Remember Me
forgot your password?

The Blue Screen Of Death!

Microsoft Corporation © calls it a system stop error. Most computer users call it terrifying. Programmers call it the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). Causes of the blue screen vary and while the blue screen details information on memory locations in your computer that are probable causes, often they are only symptoms.

The recommended course of action starts with writing down the information on the blue screen and then restarting your computer. More often than not the computer will start right back up and act as if nothing ever happened. The users then franticly back-up everything they can as fast as possible, the first time.

If your BSOD experiences starts after installing new hardware and/or software there is a good chance the new stuff is at fault. No Problemo, just uninstall or reinstall following the directions this time and the problem is all gone, maybe. If you don't see a blue screen again you are golden.

Most blue screen of death experiences fall in the technical realm of head scratchers. Also known as the FIIK syndrome (Frack If I Know, for you Battlestar Galactica fans). My most recent BSOD experience fell in the FIIK category. In the past I have had memory blue screen of death issues. A bad sector on the hard drive and a memory module that aged poorly. Both are fairly easy to fix.

For the hard drive the old reliable check disk utility ferreted out the culprit and marked the bad sector. For the memory bug, well I had to bite the bullet and buy a new memory module. This new one was a lot cheaper and larger than the old one, so it was less painful.

Unfortunately, my latest BSOD was not one, but a series of BSOD's. This would be called a reoccurring FIIK situation. During the battle, I minimalized the laptop. Deleting every seldom used program. Virus scanning was a daily chore with QQROB, a seemingly docile little bug discovered and chased all over the hard drive. I managed to corner QQROB during a concerted search and destroy effort and deleted the rascal. Or so I thought. QQ is a sneaky little rapscallion that must have tucked itself into a cozy little corner of memory or the hard drive. Finally, I gave in to QQROB and just let the virus software block the little ... devil.

Just yesterday morning I awoke and fired up the little HP laptop to check my Spam, I mean email. My computer was stuck in a infinite loop. It would start and just as it was time for the operating system to kick in, my once trusty HP defaulted to the select boot device drive and quickly restarted. While I am sure there is a computer guru that could have repaired this minor problem, I personally had had enough.

Falling back on my vast knowledge of MSDOS, I used a system CD disk that I had created to load the basic command. com on my ailing computer and repartitioned my hard drive. This a very quick and effective method for destroying everything on your hard drive. This would not be recommended if you have information on the drive you are fond of. I was much more concerned with killing the little QQROB.... Bugger, than saving any data.

Certain that QQROB was a thing in my past, I blew the dust off the system recovery CD's and started to reinstall everything on the old HP. With the condition of the recovery disk set, this proved to be more of a challenge than I anticipated. Toothpaste does seem to be very effective in removing various types of crud that seems to attract itself to the business side of CD's. After a lot of polishing and about 600 entries of "r" for retry instead of abort or fail, my little HP is back in action. While everything on the laptop works, it does have a bit of a retro look with AOL 6.0 and a desktop full of cutting edge software advertisements like Microsoft Money 2002.

The moral of this little story is never leave anything on your computer you cannot live without unless it is backed up! The second moral would be to store your system restore disk in an area other than the general CD/DVD storage area. Some, not so computer literate members of your family may try to play the recovery disks in aging CD players.

One last note; on-line back-up of photos in a variety of free sites is an excellent idea. Don't tell anyone but saving other information as attachments to an email to yourself, saved on your email provider's site is a good idea too. I learned this little trick after a hurricane storm surge proved to be a little more than my typical archiving methods could handle. Have a lovely blue screen free day.

Wesley Atkins
Reviewbooth.com reviews some of the latest advancements in technology including computer hardware reviews, software, digital camera reviews - Visit us at: http://www.reviewbooth.com
Rate this Article: 5 / 5 stars - 1 vote(s)
Print Email Re-Publish


Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/the-blue-screen-of-death-174782.html
Add new Comment



Captcha

  • Latest Computers Articles
  • More from Wesley Atkins

Data Loggers Are Reliable Workhorses

By: Diana Valentine | 05/07/2009
Data loggers are used in everything from the medical profession to car diagnostics. With their stand alone technology and ability to function unattended, these workhorses are a mainstay in our lives.

Online Office 2010 Training – Will You Be Ready?

By: Caitlina Fuller | 05/07/2009
As far as all the self proclaimed experts in the world are concerned, the fact is they all started out as beginners. There is an expert on every subject imaginable with computer software included. Becoming an expert takes time and education but who has the time these days.

Microsoft Office 2010 Training

By: Caitlina Fuller | 05/07/2009
With the release of the Microsoft Office 2010, due in the first quarter of 2010, you may be in need of Office 2010 training. Staying on top of all the Microsoft programs produces efficiency. In today's world of advanced communication, the Microsoft Office suite of products, are the leader when it comes to communication.

Microsoft Certification Boot Camp – Training for the Professional

By: Caitlina Fuller | 05/07/2009
A Microsoft certification boot camp specializes in training professionals to obtain their certifications in Microsoft application. A MCPD bootcamp specifically trains in .NET software development and applications that include .NET 3.5, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2005/2008.

Microsoft MCSE Boot Camp – Not Your Normal Summer Camp

By: Caitlina Fuller | 05/07/2009
A Microsoft MCSE boot camp is a camp where professionals can receive their Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) training in a short period of time. It is an actual camp that takes you away from your surroundings and places you in a highly intensive atmosphere of training.

Microsoft Office Training Courses – Become the Expert

By: Caitlina Fuller | 05/07/2009
Microsoft Excel training is a course that will train you to become proficient in the use of the Microsoft product. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced user of the software, you will learn how to sort data, create macros, design charts and much, much more.

Canon PowerShot SD880 is Review

By: Radu Antohi | 05/07/2009
he Canon PowerShot SD880 IS is a 10-megapixel camera with a 4x wide-angle optical zoom and has an ISO setting that can support up to 3,200. The IS stand for "image stabilization" and according to Canon, the PowerShot SD880 makes taking group photos go with as much ease as possible....

The Impressive Mobile Computer

By: Roberto Sedycias | 05/07/2009
Just when the world had started relishing the discovery of the desktop computers, stepped in the very stylish and easy to use notebooks! A completely fresh and innovative discovery of the 1990`s, the notebook was the perfect competitor for the existing giants in the world of PCs. A notebook in its...

What Kind Of Credit Card Spender Are You?

By: Wesley Atkins | 12/12/2007 | Credit
When it comes to credit card spending, many people are increasingly finding it difficult to keep their will power in check and put the card on the shelf only to be used in emergency.

Five Ways To Manage Your Credit Card

By: Wesley Atkins | 12/12/2007 | Credit
Credit cards are a great idea - they are convenient to carry around with you. Accepted in most stores and provide a fantastic way to pay for goods if you are waiting for payday.

Choosing The Right Credit Card In Three Easy Steps

By: Wesley Atkins | 12/12/2007 | Credit
Choosing the right credit card may not occur to some people as a major issue that they need to look into. Instead, those people just find the first deal that appeals to them and apply accordingly.

The Truth About Reward Credit Cards

By: Wesley Atkins | 12/12/2007 | Credit
In a world where there are so many options for consumers when it comes to the choice of credit cards out there, many companies are now using different tactics in order to attract consumers that may go elsewhere if their cards are not bough to their attention.

The Blue Screen Of Death!

By: Wesley Atkins | 03/07/2007 | Computers
Microsoft Corporation © calls it a system stop error. Most computer users call it terrifying. Programmers call it the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). Causes of the blue screen vary and while the blue screen details information on memory locations in your computer that are probable...

Top Tips For Low GI Diet Recipes

By: Wesley Atkins | 27/02/2007 | Health
While the Low GI Diet is one of the most effective diets around and the easiest for many people to stick with over the long term, some people have found it difficult to come up with low GI Diet recipes they can fit into their diet plans. Below are two...

Advantages Of The Low Glycemic Index Diet

By: Wesley Atkins | 27/02/2007 | Health
The Low Glycemic Index Diet has become quite popular because it provides numerous advantages. While the diet was first developed as a way for individuals who with diabetes to better manage their condition it quickly evolved into a weight to lose weight and even as a lifestyle change to effectively...

Top Tips For Following The Low GI Diet

By: Wesley Atkins | 27/02/2007 | Health
The Low GI Diet is one of the most popular diets currently around. While it was originally developed in the 1980's as a way to help diabetes patients control their disease it was found that it also provided numerous other benefits including the promotion of weight loss. The idea behind the...

Submit Your Articles Free: Signup


Article Categories




Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.17, 1)