Finding and Fixing the Cause of Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) on Windows

Introduction

The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) is a dreaded sight for any Windows user. It often occurs without warning and can be caused by various hardware or software issues. This guide will walk you through the process of identifying the root cause of a BSOD and provide steps to resolve it, focusing on a common culprit: display driver issues.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Launch Event Viewer

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type eventvwr.msc and press Enter.
3. This will open the Event Viewer, a powerful tool for diagnosing system issues.

2. Create a Custom View

1. In Event Viewer, click on “Action” in the top menu.
2. Select “Create Custom View”.
3. In the filter settings, choose “By log” and select both “Security” and “System” logs.
4. Set the time range to cover the period when the BSOD occurred.

3. Locate the Latest Error

1. In the custom view, look for the most recent error entries.
2. Pay attention to entries marked with a red icon, indicating critical errors.
3. In the error details, look for information about memory dumps. You should see a path like “C:\Windows\Minidump".

4. Locate the Minidump File

1. Navigate to the Minidump folder in File Explorer.
2. Look for the most recent .dmp file, which corresponds to your latest BSOD.

5. Copy the Dump File

1. Create a new folder on your desktop for analysis.
2. Copy the latest .dmp file to this new folder.

6. Analyze the Dump File with WinDbg

1. Install WinDbg from the Microsoft Store if you haven’t already.
2. Open WinDbg and go to File > Open Dump File.
3. Browse to the .dmp file you copied and open it.

7. Run Analysis

1. In WinDbg, type !analyze -v in the command line at the bottom.
2. Alternatively, click on the !analyze -v text if it appears in the window.
3. Wait for the analysis to complete. This may take a few minutes.

8. Interpret the Results

1. Look for the “PROBABLE_CAUSE” or “MODULE_NAME” in the analysis output.
2. In this example, we see “nvlddmkm.sys” mentioned, indicating a NVIDIA display driver issue.

Resolving the Issue

Now that we’ve identified the problem as a display driver issue (specifically with nvlddmkm.sys), here are the steps to resolve it:

1. Use DDU to Remove Existing Drivers:

   • Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU).
   • Boot into Safe Mode and run DDU to completely remove the current display drivers.

2. Reinstall the Latest Drivers:

   • Download and install the latest drivers for your specific graphics card model.

3. If the Problem Persists:

   • Consider reflashing the GPU BIOS. This is an advanced procedure and should be done with caution. Research your specific GPU model for instructions.

4. Hardware Inspection:

   • If software solutions don’t work, visually inspect the graphics card for signs of physical damage, such as blown capacitors or signs of overheating.

Conclusion

This post focused on display driver issue, but the same process can be applied to other BSOD causes.

Additional Resources

• Microsoft’s Guide to Using WinDbg