Stop (blue screen) error caused by a device or driver

You received this message because a hardware device, its driver, or related software has
caused a stop error, also called a blue screen error. This type of error means the computer has
shut down abruptly to protect itself from potential data corruption or loss. In this case, we
were unable to detect the specific device or driver that caused the problem.

The following troubleshooting steps might prevent the stop error from recurring. Try them in
the order given. If one step does not solve the problem, then move on to the next one.

Steps to solve this problem

Download and install the latest updates and device drivers for your computer

a. Use Windows Update to check for and install updates:

i. Click to go online to the Windows Update website

Note
If Microsoft Update is installed, you'll be taken to the Microsoft Update
website.

ii. Click Custom to check for available updates.

iii. In the left pane, under Select by Type, click each of the following links to
view all available updates:

High Priority

Software, Optional

Hardware, Optional

iv. Select the updates you want, click Review and install updates, and then click
Install Updates.

b. If you recently added a new hardware device to your computer, go online to the
manufacturer's website to see if a driver update is available.

How do I find my computer manufacturer?

 c. If you recently added a new program to your computer, go online to the manufacturer's
website to see if an update is available.

Scan your computer for viruses

Many blue screen errors can be caused by computer viruses or other types of malicious
software.

If you have an antivirus program installed on your computer, make sure it is up to date with
the latest antivirus definitions and perform a complete scan of your system. Check your
antivirus product's website for information on getting the latest updates.

If you do not have antivirus software installed on your computer, we recommend using a web-
based scanner to check your computer for malware. Many of the top antivirus software
providers offer this service free of charge on their websites.

To see a list of Microsoft and third-party providers of antispyware, anti-malware, and

antivirus software, go online to the following website:

Security software: Downloads and trials

To see a list of antivirus software vendors, go online to the following Knowledge Base article:

List of antivirus software vendors

Tip
Consider scanning your computer using more than one web-based antivirus scanner, even if
you have an antivirus program installed on your computer. This will help make sure that you
are using the most up-to-date antivirus definitions and allows you to benefit from the different
strengths of each antivirus software manufacturer. If you do run multiple antivirus products,
make sure you run only one product at a time. Running multiple antivirus products
simultaneously can produce incorrect results.
 Check your hard disk for errors

You can help solve some computer problems and improve the performance of your computer
by making sure that your hard disk has no errors.

a. Click Start, and then click My Computer.

b. Right-click the hard disk drive that you want to check, and then click Properties.

c. Click the Tools tab, and then, under Error-checking, click Check Now.

To automatically repair problems with files and folders that the scan detects, select
Automatically fix file system errors. Otherwise, the disk check will report problems
but not fix them.

To perform a thorough disk check, select Scan for and attempt recovery of bad
sectors. This scan attempts to find and repair physical errors on the hard disk itself,
and it can take much longer to complete.

To check for both file errors and physical errors, select both Automatically fix file
system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.

d. Click Start.

Depending upon the size of your hard disk, this might take several minutes or longer.
For best results, don't use your computer for any other tasks while it's checking for
errors.

Note
If you select Automatically fix file system errors for a disk that is in use (for
example, the partition that contains Windows), you'll be prompted to reschedule the
disk check for the next time you restart your computer.

For more information, go online to read the following article:

How to perform disk error checking in Windows XP

Steps to work around this problem

 Warning
These steps are designed to address a particular problem but might do so by temporarily
disabling or removing some functionality on your computer.

Remove any new hardware or software to isolate the cause of the blue screen

If you received the blue screen error after adding a new hardware device or program, and
downloading updates didn't solve the problem, try removing the device or program and
restarting Windows. If removing the new device or program allows Windows to start without
the error, contact the device or program's manufacturer to get product updates or to learn
about any known issues with the device or program.

Restore your computer to an earlier state

If the blue screen error occurred after installing a system or program update, consider using
the System Restore feature to remove the changes. System Restore uses "restore points" that
have been saved on your computer to return your system to a point in time before the problem
began. This won't fix the problem, but it can make your computer work again.

Do one of the following:

If Windows doesn't start:

a. Restart the computer and, when the screen becomes blank during startup, repeatedly
press F8 until the Windows Advanced Options Menu displays.
b. Use your arrow keys to select Safe Mode with Command Prompt, and then press
ENTER.

For more information about safe mode start up options, go online to read an article in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Click to read KB315222

c. If you are prompted to select a version of Windows, select the correct version, and
then press ENTER.
 d. Log on to the computer using the Administrator account or an account that has
administrator credentials.

e. Type the following command at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

[systemroot]\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

(Where [systemroot] is the drive and directory where your Windows system files are
located -- for example, "C:\Windows")

f. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to restore the computer to an earlier
state.

Or, if Windows starts:

a. Log on to Windows using an administrator account.

b. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and
then click System Restore.

c. On the Welcome to System Restore page, select Restore my computer to an earlier

time, and then click Next.

d. On the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system checkpoint in the
On this list, click a restore point list, and then click Next. You might receive a
message that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make. Review this
list, and then click OK.

e. On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores
the previous Windows configuration, and then restarts the computer.

f. Log on to the computer as an administrator.

g. When the System Restore Restoration Complete page appears, click OK.

Advanced troubleshooting

The following steps can help determine what is causing a blue screen error and provide
additional options for solving the problem. Try the above troubleshooting steps first before
trying these advanced troubleshooting steps.

This section is intended for advanced computer users, such as software developers and
network administrators. If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting procedures,
we recommend that you perform these steps with someone who is.

Step 1: Start Windows in safe mode

 a. Restart the computer and, when the screen becomes blank during startup, repeatedly
press F8 until the Windows Advanced Options Menu displays.
b. Use your arrow keys to select Safe Mode, and then press ENTER.

For more information about safe mode start up options, go online to read the following
article:

A description of the Safe Mode Boot options in Windows XP

c. If you are prompted to select a version of Windows, select the correct version, and
then press ENTER.

Step 2: Collect more information about your computer

To continue troubleshooting this problem, you will need to collect more information about
your computer, and then use it to find more information online.

a.

Use Event Viewer to find specific information about this problem

Event Viewer is an advanced tool that displays detailed information about significant
events on your computer. It can be helpful when troubleshooting problems and errors
with Windows and other programs.

i. Click Start, click Run, type EVENTVWR, and then click OK.
ii. Click Application.

iii. Click View, and then click Filter.

iv. In the Event Source drop-down menu, click any one of the following: Save
Dump, System Error, or Windows Error Reporting.

v. In the Event ID field, type 1001, and then click OK.

vi. Review each event listed and write down the bugcheck code (for example,
0x000000D1 or 0x0000008E).

vii. Go to the next step to search the Internet for a solution.

b.
 Perform an Internet search

Use the information you collected in the previous step to search the Internet for more
help. If you find troubleshooting steps, make sure that they apply to your specific
computer before you follow them.

i. Go online to search the Internet for specific bugcheck codes you found using
Event Viewer. For example, search for "0x000000D1" or "0x0000008E."
ii. Go online to search the Internet for the driver name. For example, search for
"portcls.sys."
iii. Go online to search the Internet using different combinations of text, such as
"Blue Screen" or "Stop Error" along with the driver or device name. For
example, you could search for "portcls.sys bluescreen".

Step 3: Roll back or disable the problem driver

a. Start Device Manager. To do this, click Start, click Run, type devmgmt.msc, and
then click OK.
b. Based on the driver and device information you obtained in Step 2 above, double-click
the device that you have determined might be causing the problem.

c. If you think the problem was caused by a recent update of the driver, click the Driver
tab, and then click the Roll Back Driver button. If the problem did not coincide with a
recent updating of the driver, then click the Disable button instead.

Step 4: Determine whether a third-party program is causing the problem

a. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
b. Click the General tab, click Selective Startup, clear the Load startup items check
box, and then select the Load System Services check box.

c. Click OK, and then restart the computer.

d. If Windows starts, go to Step 5. If Windows does not start, go to Step 7.

Step 5: Identify the conflicting program

Because of the number of programs that might be listed, we recommend that you use the
following process of elimination:

a. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
b. Click the Startup tab.

c. Select approximately half of the listed items, and then click OK.

d. Restart the computer.

e. If Windows does not start, restart Windows in safe mode.

 f. Repeat this process until you have identified the program that is causing the problem.

g. Once you determine that a specific program is causing the problem, we recommend
that you remove it if you are not using it.

How do I uninstall a program?

a. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs.
b. Click Change or Remove Programs, click the program you want to remove,
and then click Change/Remove or Remove.

Note
If the program that you want to uninstall isn't listed, it might not have been
created for your version of Windows. To uninstall the program, check the
information that came with the program or contact the manufacturer for more
information.

h. If you do not want to remove the program, contact the software manufacturer for a
solution to the problem.

Step 6: Disable all third-party services

Disable all third-party services to find out whether the problem is being caused by one of
them.

Warning
The following procedure describes how to turn off third-party services. Be careful not to
disable Microsoft services, because doing so will turn off System Restore and cause you to
lose all system restore points.

a. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
b. Click the Services tab, and then click the Hide all Microsoft services check box to
filter the list to third-party services only.

c. Click Disable all to disable the listed third-party services.

d. Restart the computer and check to see if the problem has gone away. If it has, you
know that one of the disabled third-party services is causing the problem. Go to step 7
to identify which service is causing the problem.

Step 7: Locate and disable the third-party service causing the problem

Warning
The following procedure describes how to turn off third-party services. Be careful not to
disable Microsoft services, because doing so will turn off System Restore and cause you to
lose all system restore points.
Because of the number of services that might be listed, we recommend that you use the
following process of elimination:

a. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
b. Click the Services tab, and then click the Hide all Microsoft services check box to
filter the list to third-party services only.

c. Disable approximately half the services on the list, and then click OK.

d. Restart the computer in normal mode.

o If Windows starts, then the problem service is among those you disabled.
Repeat the process of enabling services in msconfig and restarting Windows
until you determine which one causes Windows to not start in normal mode
(this is the service that is causing the problem).

o If Windows does not start, then the problem service is among those you left
enabled. Repeat the process of disabling services and restarting Windows until
you determine which one causes Windows to start in normal mode (this is the
service that is causing the problem).

e. If you have determined which service is causing the problem, we recommend that you
disable it and contact the service's manufacturer for information on how to solve the
problem. Also, make sure you re-enable any of the other services you disabled for
diagnostic purposes.