The blue screen when starting Windows operating systems is a fairly common phenomenon. Now we will talk about the error BSoD 0x0000000A and the like. As a rule, they all arise for similar reasons and are eliminated by similar methods. Depending on the situation, the following methods may be applied.
BSoD 0x0000000A: Causes of Failure
If we talk about what exactly can cause a crash when the system boots, then we should start from the error number and the stop code in the description. In this case, consider the appearance of the BSoD screen 0x0000000A (IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL).
First you need to understand the very nature of such a failure. Without going into technical details, it can be noted that this error occurs when several devices or system programs access the same memory address. The description of the stop code indicates failures when using the so-called IRQ interrupts.
Roughly speaking, this is an attempt to gain access by an device or program to an invalid memory address, as a result of which the Diskdump.sys system component incorrectly sets the I / O value to zero. Thus, it is possible to solve the problem by eliminating conflicts at the hardware and software level.
BSoD 0x0000000A (Windows 7): System Rollback
Let's start with the simplest. The appearance of BSoD errors 0x0000000A, 0x00000016, 0x00000002 and the like can be tried to be eliminated by restoring the system. You can use automatic rollback by forcibly restarting the computer device several times.
In some cases, it helps to call a special menu at the boot stage (F8), in which the start of the last successful configuration is selected. If there are no necessary points with workable system parameters on the computer, or for some reason it cannot be started, you can try to boot the system in Safe Mode by selecting it from the same start list of options.
Troubleshooting device drivers
But in most cases, the BSoD error 0x0000000A appears due to conflicts of "iron" equipment. And this mostly does not concern physical breakdowns, but the status of device drivers.
The most common cause of a BSoD 0x0000000A failure is graphics adapters, since when you start the system, access to them is activated first. But such situations do not necessarily occur precisely because of video cards. Any other hardware components of the system can also cause failures if their drivers are directly involved in the process of loading the OS.
Thus, the first step is to boot the system at least in safe start mode, call the “Device Manager” and remove the drivers of the failed components, then reboot the system in normal mode and reinstall the driver. If the failure appears again, in safe start mode, you need to use the verifier / reset command (the program execution console is Win + R), and then install again.
For ATI video cards, there is a more effective solution, which is to get rid of conflicts between old and new versions of drivers. So, for example, when installing the updated driver, the old configuration (atikmdag.sys object) can be copied not to the current settings folder, but directly to the system directory with drivers (Drivers), which is located in the System32 directory.
To fix the problem, first rename the specified file with the addition to the name old through a dot. After that, in the ATI folder, which, as a rule, is located directly on drive C, find the atikmdag.sy_ file and copy it to any other place (preferably on the “Desktop”), then in the command console (cmd) write the line chdir Desktop . After that, enter the expand-r atikmdag.sy_ atikmdag.sys command. Upon completion of the operation, move the new file to the folder with drivers (Drivers) and reboot the system.
RAM
If the BSoD 0x0000000A failure occurs due to problems with memory bars, in the simplest case, each of them needs to be removed from the corresponding slots one by one and the system restarted. When the OS starts normally, it will immediately become clear which bar needs to be replaced.
For professionals, the Memtest86 + RAM verification program is perfect, but the average user is unlikely to figure it out.
Change BIOS Settings
To troubleshoot, you can experiment with the BIOS settings. For starters, you can make a full reset to the factory state.
If this does not help, you will have to enter the CMOS settings and disable caching of all levels (L1-L3), Plug & Play functions and devices, as well as all types of BIOS anti-virus protection, if any. If for some reason you cannot disconnect the devices, everything that is not needed to start the system can simply be removed from the system in a physical way (additional hard drives, optical drives, sound adapters, integrated modems, etc.).
In extreme cases, for the hard drive, you can set the IDE operating mode or manually rearrange the jumper of the IDE disk to the “Master” position, and then start. If the download is in normal mode, then you can connect devices one at a time and look at the result. The most recent option is updating the BIOS firmware. But, as practice shows, such actions are required very rarely.
Software conflict
Finally, if the conflict occurs at the installed software level, using Safe Mode, you need to enter the computer control section and look at the notifications recorded in the event log in the utility programs section.
The failed application will be marked with a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark. Exit - a complete reinstallation of the identified failed program with subsequent reboot of the system in normal mode.
The saddest thing is that such a conflict very often causes Avast antivirus free modification. But you need to remove it using a special utility from the developer or use narrowly targeted uninstallers for this.