Blue Screen Of Death Blues. Possible Fixes For A Happy Computer!

Let's Try And Fix Those Computer Problems And Blue Screens

Whether it's your first time, reoccurring thing, or the the last straw, computer issues happen at the most inconvenient times. From slowing down your computer to the worst case scenario, a blue screen of death (BSOD), it can be very frustrating and scary.

Not to worry! You should be thanking the "blue screen of death", as it is stopping your computer from essentially breaking itself or it's software. Also, there is often a misconception that a blue screen is always a result of hardware issues. This is not usually the case from my experience.

This will be a guide to help you resolve these issues the fastest way without resulting in expensive hardware replacements or a reinstall of Windows. As a reminder, this would be the faster way and NOT a cure-all but, are some good steps to take first before making huge inconveniences.

Please note: All suggestions are for Windows 10 or higher. A lot of what is discussed may work with Windows XP or higher. If you need assistance with older versions of Windows that you cannot find here, let me know in the comments and I can attempt to find a solution for you 😉

Want to skip the fluff and go to a quick step by step outline? Click Here!

Possible Causes: lightest issues to worst case scenario

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

There are a handful of common reasons why you would encounter performance issues or a blue screen. Sometimes, it's just inevitable over time as things are installed and as hardware wears down. Here are a few common reasons why this would happen from light issues to the very worse.

Faulty software

Software is made by people or a group of people. This means, human error can occur and the program can be buggy. Some software if you interrupt the installation or you are running the program and forcefully turn off the computer, can corrupt/break it. These can cause frustrating errors, performance issues, lag, or even a blue screen.

Bad Drivers

Drivers allow your computer to run specific hardware. This would include, but not be limited to, your graphics card and sound. If a driver is bad, outdated, or missing you can run into some problems.

Corrupted Windows or a bad install

We rely on the operating system for pretty much everything! Sadly, some updates to keep Windows safe and operating at its best can be buggy as mentioned already. Some buggy, bad, or infectious software can also damage Windows. A recent faulty Windows update and some software that relies on Windows resources can cause performance issues, errors, or even a blue screen. 

Hardware

Oh boy! This would be the worst case scenario. Something physically broke or went bad. Although not the most common issue for performance issues or blue screens, it is definitely a possibility. An expensive possibility.

Tell me how to fix it!

Photo by RF._.studio from Pexels

Luckily, there are a few things we can do to fix these problems and possibly increase performance while we're at it. These steps are not very invasive and safe unless  ...you are running questionable non-authentic software. I'm going to start with the first few easiest steps! We'll be using Windows Command Prompt for the first few steps.

Disclaimer: If you are attempting this at work, you'll need I.T. or manager approval first, as you will need admin access or an administration password. 

Opening Windows Command Prompt

To do the commands I'm going to have you perform, we will need to open Windows Command Prompt with admin access. Don't let this intimidate you. To make this as easy as possible, I will list the steps

1. Right click on the Windows icon or the start menu usually on the bottom left of your screen. It looks like this:  
2. Click on Search
3. Type CMD
4. Next, right click on the icon that looks like the following and says Command prompt and click Run as administrator : 
5.  Lastly, click Yes when prompted

A window like the following should show up!

Click to zoom

Fixing some performance issues

Let's start with freeing up some space and organizing data! Don't worry these processes are pretty much automated. Although it may or may not be noticeable, it is good maintenance and can improve performance without needing to install or update anything.

Freeing up some space (Time: 5min to 1 hour)

Now that command prompt is open, let's get to work. Cleaning up your hard drive can not only free up some space but improve performance and in some cases help resolve issues. Specifically, cleaning up old Windows updates that Windows thinks it needs to rely on

1. First, type in cleanmgr and press enter.
2. A window like the following will pop up. Select your windows drive, usually C:, and press Ok.
   
   
   
3. Click Windows Update Cleanup and all that you feel comfortable with. To be honest, you can probably check all of them off. If you encounter issues, it will refill in this area automatically.
4. Click Ok.
5. Lastly, let it finish. This can take a while but usually less than 30 minutes.

Defragment (Time: 5 min to 1 hour+)

Defragmenting is important maintenance in general for all computers. Think of your computer as your work desk. Over time, files, pens, glasses, etc. get cluttered and unorganized. We're all guilty of it but somehow, we always know where things are in our mess. Your computer works the same way but without you noticing it. It may know where files are, but they are cluttered, which slows things down. So like reorganizing and cleaning your work desk, defragmenting your computer reorganizes data on your computer to be more efficient. Here's what to do.

1. With command prompt still open type in defrag c:
2. This will give you some information about your hard drive. It may not look like anything is going on, but it is working. 
3. Wait for the process to finish. Usually this is pretty quick but, if you haven't done it before and, if you are running an older computer, it can take some time. Once it is finished, you will see a "Post defragmentation report" and you will be able to type in the command prompt again.
   

Fixing errors and blue screens

Here comes the tricky bit ...well, eventually. At first we will go over some quick fixes that may help resolve issues and may even resolve some blue screen issues. I will begin with the easiest tricks to the harder suggestions. 

Let's update, update, update!

A lot of errors and a handful of blue screens can be due to a corrupted or older version of driver, software, and/or Windows update. Here's some suggestions:

Start with Windows update (Time: >30min to overnight): Luckily Windows update can fix and update some of the problems previous Windows updates had and most of your drivers with the most functional drivers. To initiate Windows update follow these steps: 

Microsoft Windows update

1. Right click the start menu.
2. Click on search.
3. In the search text field type in Windows Update and click on Windows update settings.
4. Click on Check for updates and let it do its thing. 

Hardware driver update (Time: >30min):You can update each and every individual driver as shown in step three of my wifi blog post found here: Fix Wifi, however, it may be best to check with each manufacturer for your more important software like your video card. To do this, go to the website and usually at the very top or very bottom you will see Drivers or Downloads. Download the software that corresponds to your driver, and install it.

Note: A good rule of thumb from personal experience and from what I've read, would be to first uninstall the old driver/software and then reinstall the driver/software you've just downloaded.

System file checker (SFC) scan (Time: >30 min): Windows system file checker or SFC for short, scans all your important files that are supposed to allow your system to function. If something is corrupted or missing, it will replace it. If you're noticing issues, it may be good to run this every once and awhile. 

1. Open command prompt: Hopefully, you still have your command prompt open. If not, no problem, just open it up again the way you did previously by clicking here!
2. Type in sfc /scannow
3. Let it do it's thing. Even if it doesn't look like it's doing anything, it is. The nice thing about the scan is it will tell you when it is done you can also tell it is done when you're able to type again.

Windows Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) scan (Time: >30 to 1 hour): Much like SFC scan, this works similarly where it finds errors, corruption, or missing files and repairs or replaces them. Here's what to do to get it running!

1. In the command line type this (you can even copy and paste this): dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
2. Let it run. Much like SFC scan it will tell you when it is done and will allow you to type again.

Last resort, run a check disk scan (Time: a few hours to overnight+): When nothing else works, and all else fails, try this scan. I say use it as a last resort as it takes a really long time to finish. This is very much like the other two but it also checks for bad sectors and bad physical sectors and tries to repair and recover them. Here's how to do it!

1. In command prompt type chkdsk /f
2. It will ask you if you want to schedule it for next restart, type Y and push Enter.
3. Close command prompt and restart your computer.
4. Now comes the hard part, set it, forget it, and entertain yourself a different way till it finishes. I strongly suggest doing this before bed so your computer won't be down when you need it.

If this doesn't help 😭

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

If you are still encountering issues, you may need to reinstall Windows or in the very worst case scenario, replace hardware. Although not hugely common, hardware would be pretty rare to go out unless your computer is very old. I truly hope these processes help you in resolving your computer issues!

Now the moment you've been waiting for, the step by step outline (To Top)

1. Open Command prompt Click here!
2. Let's clean up your PC. Type cleanmgr 🠞 ok 🠞 check all that apply 🠞 then ok
3. Let's organize data. Type defrag c: 🠞 let is finish. You can type when it's down
4. First line of fixing errors: update windows and update drivers
5. Didn't work? First scan: In command prompt type sfc /scannow 🠞 Let it finish
6. Second scan: In command prompt type dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth 🠞 Let it finish
7. Last scan: In command prompt type chkdsk /f 🠞 y 🠞 enter 🠞 restart 🠞 Let it finish
8. All else fails you may need to find out which hardware could be damaged or reinstall Windows