How to Repair a Blue Screen
The infamous "Blue Screen of Death," is it's frequently dubbed, is a condition in which your computer crashes, indicating an internal error that renders your computer practically useless. It usually occurs out of nowhere or when you're trying to boot up your computer, and is a blue screen filled with error messages. Although there is more than one solution, the fastest, most reliable thing you can do, which will also improve your computer's performance, is a memory dump, also known as wiping your computer.
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Things You'll Need
- External hard drive
- USB cable
- System Restore disc (included with your PC)
Instructions
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Turn off your computer. You will probably have to do this manually by holding down its power button. It may take a few seconds, depending on the manufacturer.
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Turn on the computer by pressing the power button and immediately press the "F8" key as it boots. This should bring up a menu giving you the option to boot the computer in Safe Mode.
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Select "Safe Mode" by using the down arrow and pressing "Enter" to boot the computer in safe mode, which uses minimal processing power. The graphics will be washed out and many advanced programs will be unable to operate.
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Once booted, log into your user account, preferably the administrator's account.
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Connect the external hard drive to the computer using the USB cable, connecting each end to each device's USB port. Turn on the hard drive if necessary. Some hard drives run off of the computer's power and do not require an external source.
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Cut and save all important files from your computer, including programs you may have saved, movies, pictures, games or documents, to your external hard drive.
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Disconnect the external hard drive and insert the System Restore disc.
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Turn off the computer manually.
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Turn the computer back on and immediately press the "F5" key to boot from the disc.
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From here, follow the on-screen instructions to enter the repair center, depending on which operating system you are using and select the option to "reformat your partition." This will essentially erase all data on the PC and return it to its factory settings. This process could take up to a half-hour.
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Re-create your account once the computer has finished. You will also be required to rename your computer and reorganize the settings the way you wanted them.
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Connect the external hard drive again and move all of your saved files back onto your computer, restoring your system.
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Tips & Warnings
If you forgot to save something important to your hard drive before wiping your computer, all is not lost. There are several types of software available online that can help you recover deleted files, even ones that were apparently permanently lost in a memory dump.
