Run DISM and SFC scans
These can fix corrupted system files and drivers
If you haven’t changed any hardware lately and have started getting BSOD messages, it could indicate that some system drivers have gotten corrupted. It could also mean that your disk has an issue, but either way, running a couple of scans to identify and download fresh copies of system files could fix your BSOD woes.
- Press Win + X on the desktop (or right-click the Start menu icon) and choose Terminal (Admin).
Some versions of Windows may say Windows Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin) for Windows 10. - Enter the following command into the Terminal and press Enter.
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
- Wait for the process to finish, which could take a while.
- When it’s finished, enter the following command to run SFC, and press Enter.
sfc /scannow
Once the scan has been completed, it will have fixed any issues with the system image which might have addressed the problems leading to the BSOD.
Run Driver Verifier
Root out any unsigned drivers
Windows has a powerful built-in tool for testing system drivers, called Driver Verifier, and it can pinpoint BSOD issues that are caused by the system drivers that are hard for users to update or access.
This tool can also sometimes trigger a BSOD when it finds a corrupt driver, so consider making a system restore point before running it.
- Open the Start menu, and search for “verifier.exe” and click on it when it appears.
- Select Create standard settings from the list that appears, then click Next.
- Select Automatically select unsigned drivers first, then click on Next. If the tool says none are installed, then select Automatically select all drivers installed on this computer, then click on Next.
- Reboot your computer and wait for Driver Verifier to complete its checks during startup. If you get a BSOD here, write down any driver it mentions, as these are the ones you will need to update, upgrade, or replace.
If you find that your computer won’t boot for any reason here, boot into Safe Mode, run Verifier again, and choose Delete existing settings from the first page. That will stop the tool from running on boot, and you’ll be able to get back into Windows.
Other things to try
A specific piece of hardware could be at fault
One thing that could be causing the BSOD is a peripheral that’s not compatible with your system, or is faulty in some way. Remove all non-essential devices and peripherals from your computer, and restart it to see if the issue comes back. If things are resolved without them, you can try plugging them back in one by one to see if you can narrow down which one caused the BSOD. Sometimes it might not have been any of them, and a USB glitch caused the problem. In that case, it’s worth retrying by removing it and plugging it back in, since that would solve the issue (as long as the USB device isn’t faulty).
Update your device drivers
An outdated device driver could be causing the issue. If so, updating the drivers for your hardware should fix the issue and give you BSOD-free computing again. Some drivers are served by Windows Update, or you might need to go to the respective hardware manufacturer’s websites to find their driver packages. That’s going to be the case for most laptops or prebuilt PCs, but it could also be necessary for a custom PC.
Open up Device Manager and look for any little yellow exclamation point icons, which indicate an issue with the driver for that hardware or component. If you see any, right-click on them and choose Update driver, then follow the instructions to search for any updated versions.
Run CHKDSK
It’s possible that your computer’s storage drive has issues, and that could be the cause of the BSOD. To check this, we run the chkdsk command from Windows, then reboot to let it run while nothing else is using the boot drive.
- Open the Start menu and search for Terminal. Right-click on the app and select Run as administrator.
- Enter the following command into the Terminal, and press Enter.
chkdsk /r
- Press Y to schedule the scan for the next time you restart, then restart your device and wait for the scan to complete.
Windows will find and fix any errors on your storage drives (assuming things are repairable), reallocating data as necessary. Once your computer boots back into Windows, see if the issue is resolved.
Remove any recently installed programs
If you are still getting a BSOD after checking drivers, the issue could be with a recently installed piece of software. Uninstalling apps on Windows 10 and Windows 11 are done in mostly the same way, although the name of the Settings tab you need is different. On Windows 10, you open Settings, then click on Apps. On Windows 11, you open Settings, click on Apps, then click on Apps & features. Sort the list by recently installed, then uninstall the first app in the list. Depending on how long you’ve been experiencing issues, you may have to remove a few apps before you find the one that is causing the BSOD.
System Service Exception: Handled
These days, Windows 11 is pretty stable overall, and BSODs are less common than they used to be. That doesn’t mean they’re forever banished, though, and driver issues like the ones that cause System Service Exceptions still occur. The steps in this guide should fix the issue so it doesn’t happen again on your current hardware configuration. On a custom PC, a change in hardware could be the culprit, so you might need to swap things out to troubleshoot, or fiddle with any recently installed parts to make sure they are installed properly.
