Dissecting a BSOD

Although Stop errors can be caused by both hardware and software malfunctions, the most typical cause is a hardware malfunction. Each Stop error is accompanied by a specific error description and an eight-digit hexadecimal number error code. It may not be immediately apparent when you see a BSOD (mostly due to the shock factor that hits you when a BSOD occurs), but you can use the description and code to identify the type of error that is occurring. You just need to be able to identify the key parts of the message so you’ll have a direction and focus for your troubleshooting expedition. The trick is in finding the relevant information on the BSOD.

Let’s suppose that you encounter the BSOD shown in Figure A.

Figure A

This Stop error indicates that requested data was not in memory.

At the top of the Windows XP BSOD, you’ll find the error description, which will be in all uppercase letters with multiple words tied together with underscore characters. In the following BSOD excerpt, the text KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED is the error description:

A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

Immediately following the error description, you’ll find some general troubleshooting steps. In some cases, following these steps will lead you to a solution. (Keep in mind that this same information appears in just about every BSOD.)

If this is the first time you've seen this error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed. If this is a new installation, ask your hardware or software manufacturer for any Windows updates you might need.

If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing If you need to use Safe Mode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to select Advanced Startup Options, and then select Safe Mode.

After the general troubleshooting information, you’ll find the Technical Information section, which contains the eight-digit hexadecimal number error code. The code is usually accompanied by four error-dependent values enclosed in parentheses. (These values typically aren’t necessary information, but you may want to take note of them.) If a file was directly associated with the problem that caused the BSOD, it will also be listed here. In this case, you can see that the file ati3diag.dll is tied to the problem:

Technical information: *** STOP: 0x00000050 (0x8872A990, 0x00000001, 0x804F35D7, 0x00000000)*** ati3diag.dll - Address ED80AC55 base at ED88F000, Date Stamp 3dcb24d0

Following the Technical Information section, you’ll see another generic section. This one alerts you to the fact that Windows XP has dumped the contents of system memory to a file on the hard disk:

Beginning dump of physical memory Physical memory dump complete. Contact your system administrator or technical support group for further assistance.

Armed with these details, you can visit Microsoft’s online Help and Support page and search the Knowledge Base for more detailed troubleshooting and solution information.