Blue screen (or stop errors) usually occur when a serious problem causes the operating system to shutdown or restart unexpectedly. The user might get a blue screen with a lot of text and a message that says something along the line of Windows has been shut to prevent damage to your computer. The computer then proceeds to either restart or shut down.
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This guide will go through the potential fixes that could get rid of the Blue screen.
Fix 1 – Restart the computer by unplugging it
This is the simplest yet most effective way to tackle this problem. Just requires the user to give the computer a restart by unplugging the power source.
- Shutdown the computer if it isn’t already.
- Unplug the power cable (remove the battery in case of a laptop).
- Wait at least 30 seconds.
- Plug in the power cable (put the battery back in in case of a laptop).
- Turn the computer on.
- Run the computer normally for a while to see if the issue still persists.
Fix 2 – Undo recent changes using System Restore
This fix requires the use of a certain windows utility called System Restore. Basically what it does is it restores the computer by undoing any changes made it to recently for example changes like registry changes, new software/driver installations. Follow these steps to perform this fix:
- Go to Start Menu.
- Search for System Restore and click on Reset this PC.
- From the next screen, click on Get started.
- After that you will see a new screen with tw0 options: Keep my file, Remove everything.
- Choose the first one.
- Follow the next on-screen instructions to complete the process.
- Make sure that system restore is done so it undoes things like recently installed drivers and software that are potentially causing the issue.
Fix 3 – Using the Action Centre to check for solutions
This fix involves the use of a built-in feature to check for solutions automatically. If there’s a problem (hardware or software) the action center will check for a possible solution. To do this:
- Go to Control Panel by searching it from the Start Menu.
- Look for System and Security. Click on it.
- Click on the System and Maintenance (Maintenance only in Windows 7).
- Under Check for solutions to problem reports, click on check for solutions.
- Windows will then proceed to find any solutions to recently reported problems.
Fix 4 – Roll back drivers
It is possible that any newly updated drivers are creating hardware issues. The best fix is to roll back any recently updated drivers to an older version and see if the issue persists.
- Head over to manufacturer’s website and download an older version of the driver.
- Install the older version of the driver so it overwrites the latest one.
Fix 5 – Uninstall recently installed software
Like fix 4, the newly installed software can also cause issues that result in the blue screen. Simply uninstall any recent software and check if the issue persists.
- Access Control Panel by searching for it in the Start menu.
- Under Programs, click on Uninstall a program.
- Uninstall any recently installed software.