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Any advice on what to do when getting a cryptic blue screen in windows?

Any advice on what to do when getting a cryptic blue screen in windows?

What are some steps that you usually take? Are there any good ways of finding out what they mean etc.?

Asked by: Guest | Views: 287
Total answers/comments: 2
Guest [Entry]

"Firstly, ensure that minidumps are being taken.

Click Start
Click Run (only if using XP, otherwise you can type straight into the Vista/7 search box)
Type wmic recoveros set DebugInfoType = 3 and click OK. This does the same as going into System Properties and enabling the Small Memory Dump option there. Use whichever method you prefer.

There is free software called BlueScreenView which then allows you to delve into the minidump files and get an idea of exactly what files might have caused the blue screen to happen. I.e. whether it was a graphics driver, a sound driver, a program or whatever.

If you want to manually analyse the crash dump files using Microsoft's debugging tools, you will still need to follow the steps at the top to enable minidumps."
Guest [Entry]

"BSOD are usually caused by buggy drivers, so you should check a new driver has been installed or upgraded recently. It could happen silently when a new usb device is connected to the pc, for example.

You can find here some information on how to troubleshoot the Blue Screen of Death."