Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Appears Suddenly - 10 Things to Check Before Reinstalling Windows (Windows 10 / 11)

You’re using your PC normally when everything suddenly freezes.

Then the screen turns blue, fills with white text, and—sometimes—restarts almost instantly.

You catch a glimpse of this message:

“Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart.”

This is the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).

Most people immediately think:

“Do I need to reinstall Windows?”
“Is my hardware failing?”

In reality, a large percentage of BSODs are caused by issues that can be fixed without formatting your PC.
Follow the steps below carefully and in order.

1. Stop the Automatic Restart and Read the Error Code (Critical First Step)

On many systems, Windows reboots automatically before you can read anything.

If the BSOD disappears too quickly:

You must disable automatic restart on system failure.

How to disable automatic restart

Press Win + R → type sysdm.cpl
Go to Advanced tab
Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings
Uncheck:

Automatically restart
Click OK

Now the BSOD will stay on screen, allowing you to read the details.

What to capture

Stop Code, such as:
- MEMORY_MANAGEMENT
- IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
- CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED
QR Code (Windows 10/11)

📌 Tip
Scan the QR code or search the exact stop code.
This is far more effective than searching “blue screen error.”

2. Think About What Changed Recently

BSODs almost always appear after a change.

Ask yourself:

Windows update?
Graphics, chipset, or storage driver update?
New software installed?
USB device, external drive, or dock connected?

👉 If it worked yesterday but not today, the cause is usually recent.

3. Check Whether Safe Mode Works

(Even If Windows Won’t Boot)

Safe Mode helps separate software vs hardware problems.

If Windows still boots:

⭕ Safe Mode works → driver or software issue likely
❌ Safe Mode crashes → hardware issue more likely

If Windows won’t boot at all (important)

When the Windows logo appears, hold the power button for 10 seconds to force shutdown
Repeat this 3 times
Windows enters Automatic Repair
Navigate to:

Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Safe Mode

📌 If Safe Mode loads, core Windows components are still alive.

4. Repair Windows System Files (SFC + DISM Combo ⭐)

This step fixes a surprising number of BSOD cases.

Step 1: Run SFC

Open Command Prompt as Administrator, then:

Scans corrupted system files
Replaces them automatically

If SFC fails (important)

Run DISM first:

Then run:

👉 These two commands together are often the last stop before reinstalling Windows.

5. Check Memory (RAM) Issues — Desktop and Laptop

Memory problems are one of the top BSOD causes.

Desktop PCs

Test RAM sticks one at a time
Try different slots

Laptops / beginners

Run Windows Memory Diagnostic:

Reboot
Let Windows test automatically

6. Graphics Driver Conflicts (Magic Shortcut ⭐)

If the system freezes before a BSOD, the graphics driver may be stuck.

Shortcut (works before BSOD appears)

What happens:

Screen briefly flickers
A beep sound plays
Graphics driver resets instantly

👉 If your screen freezes or goes black before the blue screen appears, the issue may be display-related rather than a full system crash.
This guide walks through that scenario in detail:
[Your PC Has Sound but No Display – 7 Things to Check Before Assuming Your Monitor Is Dead]

⚠️ Note
This does not work after the blue screen has already appeared.

7. Minimal Boot + Power Stability Check

Sometimes the cause isn’t inside the PC at all.

Minimal boot method

Disconnect all USB devices except keyboard and mouse
Boot the system

External drives, USB hubs, and webcams can trigger BSODs via driver conflicts.

Power-related checks (often overlooked)

Laptop: inspect power adapter
Using a power strip? Try another one
If possible, plug directly into a wall outlet

Unstable power can absolutely cause BSODs.

👉 If the blue screen started after plugging in a USB drive, external hard drive, or webcam, the issue may not be Windows itself.
You may want to check this guide first:
[USB Not Detected on Windows – 9 Things to Check Before Assuming It’s Dead]

8. Run a Disk Check (CHKDSK) on Your Storage Drive

If BSODs happen during startup or file access, check the disk.

Run as Administrator:

What this does:

Fixes logical file system errors (/f)
Scans and isolates bad physical sectors (/r)

⚠️ Note
You’ll be prompted to run this on the next reboot. Say Yes and restart.

👉 Along with SFC and DISM, this is one of the three core Windows repair commands.

9. Disable Overclocking and Restore BIOS Defaults

If performance settings were ever adjusted, reset them.

Reset:

CPU overclocking
Memory XMP profiles
Manual voltage settings

How

Enter BIOS
Load Default / Optimized Defaults

Aggressive tuning is a leading cause of system instability.

Common BSOD Stop Codes at a Glance

Stop Code	Likely Cause	Recommended Action
MEMORY_MANAGEMENT	RAM issue	Test memory
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE	Boot drive issue	Check disk / cables
THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER	GPU driver	Reinstall driver
WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR	Hardware or voltage	Disable overclock

10. Last Resort Before Reinstalling Windows: System Restore

If nothing else works:

Restore Windows to a previous stable point
Personal files remain intact

👉 Much safer than a full reinstall—and often successful.

Final Thoughts

BSODs are scary—but most are solvable without formatting.

If you remember only three things:

Capture the stop code
Use the DISM + SFC + CHKDSK combo
Isolate memory, power, and drivers

You’ll avoid unnecessary reinstalls in most cases.

👉 Network adapter and driver conflicts can also trigger system crashes.
If your PC shows connection issues along with BSODs, this article may help:
[Ethernet Connected but No Internet, 8-Step Windows Troubleshooting Guide (Before Unplugging the LAN Cable)]

👉 A Korean version of this guide is also available for readers who prefer Korean.
[갑자기 블루스크린(BSOD)이 뜰 때 – 포맷 전에 반드시 확인해야 할 10단계 점검 가이드 (윈도우 10/11)]