What Causes a ‘Blue Screen of Death’? An Explanation of BSOD Errors

Close

The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) is the blue, full-screen error that often displays after a very serious system crash in a Windows operating system.

This term is really just the popularized name for what is technically called a_stop message_ or stop error .

The example here on this page is a BSOD as you might see one in Windows 8 or newer. Earlier versions of Windows had a somewhat less friendly appearance.

Aside from its official name, BSOD is also sometimes called a_BSoD_ (small “o”),Blue Screen of Doom ,bug-check screen ,system crash ,kernel error , or simply_blue screen error_ .

Why It’s Called a Blue Screen of ‘Death’

The often confusing text on the Blue Screen of Death will often list any files involved in the crash including any device drivers that may have been at fault and often a short, usually cryptic, description of what to do about the problem.

A BSOD doesn’t_necessarily_ mean you have a “dead” computer, but it does mean a few things for sure.

For one, it means everything has to stop, at least as far as the operating system is concerned. You can’t “close” the error and go save your data, or reset your computer the proper way—it’s all over, at least for the moment. This is where the proper term_stop error_ comes from.

It also means, in almost all cases, that there’s a problem serious enough that it’ll need to be corrected before you can expect to use your computer normally. Some BSODs appear during the Windows start-up process, meaning you’ll never get past it until you solve the problem. Others happen at various times during your use of your computer and so tend to be easier to solve.

What to Do: Fixing a Blue Screen Error

Most importantly, the BSOD includes a stop code for troubleshooting this specific BSOD. We keep a complete list of blue screen error codes that you can reference for more information on fixing the specific one you’re getting.

If you can’t find your specific stop code in our list or aren’t able to read the code, see How to Fix a Blue Screen of Death for a good overview of what to do.

By default, most Windows installations are programmed to automatically restart after a BSOD, which makes reading the STOP error code nearly impossible. Before you can do any troubleshooting, you’ll need to prevent this automatic reboot by disabling the automatic restart on system failure option in Windows.

If you can access Windows, you might be able to use a dump file reader like BlueScreenView to see any errors that occurred leading up to the BSOD, to learn why your computer crashed.

Lifewire / Theresa Chiechi

More About the Blue Screen of Death

BSODs have been around since the very early days of Windows and were much more common back then, only because hardware , software, and Windows itself was more “buggy” so to speak.

From Windows 95 through Windows 7, the BSOD didn’t change much. A dark blue background and silver text. Lots and lots of unhelpful data on the screen is no doubt a big reason it got such a notorious rap.

Beginning in Windows 8 and continuing to now, the Blue Screen of Death color went from dark to light blue and, instead of several lines of mostly unhelpful information, there’s now a basic explanation of what’s happening alongside the suggestion to “search online later” for the listed stop code.

Stop errors in other operating systems aren’t called BSODs but instead kernal panics in macOS and Linux, and bugchecks in OpenVMS.

What Is a STOP Code? (Bug Check Code, BSOD Code)

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for letting us know!

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

Subscribe

Tell us why!

Other Not enough details Hard to understand

Submit