Problem You need to know the specific cause and solution for Windows' Stop or "blue screen of death" error messages. Solution The known causes of and typical solutions to Stop or blue-screen error messages are listed in Part VII, Appendix C of the Windows XP resource kit documentation at http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/Windows/XP/all/reskit/en-us/Default.asp. Table 20-1 lists general troubleshooting and repair tips for each known Stop error. Table 20-1. Troubleshooting tips for Stop errors| Error message | Troubleshooting recommendation |
|---|
| Stop 0x0000000A | Replace/remove hardware, roll back, or update driver. | | Stop 0x0000001E | Recently installed or defective software crashed the OS. Report the error and update or remove the software. | | Stop 0x00000024 | Probable disk or file system error. Run CHKDSK to determine disk problems. | | Stop 0x0000002E | Defective or mismatched memory, including motherboard, Level 2 cache, or video RAM. Replace memory or system board. May also be caused by pagefile or disk error. Run CHKDSK to determine disk/file system problems. | | Stop 0x0000003F | Removing or reinstalling upgraded software may solve this problem. | | Stop 0x00000050 | Replacing RAM memory, L2 RAM cache, video RAM, or incompatible software, including remote control and antivirus software, are possible fixes. | | Stop 0x00000077 | Run a virus protection scan to locate and remove any possible virus infections. Run CHKDSK or other disk-repair diagnostic or replacing the hard drive may resolve this problem. | | Stop 0x00000079 | This error most often occurs when ACPI firmware settings are changed. For example, you might install Windows XP Professional on an x86-based computer with the firmware ACPI enable option enabled and later decide to disable it. This error can also result when mismatched single and multiprocessor configuration files are copied to the system. Re-enable ACPI or run Windows installation to repair the installation to match the present hardware configuration. | | Stop 0x0000007A | Run CHKDSK or other disk-repair diagnostic or replacing the hard drive or controller may resolve this problem. | | Stop 0x0000007B | Installing incorrect device drivers when installing or upgrading storage adapter hardware typically causes stop 0x7B errors. Stop 0x7B errors could also indicate possible virus infection. Run a virus protection scan to locate and remove any possible virus infections. Run CHKDSK or other disk-repair diagnostic or replacing the hard drive may resolve this problem. | | Stop 0x0000007F | This could be caused by software problems or hardware failures. Removing and reinstalling updated drivers, software, or hardware may solve this problem. | | Stop 0x0000009F | The Stop 0x9F message indicates that a driver is in an inconsistent or invalid power state. Restarting the PC may resolve this problem. | | Stop 0xBE | Removing and reinstalling updated drivers may solve this problem. | | Stop 0xC2 | This message is typically due to a faulty driver or software. Removing and reinstalling updated drivers may solve this problem. | | Stop 0x000000CE | This message indicates that a driver failed to cancel pending operations before exiting. Restarting the PC may resolve this problem. | | Stop 0x000000D1 | Drivers that have used improper addresses typically cause this error. Removing and reinstalling updated drivers may solve this problem. | | Stop 0x000000D8 | Drivers that have used improper addresses typically cause this error. Removing and reinstalling updated drivers may solve this problem. | | Stop 0x000000EA | Removing and reinstalling updated drivers, software, or hardware may solve this problem. | | Stop 0x000000ED | This error might also occur during an upgrade to Windows XP Professional on systems that use higher throughput ATA disks or controllers with incorrect cabling. In some cases, your system might appear to work normally after you restart. Installing an 80-wire IDE cable may solve this problem. | | Stop 0x000000F2 | Edge-level and level-interrupt-triggered devices are incorrectly assigned the same IRQ (for example, a serial port and a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) SCSI controller). Resetting Plug and Play/ESCD values in BIOS may solve this problem. | | Stop 0xC000021A | Windows security system is unable to function. Running Windows setup to reinstall/repair may solve this problem. | | Stop 0xC0000221 | Indicates driver, system file, or disk corruption problems (such as a damaged paging file). Faulty memory hardware can also cause this Stop message to appear. Replacing memory or resetting the pagefile may solve this problem. |
Discussion The "blue screen of death" is the scourge of any Windows user such errors are fatal, in that the error conditions cause Windows to completely fail without any capability of logging, traces, event log entries, or other indication resembling a direct pointer to the device or program that blew up. In most cases, the condition can be traced back to recent system changes in hardware, drivers, or software that can be undone, upgraded, removed, replaced, or diagnosed with common tools to identify disk or file system faults. If you can identify a specific BIOS version, component, device, driver, program, or operation that causes "blue screen" death, collect and report as much information as possible to the related vendor for diagnosis. See Also If you want to see what Windows is really thinking when errors happen, dig into Microsoft's searchable error databases at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/support/eventserrors.mspx and http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/event_overview_01.mspx. |
