Microsoft Windows fault codes and warning indicators, with meanings, causes, and step-by-step fixes.
9 models · 27 error codes
Windows cannot access the system partition during startup, causing a blue screen.
Windows Stop code 0x0000000A (IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL) means a kernel-mode process or driver tried to access a memory address at an interrupt level (IRQL) that was too high — usually a faulty driver or bad RAM.
Windows Stop code 0x00000019 (BAD_POOL_HEADER) means a memory-pool header is corrupt — a driver damaged a block of kernel memory it was using.
Windows Stop code 0x0000001A (MEMORY_MANAGEMENT) means the Windows memory manager hit a serious error — commonly faulty RAM, but a bad driver can also trigger it.
Windows Stop code 0x0000001E (KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED) means a kernel-mode program generated an exception the error handler didn't catch — typically a faulty driver.
Windows Stop code 0x00000024 (NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM) means a problem occurred in ntfs.sys, the driver that handles the NTFS file system — usually disk corruption or a failing drive.
Windows Stop code 0x0000003B (SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION) means an exception occurred while executing a system service routine — frequently a graphics or third-party driver.
Windows Stop code 0x00000050 (PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA) means the system referenced invalid memory that should always be present — commonly faulty RAM or a bad driver.
Windows Stop code 0x0000007E (SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED) means a system thread generated an exception the handler didn't catch — the blue screen usually names the offending driver file.
Windows Stop code 0x0000009F (DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE) means a driver was in an inconsistent or invalid power state — typically during sleep, hibernate, or wake.
Windows Stop code 0x000000C2 (BAD_POOL_CALLER) means a driver made an illegal memory-pool request — asking for or freeing kernel memory incorrectly.
Windows Stop code 0x000000D1 (DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL) means a driver tried to access pageable memory at an interrupt level that was too high — a specific driver is at fault (the dump names it).
Windows Stop code 0x000000EF (CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED) means a process Windows relies on to run unexpectedly stopped — losing a critical system process forces the shutdown.
Windows Stop code 0x000000F4 (CRITICAL_OBJECT_TERMINATION) means a critical system process or thread terminated unexpectedly — frequently linked to a failing storage drive.
Windows Stop code 0x00000109 (CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION) means the kernel detected that a critical data structure was modified/corrupted — a driver, faulty hardware, or (blocked) tampering.
Windows Stop code 0x00000116 (VIDEO_TDR_ERROR) means the graphics driver failed to respond in time and Windows' Timeout Detection & Recovery (TDR) couldn't recover it — a GPU/driver problem.
Windows Stop code 0x00000124 (WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR) means the Windows Hardware Error Architecture reported a fatal hardware error the system could not correct — a genuine hardware fault.
Windows Stop code 0x00000133 (DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION) means a deferred procedure call (DPC) ran too long or the watchdog spotted the system stuck — often an old driver or SSD firmware.
Windows Stop code 0x00000139 (KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE) means the kernel detected that a critical data structure was corrupted and failed a security check — usually a driver, sometimes RAM or disk.
Windows Stop code 0x0000013A (KERNEL_MODE_HEAP_CORRUPTION) means the kernel heap became corrupted — a driver damaged kernel memory it was managing.
Windows Stop code 0x00000154 (UNEXPECTED_STORE_EXCEPTION) means the store manager (part of Windows memory/compression) hit an unexpected exception — often disk or driver related.
Windows Stop code 0xC000021A (STATUS_SYSTEM_PROCESS_TERMINATED) means a critical user-mode subsystem such as Winlogon or CSRSS failed, so Windows can't continue safely.
Windows Stop code 0xC0000221 (STATUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MISMATCH) means a system file or driver failed its integrity (checksum) check — the file is corrupt or damaged.
Windows Stop code 0x000000BE (ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY) means a driver tried to write to a section of memory marked read-only — a faulty driver is at fault.
Windows Stop code 0x0000005C (HAL_INITIALIZATION_FAILED) means the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) failed to initialise early in boot — a low-level hardware or firmware problem.
Windows Stop code 0x0000012B (FAULTY_HARDWARE_CORRUPTED_PAGE) means a single-bit error was detected in a memory page — Windows is pointing directly at faulty RAM (or the memory controller).
Windows Stop code 0x000000FC (ATTEMPTED_EXECUTE_OF_NOEXECUTE_MEMORY) means code tried to run from a memory region marked non-executable (DEP protection) — typically a faulty driver.
These codes apply across Microsoft Windows models, including:
