What is the Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD)?

This is the worse event users of Windows would ever like to encounter. BSOD occurs when a Windows OS encounters a problem and it has to restart(reboot). And the worse thing is that it does not always warn you thus there is always loss of unsaved work.

The BSOD is as a result of a low-level software that has crashed or a problem with a hardware.

What really Causes BSOD?

Generally, they are caused by problems with your hardware or the drivers of the later. Normally, softwares like say vlc (standard apps) cannot cause BSOD. If they crash, they will do so alone, and may to an  extend freeze the PC, but will not cause BSOD.

Windows always creates a file (minidump file) that contains the information about the crash and it saves it to your HDD, which you can then view this file later to better understand what really happened.

How to view BSOD information

There are apps that can help you view the BSOD information like NirSoft’s free BlueScreenView application. You can also use Windows Event viewer.

How to troubleshoot BSODs

If you are using Windows 7 or later, you can easily check them on the Action Center which will analize and propose solutions to you.

Some tips about BSODs

Always use System Restore. 

If you have a BSOD, use System Restore and come back to the previous state your computer was. If it comes back successfully, then it means it was probably an app problem.

Always scan for malware and viruses

There are some viruses that go right deep into the windows kernel and create Kos there. They can easily cause BSODs.

Update Drivers

Some BSODs are caused by installing wrong or outdated drivers. Always download the latest update for your drivers and eliminate the possibility for BSODs.

Save Mode.

If your PC is used to BSODs, you can easily switch to the Save Mode, which does not load all drivers. Thus permitting you to solve the particular problem in question.

Hardware Problems

BSODs can be caused by hardware problems as earlierly mentioned. Always check for your hardware like your memory errors, etc.

Reinstall (format) Windows.

This is always the fastest, although it is the last resort. And if after reinstalling Windows your PC still has a BSOD, then it is surely a hardware problem.

Note that there are rare those PCs who never have BSODs. So don’t be over worried if you have a BSOD. But also, PCs should not have BSODs and if u have one, there should be a problem.