"Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart." If you have seen that message, Windows has hit a stop code error, better known as a blue screen of death (BSOD). On Windows 11 version 24H2 and later the screen may not even be blue: Microsoft says the colour and wording vary by version, and it now groups blue screens, black screens and stop code errors together.
A single crash is not usually a disaster. Microsoft's own advice is that, in most cases, the restart fixes the problem and nothing else is needed. If the same stop code keeps coming back, work through the steps below.
Forge PC has not diagnosed your PC. The core steps come from Microsoft's official "Troubleshooting Windows unexpected restarts and stop code errors" and "Windows startup settings" pages; the extra checks for self-built gaming PCs link to our own guides and to official tools.
Step 1: Write down the stop code
At the bottom of the crash screen, Windows shows a stop code such as PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA or MEMORY_MANAGEMENT, and sometimes the name of the module (often a driver file) that was running. Microsoft says a crash "might be caused by a hardware device, its driver, or software", and the stop code is your best clue to which. Take a photo with your phone if it disappears too fast.
Step 2: Remove any new hardware
Microsoft's first step: if you added new hardware before the crashes started, shut down, remove it, and restart. That includes a new GPU, RAM kit, SSD or USB device. If the crashes stop, you have found the culprit, or at least the area to look at.
Step 3: Start in safe mode if Windows will not stay up
If the PC crashes before you can do anything, Microsoft recommends starting in safe mode. Microsoft's startup settings page describes safe mode as starting Windows "in a basic state, using a limited set of files and drivers", and says that if a problem does not happen in safe mode, default settings and basic drivers are not the cause. To get there, open the Windows Recovery Environment and choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, then pick a safe mode option.
Step 4: Check Device Manager and update drivers
Right-click Start, open Device Manager, and look for any device with a yellow exclamation mark. Microsoft says to right-click it and choose Update driver, and if that does not help, to disable or uninstall the device.
On a gaming PC, the graphics driver is the usual suspect, especially if crashes started after a driver update. Install the latest driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel using our graphics driver update guide. If a driver update caused the problem, rolling back to the previous version from Device Manager (Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver) is often quicker.
Step 5: Free up disk space
Windows needs free space for its page file and updates. Microsoft suggests keeping 10% to 15% of the system drive free. A nearly full C: drive can cause odd crashes as well as slowdowns.
Step 6: Install Windows updates
Open Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates, and install everything, including optional driver updates if they relate to your hardware. Microsoft lists this as a standard step because many stop codes are fixed in later updates.
Step 7: Undo overclocks and memory profiles
This is not on Microsoft's consumer list, but it is the most common cause of crashes on a self-built gaming PC. An XMP or EXPO memory profile is officially an overclock, and so are CPU and GPU tuning tools.
Reset the BIOS to defaults, or turn off XMP/EXPO, and see if the crashes stop. Our XMP and EXPO guide explains how to switch it back on safely afterwards.
Undo any GPU overclock or undervolt in MSI Afterburner, NVIDIA App or AMD Software.
If a recent BIOS update coincided with the crashes, check the board vendor's support page for a newer version. See how to update a BIOS safely.
MEMORY_MANAGEMENT and similar memory-related codes are a strong hint to test the RAM at stock speed.
Step 8: Rule out heat and power
Crashes under load, especially in games, can be caused by overheating or an inadequate power supply. Check temperatures with the tools in our HWiNFO and Afterburner monitoring guide and follow our PC overheating guide if anything is running hot.
Step 9: Restore or reset Windows
If none of this helps, Microsoft's last basic step is to restore Windows, either to a System Restore point from before the problems began or using one of the recovery options in Settings > System > Recovery. Back up your files first; our Windows 11 backup guide shows how. A clean install, covered in how to install Windows 11, is the final software fix. If a clean Windows still crashes at stock settings, the problem is almost certainly hardware.
Our verdict
Note the stop code, remove any new hardware, then update or roll back drivers (the graphics driver first), free up disk space and install Windows updates, as Microsoft recommends. On a self-built gaming PC, reset XMP/EXPO and any overclocks before anything else, and check temperatures and power. If a clean, stock Windows install still crashes, start testing hardware. We have not diagnosed your PC; the core steps come from Microsoft's official troubleshooting page.
The bottom line
Note the stop code, remove any new hardware, then update or roll back drivers (the graphics driver first), free up disk space and install Windows updates, as Microsoft recommends. On a self-built gaming PC, reset XMP/EXPO and any overclocks before anything else, and check temperatures and power. If a clean, stock Windows install still crashes, start testing hardware. We have not diagnosed your PC; the core steps come from Microsoft's official troubleshooting page.
