If you’ve spent any time on computer repair websites, then you may have heard users talking about something called the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). But what is the Blue Screen of Death? And why is it such a bad thing for your computer? Let’s find out.
First, the Blue Screen of Death pops up when something has gone wrong with the hardware or software on your computer. It usually features an error message that gives you further information on the computer problem, or at the very least gives you an error number than you can Google to find out what’s going wrong.
The color of the Blue Screen of Death may seem irritating. However, Microsoft consciously chose the color blue for a reason. Apparently, it helps calm people’s nerves. While seeing the white text against a blue background may remind you of websites from the 1990s, be aware that Microsoft had the best interests of the user in mind when they created their BSOD.

What information is on the Blue Scree of Death?

The error message: At the top of the Blue Screen of Death, you’ll see an error message. This is usually a long string of numbers and letters, and it may seem completely meaningless. However, if you look closely, then you’ll see that one part of this error message will be in all-capital letters with underscores between each word. This tells you which error your computer experienced.
The next steps: Once you’ve read the error message and (hopefully) understood it, you can look further down the Blue Screen of Death to find some basic troubleshooting advice. This advice usually isn’t in-depth, and provides general suggestions like “Restart your computer” or “Make sure your hardware is installed properly.”
Memory dump: One of the advantages of a Blue Screen of Death is that Windows performs a memory dump immediately as it crashes. All of the processes and information that your computer was handling before it crashed are saved into a folder on your computer. By accessing this folder and sending it to Microsoft Tech Support, you can have your problem analysed and solved.
Stop code: This is where the Blue Screen of Death can look a little confusing. The stop code is a hexadecimal string that lists the exact reason for your computer’s crash. Usually, this lists the precise process that failed to execute, or the driver that didn’t load. Once you copy this information down, along with the all-caps error message at the top of the screen, you can restart your computer.
What can I do to prevent Blue Screens of Death?
Blue Screens of Death are an unavoidable part of working on a Windows computer. Windows is a complex operating system, and every computer will run into problems at some point or another. While Windows Vista and Windows 7 have eliminated many BSoD errors, that doesn’t mean they have been completely eradicated.
To protect your PC, you need to scan your computer regularly with a good optimization program like PC Cleaner Pro 2012. Using this tool, you can enhance your system’s use of resources and maximize the potential of your computer. With fewer Blue Screens of Death and faster computer performance, a program like PC Cleaner Pro 2012 can significantly improve the time you spend on your computer.