Staring at the Black Screen of Death on your Windows PC? 6 steps to fix it

Observe ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. 

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Black Display screen of Loss of life is extremely annoying, however typically simply identified.
• The commonest culprits are outdated software program or defective drivers. 
• With a number of fast fixes and primary upkeep, you possibly can restore your laptop and keep away from expensive repairs.

Why is it that your laptop all the time decides to crash on the worst doable time? You possibly can be in the course of a productive work session when instantly the Black Display screen of Loss of life rears its ugly head (or Blue Display screen, in the event you’re nonetheless working an older OS than Windows 11). Even essentially the most well-maintained is not immune. 

Additionally: How much RAM do you need in 2025? My expert advice for Windows and Mac users

Normally, these issues are attributable to one thing easy, like working too many processes within the background, inflicting your laptop to run out of RAM and crashing beneath the heavy duress. 

Restarting your laptop and shutting additional apps is usually the simplest answer, however generally, you may must take a extra hands-on strategy along with your Home windows PC. 

It is vital that you just discover ways to establish and handle these points early. Doing so will assist prolong your system’s lifespan, enhance efficiency, and, most significantly, prevent cash. This information marks the start of a brand new sequence during which I present you the very best methods to troubleshoot frequent PC issues. For this primary entry, I’ll clarify find out how to overcome slowdowns, what to do once you encounter the Blue Display screen of Loss of life, in addition to a number of different fast fixes.

Squashing sluggish efficiency

For example you are still coping with a efficiency dip, even after closing all the additional apps and browser tabs on Chrome. Your PC nonetheless feels as gradual as molasses. The very best factor to do right here is to set up the newest Home windows 11 patch from the Home windows Replace part of the Settings menu. Microsoft frequently rolls out a number of fixes each second Tuesday of every month. On high of addressing safety vulnerabilities, additionally they include efficiency enhancements.

Nonetheless, you could wish to maintain off on putting in. Current studies state the October 2025 patch has been recognized to trigger a “severe restoration mode glitch”. A workaround is accessible, though I would not blame you in the event you skip it.

Exterior of downloading the newest Home windows replace, I like to recommend disabling pointless startup applications to unencumber system assets. Observe this path: open Process Supervisor from the Begin menu, head to the Startup Apps tab as indicated by the throttle icon, and right-click a program. Click on Disable to show off no matter you don’t need launching. It is a small tweak that may make your PC noticeably quicker.

Simply watch out to not get too zealous, I like to recommend closing out processes you acknowledge. For those who’re undecided what one thing is, a fast Google search can normally offer you an thought.

Additionally: I tested the best antivirus software for Windows

I additionally counsel working an antivirus to filter any malware lingering in your recordsdata. Home windows Safety is a extremely succesful first-party anti-viral program. Beneath the Virus & Risk Safety tab, hit Fast Scan to shortly verify “folders in your system the place threats are generally discovered”. Scan Choices gives entry to extra scan instruments.

For those who choose a third-party app with extra sturdy options, try ZDNET’s checklist of the best antivirus software for Windows. Malwarebytes stands as the very best Home windows 11 antivirus, however there are different nice choices.

Black Display screen of Loss of life

With the discharge of update KB5062660 for Home windows 11, Microsoft changed the Blue Display screen of Loss of life with the Black Display screen of Loss of life (BSOD), and it is simply as unsettling. This error display screen seems at any time when some type of crucial system failure happens; there is not a single wrongdoer that’s solely answerable for the BSOD.

Additionally: I ditched Linux for Windows 11 for one week – and found 9 big problems

The very first thing you must do when a crash happens is pay attention to the error code displayed on the backside heart of the display screen. These codes level to what might be the reason for the crash, however not the precise wrongdoer. Dell has a brief checklist of common error codes on its web site, reminiscent of DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION, which signifies that your drivers are both outdated or incompatible along with your laptop.

As a result of these codes are inherently obscure, it is tough to offer options to those issues with out figuring out precisely the trigger. For this occasion, I’ll concentrate on the DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION code. It is a answer that normally solves the BSOD.

First, you may must boot your PC into Secure Mode, which is a stripped-down model of Home windows 11 that solely hundreds important recordsdata and providers. It additionally makes the Black Display screen of Loss of life much less prone to seem. Upon launching the Settings menu, go to System > Restoration > Superior Startup > Restart Now. In case your PC crashes earlier than you will get to this menu, maintain down the Shift key whereas restarting to enter Superior Startup mode.

From there, observe this path: Troubleshoot > Superior Choices > Startup Settings > Restart, then hit F5 to reboot Home windows 11 in Secure Mode.

Whereas in Secure Mode, open the Machine Supervisor > broaden Show adapters > right-click the entry > Replace Drivers > Search routinely for drivers. Restart your laptop after the replace finishes to exit Secure Mode.

If the BSOD persists, the wrongdoer is perhaps one other {hardware} driver, so proceed updating different parts. You can too take away any not too long ago put in drivers by increasing the identical {hardware} element entry and going to Properties > Driver > Roll Again Driver. It will possibly take a little bit of trial and error; nonetheless, typically, performing these steps will resolve the Black Display screen of Loss of life while not having a full system reinstall.

Straightforward fixes for BSOD

Listed here are a number of different fixes that you would be able to carry out in only a few minutes to resolve the Black Display screen of Loss of life.

• Typically, a newly put in app can set off the BSOD. Maybe one thing went flawed throughout set up. You possibly can attempt uninstalling this system immediately, but when your Home windows PC crashes earlier than you make any leeway, boot into Secure Mode first, then take away the app.
• Corrupted system recordsdata are one other frequent wrongdoer of BSOD. Open the Command Immediate as an administrator. Sort in “chkdsk” and press Enter to run a scan. If the scan detects any errors, observe up with “chkdsk /r” to restore broken recordsdata.
• Warmth is the pc killer. Extreme temperatures result in efficiency throttling and doable bodily injury. Try my information on how to properly clean your PC. To make a protracted story brief, seize a can of compressed air and blow away the mud accumulating in vents.