Windows Stop Code / BSOD Lookup

How this reads your output

Enter the stop code shown on the blue screen — either the hex value like 0x0000000A or the name like IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL — and the tool returns what it means, the broad category most likely at fault, and the first thing worth checking. You can paste the whole blue-screen line; the code is picked out of it.

What the results mean

Most likely cause

The broad category — driver, memory, storage or hardware — that this code most often points to. It is a lead, not a diagnosis.

Driver causes

The most common and most fixable. Updating or rolling back a driver resolves a large share of blue screens.

Hardware / memory causes

More serious. Codes like WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR point at failing components — worth a memory test and a temperature check before spending money.

Common problems and fixes

The same code keeps pointing at "driver" but I do not know which

The minidump file in C:\Windows\Minidump names the driver involved. A free crash-dump reader will open it, or note any .sys filename shown on the blue screen itself.

It says hardware but everything seems fine

Hardware faults are often intermittent and heat-related. Run a memory test overnight and check temperatures under load before concluding the hardware is healthy.

Frequently asked questions

More in Interpreter

• SMART Data Interpreter (CrystalDiskInfo)Paste a CrystalDiskInfo report and get the same verdict, from the same five attributes.
• Ping Output AnalyserPaste any ping run and get latency, jitter and loss with a plain-English verdict.