The Blue Screen of Death

[Thor Von Clemson]

How do I fix it? I bought my dad a new Dell pc. He's been using it no more than a week and he has already encountered the Blue Screen of Death. So far, the only software that I installed that did not come with the PC was the printer software and some Norton stuff.

What exactly causes the BSOD and how can I fix it? Since the computer is basically brand new and he has no files on it yet, I am thinking I will do a system restore or something like that ( I can not remember what it is called) to bring the computer back to the way it was when it came from the factory.

Any help?

[IrfaanSE801]

Whenever I get a new PC, I usually re-format the computer and install whatever options I want/need from Windows (or now my Mac) and make sure everything is fine. Some say it's not necessary, but it makes me feel better and I know anything that happens from there might be something I did wrong somewhere. I had the blue screen pop up right after a Windows XP re-install, and it appears everything went alright, so it may be just crappy luck or sometimes you just need an update. Running Windows Update might help, but me personally I'd format the PC and re-install if there's nothing on it yet

[Thor Von Clemson]

Is there a way to find out exactly what is causing the problem? I am thinking re-formatting (even though I have completely forgotten how to do it) and re-installing the printer and anti-virus software is the best way to go

[hippietim]

The BSOD will usually dump system registers, a trap code, and the offending module. Have him write it down and send it to me. Usually you will be asked to send an error report to Microsoft upon reboot. He should definitely do that. Every crash has a signature of some sort - if it's specific enough, he may be brought to a web page that may provide a solution.

For a BSOD to occur, it is either a severe hardware failure (such as bad RAM) or code running in the kernel. The printer driver may have a kernel component. The anti-virus definitely will have a kernel mode component. Some of the top reasons for a BSOD are anti virus software and buggy display or audio drivers.

[rjohnstone]

+1 Tim.
Almost all BSOD's are caused by a fault in either a piece of hardware or a bad/corrupt driver.

Thor... lose Norton. It's crap. Go with McAfee or AVG for virus protection.
Norton has caused more headaches for just about everyone I know that uses it.

[Cybersavior]

Dell=BSOD. ...I am thoo

[Reverend Timmy]

Throw the Norton bullshit as far as you can.Is it under warranty?Send it back,Dell always brags about customer support....................

[delt]

Install a real system on it (such as Linux) or get a Mac.

[OnlineStageGear]

So far, the only software that I installed that did not come with the PC was the printer software and some Norton stuff.

I can almost bet it was the Norton.

[audiophile]

I'll spare my opinion here, cause it totally contradicts everyone elses LOL

Ctrl-F11 on boot to restore to pre-ship state.

[petedz]

I've had difficult to diagnose BSOD problems on several new computers, and in each case it came down to some bizarre driver/firmware/BIOS incompatibility that took a week of googling and several handfuls of hair ripped from my head to solve.

I'm starting to think that Apple has the right idea. If all the hardware's the same, that shit doesn't happen.

[GWARGHOUL]

Anytime winders boots up succesfully, it will create a new configuration snapshot.
So Cntrl f11 isn;t going to do anything good.

[iced_earth]

I've gotten the BSOD for two reasons on Windows XP. One is bad drivers (usually video for me) and the other is the power supply couldn't handle what I had connected. I've been using Norton IS for years and it has not caused any shut downs or restarts on me. Have you tried to uninstall the printer software and Norton (one at a time) to see if the problem still occurs? If you do and still have problems, I'd say have Dell send you a new computer.