‘Blue screen of death’ on Windows PCs: What it is, how to fix and more

Windows Blue Screen

Several Windows users across the globe are experiencing the ‘Blue Screen of Death’ error, which is abruptly closing down their systems. Microsoft has issued an update regarding this error, stating that it is being caused by the recent CrowdStike update. The outage, which began Thursday evening has affected Microsoft's Central US region, crippling essential systems for numerous international and domestic airlines.

What is the ‘Blue screen of death’ error?

Blue Screen errors are pretty common in Windows PCs, as they can occur when a critical issue forces Windows to unexpectedly shut down or restart. They usually arrive with a random error code with a blue background You may encounter a message stating, ‘Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer,’ with a particular error code.

How to troubleshoot the ‘Blue screen of death error’?

The ‘Blue screen of death error’ can arise from both hardware and software problems. If you have recently installed new hardware on your PC, chances are that it may lead to this error. Additionally, a corrupted third-party software or app can also cause conflict on your system files, and eventually cause this error.

However, if you still can’t seem to get rid of this error, then you can follow these troubleshooting steps to resolve it.

Try to boot your Windows PC in the Safe mode or Windows Recovery environment.
Check for Windows updates. Often Microsoft releases patch updates to solve critical errors for Windows.
Run a full virus or malware scan on your PC with Microsoft Defender.
Use System Restore to revert your system to a previous working point.
Run BSOD Troubleshooter on the Get Help app. Look for the Blue screen error and ‘Run the Troubleshooter’.

If after following all these steps, you are still facing this error, then you need to contact any technician or official service centre of the installed PC hardware.