Blue Screen and Black Screen Stop Codes in Plain English

A blue screen (or the black screen newer Windows 11 PCs show instead) means Windows stopped itself to protect your PC and your files. The stop code on that screen names the problem. Each page here takes one code: what it means in plain English, how serious it is, and the safe fix, in order. If the crash began right after an update, start with the first-30-minutes page.

All articles in this cluster

• CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED (0xEF): Windows' Own Engine Stopped
• IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0x0A): A Driver Reached Where It Shouldn't
• DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (0x133): The Freeze That Ends in a Crash
• MEMORY_MANAGEMENT (0x1A): RAM, or Something Pretending to Be RAM
• INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE (0x7B): Windows Lost Its Own Drive
• DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (0x9F): The Sleep and Wake Crash
• Blue or Black Screen Right After an Update: Your First 30 Minutes