surge
drivers that don’t update or load correctly
A virus that prevents Windows from loading
A virus that attacks the operating system while it’s loading
Faulty memory chips
A faulty graphics card
A faulty CPU
A faulty motherboard
A bad RAM stick
Heat issues
A previous software installation gone wrong
And more!
How to Fix the BSOD
As mentioned before, it's impossible to pinpoint a universal fix for the BSOD. The problem is unique to your computer. So the solution will be unique to your computer. The first step to fixing a BSOD is knowing what caused it.
You can usually narrow down the cause of your BSOD by looking up the error code that is displayed on the blue screen itself. If you have a hardware failure, the problem may have been there for a while. If it’s a software error, you can try updating the software referenced in the error code..
If the problem is a virus, you’ll need to load a virus scanner and run a scan. If the problem is a missing hardware driver, you’ll have to find a replacement or a substitute.
Following up on a recently installed software package can help, as well. If the problem was a recent hardware install, you might want to try uninstalling the hardware and then reinstalling it to correct the problem.
Summary
The BSOD is stressful and frustrating. However, unlike other computer errors, the BSOD is a lot easier to resolve in most cases as it the screen gives you an indication of what’s gone wrong You can use your knowledge of the problem to either fix it yourself or figure out the best way to get a professional to help you.
If you would like to learn more about other common computer errors and more, make sure you check out our other articles. J-BIT TECH is an Albuquerque computer services store. We provide repairs services and more to help get your PC back to optimum condition. Book an appointment or get a quote online today!
