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Why does my computer blue screen?

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Summary: While there are many reasons your computer could blue screen, there are some things you can look into to help determine the cause.

I keep getting a "blue screen of death" and the following error message: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA and a bunch of other lines and the computer locks up. What is causing this and how can I fix it?

Unfortunately with only that to go on, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of possible answers. To really diagnose, we'd need a lot more information about the system it's happening on, the software and hardware installed, and what was happening at the time the problem happened.

I'll throw out some guidelines, so perhaps you can narrow down the diagnosis.

  1. New Hardware - while the hardware can sometimes be bad, the real culprit is typically outdated, or just buggy, drivers. If you've just installed new hardware then it's likely to be related to the problem. Make sure you're running the latest drivers for that device that you can, and check with the manufacturer's support site for specific information. Conversely, if you've just updated drivers, that would also be something to be suspicious of.

  2. New Software - it's rare these days, but occasionally software can cause this as well. If you've just installed new software then I'd be very tempted to uninstall it and see if the problem goes away. I'd also make sure that your Windows is as up-to-date as possible by visiting Windows Update.

  3. Viruses and Malware - Since they're written specifically to cause damage, this is occasionally the result. Make sure your virus and spyware scanning software is up to date with the latest databases and scan regularly.

  4. Old or Broken Hardware - If you're positive nothing's changed and you've been using your system like always and these problems just started happening without any real cause, then you do need to consider that you're experiencing a hardware malfunction. One of the most common is a stuck or broken power supply fan which is now allowing your computer to overheat. However, everything from memory to your add-on cards to the motherboard itself could all cause issues here. It may be time for some hardware diagnostic work.

The bottom line when experiencing blue screens and reporting the problem to anyone is to include enough information to at least narrow down the problem. Items to include:

  • operating system version and how up to date you are

  • your computer model and what additional hardware is installed

  • what software is running at the time of the crash

  • what you were attempting to do, if anything, at the time

  • if the problem happens randomly, or if you can make it reoccur somehow

  • any changes you made to your hardware or software recently

  • any other problems or suspicious issues you've been experiencing recently

Article C2128 - July 17, 2004

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Recent Comments
95 Comments

My computer has a totally BLUE screen and when it starts the computer goes right to the options with the buttons "start windows normally" and "safe mode" but i tried everything and my computer doesn't start at all and i've been trying for a while now. does it mean i need a new computer.?

Not at all - or at least not very likely. Software problems do not require you to get a new computer. I'd either get a technician to diagnose the problem further, or re-install Windows.
Leo
17-May-2010

Posted by: Theresa at May 16, 2010 8:17 AM

In most of the cases of blue screen with the error message "page_fault_in_nonpaged_area" are resolved by replacing RAM/DDR.

Posted by: Shabbir Ahsan at May 25, 2010 12:04 AM

hi

I faced a computer problem few days back , i tried to check my computer . It gave a msg saying It might take long would i like to check it later.I selected to check it now but it wont :non: . I wanted to scan my computer but was not able to recognize what the problem was :ange:
Finally some one suggested me to use a software that optimized my computer.
As I am not savvy , i used that software , easy to use. well download it from http://download.cnet.com/Advanced-System-Optimizer/3000-2094_4-10147659.html?tag=mncol

Run its PC fixer , that fixes problem usually comes on someone's computer :)

Happy to uze it ,,,

Posted by: Jen Harris at July 8, 2010 4:32 AM

you can try this one:
www.registryfix123.com

Posted by: rcmichelle at July 27, 2010 12:49 AM

Blue screen error is due to overheating and memory error, sometimes RAM has to changed. And avoid dust which may block the ventilation and results in overheating.....

Posted by: Vinil at August 11, 2010 8:58 AM

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