Blue screen of death: Here are all the reasons Windows 10 could have crashed

How can I fix the blue screen of death?

As you’ll see from the list above, the error screen is most likely to have been triggered by a recent change to your PC. So it makes sense that the easiest fixes are all to do with undoing whatever state your computer has gotten into.

Delete unneeded files.

This step should work if BSOD was down to too little space on your hard drive. Microsoft recommends you keep at least 100MB free, but even more is better – up to 10% of your total disk space should be empty to keep everything running smoothly.

Check your updates, drivers and third-party apps

Both downloading new updates and never updating programs and drivers can cause problems with your PC.

To check for new Windows updates, go to your computer’s Settings. Click “Update & Security”, then “Windows Update”. Select “windows update’ and follow the prompts.

If you’ve just updated an existing program, follow these steps instead. Open the Control Panel and go to the “Programs” section, then click “Uninstall a program”. Select “Installed updates” and choose the most recent one. Or you can click “Uninstall” to remove the app entirely.

For dodgy drivers, go to “Device Manager” and click on the device causing the issue. Right click to uninstall, or select “Properties” to roll back the driver to an older version.

Use System Restore to undo changes

If you’ve added something to the software which made it throw a wobbly, this will reset everything back to its original state – removing new drivers, updates and apps.

You can access System Restore by pressing and holding the power button while turning on your computer. Repeat this three times to trigger the advanced startup environment. Here, you’ll find Advanced Options. Select this, then click “System Restore” and choose a restore point just before the blue screen appeared.

Open Windows in Safe Mode

Safe Mode is a way to help you find problems with your apps and programs by disabling parts of your PC. It’s helpful when you need to uninstall device drivers and Windows 10 updates without setting off the BSOD all over again.

You can access Safe Mode in the same way as System Restore – by rebooting the computer three times. Then, go to “Startup Settings” and click “Restart”. Once the reboot begins, press “F4” or “4”, depending on your keyboard. Once you’re in Safe Mode, you can uninstall the troublesome program or driver safely.