Fix Windows Blue Screen Errors – Windows 10/11 2026

Safe Mode allows Windows to start with minimal drivers, helping isolate the cause of blue screen errors.

1. Restart your computer and immediately press F8 repeatedly during startup
2. Select Safe Mode with Command Prompt from the Advanced Boot Options menu
3. Once in Safe Mode, right-click the Start button and select Windows Terminal (Admin)
4. Run the System File Checker to repair corrupted files:

sfc /scannow

5. Wait for the scan to complete (this may take 15-30 minutes)
6. If corrupted files are found, run DISM to repair the Windows image:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

7. Restart your computer normally to test if the blue screen issue is resolved

Incompatible or corrupted drivers are the leading cause of blue screen errors. This method addresses driver-related issues.

1. Right-click This PC and select Properties
2. Click Device Manager from the left panel
3. Look for devices with yellow warning triangles or red X marks
4. Right-click problematic devices and select Update driver
5. Choose Search automatically for drivers
6. If updating doesn't work, try rolling back recent driver updates:
7. Right-click the device and select Properties
8. Go to the Driver tab and click Roll Back Driver
9. For graphics drivers, download the latest version directly from manufacturer websites:

• NVIDIA: GeForce Experience or nvidia.com
• AMD: AMD Software or amd.com
• Intel: Intel Driver & Support Assistant

To identify which driver caused the blue screen, check the crash dump:

Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='System'; ID=1001} | Select-Object -First 5

Faulty RAM is a common cause of blue screen errors. This method tests your system memory and other hardware components.

1. Press Windows + R and type mdsched.exe
2. Click Restart now and check for problems
3. Your computer will restart and run a memory test (this takes 10-20 minutes)
4. After the test completes, check results in Event Viewer:
5. Press Windows + X and select Event Viewer
6. Navigate to Windows Logs → System
7. Look for events from source "MemoryDiagnostics-Results"

For additional hardware testing, run these commands in an elevated Command Prompt:

chkdsk C: /f /r
wmic diskdrive get status
wmic memorychip get capacity,speed,memorytype,devicelocator

8. Check system temperatures using built-in tools:

Get-WmiObject -Namespace "root/OpenHardwareMonitor" -Class Sensor | Where-Object {$_.SensorType -eq "Temperature"}

9. If memory errors are found, physically reseat RAM modules or replace faulty memory
10. Ensure all internal connections are secure and components are properly seated

Analyzing crash dump files provides detailed information about what caused the blue screen error.

1. Disable automatic restart to see the full blue screen error:
2. Right-click This PC → Properties → Advanced system settings
3. Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings
4. Uncheck Automatically restart under System failure
5. Set Write debugging information to Small memory dump (256 KB)
6. Note the crash dump location: %SystemRoot%\Minidump
7. Download and install Windows Debugging Tools (WinDbg) from Microsoft Store
8. Open WinDbg and load the most recent dump file:

windbg -z C:\Windows\Minidump\[latest_dump_file].dmp

9. Run the analyze command to get crash details:

!analyze -v

10. Look for the "PROBABLE_CAUSE" and "MODULE_NAME" in the output
11. Search for the specific error code and module name to find targeted solutions
12. Common stop codes and their meanings:

• 0x0000001E: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (driver issue)
• 0x0000003B: SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION (system service error)
• 0x0000007E: SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (thread exception)
• 0x000000D1: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (driver memory access)

If other methods fail, restoring Windows to a previous working state or performing a reset can resolve persistent blue screen issues.

1. System Restore Method:
2. Press Windows + R and type rstrui.exe
3. Click Next and select a restore point from before the blue screens started
4. Click Scan for affected programs to see what will be changed
5. Click Next and then Finish to start the restore process
6. Windows Reset Method (if System Restore fails):
7. Go to Settings → Update & Security → Recovery
8. Under Reset this PC, click Get started
9. Choose Keep my files to preserve personal data
10. Select Remove everything only if keeping files doesn't resolve the issue
11. Choose Just remove my files for faster reset
12. Click Reset to begin the process

For advanced users, you can also use DISM to repair the Windows image from installation media:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:D:\Sources\install.wim:1 /LimitAccess

13. Replace D: with your Windows installation media drive letter
14. After reset, reinstall essential programs and restore data from backups