How to Stop Hardware from Causing a Blue Screen of Death

Blue Screens are bad news, no matter what causes them. They take up your time, they destroy the work you haven’t saved, and they’re hard on your computer. Even worse, one blue screen means that more are likely to follow. If you run a software check on your computer and everything checks out, that doesn’t mean it was a fluke. Check on these common hardware issues to start solving the problem:

1. Run hardware diagnostics.

There are plenty of programs available online that can check everything from your hard drive to the connectivity of your cables. Look up your blue screen’s error code and see if there are scanning programs that match it. A part could be failing from overuse or old age. Something could have also shaken loose, especially if you’re using a laptop.

Another common hardware problem is not having enough storage space. If your C:// drive is too crowded to hold the new updates or the most recent version of your operating system, you can’t patch problems.

2. Get rid of extra tools.

If your laptop has a lot of extra parts, take them out of the equation. SD cards, USB mice, and anything else you plug into your computer could be overloading the computer. If your computer is trying to do so much at once that it can’t function, it will pull up a blue screen.

3. Check your computer’s temperature.

One of the biggest clues you can get that something is wrong with your computer is its temperature. If the bottom or side of your laptop is too hot, the device has an automatic shutdown procedure that triggers a blue screen. Overheating can be caused by anything from making your computer do too much at once to putting it on a particularly fluffy blanket that blocks the vents. So let your computer cool off and check to see if the fan is working later.

For more ways to get to the bottom of your blue screen of death, go to PC Geeks.