Crash Recovery - Dealing with the Blue Screen Of Death

7/29/2019 Crash Recovery - Dealing with the Blue Screen Of Death

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Beginners Guides: Crash Recovery - Dealing with the Blue Screen Of

Death

If you've ever used Windows, chances are you've experienced the lovely shade of blueassociated with the famous Windows Stop Error or 'Blue Screen of Death.' This frequent,

although less so in newer operating systems, error occurs whenever Windows senses asoftware, hardware or driver error which will not allow it to continue operating properly.In other words, it happens all the time, for all sorts of reasons.

Often, if you're lucky, the problem will resolve itself with a simple reboot and you maynever have to worry about it again. More typically though, the BSOD is a harbinger of trouble and you may find yourself faced with another and another until you throw upyour hands... but all is not lost.

In this article PCSTATS.com will walk you through the BSOD in many of its most familiarincarnations. We will not be exploring and cataloguing what each BSOD means, but

rather providing a set of tools for troubleshooting that you can use to get around anyBlue Screen Of Death, or constant crash issue. Just another step in PCSTATS' never-ending quest to save your hard earned cash from going to the computer repair shop.

What is a Blue Screen of Death?

The Blue Screen of Death, or more properly the 'Windows stop message' occurs whenWindows detects a problem or error from which it cannot recover. The operating systemhalts and diagnostic information is displayed on a blue screen. In newer versions of theoperating system, the contents of the PC's memory are dumped to a file for lateranalysis.

All Windows XP stop errors are numbered according to the circumstances that causedthe error, which assists enormously in troubleshooting them.

Let's take a moment to look at a BSOD in its natural environment, careful now, we don't

want to startle it... Note the eye catching shade of blue intended to warn us of trouble,

the detailed list of hexadecimal numbers, and relatively unhelpful 'tip.' This is the BSODin all its glory, so be very afraid if you ever come face to face with this hideous creature!



Reading the Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD)

A typical Windows XP stop message, like the one above, is divided into four parts, andactually does display some helpful clues as to what caused its appearance. Reading a

BSOD is not an everyday task, but if we take a moment to dissect it, you'll see it can

help us to resolve the conflict which is stopping Windows from operating correctly.

The bugcheck information shows the number of the stop error (in hexadecimal format),information on why the system has stopped and the friendly (text-based) name for thestop error, in this case "DRIVER_IRQI_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL."

The second section, 'recommended user action,' is pretty generic and contains advice forthe user on possible troubleshooting steps.

This tends to be the same for just about every stop error, though the main advice 'tryrestarting your computer' is the best possible first step to take.

The third section, 'driver information,' may contain vital info. If an actual driver file isassociated with the blue screen, it will be listed here. This can give you something towork on in the case of a reoccurring error. More on this later in the article.

The final part of the stop error screen is the 'debug port and status information' section.

Windows XP will attempt to dump the contents of system memory either to a file on the

hard drive or to one of the COM ports in the case of a stop error. This section showsinformation about the procedure. Next up we look at what causes BSODs in the firstplace, and how to fix them!

Why Do BSOD's happen?

In Windows XP, stop messages generally take one of five forms:



1. Software errors during Windows operation. Software or device drivers installedin your computer may have errors or problems which cause a stop error, eitherconstantly or under certain conditions.

2. Hardware errors during Windows operation. If a hardware device malfunctionsor is removed during the operation of Windows, or if your hardware does not fullysupport the operations that XP expects it to support, a hardware stop error will occur.Outdated BIOS information on older computers might also be an issue.

3. Installation errors. The Windows XP installation process is the most sensitive time

for hardware and disk errors. If there is a problem with your computer's hardwareconfiguration or the media you are using to install XP, a stop error will likely occur.

4. Startup errors. Corrupted system files, hardware and driver errors can all causeWindows XP to halt with a stop message without correctly booting into Windows. Anerror of this sort will almost always require troubleshooting before Windows can beloaded correctly.

5. Intermittent errors. The most irritating type of stop message, these crop upconsistently but apparently randomly. The most likely culprits for this include: defectivesystem memory, an overheating processor, dead or dieing hard drive or faulty softwareand device drivers.

What can you do about them?

As you are probably aware, Windows XP can crash in all sorts of interesting ways. Even

though it is massively more stable than its predecessors (Windows 2000, Windows 98SE,Windows 95) people are still finding new and interesting ways to blow it out of the water.

Given the range of possible crashes and stop errors, it's difficult to come up with aprecise set of instructions for every possibly BSOD. Websites do exist which contain listsof known stop errors and some potential solutions, and we would advise you to checkthem also in your quest for a cure. Try here or here f or starters.

The goal of this PCSTATS.com Guide is not to provide specific instructions for fixing eachpossible Blue Screen Of Death issue.

Rather we aim to provide a generic set of troubleshooting steps which will allow you toanalyze and hopefully identify the cause of the error and correct it. If we do not cureyour issues, by the end of this section you will certainly be armed with more informationabout what is causing them.

There are a few basic steps that you should always take in the case of a Blue Screen Of Death appearing. Let's look though them now...

Basic troubleshooting for all BSOD errors

First off, note down all relevant information when you see a BSOD flash across thescreen. This includes the error number and friendly name from the 'bugcheck' section of

the stop error (see above), and any file names specified in the 'driver information'section.

If the BSOD comes up on the screen for a split-second before the PC restarts and wipesall the useful information away, we need to change some settings within WinXP. In mostcases, it should be possible to stop your PC from automatically restarting when it

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develops a major error, allowing you enough time to jot down the BSOD error message.If you are using WindowsXP, right click on my computer > Properties > Select the'Advanced' tab > and under 'startup and recovery' click the 'settings' button. This willopen a new window, and under the 'System Failure' heading, uncheck 'Automaticallyrestart.'

Continuing on, attempt to restart the computer normally into Windows. If the BSOD

occurred while booting Windows, you may be taken to a troubleshooting menu and will

have to select 'attempt to start Windows normally.' If your computer starts correctly,continue using it and store the error information for later reference. If the BSODreoccurs at random or irregular periods, see Section D below on troubleshootingintermittent stop errors.

If your system does not start correctly or the stop message happens again, reboot the

system. When the POST (memory checking) screen comes up, press F8 repeatedly. Thiswill bring you to the Windows advanced options menu.

In the Windows advanced options menu choose 'safe mode' to attempt to boot intoWindows Safe mode. Safe mode loads Windows XP with a minimal set of drivers and noautomatically loaded software. If faulty software or drivers are causing your BSOD

problem, safe mode should load correctly. If safe mode loads correctly, refer to SectionA below on 'troubleshooting software stop messages.'

If safe mode does not load correctly, and/or you get the same stop message uponattempting safe mode, it's time to try the 'restore last known good configuration' optionin the advanced options menu.

Restart your computer, pressing 'F8' again to load the advanced options menu and select

'last known good configuration (your most recent settings that worked).' This usesWindows XP's built in system restore utility to restore the most recent save point, whichshould be the last time you installed any drivers or other software. If your system bootsnormally after this operation, hopefully your problem has been fixed.

If you are still receiving a Blue Screen Of Death after the above procedures, or if system

restore was disabled on your system, note down any new information on the error andstart thinking. Did you install any new hardware or software just before this problemoccurred? The driver information section of the BSOD may help with this.

If you did install new hardware or software, and you think you know what it might bethat is causing the problem, this gives you a big boost in resolving the situation.

Otherwise, proceed to the advanced troubleshooting sections below. Chances are yourerror is hardware or system file based and will require more effort to repair.

Specific Repair Instructions

If you have a reoccurring Blue Screen Of Death or crashing problem, and can't useWindows effectively because of it, it's time to look at more specific methods of troubleshooting your problem. Depending on the results of the basic troubleshootingsteps above, you should have a good idea of whether the problem that is causing the

stop messages is related to software or drivers you have installed, or is a hardware orsystem file issue.

Essentially, if you can't boot into Windows XP safe mode because of crashes or BlueScreens Of Death, you likely either have a hardware error or one or more essential





system files is corrupted or missing. If you can boot into Windows XP safe mode, but getconstant or frequent BSOD's when running XP normally, you have a software or devicedriver problem.

Section A: Troubleshooting Software & Driver stop messages

Assuming you can boot into safe mode, the first thing you should attempt to do isperform a virus and spyware scan of your system if you have the relevant utilities suchas recently updated anti-virus software and Ad-Aware or Spybot S&D f or spyware scans.If anything was found and eliminated in either scan, attempt to restart Windows XPnormally.

If this does not help, boot back into safe mode. The next step is to use the built insystem restore utility to hopefully return Windows XP to working order. When run in safemode, you can access all recent restore points created by the system restore utility. This

gives you more flexibility than the 'last known good configuration' command in the bootmenu which only restores the most recent one.

To use the system restore utility, go to 'start\all programs\accessories\systemtools\system restore.'

The utility reserves hard disk space and creates a restore point each time you install orremove software. If you are fairly sure you know what you installed that might havecaused the problem. Restore the point created at that date. Note that any softwareinstalled since then will stop functioning, as links created to it in the registry will be

removed. Otherwise, restore your system to the most recent point created before youstarted having BSOD troubles. If the first one does not succeed in curing the problem,try the next most recent, etc.

If system restore has been disabled on your system, or if the utility did not fix yourproblem, it's time to try more specific cures.

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Did you install new software or device drivers before the problem occurred? If so, youneed to disable them as they are likely the culprits. Drivers need to be disabled or rolledback, and software needs to be uninstalled or be stopped from running automatically.

Fixing device drivers

In the case of a device driver, you can either roll it back to a previous (functional)version of the driver or disable it. To do either right click on 'my computer' and select'properties' then go to the 'hardware' tab and choose 'device manager.'

From here, expand the section where the troublesome device driver is located (videocard drivers are found in 'display adaptors,' sound card in 'sound video and game

controllers' and motherboard drivers in 'IDE/ATAPI controllers'). Highlight the device,right click and hit 'properties.'

Go to the 'drivers' tab.



From here you can use the 'roll back' option to revert to the previous driver version, oruse the 'uninstall' option to remove the driver completely. Note that you should not

uninstall video card or motherboard drivers, as this will stop Windows XP from booting just as effectively as your BSOD problem is doing. Attempt to 'roll back' the drivers first.

A second possibility is to right click on the offending device in device manager andchoose 'disable' which will prevent XP from loading that device driver during startup. Forobvious reasons, you should not use this on video card or motherboard drivers either.

If you are able to boot into Windows normally after these procedures, look for a workingdriver to update any device that you uninstalled or disabled.

Fixing software problems

If your BSOD issues are being caused by a faulty or incompatible program that starts

automatically when you boot Windows, thus crashing the system, there are a couple of easy ways to prevent this.

The best way is to use Sysinternal's 'autoruns' program to display all auto-runningsoftware on your computer. You can then pick through them and disable any potentialculprits.

To do this download and run autoruns .

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The program displays all software (including some essential Windows files) that runsautomatically after Windows loads. By unchecking the boxes, you can disable specific

programs and prevent them from loading. Note that there are several entries here youshould not disable at any time, the two most important of which are userinit.exe andexplorer.exe. Be very cautious with anything authored by Microsoft in this list (though itis possible for malicious startup programs like spyware and Trojan horse viruses to usethe Microsoft label here also).

If you can't get access to autoruns, you can still use the built-in MSCONFIG utility to editstartup programs. Go to 'start\run' and type 'msconfig.' Choose the 'startup' tab.

While this utility's display is not as comprehensive as autoruns is, it has the advantageof not displaying any critical system files. Therefore, you can uncheck any and all itemson this list without fear of messing up Windows even more.

Once you have used either utility to edit your startup programs, reboot normally intoWindows.

Section B: Troubleshooting hardware and system file based BSODs

If you can't even boot into safe mode without a stop message, and the 'last known goodconfiguration' boot option did not help, it's likely you have a hardware or system fileerror. There's a procedure for each and neither is particularly fast, so we will run through

the procedures in ascending order of difficulty.



Checking for hardware errors

First off, have you added any new hardware devices or peripherals to your systemrecently? If so, power off the computer and remove them, then attempt to boot againnormally.

If you changed the motherboard in your system, or moved your Windows installation to

a new system before the error occurred, you must perform a Repair Install before XP willwork correctly again. See the section below entitled 'Fixing missing or corrupted systemfiles.'

If you haven't added new devices recently, or if removing them does not solve theproblem, it's time to test your system's memory.

Testing system memory

From another computer, obtain the Windows Memory diagnostic or Memtest memory

diagnostic programs on floppy or CD, then use them to boot your system and test thememory. If either of these programs shows any errors in your memory, you have likelyfound the source of your troubles. Chances are you will need to purchase new memory.For more information on faulty memory and memory diagnostics, see PCstats article ondiagnosing bad memory here.

Fixing missing or corrupted system files

Windows XP will often refuse to work if certain system files are missing or becomecorrupted through hard drive or virus issues. Likewise, changing the motherboard (or theentire system) under your Windows XP installation will stop it working until the systemfiles are repaired and updated.

To do this, you should perform a Repair Install.

The repair install process reinstalls all Windows system files while leaving directories,

settings and user data intact. This should fix any corrupted files that are causing BSODsand crash issues. To perform a repair install:

1. Boot from the Windows XP installation CD2. Choose the 'press enter to set up Windows XP now' option3. Press F8 to skip through the EULA4. Now press R to begin a repair installation

Your system will go through the entire XP install process, but will not attempt to replaceany of your existing data. It will simply reinstall the system files and redetect allhardware. Once the process has completed, your computer will reboot. Note that if youperform a repair install, you will need to visit the Windows Update Site and reload anypatches and Service Packs that you previously applied to your system, as the repairinstall will remove them all.

Identifying other defective hardware

If you are still experiencing constant crashing, power off your computer again, open thecase and remove all non-essential hardware. The only things still connected to thesystem and motherboard should be:

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CD-DriveVideo cardMemory(And obviously the processor and power supply must still be connected also)

Attempt to install XP again. If it works correctly, you can troubleshoot the remainingdevices from within Windows.

Section D: Troubleshooting Intermittent Blue Screens or Crashes

Nothing is more maddening than a random crashing problem on your PC. Most of allbecause almost any type of hardware or software error could cause this behaviour.

The first step you can take to narrow the field down is booting in safe mode and trying touse the system normally (or as normally as you can in safe mode.) If the errors do notoccur, it is likely to be software or drivers that are causing the problem. Refer to SectionA in this Guide for advice on treating these issues.

If the errors occur randomly, even in safe mode, hardware issues are likely to blame.Consult Section B of this Guide for a list of steps to take. Also you should check that theprocessor heatsink fan is working correctly, and that your PC is not overheating.

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Crash Recovery - Dealing with the Blue Screen Of Death