Diagnosing Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Errors

A BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) indicates a critical system error. Note the stop code displayed (e.g., MEMORY_MANAGEMENT, IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL) — this is the starting point for diagnosis. Windows saves a minidump file to C:\Windows\Minidump after each crash. Analyze minidumps using WinDbg or the free tool WhoCrashed (resplendence.com), which interprets the dump and often identifies the faulty driver or hardware component. Common causes include bad RAM, failing hard drives, outdated drivers (especially graphics), and overheating. Run Windows Memory Diagnostic (mdsched.exe) to test RAM. For driver-related BSODs, boot into Safe Mode and uninstall the recently updated driver. Use Device Manager to roll back the driver. If BSODs occur after a Windows Update, use System Restore to roll back.