Blue screen of death issues suddenly developed, Windows 10.

[rzemanfl]

On Thursday two things happened, my Dell laptop had a firmware update, and I had an audio-visual conference with a nurse practitioner regarding surgery I am having this coming Wednesday. The first instance of the blue screen of death was while setting up for the telemedicine thing. Since then, my laptop has rebooted about once an hour. Reasons I have caught have been "system service exception," "system thread exception not handled," and "kernel security check...(I did not catch the rest).

Obviously, this is a shitty time for me to be having computer problems. I suspect the update or the telemedicine software as the source. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome.

[TexasTowelie]

1. I would use the uninstall programs feature in Windows to get rid of the new app.

Obviously, I would get anything that you need backed up to another device or the Cloud. I had to purchase a new computer a few months ago so I share the anxiety.

[rzemanfl]

2. I thought about doing that but I cannot find an app installed on Thursday. I had to log on to

link furnished by the doctor's office, and they are, of course, closed so I can't even get the name of the software. I had a lot going on yesterday and did not realize how bad things were until in the evening. I can hardly walk (herniated disk) so everything I do takes forever.

[TexasTowelie]

7. I'm sorry about the back pain issues since I've been there before.

I actually had a brief spasm last night that reminded me of the problems I had about a dozen years ago. I suspected a herniated disk, but the MRI showed that it was some tissue located about an inch away from the spine. Most of the time I am okay, but it's also very easy for me to aggravate that area.

Good luck with getting well and resolving the computer issues.

[Tetrachloride]

3. Backup all your important data.

you might want to make paper notes of accounts and passwords

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. Check memory usage and paging disk. Bad RAM from former and worn out disk from latter

If your use of memory is a high percentage of physical, it can get into regions of RAM not often accessed, which might be a bit flaky. Or cause thrashing of the page file, wearing out a bit of disk making it flaky (applies to SSD too).

[SheltieLover]

5. Run memory diagnostic test

Search for Windows Memory Diagnostic. Click restart & check for problems. This will check your RAM. RAM malfunctions are a common cause of blue screens.

[rzemanfl]

10. I ran the diagnostic, and no problems were found.

Thanks for the suggestion though.

[SheltieLover]

13. Yw

Did you remove the telemed program?

[rzemanfl]

15. I don't find it on my laptop. n/t

[Scrivener7]

6. Can't help your technical issues, but good luck on Wednesday.

[sl8]

8. System Restore? n/t

[rzemanfl]

12. My question about that is whether it would change the firmware back, or just Windows. n/t

[sl8]

16. No, it wouldn't fix the firmware.

But, if you have a fairly recent restore point, it would be a quick way to rule out a recent Windows problem.

By firmware, do you mean the system BIOS? You might have to flash the previous BIOS version.

Have you googled the firmware version to see if anyone else has been having the same issues?

[rzemanfl]

17. I have not since I don't know how to find it. n/t

[rzemanfl]

19. I have been thinking about a system restore. In my current situation

a computer that mostly works is better than none at all. I will try that when I am up and around again.

[sl8]

22. Good luck. n/t

[canetoad]

9. I can't be precise...

As branded laptops can have a different set of keys to do certain things, but...

Windows 10 doesn't have the old 'Safe Mode' that previous Windows did. However, you can try to enable a set of troubleshooting options at boot.

Try booting the computer, and as soon as it starts to load, tap the F8 key a few times. Hopefully this will bring you to a blue options screen - I can't remember exactly what it says but you can:

-Boot normally
-Browse advanced options

In the advanced options you will find settings to roll back updates, try a system restore and a few other things. If F8 doesn't work and you have web access, this link will explain how to enable F8. https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge/how-to-enter-safe-mode-in-windows-10/

Between you and I, I wonder if a recent update hosed your laptop - just yesterday I had a bad crash on my desktop machine and cannot diagnose the fault. I put it down to age and possible overheating of the CPU but this is starting to look a bit suss!

Good luck.

[rzemanfl]

11. I had the blue screen of death issue once before, although not this frequently.

Then, after an update, it stopped. I am really suspicious of the Thursday update, and the telemedicine app.

The love of my life is telling me to switch to Apple. I just might.

[SheltieLover]

14. Have you ever used an apple?

I got one as a gift some 12 yrs ago. Spent 26 clock hours on the phone with support. Really nice gift, but literally gave it away. My head just does not work that way.

[rzemanfl]

20. I have not. Microsoft since the late '80s. n/t

[SheltieLover]

21. Nof sure how you could try one first

But I'd suggest that before going over to apple.

[sl8]

18. Windows 10 still has Safe Mode.

I had occasion to use it quite a bit last week. Getting to it has changed, though.

https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000124344/how-to-boot-to-safe-mode-in-windows-10

[lastlib]

23. Here's a link you can try:

https://www.makeuseof.com/system-thread-exception-not-handled/#:~:text=1%20Boot%20Into%20Safe%20Mode.%20The%20first%20step,Drivers.%20...%204%20Rename%20the%20Faulty%20File.%20

Hope this helps!

[LPBBEAR]

24. I use this.....

to determine whether issues like this are software caused or hardware caused. It does require a small amount of computer savvy but not terribly difficult.

Download a copy of Linux Mint from

https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=mint

It comes in the form of a .iso file and can be burned to a DVD with most CD/DVD burning software.

You DO NOT have to install it. Many versions of Linux can run completely from the DVD disc. You'll have to make the disc bootable in your computer. Some systems have an option to choose the boot device during system startup. Others enable this function in the BIOS. Boot the system from the DVD.

Try running the disc for an extended period of time. It won't affect your system as long as you don't install it or mess with the drive partition software on the DVD.

If your system remains stable while running this disc its likely the issue is with either your Windows operating system or some software component of the system such as a driver or application.

If on the other hand you still experience crashes you likely have a hardware issue.

Once you are done testing just choose restart from the Linux Mint menu. It will automatically eject the disc and allow you to restart as normal.

[rzemanfl]

25. Thank you. I am using a new computer now.

I had to have back surgery in the middle of December and could not do without a reliable computer.

I am about at the point in my recovery when I can drive the malfunctioning device to my computer guy and have him deal with it.