Windows Blue Screen Error Codes Explained: Common STOP Codes, Their Meaning, and What to Fix

The screen goes blue, white text flashes, and the machine restarts before you can read it. What is left is a string like 0x000000XX and an English phrase that means nothing when you search it. Write the stop code down first, then match it against the table to find which component is at fault and what to try first. That alone saves a lot of blind reinstalling.

If the machine is blue screening repeatedly and will not reach the desktop, do not start with the code. Follow the Safe Mode and recent-change rollback steps in Windows Won't Boot, Blue Screen, or Black Screen? A Step-by-Step Self-Recovery Guide (SFC/DISM/System Restore) to get the system back first. This article is for machines that still boot, where you want to know what the code means and fix it for good.

Reading a blue screen correctly

Windows 10 and 11 show blue screens in two ways.

The compact screen is the default on both. It has an emoticon and a single stop code, for example PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA.

The detailed screen, on older builds or when switched on, also names the failed module, such as ntfs.sys, nvlddmkm.sys, or dxgkrnl.sys. The module name usually points straight at the culprit. ntfs means the disk or file system, an nv prefix usually means an NVIDIA graphics driver, and dxgkrnl points at graphics and display.

Once you have the code, three routes dig deeper. Pick any one.

The most recent crash on this machine. Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Blue screen, or view the reliability history, and you get the stop code and faulting module for recent crashes.
Event Viewer. Press Win + X, open Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System, filter on Error, and look for entries sourced from BugCheck.
Automatic dump analysis. A blue screen writes a .dmp file to C:\Windows\Minidump\. Open it with the free tools WhoCrashed or BlueScreenView and they name the driver most likely responsible. This is the fastest way to pin down a driver crash.

A general order that fits most codes

Whatever the code is, run this recent-change-first sequence. Most blue screens resolve here.

Recall what changed. A new driver for graphics, audio, or network, new hardware, a system update, or some software you installed? Remove or roll it back, using Roll Back Driver in Device Manager or uninstalling the update from update history. If the blue screens only started after a patch went in, KB5121003 Update Fails to Install or Games Blue Screen walks through removing it.
Memory test. Press Win + R, type mdsched.exe, and reboot to let it run. For a stricter test, run MemTest86. Codes like 0x00000050 and 0x00000124 especially call for a memory check.
System files and image repair. Open a command prompt as administrator and run sfc /scannow, then DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth.
Update or roll back the drivers that matter. Graphics, storage controller, network adapter, and motherboard chipset. Get them from the vendor rather than from Windows Update.
System Restore or a clean install. If none of the above works and you can still boot, roll back to a stable restore point. The thorough answer is to back up and reinstall Windows.

Common stop codes

Stop code	Common cause	What to try first
`0x0000000A` IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL	Driver accessing memory illegally, bad memory	Update or roll back recent drivers; memory test
`0x0000001E` KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED	Kernel mode exception, usually a driver	Check the failed module; remove the driver in Safe Mode
`0x0000003B` SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION	Graphics or audio driver, system service	Update the graphics driver; SFC and DISM
`0x00000050` PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA	Bad memory, driver overrun, disk error	MemTest86 for memory; check the drive
`0x0000007B` INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE	Boot disk offline, AHCI or RAID mode changed, broken bootloader	Confirm disk mode in the BIOS; boot repair
`0x0000007E` SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED	System thread exception, usually a driver	Remove recent drivers or updates in Safe Mode
`0x00000024` NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM	Damaged disk or file system	`chkdsk /f /r`; check drive health
`0x0000007A` KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR	Virtual memory page unreadable (disk or memory)	Check for bad sectors; memory test
`0x000000D1` DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL	Network or graphics driver at high IRQL	Update the driver for that device
`0x000000BE` ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY	Driver writing to read-only memory	Roll back or update the most recent driver
`0x000000C4` DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION	Driver bug exposed by Driver Verifier	Turn Driver Verifier off; update that driver
`0x000000EF` CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED	Critical system process crashed (antivirus or system files)	SFC and DISM; remove suspect antivirus; System Restore
`0x000000F4` CRITICAL_OBJECT_TERMINATION	Critical process or thread terminated, often disk or memory	Check disk and memory; System Restore
`0xC000021A` STATUS_SYSTEM_PROCESS_TERMINATED	Critical user process such as csrss or winlogon failed, often an update or antivirus	Remove the recent update or antivirus; startup repair
`0x00000109` CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION	Kernel structures modified, usually a driver or malware	Full antivirus scan; SFC and DISM; clean boot
`0x00000124` WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR	Hardware error on CPU, memory, or PCIe, from heat or damage	Underclock, clean dust, check temperatures; stress the CPU and memory
`0x00000133` DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION	Driver holding the CPU too long, often SSD or graphics	Update SSD firmware and storage driver; update graphics driver
`0x00000139` KERNEL_MODE_HEAP_CORRUPTION	Kernel heap corruption, usually a driver	Update or roll back the most recent driver; memory test
`0x000000A5` ACPI_BIOS_ERROR	Incompatible BIOS or ACPI tables, usually an old BIOS	Update the motherboard BIOS; restore BIOS defaults
`0x00000116` VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE	Graphics driver reset timeout (artifacts or driver drop)	Reinstall or roll back the graphics driver; check GPU temperature

Narrowing it by component

If the table still leaves you without a direction, working backwards from the component is faster.

Graphics. 0x00000116 VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE and 0x0000003B, or a faulting module of nvlddmkm.sys or dxgkrnl.sys. Reinstall or roll back the graphics driver, clean the dust off the card, and check its temperature.
Memory and CPU hardware. 0x00000124 WHEA, 0x00000050, 0x0000001A MEMORY_MANAGEMENT, 0x0000012B FAULTY_HARDWARE. Run MemTest86, watch CPU and GPU temperatures, and underclock if needed.
Drivers and the kernel. 0x0000000A, 0x000000D1, 0x0000001E, 0x00000139. Start by recalling which driver you installed or updated last, then roll it back or remove it.
Boot and disk. 0x0000007B, 0x00000024 NTFS, 0x0000007A, 0x000000ED UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME. Run chkdsk from Safe Mode, check the drive's SMART health, and migrate your data and reinstall if it comes to that.
A system process was killed. 0x000000EF, 0x000000F4, 0xC000021A. Third-party antivirus or a failed update is usually behind it. Do a clean boot, which means disabling every non-Microsoft service in msconfig, and work through them one at a time.
Power, ACPI, and watchdogs. 0x000000A5, 0x0000009F DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE, 0x00000133. Update the BIOS and chipset drivers, and try turning off fast startup.

Fixing it for good instead of crashing again

Lock the cause down through the dump. Open Minidump in WhoCrashed or BlueScreenView. The responsible driver column is usually the root cause.
Stress the hardware. OCCT or Prime95 for the CPU, MemTest86 for memory, FurMark for the graphics card. If it only crashes under load, the problem is hardware, meaning cooling, power delivery, or age.
Fall back to a clean install. When drivers and the system have corrupted each other and you cannot tell which is at fault, back up and reinstall Windows. That rules out software-layer crashes at the root.
Watch the cooling. Laptops and older desktops tend to blue screen under gaming, rendering, and other heavy loads. Clean the dust, replace the thermal paste, and improve airflow before anything else.

A blue screen is not the disaster it looks like. Write down the stop code, then find the failed module. Driver codes such as 0x0A, 0xD1, and 0x1E mean rolling back your most recent change first. Hardware codes such as 0x124 WHEA, 0x50, and 0x7A mean checking temperatures, memory, and the drive. Boot and disk codes such as 0x7B and 0x24 mean checking the bootloader and the drive. Reading dumps with WhoCrashed, testing memory with MemTest86, and repairing disks with chkdsk will pinpoint the cause and spare you a pointless reinstall.