by Lime Red Tetrahedron

Created on: June 21, 2010

Have you recently had the misfortune of encountering a blue screen of death? This dreaded system failure notification is the bane of many a computer technician, and appears quite daunting at first glance. Luckily, diagnosing the dreaded blue screen of death could not be simpler. In this article, we will walk through some of the different possible causes of the blue screen of death. For each problem, we will suggest a solution.

Problem 1 - Software Glitches

Have you installed any new software recently? Sometimes, software bugs and errors can cause the system to crash, leading to a blue screen of death. Think: is there any correlation between frequency of blue screen occurrences and any new software on the computer? Software glitches are the cause of a large number of blue screen of death cases. However, software errors are relatively easy to mitigate.

First, check the website of the software manufacturer for any updates to the software in question. Updates can eliminate the errors in the software program, bringing an end to blue screen of death symptoms. Alternatively, you may opt to uninstall the program in question completely. Uninstallation is recommended for non-essential programs, such as games. Of course, if and when an updated copy of the program becomes available, feel free to install it!

Problem 2 - Hardware / Driver Issues

Have you begun using any new hardware before the onset of blue screen of death symptoms? Hardware is everything physical that is related to your computing experience. This includes things such as mice, keyboards, flash drives, SD cards / portable storage devices, joysticks and monitors. If any of these components were recently acquired / updated, they may be to blame. Often the problem lies in flawed drivers - the programs that tell the computer how to 'talk' to hardware devices. These errors are perhaps the most common culprit in blue screen of death cases.

To resolve driver issues, first check the website of the device manufacturer for driver updates. Updated drivers can fix glitches that cause blue screen of death symptoms in some cases. Alternatively, opt to use a generic driver in place of the manufacturer-provided one. Generic drivers sometimes lack the extra functionality of the manufacturer drivers, but are generally more stable. Finally, in the worst case scenario, discontinue use of the afflicted device.

Problem 3 - RAM Issues

Damaged random access memory - RAM - can lead to blue screen of death symptoms as well. RAM is

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>