How to Troubleshoot Windows Stop Errors

What is it?

In simple terms a windows stop error happens when Windows stops in order to avoid damaging your computer. These are almost always hardware related errors.

STOP errors are displayed in an eight-digit hex  code but they are often shown in a shorthand format; e.g. a STOP 0x0000000A could be written as "Stop 0xA".

Four additional 8-digit numbers may often appear in brackets. These are unique to your computer and the particular error and situation.

What causes Windows stop errors?

Almost always, stop messages are caused by hardware issue. In many cases, the drivers found in the computer registry does not correspond to the actual hardware found on your PC. Hardware is often a good place to start the troubleshooting process.

How do you troubleshoot a stop error

1 - Particularly on older computers, memory modules tend to creep out of their sockets due to the heat caused by the processor. This is called memory creep. Open your computer box and ensure that all your hardware parts are properly inserted on the PC motherboard.

2 - Open the Event Viewer and see in the “System” and “Application” logs if there were similar past errors. This that can give you clues on the cause of the error you are now experiencing.

3 - The event viewer can be viewed by typing “EventVwr.msc” on the Run box in your start menu. Another way of accessing it is by going to Control Panel – Administrative tools – Event viewer.

4 - Remove any recently installed hardware and reboot your computer to see if the stop errors is resolved.

5 - Use the vendor's hardware diagnostic tools to check for any possible conflicts and errors.

6- Check if you have the most recent device drivers. If that is not the case, download and update them. If however stop errors cropped up after the installation new drivers, you may have to revert to the older version or get new drivers from a different source.

7 - Get a BIOS update.