How to Decode the Blue Screen of Death Errors

1. Reboot the computer, and disable the automatic restart during a BSOD error. Right-click 'My Computer,' then 'Properties' and then the 'Advanced' tab. Click 'Settings' under 'Startup and Recovery.' Uncheck the 'Automatically Restart' under the 'System Failure' section. The process applies to most versions of Windows, including XP and 7.
2. Recreate the issue. Open the programs you were using and attempt to generate the issue. A majority of the time, you will be unable to recreate the issue. The next BSOD error that occurs will not reboot your computer automatically, giving you time to write down the technical information.
3. Write down the first aspect of the error. The second section will have a sentence without spaces, such as 'PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA.' This is what caused the computer to crash. The page fault error implies a possibly damaged memory module. 'INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE' indicates that the drivers for a storage device or hard drive were incorrectly installed. Most other common errors involve the word 'DRIVER' pointing at a faulty driver.
4. Copy down the impacted file name. The section under 'Technical Information' lists the exact error in coded message. The first section is programming language. The second section will list a file. The standard file listed will be a combination of letters and numbers followed by '.dll' which is a device driver data file. For example, 'ati3diag.dll' may be displayed.
5. Open the 'Search' engine for the computer. Click 'Start' and 'Search' for Windows XP. Click 'Start' for Windows 7. Type the file name into the search engine to locate the file folder that holds the file. Some files will be in a 'win32' folder which is a generic Windows folder. The majority will be housed in file folders specific to a program. The program will need to be uninstalled and reinstalled.