STOP ERRORS (Blue Screen Of Death)

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STOP ERRORS (Blue Screen Of Death) This tutorial is meant solely as a troubleshooting guide to help with BSOD's or blue Error Screens.There will always be the odd time when the error you recieve may not correspond with the actual problem, but will in general, help to diagnose it. Things to do to help with diagnosing errors before they happen Usually, when you recieve an error screen, your computer will restart before you have a chance to see and write down the error. You can do the following to make the error screen stay until you have taken all the information in. 1. WindowsXP, right click on my computer Properties Select the 'Advanced' tab and under 'startup and recovery' click the 'settings' button. This will open a new window, and under the 'System Failure' heading, uncheck 'Automatically restart.' After you have written down the error, it is time to try and get back into Windows.There are a number of things you can try, and the order of them is of no consequence. 1. Restart Windows normally. I would try this first since their is a good chance it will work long enough to fix the problem if it is software related. 2. Restart into Safemode (f8 after the bootscreen) A good palce to start for driver related problems or if booting into Windows hasn't worked. 3.Last Known Good Configuration (f8 after the bootscreen) Really a last ditch effort that rarely works for anything other than a bad software installation or the wrong driver, and only if System Restore is on. 4. Hope- Hope that it is software or Hardware that you just installed that is causing the error and you can fix it relatively easy.** Essentially, if you can't boot into Windows XP safe mode because of crashes or Blue Screens 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 get constant or frequent BSOD's when running XP normally, you have a software or device driver problem. Steps to take when rebooting back into Windows 1. Safe Mode- If you can get here, then run a virus scan and Spyware scan to rule out either of these as the source of the error. If you find something, delete it and try to boot to Windows normally. If you still have problems, reboot back to safe mode and try a system Restore, which even in Safe Mode, allows you to access all restore points available. To get to System Restore- start\all programs\accessories\system tools\system restore. If the first retore point doesn't work, try the next recent. Remember though, some programs will cease to work correctly if they were installed after the restore point. If you are sure that it was a driver then you can uninstall it or roll it back to a previous driver. To do this:Right Click on My Computer-Properties-Hardware-Device Manager-Double Click on the Device-Right Click-Properties-Driver-Roll Back** You can also choose to Disable the device you suspect is causing the problems.Do the same as above, and instead Right Click the Device and select Disable.Do not use on Motherboard or Video Card Drivers 2. Start Up- If the problem is related to a program that starts when Windows does, then shutting down the program is relatively simple. Start Menu-Run-MSCONFIG-Startup tab It is relatively safe to shut down most everything in here with the exception of you Anti-Virus and Firewall. Most other programs that create startup entries are programs that you use at your own discretion anyway.EX. NERO CHECK, MSMSGS ECT. 3. None Of The Above- Usually a Hardware problem. There are a few different things to here depending on what the error is. The first thing I always do is to unplug my PC and remove the side panel and make sure everything is in there snug. Over time Cables can come loose so sometimes it's as easy as securing the cables and power connectors. (For those that have never done this, 2 things. 1. If this is a new computer and is under warranty, note that taking the panels off can hurt your warranty. 2. See Forcefires tutorial on how to clean your PC) Also, make sure your video card and your CPU Heatsink is still snug Memory is a little different since it can be broken easier, you should be a bit more gentle when checking them. Also, using a program called MEMTEST can diagnose memory modules for errors. Hard Drives- Visit your HD manufacturers Website for their Diagnostic software. Heatsink or CPU- Check that the fan on the heatsink is still spinning and that the CPU isn't too hot(it should be warm to the touch, but if you are getting 3rd degree burns, you have a problem. 4. Corrupted or Missing Files-If this is the case, a simple repair install will fix this problem, especially if it has occurred from a hardware replacement such as a Motherboard.This will not affect any software currently installed, only the Sytem Files. 1. Boot from the Windows XP installation CD 2. Choose the 'press enter to set up Windows XP now' option 3. Press F8 to skip through the EULA 4. Now press R to begin a repair installation When you are done, you will have to update Windows and get any Service Packs or Security Fixes again. For a complete listing of Stop Errors visit Microsoft Support, I would list them, but since this is one of Windows best known features, it would take up quite a bit of space. MicrosoftSupport-http://support.microsoft.com/search/default.aspx?catalog=LCID%3D1033&query=stop&x=0&y=0 Memory Diagnostic- MEMTEST-http://www.memtest.org/Hard Drive Diagnostic Software- MAXTOR-http://www.maxtor.com/portal/site/Maxtor/menuitem.8db0c3d6932ced37294198b091346068/?channelpath=/en_us/Support/Software%20Downloads WESTERNDIGITAL-http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp?cxml=n&pid=999 SEAGATE-http://seatools.seagatestorage.com/en SAMSUNG-http://www.samsung.com/Products/HardDiskDrive/utilities/shdiag.htm HITACHI-http://www.hitachigst.com/portal/site/en/?epi_menuItemID=9d9c342d03880f8056fb11f0aac4f0a0&epi_menuID=3d0cb215112b6934ab937c27aac4f0a0&epi_baseMenuID=3d0cb215112b6934ab937c27aac4f0a0 VIDEO Drivers- ATI-https://support.ati.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=894&task=knowledge&folderID=27 Nvidia-http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp